Another Baby Update (and a blogging milestone)

This post is my 110th post as a blogger over the last three years. Actually, this previuos was my 100th post, but I forgot to mention the milestone. I couldn't just do "101" or "103" - 110 seems to be the next best thing. I'll try to remember at 150 and/or 200 - which will probably come even sooner as I post updates about Round 2 after he/she is born. "Round 2 walked today!" "Round 2 smiled today!" "Round 2 knocked over his cereal bowl today!" How exciting!!

I may or may not be one of those people that sees every action as a developmental milestone and that milestone coming quicker than the average baby. I may or may not see my baby as significantly smarter and more mature than the average baby. Consider yourself warned. (for more new-parent-relations etiquette, see here).

So speaking of an update on Round 2: we will find out the gender of our baby tomorrow (Sunday, Aug. 23rd)! When we get back from the doctors office we will be able let the whole world know. Of course, below is the developmental information for the baby as Alison approaches finishing her 20th week:

• He/She weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now.
• 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he/she's measured from head to toe.)
• He/She is swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system.
• He/She is also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his/her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Ok - so that was a little grosser than I had expected. But those of you who've had babies know that its not all fun and games. For those of you still waiting, consider it a preview.

One of the amazing things is that the baby has about doubled in size in the last two weeks or so! I think it'll continue those growth spurts over the next few months, too.

Even more exciting is that we've been able to play with him/her over the last few days! He/She has started moving around quite a bit (Alison can feel him/her all the time, and sometimes its enough for me to feel it). There have been times when he/she is really active that if I push on Alison's tummy, the baby will start squirming around even more and push back a little bit. Its a lot of fun!

Alison and I have started moving from pregnancy books to baby books. Here are some of the books we are perusing - either borrowed or owned. Suggestions welcome.

• The Baby Whisperer
• What to Expect the First Year (the sequel to "What to Expect when You're Expecting")
  
• Lifespan Psychology (one of my college textbooks! Very exciting)