23 Weeks

Welcome to 23 weeks--just four more to go in the second trimester. I'm a bit late on my weekly baby growth post, but only because I had a fabulous July 4th vacation away from electronic devices, going camping in Shenandoah National Park with friends (more on that in a future post).

The big news on the baby front is that we mark the beginning a growth spurt in which the Short Stranger's size will double in the next four weeks. No more weekly growth increments of only 1 oz. for this little guy. As for me--now that the heat wave has passed, I'm feeling quite round, but pretty good.

Don't be fooled by the picture above. The baby has not shrunk! Rather than measure in length this week, babycenter.com is using its food metaphors for weight. So apparently, Mr. Stranger weighs about the same as a large delicious mango. Here's what they have to say:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

Note: I have not seen Short Stranger squirm, but have felt him move when our noisy cat Fred meows. So apparently our babe will instantly be familiar with my voice, Mike's, and Fred's.