6 April 2009

7TH WEEK OF DEVELOPMENT - 6 WEEKS ALONG

Just a quick update on our sweet little geekling baby. I officially hit the end of the sixth week on Friday and am now into the seventh. This week:

-Our geekling is about a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a blueberry
-This is about 10,000 times larger than his/her size at conception a month ago
-This week his or her head will grow more than anything else, with its brain cells generating at the rate of 100 cells per minute (our little geekling is getting smart!)
-His or her arm and leg buds begin to sprout and grow longer (and stronger), dividing into hand, arm, and shoulder segments, and leg, knee, and foot segments
-Our baby's mouth and tongue are forming this week
-His or her permanent kidneys (the third set) are in place this week and he or she will begin producing urine waste in about a week
-And the icky part of the above: As our baby matures, much of that urine will be excreted into the amniotic fluid, swallowed again by him or her, and then excreted again in a continuous cycle
-My breasts are beginning to prepare for the task of breastfeeding.
-Also, I might have more aversions to certain foods this week, and more nausea - YAY!

I am so excited about this whole process. How incredible! I haven't had a whole lot of symptoms. There has been some soreness and achyness, but overall I'm okay. I have a little bit of nausea in the evenings, but not too bad. Mostly I am just exhausted and thirsty. So exhausted. And SO thirsty. I have been going through almost a gallon of water a day.

Lots happening; I just can't see it!