The first picture

This is my beanie’s first picture. It was taken on March 19, 2010. Do you see that small white shape in the middle of the black oval? That's her. The doctor said that based on my beanie’s crown-to-rump size, she’s 5 weeks and 5 days old already. (Oh, and yes, I don’t know the sex yet, but I want a girl, so I’m using female pronouns here. Universe, take a hint!)

According to babycenter.com, at 5 weeks, my beanie’s growing at a furious pace. She looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human, and is now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of her organs and tissues.

Well, I certainly didn’t see any of those layers when I did the TVS. What I saw was this peanut-looking thing that’s pulsating, much like a small, very lightly flickering christmas light. She measured at 2.2 mm. only (which is normal, for her age). Can you imagine how small 2.2 mm is? Without magnification, it’s about the length of a Times New Roman, font 12 long dash. Like this: –. And it still amazes me that something that small is actually human.

I’m due for another sonogram on Saturday, March 27, and by that time, my beanie should be 7 weeks and 6 days old already – almost 8 weeks. At that point, so much of her body parts should have already started to develop: at 6 weeks, her nose, mouth, and ear have already began to take shape, as well as her intestines, lungs, pituitary gland, brain, muscles, and bones. At 7, hands and feet should have also emerged, although they would look more like paddles, and she will still have a small tail. By the 8th week, webbed fingers and toes will start to poke out.

It’s exciting and amazing and nerve-wracking. And very definitely faith-building. In such short time so much happens. My body has been turned into a factory that manufactures a person. And I’m the factory owner that has absolutely no control over the manufacturing process. All I can do is pray and ask God to take hold of the procedure.