Five Weeks

This is what they tell us is going on this week:

At this point, our baby is 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 our 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 our 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 our baby, are already on the job.

As for us

Excitement abounds! Or, maybe not. It is hard to say. While I think Bradford and I are both very excited about what is going on, we also are in a state of disbelief at the moment. To be honest, I am not convinced that there is anything in there. Plus, the fact that we are keeping it a secret for a little while at least makes it even more difficult to believe it is actually going on. But, they tell me that something is, in fact, going on and something is, in fact, living in there. Scary.

Few people know about BB at this point. (BB = baby Bradford, even though we have no idea what we are going to call this thing). It is still very early in the game, so to speak, and we don't want to tell people and then have something happen. Hopefully, it won't. Better safe than sorry, however. Right now, only six people know about BB.

Bradford and I know, of course. That's two.
My friend Kelly knows. She has been a great source of support, advice, anecdotes, and the like. She knew about BB when he was only a glimmer in our eyes (why do people say that? Lame!). That's three.
Finally, the Omage family knows about BB. We went to visit them last weekend for Valerie's birthday. While we were at the dog park, I told baby bean Hardin that she was going to have a little cousin. I am not confident that she understood me, or gave a crap for that matter. There was a lot going on at the dog park that day. She was distracted. Valerie, being intuitive as she is, knew something was going on. We did not intend to tell anyone until 8 weeks, but Valerie was on to us. Apparently, I am such an alcohol and coffee lover that turning down both of those things in one weekend is enough to raise suspicions.
Valerie and Charlie were so happy to hear the news, so I am glad we told them. They passed on many books that will keep us busy for a while and will be, I am sure, very informative. Valerie also, in her excitement, made Charlie dig all of her maternity clothes out of the attic to pass on to me. For this, I am thankful! I told Valerie that, without her, I would have looked completely inappropriate later on, because I wouldn't have bought anything and would have tried to squeeze into all of my old clothes.

Bradford and I are still trying to decide when to tell our parents and my sister. I might tell my sister tonight. I know Bradford wants to be there, but my sister and I are having dinner (so, I might not be able to keep it in). As for our parents, who knows. We want to tell them in person, and we want to wait for the right time. We both want everyone to be as happy about BB as they possibly can be. So, for now, we will wait.

Forgive us everyone who does not know. We just wanted to wait for the right time to share the news.

As for me

Doing well. Can't really complain. Aside from frequent trips to the bathroom (# 1 people, not # 2), having to eat even healthier than normal, feeling slightly sore up top (if you know what I mean), and being a little bit stressed about when to tell the folks about BB and how they will respond, all is fantastic.

As for Bradford

Seems to be doing well. He has taken a real interest in the nutrition aspects of growing a baby. This shouldn't at all be surprising, since he makes all of my meals already. He is reading tons of books and always has new information to give me at the end of the day it seems. Aside from his veto of several of my favorite baby names, he has been a perfect, loving partner. (not surprising). I am sure he will post later, and he can tell you how he is doing himself.