Week 19...three more to go before we find out the sex!

Baby is the size of a mango this week...6.0 in, 8.5 oz!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.)

We find out if we are having a boy or a girl on Dec. 10! I'll be 22 weeks. We would have had the opportunity to find out sooner, but our midwife is turning 50 and is traveling to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Who am I to argue with that opportunity?!?

At any rate, we are very anxious to know what this little mango is going to be. We are kicking around names and seeing if anything feels right. I am looking forward to the holiday season and am already feeling very festive!

We are having family pictures (with the dogs) taken Dec. 5. Belly shots too! I'll be sure to post some here.

Our 17 week onion makes me cry! Happy tears...

Onion baby! 5.1 in., 5.9 oz.

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

I'm finally starting to feel the baby move more regularly, which is magical and brings tears to my eyes, which is fitting since baby is the size of an onion this week! We get to find out the baby's sex the week of Thanksgiving and the suspense is killing me. I can't wait to know if we'll have a daughter or a son. (My vote is girl, but I'd be more than happy with either!)

We've been taking belly shots each week, but I'm not ready to post them online quite yet. We are having professional photos taken the first week of December by my friend/co-workers daughter. We are having "family" pictures with the dogs and then getting some belly shots, so I'll be sure to post those.