There's an Alien in my Womb...

These pictures are going to be very difficult to make out. Just note that they're all the same scale, so at the very least, you can appreciate that the little baby is growing at a rapid rate.

Picture #1 (above) at 5 weeks 6 days shows a tiny little bright speck (the baby's heart) between the two x's. We could see it pulsing - like a light bulb growing bright then dim then bright then dim. It was a neat experience. I thought it would make it seem real and make me less afraid that the baby wouldn't make it, but as neat as it was, it still didn't quite sink in that we were basically out of the woods.
Picture #2 didn't turn out very clearly, but note that this week (6 weeks 6 days - exactly one week after the first picture), I could make out two distinct chambers of the heart. I could also kind of see a hint of leg and arm buds (I think). The heartbeat was very strong and fast and the nurse suggested that I go ahead and schedule the exit interview with my doctor for the following week, because in her opinion the baby was out of the woods.

And finally - today - officially 8 weeks. Can you make out the little gummy bear? At least, that's what he or she looks like in this picture. A big head with some dark eyes and little tiny arms and legs. The baby is shown here from the side facing downward (if you need help figuring out this picture). Today we saw four distinct chambers of the heart which was beating strongly and clear. We had our final appointment with the ART fertility clinic and before we were released were told to breathe a big sigh of relief and know that we had less than a 5% chance of miscarriage - as good as it's going to get before we hold the baby in our arms in August.

So this was the last picture I can post of the alien in my womb until our 12 week ultrasound, so about a month from now. At that point the baby will look just like a baby should and will be 3 to 4 inches long, so I think I'll be able to show him or her to you without so many pointers in how to view the picture. For the meantime, I thought you would enjoy seeing our little gummy bear (although it's bigger than a grape so technically for a gummy bear, it's a big gummy bear)!