Is anyone in there?

We've made it to 6 weeks! Woo Hoo! Still feeling great! I can feel some stretching going on in there. Most of the time I feel as if I've done a strenuous workout. The muscles in my lower abdomon are very sore. If I sneeze or laugh hard or cough, I need a few minutes to recover. All of my clothes still fit me. (Good news or bad news?) These first several weeks are tough. I know there's something going on, but no one else does unless I tell them. It's more fun when you are showing and the baby is moving. I have nothing interesting to talk about at this point except nausea and muscle soreness. Well, it will probably only be another couple of weeks before I notice some external changes.

I've scheduled my first appointment with the midwife. Normally, I would not go in until 11 weeks, but she said if I wanted to come in at 9 weeks she would do an ultrasound and we could see our baby. It took me about 5 seconds to jump at that opportunity and my first appointment will be on February 8!! We can't wait!

Did you see the baby's 6 week picture? .... Starting to look more like a living thing than a ball of cells. Although now we have entered the tadpole stage. It shouldn't last too long, the tail will go away after a couple of weeks.

This is how the baby is growing.......The cells that will make up all of your baby's body parts and systems are dividing furiously as her body begins to take shape. Right now she's about the size of a small lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across). If you could see through your uterine wall, you'd find an overlarge head and dark spots where her eyes and nostrils are beginning to take shape. Shallow pits on the sides of her head mark her developing ears, and her arms and legs appear as protruding buds. Her hands and feet look like paddles, with thick webbing between the developing digits, but her fingers and toes will soon become more distinct. Below the opening that will later be your baby's mouth, there are small folds where her neck and lower jaw will eventually develop. (Inside, her tongue and vocal cords are just beginning to form.)Your baby's heart (which is starting to divide into the right and left chambers) is beating about 100 to 130 beats per minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to circulate through her body. Her intestines are developing and tiny breathing passages are beginning to appear where her lungs will be. She's also starting to build muscle fibers and, halfway through this week, she'll likely start moving her tiny limbs. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to wait until you're several weeks into your second trimester before you get to enjoy feeling your baby's calisthenics.