Week 25- Cauliflower

Daddy was in Las Vegas this week so that gave Aunt Jen and I some time to shop for you. We bought a mirror for your room, some curtains and some letters to spell your name. Pa Pa Dan is painting the letters. Your name was very well thought out. "Rylan" was chosen due to the similarity of your dad's name. Your middle name "Renee" is Grandma Lisa and Aunt Noelle's middle name. I also ordered some signs offline to hang in your room. One of them came already and it has your name on it as well as one of my favorite Bible verses.

Your Baby
Your baby’s primitive memory is beginning to develop, which means that music and voices will be leaving an impression in your little one’s brain. Your baby's spine now has 1000 ligaments, 150 joints and 33 vertebrae. Inside the lungs, blood vessels are busy developing and if you could see your little one’s nose, you would notice the nostrils beginning to open. With your baby's fully developed hands, loud noises may even prompt them to cover those tiny ears to shield from sounds. Your baby's skin has now changed from translucent to a more opaque appearance. The part of your baby’s brain (cerebral cortex) that is responsible for emotions, reasoning, ability to solve problems, and also for planning is the most prominent part of the brain at this point. 

Week 24- Ear of Corn

Let the decorating begin! It is the end of January and mom is in decorating mode! We got a  beautiful canopy for over your crib. We wanted to wait to see if you were a boy or a girl before we bought all the fun stuff for your room! Below are some pictures of Aunt Noelle and Daddy putting up your first decorative!

Your Baby
Your baby’s hair colour is beginning to change to the colour it will be at birth, thanks to the previously absent pigment taking effect. Your baby's weight will double in the next four weeks. Right now your baby weighs about the same as a lengthy paperback novel. The lungs are developing more and preparing for their first breaths, and are producing a substance called surfactant, whose job it is to keep the lungs from collapsing or even sticking together during exhalation. Loud noises might even startle junior, causing a sudden jolt in your uterus. Due to your baby's growth, space in your uterus is getting more cramped, and will be even more of an issue if you’re having multiples. 

Week 23- Grapefruit

The rest of your furniture was delivered. Daddy & Aunt Noelle helped set up the dressers. Aunt Jen let us borrow her glider. Now all we need to do is decorate before you get here.

Your Baby
Weighing in about one pound, your baby now has a real chance of survival if born early. In the next five weeks your baby will experience a major growth spurt. Your baby's cerebrum, which is responsible for memory, motor skills, and intellect, is preparing for its ability to conduct communication between cells. Rapid eye movement (REM) has begun to occur during your baby's sleep. The hair (lanugo) on your little one’s body is darkening, and even the skin is gaining the pigment that will give it color. If you could see your baby you would be able to see bones and organs visible through the skin, but due to the fat that will be continuing to form, they will soon be less visible.

Week 22- Papaya

It's week 22 and we have a name! You will be Rylan Renee Shanahan!

Rylan- After daddy
Renee- Aunt Noelle and Grandma Lisa's middle name

You are now weighing over a pound. My stomach is finally looking bigger. You are definitely growing.

You also took a big trip this week! We went to Nashville for Aunt Noelle's 21st birthday. We spent the weekend listening to live country bands. You kicked along to some songs. I read that you are able to hear now. I am glad we introduced you to some great music in your early days of hearing.

Your Baby
Your baby now weighs almost a pound, even if you’re having twins. Movements are deliberate now, and with the purpose of preparing your baby's motor skills and coordination. Even though hair is growing on your baby's head, the colour will be white as the pigment has not developed yet. Your baby's skin is wrinkled and is a pinkish-red colour, but still translucent. The limbs are proportionate, but your baby is still very thin. Even though you are past the halfway point of pregnancy, your baby only weighs approximately one-seventh of the final weight at birth. Your baby's brain is beginning a period of rapid growth and development. If you’re having twins, there will be twice as many ‘why’ questions in your future.

Week 21- Cantaloupe

Wow! I can't believe you are the size of a cantaloupe! To celebrate the New Year, we went up to Mauston, Wisconsin to the Shanahan family condos. I am sure you will be splashing around in the lake there soon enough! We went with Aunt Noelle, Mike, Uncle Nate and Aunt Rebecca.

Your Baby
Your baby now looks very much like it will at birth, only smaller. Your baby may be busy sucking its thumb, yawning, and kicking up a storm. If you’re having twins it may feel like their first dance recital. Hair is growing on your baby's head and facial features are now formed. There is no need for an ultrasound to hear the heartbeat, or heartbeats, as a stethoscope is powerful enough to pick up the rhythmic beating now. The bone marrow is now making blood cells, a job previously only done by the liver and spleen. Even your baby's intestines are absorbing small amounts of sugar from the ingested amniotic fluid. Your baby is now able to blink, and its eyelashes and eyebrows are now formed as well.