Week 9

• Your baby measures about 0.9 to 1.2 inches (2.2 to 3cm) from crown to rump.
• Your baby's arms and legs are longer and her hands are flexed at the wrist.
• The head is growing more erect and the neck is more developed.
• On an ultrasound, you may see your baby moving, though you still can not feel this.
• The organs are forming.
• Ears are developed and the eyelids have begun to cover up your baby's eyes.
• Hands and feet appear as well as small buds which will become fingers and toes.
• The paddles of your baby's hands have clearly defined finger ridges now, with the tissue between them (which previously made them look webbed) reducing to leave separate fingers.
• Your baby's back has started to straighten slightly and the tail is now shrinking.
• The head still seems large and is curved forwards on her chest.
• Your baby is starting to look like a tiny person!

Week 8

• Your baby's crown to rump measurement is about 0.56 to 0.8 inches (14 to 20mm).
• Your baby's face has a recognizable shape with eyelids and the tip of a nose with formed nostrils, though his head is still very large compared to the rest of his body.
• All major organs are now formed and in place, though they still need to mature.
• A tongue has already formed. The ears are forming both internally and externally.
• The arms and legs extend forward and shoulders, elbows, hips and knees are detectable.
• Knees and elbows have begun to form on the limbs.
• Tiny fingers and toes are starting to appear at the tips of your baby's developing limbs and the arms may be slightly flexed at the elbows and wrists.
• Your baby is moving around a lot, moving his legs and flexing his spine, but you are unable to feel it at this point.
• Your baby's genitals have begun development, though they are still difficult to identify.

Week 7

• Your baby is 0.16 to 0.2 inches long (4-5mm) when measured from crown to rump. It is now identifiable as a human baby. (Maybe at the end of the week...)


• The limb buds are growing rapidly, developing into little fins with nodules at the ends which will eventually become fingers and toes. The arms have already differentiated into hand and shoulder segments.


• The cerebral hemispheres of the brain are growing, and the eyes and nostrils are appearing. Your baby's heart bulges from its body and the heart chambers are divided and formed. Blood vessels now circulate blood throughout the whole body. The head looks large and is bent on the chest.


• Your baby's face is forming, but its eyes are on the sides of its head and are still sealed. The discs that will become your baby's eyes will move over to the front of the face over the course of the next few months.


• Bone cells are beginning to develop and the outline of the baby's nervous system is complete. The pigment in your baby's eyes can be seen under the skin overlaying them. By this point there is also a pancreas and an appendix. The tail is still visible, but it will soon fade. The umbilical cord is growing and the placenta is maturing as well.

Baby's First Picture!

Okay, here's the baby's first picture:


We measured at 5 weeks and 6 days today. (That's a couple of days behind what we thought.)

The doc said everything looked fine. We go back for another ultrasound on September 2nd.

Names

Okay... By popular request, here's a place for comments about names. :)

Week 6

• Your baby is now about the size of an apple seed. That's about 0.08 to 0.16 inches (2 to 4mm) from crown to rump.
• It has formed a distinct head with the first stages of eyes and ears.
• The spinal column and cord are formed.
• Buds that will grow limbs have also formed.
• The heart is starting to beat and at this stage its beating may even be detected by sensitive ultrasound equipment, though, it's still very early.
• The kidneys, liver and nerve cells have also begun to develop.
• Ten dental buds are growing in the jaws.
• Blood circulation has begun and primitive red blood cells circulate.
• The neural tube has closed over along your baby's spine.
• The optic vesicles, which resemble tiny discs of pigment set in cups along the sides of your baby's head will develop into your baby's eyes.
• A distinct tail is still present.
• The body is shaped like the letter "C".

2nd Round of Bloodwork

Okay... I just got the call from the doctor's office...

TSH 1.5 - a little on the low side, but good
Progesterone 30.1 - excellent
hCG 525 - great

For the hCG, a doubling time of 48 hours would be 380 - which is the minimum for what we want. Since it's 525, that puts the doubling time at 34.74 hours - which is even better!

My next appointment is now scheduled for August 14th at 3:00pm.

Telling Everyone

Once Daniel got home, we tried to figure out when we wanted to tell everyone. I knew I couldn't keep my mouth shut about it much longer...

He agreed to go ahead and tell family so we started making calls. We made calls Thursday evening/night and Friday. I updated my webpages on Friday as well. We've also spread the word when we've run into people. :)

I decided to go ahead and tell my boss yesterday so she could make any necessary changes to schedules (although I don't think any changes would be necessary) and be thinking of who we might get for my long-term sub for next semester. I also wanted to find out when I have to submit all the various paperwork that goes along with a leave of absence... She said we're a long way from having to do any of that - phew!

Finding Out

Okay, I'm a little behind in getting this started, but here goes:

On Thursday, July 31st, we had an appointment to have some bloodwork done to see if we were pregnant. I decided to go ahead and take a test at home - just for grins. Well, the home test came up positive! I told Daniel and also said we would have to wait for the bloodwork results before we got too excited.

Fast-forward to 2:30pm when I get the call from my Dr.'s office. The nurse told me my hCG level was 76 mIU/ml. That's pregnant!!! I decided to take a couple of more tests while I waited for Daniel to finish with work for the day...


I waited to tell Daniel when he let me know he was on his way to a meeting (I couldn't wait if he wasn't coming straight home). He asked that I wait to tell anyone else until he gets home so we can talk about it...