my baby carrot

The digestive system goes to work

Week 21: Your baby starts to taste things for the first time

By your 21st week of pregnancy, not only have your baby's important systems developed, but many of them now are operating, in preparation for functioning on their own after birth:

• Your baby might be about 7 inches in length, roughly the length of a carrot, by Week 21 of your pregnancy. She weighs almost11 ounces.
• Taste buds could begin to form.
• Your baby's digestive system is put to work. By your 21st week of pregnancy, your baby has probably begun swallowing amniotic fluid and absorbing small amounts of sugar from it.
  • Sugars pass through her developed digestive system, giving these organs important practice.
  • These sugars only make up a tiny part of your baby's nourishment.
  • Most of her nutrition still is delivered through your placenta and the umbilical cord.
• Your amniotic fluid changes day to day, based on what you've eaten. Because your baby is swallowing the fluid, she gets a "taste" of what you're eating.
• Your baby's bone marrow, rather than your baby's liver and spleen, takes over its permanent job of making blood cells.
• By your 21st week of pregnancy, your baby's arms and legs are in proportion.
• As muscles strengthen and neurons connected to her brain continue to develop, her movements become more coordinated.

Well we've past the half way mark, it seems very crazy, a lot has happened the past few months.  I love this stage, of being able to feel your baby move. I think with each baby it seems more and more of a miracle, what exactly is going on, and at the end a cute baby is born.  Unreal.  

We are settling in to living with Grandpa and Grandma.  It really hasn't been too bad, actually it's really nice having my mom around.  Bonus, she likes to shop, I don't, we take turns cooking, and I don't loose my temper like I usually do.  We moved down to G-ma Lynn's apartment so it is very nice to have our own space.  We've both commented a lot to each other how much better it's been having been able to live in the basement apartment.  One of the biggest reasons, everyone is sleeping much much better.

Jared has been busy working on the house since he's been home from Washington.  It's going to be a lot of late nights for him but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.

If anyone wants to choose the exterior colors of my house please help.  I'm really nervous about the brick, most hardie board houses have rock.  I don't want it to look dark, red seems too colonial with white trim . . . . so if anyone has seen any cute houses with brick and hardie board that aren't cocoa town send the ideas my way.