18 Weeks...

Our baby now measures 5.5 inches, about the length of a bell pepper, and weighs almost 7 ounces. Our baby is continuing to grow and develop but the rapid growth rate has slowed down a little. Baby has a more human appearance now. Body hair is becoming coarser, eyeleashes are beginning to appear on baby's eyelids, baby's lips have formed, taste buds have started to develop, and regardless of gender, nipples are starting to develp on top of the mammary glands.  If it's a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place and if it's a boy, his genitals are noticeable now. Finite features of the heart including ventricles and chambers should be visible during an ultrasound.

Baby is busy flexing arms and legs and passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. Baby's blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will contine for a year after baby's born.