May 4—Week 7
Those precious little fingers and toes are forming this week! Pigment has begun to develop in the eyes
that will look on so many with profound love. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
May 11—Week 8
The tip of our Lord’s little nose has formed this week, as well as his bottom. He is still very fragile at a
length of just under an inch and weighing only one tenth of an ounce. Jesus of the womb, Hear our
prayers!
May 18—Week 9
By the end of this week, all of Jesus’ vital organs have formed and begun working together. He even has
the beginning of teeth forming in his mouth. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
May 25—Week 10
Jesus is now about two inches long. His head is humongous compared to the rest of his body, but his
masculine biological characteristics are also clearly present. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
June 1—Week 11
Jesus now has fingernails, toenails, and functioning kidneys. He even drinks in the amniotic fluid that
surrounds him. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
June 8—Week 12
Jesus just put his thumb in his mouth for the first time today. Though he is not yet strong enough to
suck on it, he soon will be. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
June 15—Week 13
Jesus is now over three and a half inches long and weighs more than one and a half ounces. Jesus of the
womb, Hear our prayers!
June 22—Week 14
Due to Mary’s delicate little teenage frame, it has become very evident to her that she is pregnant.
Inside, Jesus is developing muscles and beginning to flex his hands, legs, and wrists a lot. Jesus of the
womb, Hear our prayers!
June 29—Week 15
Jesus squinted his face up for the first time yesterday. He can also move his head a little from side to
side in that highly buoyant amniotic sac we call his home. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
July 6—Week 16
Jesus is growing fast now! He is five inches long and weighs five ounces. The cord connecting him to
Mary is also getting bigger to better support the healthy growing boy. Jesus of the womb, Hear our
prayers!
July 13—Week 17
Jesus first heard the sound of his mother’s heartbeat today. Its steady drumming is a comfort to Him.
He also saw his first flickers of brightness when his mother stood in the sunshine. The Light of the world
has seen his first rays of sunlight. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
July 20—Week 18
Jesus is beginning to develop thick brown fat cells this week. They will prove pretty important on a cool
December night in Bethlehem in the near future. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
July 27—Week 19
Jesus is already halfway done his time in his first home on earth. He weighs eleven ounces and is just
over six inches long. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
August 3—Week 20
This week, bone marrow inside Jesus has begun to develop his precious blood, which will one day be
shed as wine for all of us. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
August 10—Week 21
Jesus is developing taste buds this week. Mary is starting to feel as though things must be crammed
pretty tight insider her. Jesus has learned how to run his hand against his cheek. He likes the sensation
and does it a lot. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
August 17—Week 22
Jesus is moving around a lot this week as if he is an exercise enthusiast. Mary loves the sensation,
knowing that these are the earliest moments in which any human being is getting to feel the physical
presence of God! Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
August 24—Week 23
Jesus now has a sense of balance inside his mother. He can even tell whether he is upside or right-side
up, but he still spends the majority of his time right-side up. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
August 31—Week 24
Jesus heard the voice of his earthly father, Joseph for the first time this week. Its strong reassuring
quality put Jesus right to sleep. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
September 7—Week 25
Jesus will blink for the first time later this week. Dark eyelashes are growing in, and he weighs about
two pounds. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
September 14—Week 26
Jesus is hard at work developing his immune system this week. He has also come to recognize the
distinct voices of his father and each of his maternal grandparents, Anna and Joachim. Jesus of the
womb, Hear our prayers!
September 21—Week 27
The folds and grooves in Jesus’s brain are expanding and getting more complex at this stage. He also
boasts of a healthy head of hair as well. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
September 28—Week 28
Mary is feeling a lot of shortness of breath, as Jesus continues to take up more room inside her. She is
also experiencing a remarkable level of fetal activity, especially at night. Her little boy is going to be
strong, and aptly prepared to learn the family trade of carpentry. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
October 5—Week 29
Little Jesus is getting the hiccups this week! This of course brings joyful laughter to his mother, and
don’t worry. They don’t hurt him. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
October 12—Week 30
Jesus now weighs three and a half pounds, and he is also eleven inches long. Jesus of the womb, Hear
our prayers!
October 19—Week 31
With only two months left till delivery, Jesus looks just like he will on the day he is born. From this point
in his development, even children born prematurely in first century Israel would have some odds of
surviving outside the womb. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
October 26—Week 32
Jesus has become quite the little explorer. He moves his hands around to feel out his environment. He
is also sensitively attuned to changes in his mother’s heartbeat and breathing. Jesus of the womb, Hear
our prayers!
November 2—Week 33
Jesus has gotten so big that he is now quite stuck with his head facing downward. This is not
uncomfortable for him, though. It’s also a good thing, since it is the position he will need to be in when
he is delivered in a few weeks! Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
November 9—Week 34
Jesus now weighs five and a half pounds! He has gotten so big inside the small frame of his mother that
he cannot move around as much as he used to. It won’t be long now! Jesus of the womb, Hear our
prayers!
November 16—Week 35
Jesus has discovered a new favorite activity, sucking on his thumb! At six pounds, he is starting to look
adorably plump and very healthy. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
November 23—Week 36
Jesus is developing increased coordination this week. He has begun holding grasping things in his little
hands, things like his ears, his knees, and even his umbilical cord once or twice. Jesus of the womb, Hear
our prayers!
November 30—Week 37
We are now in the month that Jesus will be born! Today, he is getting acquainted with a new sensation.
His mother has been riding a donkey all day, and its steady rocking motion keeps lulling him back to
sleep. Then, a jolt will occasionally wake him back up. Jesus of the womb, Hear our prayers!
December 7—Week 38
Mary’s body is flooding Jesus with antibodies this week as he gets ready for the big day. These will
support his natural immune system for most of the first year of life outside the womb. Jesus of the
womb, Hear our prayers!
December 14—Week 39
Today, Jesus weighs seven pounds thirteen ounces. He is full of wrinkles, blotches, and dry spots on his
skin, but he is beautiful beyond all reckoning. He is getting some much-needed rest for later this week.
Jesus of the womb, Pray for us!
December 21—Week 40
As the birth of Jesus approaches, Mary may start to feel her body prepare to deliver this beautiful baby
boy. Her arms cannot wait to hold this precious gift from God. As she and Joseph prepare to welcome
their baby who is ready to meet them, they entrust their family to God. Jesus of the womb, Pray for us!
December 25
With tears of joy on her face, Mary beholds her child for the first time today. Light for all the world is
brightening their little stable. Joseph is silent in wonder at the sight of his perfect adopted son.
Shepherds will not arrive for another hour, so this first quiet moment of happiness is reserved just for
the holy family… and a few barn animals. Jesus meets the world with his eyes open, a little king ready to
continue his sacred journey through life. Jesus, Light of the World, Hear our prayers!
Text prepared by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Reprinted here with permission, courtesy of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
