Hello in There

Today is the first day of week 15. And according to BabyCenter dot com our baby can hear us now. (Although, I'm sure s/he could hear Tristan before now with all his super-loudness). :)

Baby is the size of a lemon now and by next week at this time will be the size of an apple. (See picture). Here are some other interesting facts about baby:

• Baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb!
  
• Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another.
  
• From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.
  
• His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck.
  
• His arms have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.)
  
• Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

And by the end of the 15th week s/he will be doing these other things:

• Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces.
  
• She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop.
  
• Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs.
• There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

I can't feel the baby's movements but should be able to start feeling them in the next couple of weeks. They say 16-20 weeks is when most start feeling it; later for new moms, earlier for multipara moms.
We saw a good movie recently that made me wish we'd adopted instead of getting pregnant again. However, Eric and I weighed the pros and cons of adoption for 5 or 6 months before making the very researched/educated decision that it would be better in our situation to have one from scratch. We fully support anyone else who decides to adopt! There are lots of needy kids out there. We can even point you to some informative websites.