Week 17

"Your baby weighs about 5 ounces now, and he's around 5 inches long — about the size of a large onion. The umbilical cord, his lifeline to the placenta, is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby can move his joints, and his skeleton — until now, rubbery cartilage — is starting to harden into bone. Some of it will remain cartilage for years after he's born. A newborn's skeleton has 300 parts (a combination of bone and cartilage). As your child grows, some of these parts harden and fuse together. By the time your baby reaches adulthood, he'll have just 206 bones. "

- from www.babycenter.com

Surprising Facts: Common pregnancy dreams

"Has your dream life shifted into high gear? That's partly because you may be interrupting a dream-filled cycle of REM sleep when you get up to pee, cope with a leg cramp, or shift to a more comfortable position. Waking up during REM sleep makes you more likely to remember your dreams. Pregnancy hormones may also play a role.

Some experts think pregnancy dreams symbolize your excitement, fear, and apprehension about the physical and emotional changes happening to you. Here's a look at some common themes and what they may mean, according to Patricia Garfield, a clinical psychologist and author of Women's Bodies, Women's Dreams.

You're caring for baby animals. During the second trimester, many pregnant women dream about cuddly, baby-like animals, such as puppies, chicks, and kittens. Friendly creatures in your dreams are generally thought to signify that you're tuned in to your instincts. Menacing animals, on the other hand, may represent ambivalence about the strange new creature coming into your life. "

- from www.babycenter.com