11 Weeks

This week has been great for the McCollough’s. B has a much needed break from school and also got 4 A’s and 1 B over the summer. It’s amazing how smart he is. He stressed all last week because he thought he bombed his final and was going to fail his class. He got an A!!! He truly is the smartest person I know and I’m so proud of him. I sure hope this baby gets his brain. I started back to school on Thursday and I’m so pumped! Our 7th grade science team rocks and we have so much fun together. We had about 2 hours to plan on Friday and we got the first and second week of school planned and we have a bunch of great ideas for this year. B and I are going up to school tomorrow to work on my classroom. Technically, I’m off but I have to get in my new classroom and get organized. Hopefully, I will have pictures to post this week of it.

Last night I was extremely bloated or something because my belly was huge!! I didn’t even eat much at all yesterday because I wasn’t feeling the food but boy B and I were looking at my stomach and it was just plain enormous! It was actually the first time since all these test results that I was excited about this pregnancy and felt the baby actually making it’s appearance for us to see. Then I wake up this morning and it’s back to normal size…so it must have been some bloat. I’m extremely anxious for my next doc appointment, Monday Aug. 25th (one more week!) Hopefully by then they will have my Factor II and MTHFR results. And we get to see the baby…I bet he/she has grown so much since the last time we saw him/her(at 8 weeks)

Here’s what’s going on this week: Your baby continues to grow and is now approximately the size of a large lime! The crown-to-rump length of your developing child is 1.75 to 2.4 inches. The weight of the fetus is approximately 8 grams at this point. The growth of your baby is phenomenal now and your baby's length will double in the next three weeks. The head is grossly out of proportion and is almost half of the baby's length.

This is the last week of the embryonic period. From now on, your baby will be called a fetus. Your baby's fingernails appear this week! The placenta's blood vessels increase to provide your baby with the nutrients and oxygen he needs for continued growth. Your baby's ears are gradually moving from the neck towards the sides of his head. Inside of your baby's abdomen, the intestines are developing. Because the intestines are so large, some of them project into the umbilical cord and they will return to the abdomen within the next week or two.
What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches. They're also developing their swallow reflex this week. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell.

Til next time,
LeAnn