"Development of the Heart is Complete"

That's what it says on my day-by-day pregnancy calendar. As of yesterday, Scout's heart is completely developed.

Here are a few other developmental strides Scout is making this week:

- Scout has well-defined fingers and toes (the better to play piano and run and hike with, my dear). (They're still webbed, though.) Cartilage and bones are begging to form.

- The nose tip and upper lip have begun to form. The nose tip! How many times will that little nose tip get kissed in Scout's lifetime, I wonder?

- The tongue and larynx are developing.

- The eyelids, while still closed, are developed completely.

While all this development is going on, Scout is working on his/her swimming skills, paddling around in a little bag of fluid. I guess the webbed fingers and toes are helping with that.

Congratulations, Scout. You have advanced from reptile to duck. And not only are you a duck, but you're a duck with a heart.



(Charming photo from epromos.com.)