Week 22!

Olivia:

Olivia is getting bigger and continues to practice for life outside the uterus. She has fully developed eyelashes and eyebrows and the hair on her head is continuing to grow as her brain begins a rapid growth process. Olivia now has fully formed fingerprints and loud noise can wake her up. She may begin kicking and turning around, too. Her heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope. Her nose is taking on a more defined shape as cartilage (the soft bone) appears. Olivia is approximately 30-32 cm (12.2 inches) and weighs about one pound. Her pancreas, a key player in hormone production, is developing steadily. Her skin may appear wrinkled at this point, but in the coming weeks, she will be gaining enough weight to fill it out.
Her eyes have developed, but her irises still lack color. Even though her irises will have color by the time she is born (usually blue), you won't know her permanent eye color until she is at least 9 months old. The site I have been following says that Olivia should be the size of a 1lb bag of coffee beans.

Mommy and Daddy:

It has been a blessing to watch Rudy as he prepares for fatherhood. I am able to see him become more protective, loving, and reading up on the latest and greatest baby information. He is always making sure we (me and Olivia) are eating correctly and making sure I get just enough rest. Me on the other hand have had the worst back pain ever. The doctor says the pain is my uterus pushing on the siatic nurve. I have tried laying on the opposite side which seems to have helped although the doc. said not to get too comfortable because the pain will be back. LUCKY ME. I have enjoyed feeling her moving inside of me and am excited to finally being able to share that excitement with Rudy.