Week 17

Optimus is about five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand. Body fat (Optimus', that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of the pregnancy. By the time he is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his weight. Optimus is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle him (and it is also advised to get him used to such noises; for instance, babies who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Dodger's outbursts). His eyes are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. And since practice makes perfect, he is sharpening his sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first (and second…and third) eating experience. In fact, most of the survival reflexes that Optimus will have at birth are being perfected in utero right now. And within the next week or so, the pads on his fingertips and toes will become adorned with completely individual swirls and creases (aka fingerprints).