23 weeks.

i am now 23 weeks... but baby is only 21 weeks old. baby measures about 6 inches from crown to rump, and weighs about 1 pound or more...

babys' body is becoming better proportioned each day and looking like a full term-baby, but bones and organs are still visible beneath the transparent skin.

babys' hearing is much more acute now, as the bones of the inner ear have hardened. baby can distinguish different noises from outside the uterus and from inside my body. you'd be surprised at how noisy your body really is, with the grugling of your tummy, the thump of your heartbeat, and the rushing of your blood around your body.

at birth, baby will reconize my voice by its pitch and cadences, so i should talk to baby as much as possible now. daddy's should talk to baby more too (both adam and i talk to baby alot, usually before we go to sleep, when it's quiet, and baby moves like crazy when adam talks...). research shows that deeper "male" voices are easier for baby to hear then high-pitched "female" voices. (good thing i have a deeper female voice... but it's cute. lol right ashley?) playing games such as patting my belly, and talking, may elict a kick in response and help neurological stimulation. amazing.

(i figured it out... when baby is small, like right now, when moving, or kicking... it can be compared to a twitch. kind of. it really is hard to explain.)