12 weeks and getting bigger

I didn't have any appointments this week so no new pictures of the babies. I did have a busy day calling and talking to family members about our awesome news. Everyone was very excited and had some really great reactions. I thought I would post what is going on this week with the babies. The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. All the babies fingers will soon begin to open and close, their toes will curl, their eye muscles will clench, and their mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if I were to prod my abdomen, the babies will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it. Their intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into their abdominal cavity about now, and their kidneys will begin excreting urine into their bladder. Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in the babies brain, synapses are forming furiously. Their faces look unquestionably human: Their eyes have moved from the sides to the front of their head, and their ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, all the babies-to-be are just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Here is a recent picture of my growing belly.