Dear Baby 2, Farewell first trimester...

We made it through a completely uneventful first trimester!  I got out my maternity clothes this weekend to sort them and wash them.  It won't be long until I'll be wearing them.  My energy is back, my nausea is gone, and the only ill effects of pregnancy I feel are some headaches and strong food preferences and aversions.  Daddy and I are going on a little trip alone this weekend; I guess this will be our baby moon because I can't think of another time we'll be able to get away alone before you arrive.  We're looking forward to it.

Here's what you're up to this week (12 weeks):

From crown to rump, you are just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weigh half an ounce.

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your fingers will soon begin to open and close, your toes will curl, your eye muscles will clench, and your mouth will make sucking movements.  Your intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into your abdominal cavity about now, and your kidneys will begin excreting urine into your bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your brain, synapses are forming furiously. Your face looks unquestionably human: your eyes have moved from the sides to the front of your head, and your ears are right where they should be.


These were my prayers for you this week:

Thanksgiving for a great first trimester and prayers for an equally uneventful second trimester.  That you will form perfectly and be spared any physical or mental defects, but if you aren't, that we'll be just the parents you deserve.