Week 21--Changes and Developments

Welcome to week 21! From this point on, most of what is happening involves the baby getting longer and heavier. The only things really going on are:

• The continued maturation of body parts, tissues, and organs
• The heart grows stronger and the legs reach their relative proportions
• Vernix caseosa -- a protective skin covering -- is still being produced by your baby's oil glands
• The brown fat that the baby started producing back in the 4th month of pregnancy is now beginning to build up in places like the chest, crotch, and neck; this will help maintain body temperature
• Buds for permanent teeth are beginning to form.

As you can see, it's pretty uneventful, but VERY necessary. Other than that, the baby is pretty much just a wrinkled, wiggly little thing right now. On the home front, we hung up the wallpaper border in the baby's room and I think it looks great! We're still picking up little odds and ends as we see them, but I'm not sure we'll ever be completely ready for our baby. Hopefully!!!