This morning we had another doctor's appt. It went well. Everything looks good and we got to hear the heartbeat yet again. I'm happy to report that it continues to thump away loud and steady. Kate weighs a robust ___lbs (Kate foolishly doesn't want anyone to know). The Doctor answered some of our questions and concerns. She told me it was okay that Kate was sleeping on her tummy. Which I was strangely concerned about. I didn't want the baby to be smothered. The Doctor also answered another big question, "is the belly bigger at night versus in the morning?" I'm happy to report that enlarged evening bellies are not normal and may just be some result of eating during the day or a wild imagination. And the biggest news from this morning's appt was that we know have a date for the ultrasound that will tell us what the sex is, Wednesday, January 25, 2006!!!!!!!!! A mere 27 days away!!!!! The countdown has officially begun. Christina, is there any way to get a counter on the website to this day? When the 25th comes Kate will be 20 weeks and 2 days pregnent so there should be no doubt that we'll get a solid answer of what the sex is. And you all know what I'm rooting for!

At 16 weeks, the baby's head is now erect, and those tiny arms and legs are developed -- and his fingernails are also formed. His muscles begin to move energetically. In fact, starting this week, your baby’s movements -- like him kicking and punching and sucking his thumb -- can easily be seen via ultrasound. (Soon, you will be able to feel them yourself.)

His skin doesn't yet have color -- it actually looks pretty transparent, and the veins and arteries are clearly visible.

By the middle of this month, the baby reaches another major milestone -- the external sex organs become distinctly male or female. Facial features, too, are becoming more distinct. As the head has grown, the ears have moved to their proper places on the side of the head. Underneath your babie's gums, teeth are forming, even though they won't appear until several months after your baby's birth. The lips are also well developed.

Growth during this period is remarkable. The fetus is now 5 inches long and weights nearly four ounces -- just big enough to cradle in the palm of your hand.

For some time now I have been led to believe, by my wife, that as long as the health of the baby is good that she would prefer a boy as our first child. This belief was comforting to me. She told me she felt this way because she liked the idea of all of our future children having an older brother to look over them all. How nice! Unfortunately it is completely untrue.

We were at my mom’s on Christmas and I was sitting in the family room watching TV when I glanced over to my beautiful wife who was in the kitchen. She was engaged in a conversation I knew nothing about. As I stared at me trophy with sparkles in her eyes and rays of light as if she was an angel, she uttered the words “oh I want a girl”! I snapped out of my daze. The sparkles in her eyes and rays of light surrounding her quickly disappeared. Back ground noise quickly re-entered my ear drums. That liar! I felt betrayed. Here I am thinking my wife and I are on the same page regarding our “as long as the baby is healthy” sex preference. So I march over there and say “you want a girl?” She basically laughed me off. Almost in a “of course I do you foolish jackass” laughter. I recoiled back into the family room from the horror of her betrayal. I have thought about this moment many times in the past two days without mentioning it to “the liar”.

We’re merely a few weeks away from finding out what we’re having. Whoever performs the ultrasound is clearly going to be disgusted when they tell us what sex the baby is. Odds are one of us cusses while the other rejoices. But one thing is for sure, the battle lines have been drawn. But Fortunately for Kate and me as long as the baby is healthy we'll both win.

Crown to rump, your baby is around 4 inches / 10 centimetres long and weighs one-and-three-quarter ounces / 49 grams. The body is now growing faster than the head. This week, its parchment-thin skin covers itself with lanugo (ultra-fine, downy hair that usually disappears before birth). Though eyebrows are beginning to grow and the hair on top of the head is sprouting, this hair may change in both texture and colour after birth. About now, the fetus can grasp, squint, frown, and grimace. It may even be able to suck its thumb. Researchers believe these and other movements probably correspond to the development of impulses in the brain.

This week marks the beginning of the second trimester, which is by far the most exciting phase. The growth of the baby speeds up considerably as the internal organs mature and he increases in size. In fact, his weight has already doubled from the previous week. Your placenta is functioning to full capacity as it nourishes the fetus as well as produces hormones.

The baby’s major muscles are moving in tandem with the brain as he bends and twists his arms, wrists, elbows, fingers, legs, knees and toes. His nervous system has also begun to function.
You can hear a strong heartbeat with the help of an electronic device. It is almost twice the rate of a normal adult’s. What’s more, your baby has begun to sprout hair. He seems to have eyebrows as well as a little hair on his head. Aren’t you just dying to see him?

By the end of this week, your baby will measure around four inches or 10cm. He now weighs two and quarter ounces or 65g.which is more than double that of the previous week.

House update: Also, check out the pictures of the newly renovated bathroom here.

Welcome to the final week of the first trimester! By the end of this week, your baby is about three inches in length, and would fit cozily into the cupped palm of your hand. Although you can't feel his movements, he's all over the place at this point, arms and legs waving, body wriggling. Sometimes he gets the hiccups. Though he may seem agitated, he's really just feeling his oats, testing his brand-new powers of motion while he still has the room -- by the end of the next trimester, his living space will be much more cramped.

External sexual organs are beginning to emerge now, with clitoris and labia developing in girls, penis and scrotum in boys, but these organs still aren't detectable by ultrasound.

Earlier today Katie and I had yet another discussion about my insistance on naming a son (providing it is a son) Knight for his middle name. She thinks it's completely ridiculous and would be torture to a boy throughout his entire life. I have decided to put my reasons down on paper (or computer) to see what other people think. Enjoy:

• When I looked up the word Knight in Webster's dictionary I found several different meanings. Here are my three favorite. The first is "A man belonging to an order or brotherhood." Any son of mine would be something that I feel is important, a Marseglia male. The second is "A defender, champion, or zealous upholder of a cause or principle." That pretty much speaks for itself. And the third and final definition is "The devoted champion of a lady." What's better then that? A middle name that is a built in word for being a future ladies man.
• In a time when trendy names come and go and so many other names are over used, this name would be one of a kind. Truely original. Having such a rare middle name will tell our son we were extremely thoughtful to name him something as unique as he is.
• It actually sounds good. For example, Lucas Knight Marseglia or Jackson Knight Marseglia or Alexander Knight Marseglia. They all sound pretty damn cool. Am I right?

As usual I am welcoming any and all thoughts or comments (for those without thoughts). Hopefully now that everyone knows my reasons behind my middle name idea it will allow people to start to see why I like the middle name Knight and they can join my cause.

This morning we had our third doctor’s appointment. Everything looks good and the heartbeat is drumming along very nicely. Kate put on 4 lbs since last month. I told her it was just the holidays. Our next appointment is on the 29th of December and then we should have another one sometime in late January were we’ll be able to find out what the sex is. I know it’s only a month and a half or so away but I can hardly wait to find out the sex. I just want to know for preparation reasons. And to be able to make some blog changes to better suit the sex of the baby. An all sky blue blog would look really nice! Plus we can change the blog name from Baby Big Head to “little boy Marseglia” or “little girl Marseglia”. Just ideas though.

Hopefully, the Chinese will take note and change their placemats in time for the event.