Tickers, tickers everywhere ...

Some of you might have noticed that I've got a fine array of baby-related HTML gadgets on the right side of our blog. But those are in addition to the ones I have on a my profile for a pregnancy forum I participate in and my Facebook page. I collect these pregnancy tickers - each one with a different theme, different presentation, and different nugget of information. You can find out what size the baby is in relation to fruit. You can read about what is going on with the physical and mental development of the baby on any given day. Basically, you can know anything you want to know about our kid, just with a quick visit to our blog. (Then in a few years, throw it back at Baby Wolfrum with a "Hey, kid, don't sass me - I've known you since your hands and feet were still webbed." Week 6, y'all.)

When we first found out we were expecting, I checked several books out from the library. One of my favorites took a day-by-day approach to the pregnancy and the developing fetus. I would read to Tim ("Baby has digits!") and show him the pictures. Some of these tickers have replaced the info in that book (I would love to still have it, but the library has this silly policy where they insist I return books, and it's only available in hardcover. I love you, Baby, but Mommy is not paying Amazon $52 to see exactly what day you would grow fingernails.)

According to my Facebook ticker, eyelashes and eyebrows are now appearing on Baby W. I've enjoyed reading - and sharing - the updates, even when Baby was developing genitals (which was great, Baby, but I was less than impressed because it was about two months before we'd be able to see what gender you are, so really, it was like a big tease) and started producing his or her own urine. A few short months ago, Baby's heart started beating. Baby's body is now pretty much proportionate in size and the limbs and muscles are becoming more well-formed by the day. Baby's teeth and vocal cords are forming. It's been amazing to watch the little fetus in our little babyquarium on the blog go from a little frog-like being to a human. Baby can now suck his or her thumb and is covered in soft, downy hair called lanugo.

For all of the changes I've undergone, I'm still absolutely fascinated by how this baby, which is now the size of an orange, has developed and will become a tiny human addition to our family later this summer. When we found out we were pregnant, the baby was just an embryo and no bigger than an appleseed. Now the baby is a fetus and a substantial piece of citrus. (Not really looking forward to the ticker change to "Watermelon," btw. Holy crap will I be huge.)

Grow, baby, grow!