Growing Like A Weed

Matt and I... we are constantly amazed at how quickly our baby is developing. In the womb, our little pea is already growing like a weed.

I check babycenter.com to get weekly updates on the development of our baby. At 5 weeks we learned that Baby B was about the size of a sesame seed and already had a heart that was dividing into 4 chambers... beating and pumping blood. That information totally floored me!

At 6 weeks we discovered Baby B grew to the size of a lentil bean, about a quarter of an inch long. During this week the nose, mouth and ears were beginning to take shape. Baby B also had arm and leg buds that were protruding. The heart started to beat anywhere between 100 to 160 times per minute... which is twice as fast as mine! The bud of tissue that would give rise to the lungs appeared. Also, the pituitary gland, as well as the rest of the brain, muscles and bones were beginning to form. Still amazed!

7 week mark: My little blueberry. Baby B was about half an inch long during the seventh week. Hands and feet began to emerge from the arm and leg buds at this stage of development. Eyelids partially covered the peepers that already had a little color to them, tip of nose was growing as well as tiny veins beneath very thin skin. Both hemispheres of the brain were developing, the liver started churning out red blood cells (until bone marrow takes over), and an appendix and pancreas presented. Grow Baby Grow!

Now we are at the 8th week of my pregnancy. Little Baby B is now the size of a kidney bean. Webbed fingers and toes are poking out of the hands and feet. The eyelids almost completely cover the eyes and breathing tubes extend from the throat to the branches of the developing lungs. Also, neural pathways are being constructed.

As Baby B grows rapidly, I find that with every passing day I grow more and more hungry! It seems as though I can't eat enough. I am more than happy to provide our little one with the fuel and energy he/she needs to grow healthily and strong. We are truly blessed by this miracle! Glad to have a little sprout in the garden. Our little pea in the pod!

Check this out: In less than two weeks I go for my first ultrasound appointment! Hopefully I'll have a couple of pictures of the ultrasound to post so that everyone can take their first look at our baby. Wahoo!