Passenger update -- 22 weeks

Happy 22 weeks!

Baby Z is being a busy, busy boy:

(From babycenter.com)
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

(From whattoexpect.com)
As if an ever-expanding belly wasn't enough — now your feet are getting in on the act! That's because the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which loosens your pelvic ligaments when you're expecting, loosens every other ligament too — including the ones in your tootsies. In turn, the bones beneath those ligaments spread slightly, which results, for many women, in a half or whole shoe-size increase. So if you haven't already stashed away your stilettos, now's the time to bid farewell — at least for a while. Besides, you need sensible shoes to help you balance that big belly and your changing center of gravity. This week, your baby weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll. But your doll is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. She can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body.


Baby's a pound! A pound! A pound!
I don't know what's creepier, the reference to the doll or the spaghetti squash. Hmmm.

Anyway, I have definitely noticed the swelling in feet, particularly when I do *any* physical activity for longer than an hour or without any rest immediately after (aka playing with my niece and nephew, going for a walk after work, etc).

We won't linger too much on the NASTY stomach virus my husband shared with me this week. To say that it was bad for both of us would be an understatement. He had it Sunday night into Tuesday afternoon and just as he was feeling better, I made my first dash to the bathroom. The first of MANY.

The bug seems to be leaving the Zooks at least for now, and all sources say it likely wouldn't do any harm to the baby. The key was to stay hydrated and despite the fact that 90 percent of my efforts failed, you better believe I drank all the water I could muster these past couple of days.

So, here's to solid foods and feeling better!!! Happy 22 weeks to the Little Man!