Eleven Weeks

Sorry, Swarley! I'm being really lame about your blog.

Today is my nephew Sulley's third birthday -- I can't believe he is already three! Being at his birth was one of the biggest factors when we decided to be home birthers, and I feel so privileged to have known this little boy since the moment he was born.

I have such a strong desire today to have a little boy. We've been hoping a little more for a girl (and according to Shettle's, our chances are high for a girl), but it hit me that I'd love to see Gus with a little brother! Jacob says it's because today is Sulley's birthday and I love him, so I want a boy. Perhaps Sulley has inspired me to want to add more boys to this already boy-ridden family!

I am still feeling good. Sometimes queasy, sometimes falling asleep at 9:30, but mostly good. I am craving things that I normally like ok, but never eat much of. Some of these things include tart, not chewy candy, like Fun Dip and Smarties, as well as Lays potato chips. Things I'll normally eat if they're around, but I don't really care about them that much. I'm also NOT craving my normal stuff, like baked goods. Totally weird for me.

Here's Swarley's update:

10 weeks: Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

11 weeks: Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long andabout the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.