Wow, this week has brought a lot of changes.  Baby Justin has increased his weight six times over the course of the last 30 days.  He is now around 6 oz. 

The umbilical cord has plenty of blood flowing through it.  So much, that it creates pressure like a filled water hose.  This pressure was designed to resist knotting and as Justin moves, it tends to straighten out where it can.

Justin does have his own circulation of blood, and it is being pumped through his body by his heart.  His tiny heart can pump the equivalent of 25 quarts of blood each day.

Waste removal, respiration, hormone production, digestion and protection are all still the job of the placenta at this stage.

Justin's body is gaining reflex abilities... blinking, sucking, and swallowing, to name a few.

Baby Justin's kidneys have been "traveling" toward their final position for the last 10 weeks, and this week, they should rest in his abdomin. 

Justin's body is growing so much that this month, he should reach almost half of the length he will be at birth!

Here's Justin giving us a "thumbs up" to let us know that he's doing ok in there and growing.



... and here he is "begging" to get out!



Justin is doing well and he now measures 10.8cm — he is almost too big to measure accurately now!

Happy Mother's Day, mommy!

Love,
Justin

Boy parts can be clearly identified this week, as we found out! 

Justin's legs are growing and are now longer than his arms.  He can move all of his joints and limbs.

His eyelids are still fused shut, but if we were to shine a flashlight through mommy's belly, he'd be able to detect the light and would try to move away from it. 

His facial muscles allow him to frown and grimace, and he can begin to suck his thumb.

Justin's skin is very thin right now and blood vessels are visible through it.  But his skin is covered by a soft layer of hair called lanugo (Latin for "down"), which helps to insulate his body.  He's also getting eyebrows and even a little hair on his head.

Mommy said that Justin loves to move around and is very active (she scanned 2x this week).  She can't feel him move just yet, but it is likely that she'll feel his activity very soon.

A quick scan yesterday revealed what Lisa thought she saw at Week 12!  We can now refer to Baby Coffman as a boy, and we've decided on the name Justin Tyler.

We can't wait to meet little Justin!  Daddy is already dreaming about the fun ahead and Mommy is thrilled!

Here's the proof!



And... here is the Week 12 shot that we were holding onto in the slightest chance "Justin" was really "Amanda."  (Hey, it has happened before!)

We have three pictures to share of little Baby Coffman this week.  He/she was not turned in the right direction to tell if we have a little baby boy or a little baby girl.  But the baby was showing off the spine, hands, and face!

Here's our week 15 photo album




Resting his/her hand on the chest.



Check out my fingers!

Today, Baby Coffman is 15 weeks... 25 to go!  We'll post the ultrasounds tomorrow so that I can scan them, but Baby Coffman is already measuring 9.11cm.  How long is that?  Here's a picture to put it in perspective.

The baby's legs have lengthened and toenails are growing from the nail beds.  The body will grow faster than the head this week.

This week, our little baby's eyes will begin to move back and forth under closed eyelids, as the eye muscles exercise a little. 

This time next year, Baby Coffman will be 26 weeks old!

Daddy wasn't there to see Baby Coffman during this week's scan, but mommy said he/she was moving around a lot!  Lisa got this photo of the baby in the middle of a prayer

Our baby is entering the 2nd trimester and is fully formed, and boy, is this baby active!  As you can see from the video, the baby is constantly moving and exercising those muscles!  The baby's neck is getting longer so the head is not constantly touching his/her chest.

Baby Coffman now has working reflex movements.  You could see this a few weeks ago on the video when Lisa pat her belly and the baby squirmed.  Hands and feet are responsive and the hands open and close.

The baby's little fingerprints are now fully formed and unique.

All nourishment is being supplied by the placenta now.

At week 13, the baby gains the ability to smile.  That's great, because this baby has made us smile from the day we found out about him/her.

This time next year, our baby will be 25 weeks old.

Dance!

Baby Coffman is now 6.7cm (up just a bit from last week) and is happy to move on from his/her exhausting first trimester and into the second.



"Hello, World!"

Here is an animation of our baby's development through the first trimester!

Our baby gets a new skill this week: he/she can now move his/her thumb in opposition to the fingers.  Our baby's also practicing the motion of breathing as the air sacs of the lungs develop more this week. 

The large intestine actually rotates 180 degrees counterclockwise and creates a square around the small intestine, framing it like a picture.  The corners of the colon attach to the body wall and end in an anal canal.  The small intestine is suspended in the abdomen at this point.

And this week, the baby's spleen will remove old red blood cells and produce antibodies.

Interestingly, at week 12, a baby's arms are proportional to its body, but the legs still have some growing to do. 

Our baby is approximately 3x as big as it was at the end of month 2, but about 50x as heavy!

Week 12 brings us one big baby!  This photo shows the baby's profile.  Cute!




Baby Coffman was also showing off his/her muscles.  In the picture below, you can see the baby's arm, with his/her elbow at the highest point and the hand at the left.



This week Baby Coffman measures 6.4cm.  There was such a dramatic difference in growth this week that Lisa took several pictures.  I can't believe how much bigger our baby is!

In week 11, our baby's fingers and toes have separated and are distinct.

Amnoitic fluid begins to accumulate as the kidneys start functioning.  This fluid also helps to protect the baby inside mommy.  Our baby can suck and swallow and move freely around in it.

The baby's muscles in the intestinal walls begin to practice contractions that digest food.

The tiny little skelatal bones throughout the baby's body are beginning to harden and even little tooth buds are forming.

Now that all major organs have formed, the most critical period in development has passed.

Our baby has some new skills: flex fingers, form a fist, punch, kick, arch the body, and wrinkle his/her little forehead. 

Here is a second video for 11 weeks!

Here is Baby Coffman at 11 weeks.  He/she is now 4.1cm, up from 3.8cm last week.



The head is on the right of this picture.  I'll post video of the baby moving around soon.

At 10 weeks, our baby really begins to show off some distinct features.

• The feet are approximately 2mm long (1/10 of an inch)
• The ears are clearly seen
• The neck is taking shape
• Nipples and hair follicles begin to form
• The testicles or ovaries are forming

Our baby has a functioning liver and it is beginning to make all of the baby's blood cells.

Baby Coffman is preparing for a growth spurt.  Over the next 3 weeks, he/she will double in size.

The eyes are developing an iris.  Peach fuzz -like hair and fingernails are growing.

Here are some pictures I found on the web at week 10.  This is not Baby Coffman but this will show you a clearer picture of what God is doing at week 10.