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Daily Journal

Week 19, Dec. 25 - Dec. 31

Thursday, Dec. 25th
Baby Update: The baby's external ears now stand out from its head. Over this next month, the baby will gain about 2 inches in height and nearly 26 ounces in weight (that's almost 2 pounds - it took the baby a whole 4 months to reach a half a pound, yet will gain 2 in just 4 weeks).- "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Friday, Dec. 26th
It's been awhile since I've written much on the personal side. I hope every one had a wonderful Christmas. This baby was showered with gifts and it hasn't even been born yet. It got a couple of blankets, some booties, socks, and a couple of bibs. Mom and dad got a gamecube and a new camera. Tomorrow we are having dinner with my parents and my sister and her son and husband on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. So our Christmas isn't quite over yet.

I need to run for now. Isaac is waiting for me to play Mario Party 5 with him. :)

Baby Update: Over the next two days, lanugo (temporary downy hair) will begin to appear on the baby's head and body. No one knows what purpose lanugo serves, but by the time the baby is born, most of it will have disappeared. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Saturday, Dec. 27th
Baby Update: Last month the baby grew from 3 1/2 inches long to 5 1/2 inches long. That's a substantial size increase. This month you can expect the same dramatic growth. In four short weeks, the baby will grow from 5 1/2 inches in length to 8 - 10 inches long! - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Sunday, Dec. 28th
Here is Baby Center's take on the development at 19 weeks. The baby is now about 6 inches long and 8 ounces... finally a 1/2 a pound!!

Baby Update:
If the baby is a girl, primitive egg cells are now within the ovaries. Baby girls are born with all the eggs they will ever have in their ovaries. By the time she is ready to have a family of her own, her eggs will be as old as she is. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Monday, Dec. 29th
Well, did some more maternity clothes shopping. I'm pretty much completely out of my old clothes. The only things I might still wear are some low-rise jeans, but even those I wear with the top button undone. I only had 3 maternity shirts so that's what I bought today. I also went to IKEA and Cost Plus to buy some baskets and cd-holders to help re-organize. After cleaning out the storage room some things got shuffled around. And the birds got moved. They were in the office, which is the room right next to what will be the nursery. The nursery has no door, so the noisy birds needed somewhere else to go. They are now in the bedroom. I'm hopefully going to get the old storage room completely cleared out between today and tomorrow. Need to take a trip to Goodwill to finish the job. Then we'll remove the shelving in there, putty up the holes, and then paint. I'm very excited about that.

Still don't think I'm feeling the baby move yet. There are times when I feel something, and it very well could be the baby, but since those moments are so few and far between I just can't be sure. Only when I'm feeling lots of little things will I be able to tell the difference between "movement" and "gas". ;) For instance, sitting here just now I felt a little "bump"... but I did just eat lunch, so who knows?!

Here is this week's hearbeat sound. It's not the clearest one, but it was hard to find a heartbeat sound that wasn't muffled. The baby must have been resting farthar back.

Ba
by Update: Over the next two days, the vernix caseosa begins to form. This is a creamy-looking substance that covers the baby's skin in order to protect it and its developing glands and sensory cells. The vernix is composed of dead skin, oil from the oil-bearing glads of the baby's skin, and the lanugo. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Tuesday, Dec. 30th
Well, The baby got it's first baby book yesterday. It arrived as a present from Santa yesterday, but really it's from Grandma Mary (the baby's paternal grandma).

The official notice from the doctor regarding the prenatal screening came today. We got normal results and the cystic fibrosis screening came back negative. So all is good news, and Isaac doesn't have to get a poke in the arm (to test him for cf). We weren't concerned, but it's still a relief.

Baby Update:
The vernix has begun to form over the baby's body (did I mention this book can be a bit redundant?). - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

Wednesday, Dec. 31st
Baby Update: From now until the baby is born, the placenta will grow in diameter but not in thickness. It will grow to over 6 inches in diameter. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph. D.

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