14 weeks

Officially, it's no longer under debate or conjecture - I am in my 2nd trimester. I am now 14 weeks pregnant, in my 15th week. Hallelujah brother!

We already know that I have started to feel better, although our house hasn't yet started to see the positive effects. Laundry is still behind, floors still need vacuuming and mopping, crap still everywhere... I warned Hubby that this, my first weekend of renewed vigor, would result in a fall cleaning, so he better move it or lose it. Yes, I am on the war path this weekend. My house will sparkle and smell all citrusy by the time Sunday closes out. I can't wait.

Meanwhile, baby has obviously been busier than Mommy...

Week 14: Your Baby

Think of it this way: You're a third of the way through and baby's a third of the way cooked. Now that the "big stuff" (like skeletal and organ development) is taken care of, your baby starts a period of rapid brain growth, fat buildup and detail work.

Highlights this week include:Your baby now has fingerprints! Book 'em, Danno! Believe it or not, he actually created them himself while swimming around in the amniotic fluid. As he moved his hands, the skin on the tips of his fingers formed unique ridges and folds. That's why no one on earth has the same fingerprints, not even identical twins! Cool, right? Baby's arms are now in proportion to his tiny body, but his legs are still on the short size in comparison.

Meconium, that tar-like, sticky first baby poop, is now loading up your baby's intestines, which means you might want to set aside a bottle of olive oil, one of the few things that will get the gooey poop off of baby's bottom. Your baby continues to gain new and impressive skills such as practicing and controlling voluntary muscle movements (this will help him fling food across the room later in life). Your tiny dancer's movements are no longer the jerky, uncontrollable twitches of yore—he now moves with graceful control. Your baby is now weighs about an ounce and is the length of a flip phone, or roughly 3.5 inches—he's tripled in size from a mere three weeks ago!

Luckily, you haven't done the same.

(Um... they clearly haven't seen me!)

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BOY OR GIRL?

In other news, I notice that there seems to be a general concensus on our poll that we will be having a girl. Strange that the only two votes for a boy are Hubby and I. I'm interested to know what makes you all so certain. Care to share, voters?

MY personal hypothesis is based upon anecdotal evidence from pregnancies of my friends and family in the past few years. Almost without exception, those having a boy felt nausea all day that was relieved by eating little and often - like me. Those having a girl threw everything they ate up. Fingers crossed I don't jinx myself but I haven't seen the bottom of the toilet bowl at close quarters yet.