Here's what's going on this week with Whisler Baby Boy 2009:

Baby Stats:

Size: 11 inches
Weight: 1 pound

Baby Developments:

Mini's hands have grown bigger and stronger and the nerve endings in his fingers have developed his sense of touch. He's in there testing out his newfound abilities by touching his face and grabbing the umbilical cord.  The baby's brain is developing at a clip this week and will continue to do so until he's five years old.

Baby's hair is now a short, bright white crop (Billy Idol fans?). No matter what color it will end up—red, blonde, brown—all babies' hair lacks pigment at this point. The baby has started growing taste buds and may be able to detect strong flavors in the amniotic fluid. If you could see inside, you might catch him sticking out his tongue for a taste and then grimacing, a sign that perhaps Laura should chill on the chili powder.

Baby now weighs almost a pound and measures almost 11 inches from his head to his heel, which is how he will be measured from here on out. Up until now the baby's legs were curled tight up against his torso, so he was measured from his head to his bottom (or crown to rump) and not head to toe. This week, mini is about as long as a package of Oreos and as heavy as a large bag of tortilla chips. So, who needs salsa?  People like to say salsa.  I hear it's the number one condiment in America. 

Fans of the show are laughing and applauding (that's a Seinfeld reference for those of you who are puzzled by all the salsa enthusiasm).

What We're Doing:

This week was our regular monthly appointment.  We were accompanied by Laura's parents who were visiting from St. Louis.  We had a great time showing off Springfield attractions and fabulous cuisine.  They heard baby's heartbeat for the first time, a whopping 150 bpm.  Laura has gained six more pounds since last time and has a definite baby bump.  It's cute.