(soon we will attach stupid belly pictures to these posts)

How our baby's growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities we imagine playing with. Technically, our baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Our baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If I could see inside my womb, I'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of the baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in the baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

How Mom's life is changing:

My uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and well, I'm a bit uncomfortable. There is no word or description I could tell you in order to understand anything that I am feeling. One thing that is easy to describe is exhaustion. I feel very drained around 1 pm and also around the time I get home. and yes, I'm cranky.

I pee more than usual, thanks to my increasing blood volume and the extra fluid being processed through my kidneys. By now, I already have about 10 percent more blood than I did before I was pregnant. And by the end of my pregnancy, I'll have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through my veins to meet the demands of my full-term baby. Oh yeah and there is also my bladder being pushed out from my growing uterus. All my organs will soon be vying for space. Also, since I have to get up a few times at night, I also suffer from lack of sleep. Gee, this is so fun right now. Apparently the 2nd trimester (which I will be in 5 weeks!) is the honeymoon phase, so I can't wait for that! and actually start showing so I can look as if I have a legitimate reason to be so tired, grumpy and achy all the time, and be able to reap the benefits of pregnancy..hahahaha.