15 weeks

How your baby's growing: At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 ounces. He's busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in his lungs. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all his joints and limbs. That means his hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although his eyelids are fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, he's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but his taste buds are beginning to form. And if you have an ultrasound, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or girl! (Don't be disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the gender depends somewhat on how clear the picture is and the position of your baby during the ultrasound; he may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep you in suspense.)

Fishing

Yesterday I loaded up the bass boat and went fishing! Thanks for the boat Dad it works great! anyway let me tell you I'm not good at fish stories, so we caught a bunch of fish, but none of them were over 2.5 pounds I think I caught 3 that were about 2 to 2.5 pounds. But it was just what I needed. If you ask me there is nothing better then sitting somewhere with a fishing pole in the water! It's like therapy! I can't wait till Ryleigh is old enough to go fishing with me and enjoy it! I think now she would just want to jump in a swim, i have never seen a baby who likes water as much as she does!!

14 weeks

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby's 3 1/2 inches long — about the length of a lemon — and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Her body's growing faster than her head, which now sits upon a more well-defined neck. By the end of this week, her arms will have lengthened and will be in proportion to the rest of her body. (Her legs still have some growing to do, though.) She's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair all over her body (called lanugo). Her liver starts secreting bile this week, a sign that it's already functioning properly, and her spleen starts contributing to the production of red blood cells. She's also producing and discharging urine into the amniotic fluid, a normal process that she'll keep up until birth. You still can't feel your baby's movements, but her hands and feet (which are now half an inch long) are more flexible and active. Thanks to brain impulses, her little facial muscles are getting a workout as she squints, frowns, and grimaces. She can grasp now, too, and she may be able to suck her thumb.

It was Joe's IDEA!

Time for another OLD memory! Growing up in Gage was lots of fun, what made it even more fun? Both my cousins Joe and Josh were stuck in the small town too! On day Joe and I get this bright idea, (was it my idea or yours Joe) that we are going to set this log on fire with a book of matches (I don't recall how we got our hands on those either). We would light a match and set it on top of the log. Using the lit match we would light other matches! It was a GREAT plan, well except for one small detail. The log was behind a really old wood building in my back yard and the log was surrounded by tall dead dry grass. We tried to put the fire out, we really did, but then ended up running and trying to come up with a story that would keep us from getting beat! The only thing I can remember coming up with was; It was Joe's IDEA! Well our parents got the fire out, and Dad tore down that old building not to long after that! But Joe and I have been known as the family Arsons ever sense (Joe don't say a word about Hallett!)

Speeds up to 90 mph!

Ok let me tell you about my latest adrenaline rush. My partner and I pulled a vehicle over and made contact with the person driving! Well to get to the good stuff quicker let me just tell you that because of some reasonable suspicions we had we called for a drug dog. We went up to make contact with the passenger and tell the passenger what was going on! Well she didn't like that much so she jumped in the car and took off! Did we chase her you ask, OF COURSE WE DID! she was running down the main blvd at speeds up to 90 mph! The person ended up stopping the car about a mile out of the city limits. When we searched the car we found a good size amount of Methamphetamines in the trunk! GOOD STOP, GOOD BUST. After it was over I went home at about 3:30 in the morning and tried to go to sleep but couldn't! Marissa will tell you she was mad at me and told me to just go to sleep, but it wasn't that easy! It was the scariest and the funniest thing I have ever done!!!

13 Weeks

How your baby's growing: Your belly may soon be big enough to announce to the world that you're expecting, but your baby is still tiny. In fact, he's only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside your womb now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably.

Bachelor Party

Ok, I just found out that I am the best man at my brother's wedding and I am wondering what to do for the bachelor's party. So I am asking you, my readers, for ideas. Lets see what you've got! PLEASE POST IDEAS!

12 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby's hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Her face is beginning to look more human. Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head. Your baby's intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now. Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder. Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. Your baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she'll even squirm if you prod your abdomen, though you still won't be able to feel her movement for several weeks.

Just an old Memory

Sitting outside on a nice summer evening after a big meal listening to Uncle Jake, Ashley, Luke, Joe, and Josh playing the guitar. Unlce Jake leads oldies like Jim Croce and John Denver, while Ashley leads in songs he grew up eith. Every once in a while we can talk Unlce Jake and Aunt Debby into singing a song for us. Not a care in the world and living for that moment. Holding our loved ones and spendng time with family. It is nice to step out of the hustle of life and just slow down and spend time with your family. Anybody else have a family like this?