Hi everyone,
Can you believe we’re almost halfway through the pregnancy? In some ways, it feels like we were just sharing the news with you all yesterday.
This week, Kraken (sorry Dad and Nana, Erik wants to go back to that nickname in the emails) is about 6 1/2 inches long from the top of his head to his butt. Soon, standard measurements for Kraken will be bigger because they will be from crown to feet, as fetuses this size aren’t curled up as much and average measurements are easier to ascertain. By the end of this week, he will be about 7 inches from crown to butt (about the length of a banana) and 10 inches from crown to toes. Kraken is working on his sensory development this week – the brain is designating specialized areas for smell, sound, touch, taste, hearing and vision (hopefully, Erik’s 20/15 vision instead of my 20/400 vision). He is able to hear voices now (not just bass sounds and loud noises from outside of the womb), so he’s listening to his mommy and daddy. His arms and legs are now in the correct proportion to the rest of his body. Kidneys continue to produce urine, and the scalp is starting to produce hair. His skin is covered with a waxy substance called vernix caseosa, to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid (and we all know how much I hate pickles).
As for me, I continue to feel his kicks and movements. What was a flurry of soft tickles now feels like there’s a pinball machine in my abdomen. Sometimes, I can feel the movement from the outside if I have my hand on my belly (especially around 5:00 pm, when he starts to get really active) but Erik has not been able to feel them yet. Hopefully soon the kicks will be strong enough for him to feel. My nausea continues – I have not had much of an appetite in the past few days but am eating anyway – and I’m still tired. While I’ve had weird dreams during my entire pregnancy, this week has had some real winners. For example, I dreamt that Tiger Woods was breaking into my hotel room (not to attack me, just… because) and I had to join a “Tiger Woods Violated My Personal Space And The Law” support group. So I hope Tiger Woods stays out of my dreams and my hotel room from now on.
Also new, we have done our baby registry! We registered this past weekend at Buy Buy Baby (www.buybuybaby.com) and tried not to let ourselves be completely overwhelmed. I’m sure we’ll make adjustments and edits to the registry, but it is now up if you’re interested in looking at it. My closest girl friends are throwing a shower for me at the end of June, and I can’t wait!
Have a wonderful week everyone,
Love,
Karen, Erik and Kraken
Tags: baby