18 Weeks

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

We went to see the doctor today. We took Jeffrey with us this time so that he could hear the baby's heartbeat. The doctor let him put the Doppler on his heart so he could hear his own heartbeat. He loved how different his sounded from the baby's. The baby's heartbeat is around 149 beats per minute. 

We should be getting our next ultrasound in about three weeks. We can't wait to find out if we are having a boy or a girl.