Week 11

How our baby is growing...

If you have seen pictures of babies at this stage you will notice that the head is about 1/2 of the body size. This will change as the baby grows. The iris will begin to develop this week and finger nails appear! Your baby weighs about 7 grams.


We are doing very well. Charissa is slowly feeling the energy coming back to her now. She goes on walks with Scooter and I almost every night now. We both have missed her on our walks. Unfortunetly for Scooter, our pace is slower with the pregnant woman. But we are watching what we eat to ensure a healthy Charissa and healthy baby.

I am trying to tie up all the loose ends and projects before due date. Little painting, little mending and some house love while I can. I want to have the last few months of the pregnancy be as stress free as I can. Not that I can plan life, but I can try.

Thank you all for your prayers and please do not stop. We stil have 6 months to go!!

Next week is week 12. End of the first trimester and probably another ultrasound pick for us all.

Week 10

We won't get another ultrasound for another 3 weeks but I will keep posting updates every week to keep you informed. Charissa is still taking lots of naps and eating lots of snacks. Its like kindergarden all over again.

The baby now enters it's fetal period. The average size is approximately 27-35 mm crown to rump length (CRL), or 1.06-1.38 inches. S/he weighs in at 4 grams, or 4 paper clips. Tiny toes have formed. The eyes are largely open, but the eyelids are beginning to fuse, and will stay that way until 25-27 weeks. External genitalia is beginning to differentiate. External ears are completely formed, as well as the upper lip. The biggest accomplishment this week is the disappearance of the tail!

Week 9

We went to the doctor yesterday. The baby is healthy. Charissa is healthy. And I think real excitement has occurred. Oh we have been before, but it was more victory in getting pregnant and now its excitement about my Son/Daughter growing in my beautiful wife. Now that is joy at its finest.

The two pictures below are our sonogram. The first one is with some arrows to help out. The second one is another shot. This is week 9. Below is from a website I copied and pasted to give you an idea what's going on in the picture.

Your Baby's Development

The tail at the bottom of your baby's spinal cord has shrunk and almost disappeared by this week. In contrast, your baby's head has been growing — it's quite large compared with the rest of the body and it curves onto the chest. By this week, your baby measures about 0.6 to 0.7 inches (16 to 18 millimeters) from crown to rump and weighs around 0.1 ounces (3 grams). The tip of the nose has developed and can be seen in profile, and flaps of skin over the eyes have begun to shape into eyelids, which will become more noticeable in the next few weeks.

The digestive system continues to develop. The anus is forming, and the intestines are growing longer. In addition, internal reproductive features, such as testes and ovaries, start to form this week.

Your baby may make some first movements this week as muscles develop. If you had an ultrasound now, those movements might even be visible, but you won't be able to feel them for several more weeks."

More from John

Now the amazing thing is the last paragraph. The movement. We actually saw it. When the doctor showed Charissa the monitor to see the baby, as if on cue, it began to dance a little. And yes, I say dance not move. Our baby has rhythm.

Our Dancing Baby

If you like you can click on the picture to enlarge the view and save it as well. More updates to come. And please try the link above.

The Ludlows

This is it. We are leaving Alaska. We had a great time with Charissa's parents. Here is a shot of the two of us on top of a glacier. You can't really tell, but the baby is under that big jacket of Charissa's.