14 Weeks

How your baby’s growing:

Head to bottom, your baby’s 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Her body’s growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some growing to do, though.) She’s starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over her body (called lanugo). Her liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it’s already functioning properly, and her spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. She’s also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that she’ll keep up until birth. You still can’t feel your baby’s movements, but her hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, her little facial muscles are getting a workout as she squints, frowns, and grimaces. She can grasp now, too, and she may be able to suck her thumb.

How Donna’s growing: Although I’ve only gained about 4.5 lbs as of Friday (probably more over the weekend with Dawn & co. in town), my stomach feels huge. My clothes are tight and I’ve started wearing my fat pants because they’re the only ones that are comfortable enough. I tried on some shirts and dresses in Target, the kind with the empire waist that are all the style right now, and I looked PREGNANT! in them. So I put them all back. In my own clothes I just look a little bloated, so I’ll stick to those as long as I can. Otherwise I’m feeling fine. No sickness (knock on wood) and no smell aversions. Just tired all the time and forgetful. Thankfully I have this wonderful husband who picks up the dishes and helps me to bed when I fall asleep at 8:30pm. Thanks honey!