Chestnut Week 5*

Uh, WHAT?!

Knocked up

Yes, folks, we are at it again.  We just found out on Monday of this week that we are pregnant.  This one, who we have lovingly named Chestnut, is due to make a debut ~7/72012.

Why Chestnut?  Well, all of our kids are "nuts."  Penelope was Peanut because she was little like a peanut; it's a pretty generic baby nickname, really.  Camille was Macnut (macadamia nut) because we'd just gone to Hawai'i before getting pregnant.  This one is Chestnut because there are a ton of chestnut trees outside of our condo.  And it's chestnut season.  Also, chestnuts are very tasty!

So, to follow the tradition of Ng Family Pregnancy Blogging, I'm going to default to the regular format...

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a sesame seed - ~2mm.
• By the end of the week the embryo will have more than doubled in size to about 4-5mm.
• The egg has now completely grown into the mucous membrane of the uterus which covers the egg, the umbilical sac and the amniotic fluid cavity.
• A fibrin clot closes the hole to the uterus cavity. I might be wrong, but I think this clot later develops into Danny Tanner (long story...okay, the short version is: if you look up an image of a "mucus plug" using an internet search engine, somehow a picture of actor Bob Saget is in the mix!).
• The placenta is developing.
• The embryo starts receiving oxygen and nutrition through the placenta.
• The brain, spinal cord, and heart begin to develop.
• The gastrointestinal tract begins to develop.
• Umbilical cord develops and blood is now pumping.  All four heart chambers are now functioning.
• Arm and leg buds appear.

Physical:

• Weight: 113 lb (+0)
• Belly circumference: 28.5 in (+0)
• There is a little bit of change in my appetite, but not much.  I'm still feeling fine.  Not any more tired than usual...except that our whole family is sick.  Boo!

Spiritual & emotional:

• Finding out that we were pregnant was a bit of an "OMG" moment for me.  My [academic] life flashed before my eyes.  I start looking for people to blame (it's such a bad emotional pattern).  Still negotiating this news in my mind.
• What do I tell people when they ask, "Was it planned?"  Can I say, "Go eff yourself" or would that be very unChristian of me?
• We told Camille that I have a baby in the belly.  Amazingly, she seemed to get it pretty quickly.  Later the same day, she walked over to where I was sitting on the ground, pulled up my shirt, poked my belly saying "Baby!" and kissed it.  So, so sweet.
• We've told a few close friends.  It all seems kind of surreal.  Still taking in the news.

Click here to see the comparison to my pregnancy with Camille (MacNut) at the same gestational age.

*This blog entry was written in stealth mode...before the news went public.