What Are You Going To Be

We are entering the 10th week. From the website, we read that the baby is a little over an inch long and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce. He/she has now completed the most critical portion of the development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her/his body rapidly grow and mature. The baby is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm although I can't feel much. Vital organs — including her/his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout the pregnancy. If you could take a peek inside the womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. In other developments: The baby's limbs can bend now. Her/His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over the heart, and her/his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his/her spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from the spinal cord. The baby's forehead temporarily bulges with the developing brain and sits very high on his/her head, which measures half the length of the body. In the coming weeks, the baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

David and I are always full of wonder every time we read about the growth of the baby. That alone can take all the anxiety away! This morning, after we woke up, David put his face close to the baby and spoke gently to the baby:" Hi Baby, are you a boy or a girl? Your hands can bend over and meet at your heart now. What are you going to do with your hands in the future? Are they going to direct an orchestra? Or write computer programs? Or hold other babies and touch the old people? Or One of them holds the Bible, and the other is in the air? Or diagnose and subscribe to the sick people? ..." Whatever the hands will do, it will be great!

We read more on Internet about the back pain. Some articles suggested seeing a chiropractor. David and I thought of our marriage mentor in the premarital class Hal. I called my doctor and got his approval before I made an appointment with Hal. David and I were very thankful that we have trusted doctors to go to and we got an appointment immediately on Thursday.