OMG, It's Like The First April Efforts, All Over Again

How your baby's growing: This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until ten weeks, all of your baby's organs will begin to develop and function. As a result, this is the time when she'll be the most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development.

Right now your baby is an embryo consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all her organs and body parts will develop. The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow into so that the developed placenta can provide nutrients and oxygen to your growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week. Also present now are the amniotic sac that will house your baby, the amniotic fluid that will cushion her as she grows, and the yolk sac that produces your baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to her until the placenta is ready to take over this duty.

Halen is very excited. Ask him about babies and he'll blow kisses into the air and rock his arms back and forth. I am so happy to be giving him a sibling. I can't imagine feeling this motherly love, twice over. It's going to be so great. I also feel this slight tinge of quilt. Apparently, it's normal. Up until this new baby is born, Halen has been the center of my universe. Now he's going to have to share me. I think there's enough of this mommy to go around.

April Effort was named so because we found out about Halen in April. Effort was just a word for 'the making of'. He was mostly likely actually made March 26th, our wedding night. Isn't that sweet? It is also an anagram of Tarp For Life, Dan's Crew. Now we made another baby in March, but found out on April 1st. I guess we like spring time. Anyway, this baby fits right into April Effort in more ways than one.