22 Weeks Along (Friday, 10/17/08)

Saturday was a beautiful day so we took a drive to East Lansing. We went to Ted Nugent’s book signing, wandered around Grand River, and had dinner at Amy and Wynn’s house. I can’t believe that it has been 10 years since I graduated from MSU. It sure flew by.
Sunday my parents came over for our final basement organizing session. Yes, it is finally done and it looks great. It feels so good to finally have everything done in the basement.
My dad fixed the phone problem (apparently a mouse chewed through a cord outside the house killing all but the main phone line in the kitchen) then he and Paul installed the new bathroom fan light that I bought about 6 months ago. We got to take a little break because we had a surprise visit from my Aunt Robin and Uncle Lee. They were nearby enjoying the beautiful day at a cider mill and decided to stop over. It was good seeing them and we were grateful for the rest it gave us.
The rest of the week was fairly uneventful. I have pasta cravings now. I can feel her kick lightly every once in a while, or it could just be gas. Who know?!

News from the womb…
During this week, the baby’s brain will begin to grow rapidly. This rapid growth continues until the child is five years old. The lungs begin to secrete surfactant- a substance that permits them to inflate. The eyebrow and head hair are more visible. No matter how dark the hair will become, right now it is completely unpigmented. Currently the baby is very lean, only about 3.5% of its body weight is due to fat. This proportion will change over the next few weeks and months as baby accumulates fat to become energy and food reserves to draw on after birth. The baby’s uterus is completely formed now and has just wrapped up its most rapid period of growth. Even though the eyelids are fused, the baby is now making blinking movements. The spine, ribs, and long bones of the arms and legs have hardened into bone. The bone at the base of the baby’s skull has begun to form. At this point, the skull plates that cover the forehead, temples, and top and back of the skull are present and made of cartilage. The size and strength of the baby’s hands have improves so that by now, it can grip with some force. The uterus now reaches the belly button and the baby inside now measures about 7.5 inches in length and is about the size of a Barbie doll. The baby weighs about 1 pound.