Week 17!

Glad to hear that you're still reading the blog! By next week there should be more to read! We're just heading out of Cork now, up towards Dublin for a few nights. We are going to aim for the Rock of Cashel, a historic sight in the midlands. We#ve had such a great time down here in the South - in the last few days we visited many sights and small towns, pubs and seasides. We drove the Ring of Kerry and yesterday visited Blarney Castle (and kissed the stone - watch out for eloquence!!). Looking forward to seeing you all again soon though.

PJs this week is approximately the size of a large apple. The information on my favourite development website says that it would be fun to get a special stethoscope so I can listen to PJs heartbeat but, knowing me, I really don't think I could have special medical equipment around the house and not get all weird and hypochondriachy about it! I think I'll stick to listening to PJs heartbeat at each doctor's visit as well as the recording I took back in week 15.

What PJs is up to this week:
Your baby is now nearly 13 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighs approximately 140 grams. Her skeleton is mostly rubbery cartilage, which will harden later. A protective substance called myelin slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord. With the help of a special stethoscope, you can now hear your baby's heartbeat. There's almost nothing more comforting or exciting than hearing your baby's heartbeat galloping along. On days when you're worried about how your pregnancy is progressing, hearing the heartbeat lets you know that your baby's developing and growing. For times when boredom strikes and you feel as if you'll be pregnant forever, it can be a pleasant reminder of what will come at the end of 40 weeks of waiting.