5 weeks!

Here's what's goin' on this week:

How your baby's growing:

Deep in your uterus your embryo is growing at a furious pace. At this point, he's about the size of a sesame seed, and he looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.

The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.

His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.

The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job.

See what's going on in your uterus this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.



This morning Mark told me that he can't wait for me to get bigger because he loved it when I was "fat" with Aidan (and by fat, he didn't mean like fat in a bad or mean way). I told him I can't wait either. This is like the boring time of the pregnancy, when the only symptoms you have of being pregnant are the icky ones (sore boobies, having to pee ALL THE TIME, and the dreaded morning sickness). I can't wait until the baby starts to kick and have the hiccups. It's such an awesome feeling.

Our wedding is in 6 days! OMG!! I can't believe it's actually happening. I'm going to be so nervous, I just know it!!