Happy New Year, babies!

Yesterday was a special day in the faith I was raised in - Baha'is around the world celebrated Naw-Ruz, marking our new year. Here in Pennsylvania, spring is here in it's early red glow, and the days have been that typical spring mix of rain, wind, and bright, warm sun. It's wonderful.

To make the celebration even more special, yesterday also also marked the 12th week of my pregnancy, a milestone I used to dream of. Here's a little info on what's happening for the two little residents, taken from here:

At 12 weeks pregnant your baby will look like a tiny human being. It is about 6cm long and weighs about 15g. It has arms and legs with fingers and toes and more defined facial features. The body is straighter and the first bone tissue appears.

The face is formed with a chin, high forehead and small button nose. The eyes are developed and although they are shut tight with sealed eyelids, they now show reflexive movements. The ears are visible but are still small.

The tiny brain is now forming neural pathways and the fetus is starting to squirm around, although you can't feel it yet because there is still a high proportion of amniotic fluid all around it.

The arms and legs can move freely and if you have a scan at this stage you may see them moving, which is really exciting! The skin is still permeable to amniotic fluid. The nails on the fingers and toes are starting to grow and if the palm is touched, the fingers will curl.

At around 12 weeks the placenta has achieved its final shape and takes over from the yolk sac to become the baby’s life support system. The placenta is much larger than the baby at this stage. After its initial rapid enlargement the placenta grows slowly and by the time the baby is born it will weigh about one sixth of the baby’s weight.