Week 22

Caleb's looking more and more like a little newborn every day. He's probably passed the one pound mark and should be around 11 inches long now, head to toe--about the size of a spaghetti squash. His eyes, eyelids, eyebrows and lips are more distinct and his irises have formed, though they won't have any pigment until closer to his arrival. Also, tooth buds are growing under his little gum lines this week. His pancreas is developing this week and his skin is still pretty wrinkly, and will remain so until he starts to bulk up in the last few weeks in the womb.

Following in his big sister's footsteps, little Caleb is proving to be a very hiccupy baby as well. It's a strange feeling to have someone else's diaphragm having spasms inside you, but I imagine hiccups are a pretty full-body experience for someone that small, so I can't blame him if he gets a little aggressive when they attack. His movements are definitely getting more frequent and I'm beginning to notice predictable patterns of wakefulness and restfulness as his movements get stronger and more discernable. Caleb's a strong boy and Justin is often amazed at the strenghth of his kicks!

The sciatic nerve pain has continued to bother me, although for the most part I'm starting to get used to it. Caleb does occassionaly move off of that nerve now, which provides me minutes or even sometimes hours of relief at a time!

As my belly continues to take on more of its maternal shape I'm realizing that this baby, like the first, is going to ride low and large, prompting well-meaning baby prophets everywhere to start telling me as early as 34 weeks that I've "dropped" and "it could be any day now." Actually, my babies just seem to like riding as close to my knees as possible. Though this womb position is pretty annoying (both a baby and a bladder don't fit in that space, trust me), I figure it should make the delivery go quickly again since he won't have as far to travel. (Special thanks to my babies for not growing high up under my lungs...it seems this is what I did to my mom, and I'll take frequent trips to the bathroom over not being able to breathe any day.)

Please continue to pray for relief from my back and leg pain and for Caleb's continued healthy growth inside the womb for the next four months!