17 Weeks

Alec weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a grapefruit. He can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden to bone. His sense of hearing is also developing. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker.

Lindsay has been feeling little flutters of movement. You can see him move in this video of his second ultrasound. The next ultrasound is scheduled for September 21st.

Sixteen Weeks

This week Alec is about the size of a peach. In the next three weeks, He'll go through a tremendous growth spurt, though, doubling his weight and adding inches to his length. His lower limbs are much more developed now. His head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved toward the front of his head. Alec's ears are close to their final position, too. Some of his more advanced body systems are working, including his circulatory system and urinary tract. His heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, circulating his total blood volume through his body many times. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his hair isn't recognizable yet. Although closed, his eyes are moving (slowly), and he's even started growing toenails. Lindsay is starting her "pregnancy glow".

February 7th

Alec's predicted due date is February 7th. Here are some interesting events in history and birthdays that take place on Februrary 7th.
History:
1900: Labour Party forms in England
1984: US astronaut Bruce McCandless is the first person to 'Spacewalk' untethered to a spacecraft
1990: The Soviet Communist Party leadership agrees to surrender its 70-year monopoly on power, paving the way for a multi-party democracy
1992: European Community ministers formally sign the Maastricht Treaty, paving the way for the creation of the European Union.


Birthdays:
1812 - Charles Dickens, English novelist (d. 1870)
1842 - Alexandre Ribot, French statesman (d. 1923)
1867 - Laura Ingalls Wilder, American author (d. 1957)
1870 - Alfred Adler, Austrian psychologist (d. 1937)
1877 - Godfrey Harold Hardy, English mathematician (d. 1947)
1883 - Eubie Blake, American musician and composer (d. 1983)
1885 - Sinclair Lewis, American writer, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1951)
1885 - Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (d. 1953)
1889 - Harry Nyquist, important contributor to information theory (d. 1976)
1895 - Anita Stewart, American film actress (d. 1961)
1898 - Dock Boggs, American musician (d. 1971)
1905 - Ulf von Euler, Swedish physiologist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1983)
1905 - Paul Nizan, French author (d. 1940)
1906 - Oleg Antonov, Soviet aircraft designer (d. 1984)
1906 - Puyi, Emperor of China (d. 1967)
1907 - Yevgeniy Abalakov, famous Soviet mountaineer (d. 1948)
1908 - Buster Crabbe, American swimmer and actor (d. 1983)
1914 - Ramón Mercader, Spanish assassin of Leon Trotsky (d. 1978)
1915 - Eddie Bracken, American actor (d. 2002)
1918 - Markey Robinson, Northern Irish painter (d. 1999)
1920 - An Wang, Chinese-born computer pioneer (d. 1990)
1922 - Hattie Jacques, English actress (d. 1980)
1926 - Konstantin Feoktistov, cosmonaut
1927 - Juliette Greco, French singer and actor
1927 - Vladimir Kuts, Russian runner
1932 - Gay Talese, American author
1932 - Al Worden, American astronaut
1933 - John Anderton, English footballer
1934 - Earl King, American musician (d. 2003)
1934 - Eddie Fenech Adami, President of Malta
1938 - S. Ramachandran Pillai, Indian communist leader
1943 - Gareth Hunt, English actor
1945 - Gerald Davies, Welsh rugby player
1945 - Pete Postlethwaite, English actor
1949 - Paulo César Carpegiani, Brazilian footballer and coach
1951 - Benny Ayala, Baseball player
1953 - Dan Quisenberry, baseball player (d. 1998)
1954 - Dieter Bohlen German composer
1955 - Rolf Benirschke, American football player
1955 - Mario Coutinho Brazilian physician
1955 - Miguel Ferrer, American actor
1956 - Emo Philips, American comedian
1957 - Carney Lansford, American baseball player
1960 - James Spader, American actor
1962 - Garth Brooks, American singer
1962 - David Bryan, American musician (Bon Jovi)
1965 - Jason Gedrick, American actor
1965 - Chris Rock, American comedian and actor
1968 - Peter Bondra, Ukrainian-born hockey player
1968 - Sully Erna, American singer (Godsmack)
1972 - Alex Bassi, American Race Car Driver
1974- Steve Nash, Canadian basketball player
1974 - J Dilla, also known as Jay-Dee, American hip-hop producer (d. 2006)
1975 - Wes Borland, American guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
1978 - Ashton Kutcher, American actor
1978 - Daniel Van Buyten, Belgian international footballer
1978 - Endy Chávez, Baseball player
1983 - Christian Klien, Austrian formula driver
1985 - Tina Majorino, American actress
1985 - Clara Bryant, American actress
1988 - Ai Kago, Japanese singer (W (Double You), Morning Musume, and MiniMoni)

15 Weeks

This week Alec is about 4 inches from head to rump, roughly the size of an avocado. His legs are growing longer than his arms now and he can move all of his joints and limbs. And although his eyelids are still fused shut, he can sense light. If Lindsay were to shine a flashlight at her tummy, for instance, he's likely to move away from the beam. At least that what it says at babycenter.com. Lindsay has given in and started to wear maternity clothes and they finally have won out in the competition for valuable closet space.

little boy

We have a little boy on the way! Lindsay picked out this crib bumper at pottery barn kids. The first of many things we need to pick out and buy!