22 weeks

So I found these fill in the blank questions on another person's blog, and I thought it was kinda neat...here are my answers :)

How far along: 22 weeks (going by 9/27 edd)

Weight gain: 15 lbs so far...and it seems like most of it showed up in the past 2 weeks lol
Stretch marks: none so far...yay!  I'm am definately not giving up on the lotion any time soon :)
Symptoms: Sometimes I feel a little nauseous after eating dinner or a bigger meal, but that may be due to the fact that I usually try and lay down or lay back and relax after and may have some acid reflux or something going on.  I feel pretty good and active...I was able to clean the entire house this weekend and I was soooo relieved about that, but my feet and back were aching at the end.  I have to use the restroom whenever I stand up (and sneezing is not my friend if you know what I mean).
Sleep: I am having some trouble sleeping...I have no problem falling asleep, but around 3am, I start tossing and turning and it is hard for me to get comfortable.  I'll find a good position and then wake up 30-40 mins later and have to roll over.
Best Moment this Week: Being able to visit with friends and family...all of whom can't resist touching the belly and talking to little Adrian.  He just wouldn't kick for anyone this week, but man, as soon as I lay down in bed, he moves around a lot (probably getting himself comfortable for sleep) :)
Food Cravings: Nothing really...I had been eating at Chipotle at least twice a week, but now I have switched to wanting Samurai Sam's at least twice a week (All white chicken meat, rice, veggies, with teriaki sauce).  Oh and salad too this week...we tried going to Sweet Tomatoes on Friday, but apparently everyone else in Henderson wanted salad too, so we ended up going to Marie Calendars and I have a chicken pot pie with a salad :)      I have had a sweet tooth lately too though I must admit.
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out?: Still in...although Margie keeps reminding me that I will need to buy a pregnancy belly ring soon lol
Rings on or off?: Ring still on...no swelling in my hands thank goodness, I can't decide if my ankles have swelled a little or not though...I never really paid attention to them before so I have nothing to compare them too lol
Movement: Lot's of movement...especially when I lay down for bed and around lunch time too
Milestones: Having a baby belly that looks like a baby belly!  22 weeks...they went by really fast!  Here's to the next 18!

Twenty Weeks

Here's a picture update...This was me last Monday at 20 weeks...and the last picture was this Saturday at Karla's graduation...she's so funny :)  I'm getting bigger and bigger, and it seemed to have happened over night!  He is still very active, but definately getting stronger because those little kicks are definately kicks and not just flutters anymore :)  Oh and for the record, we have agreed that our baby boy will be named Adrian Alexander Pena!!

My heart is at peace again

Well I had my appointment with Margie today and I got a copy of the report Dr. Roberts sent over to her regarding the ultrasound.  From what she read and from what I read, there are two tiny cysts on the left side of the placenta.  One is 10 mm and the other is 12 mm...to put this in perspective, I found some pictures...

So each of the cysts are smaller than the diameter of a dime...from the way they looked up on the screen, they looked huge, but seeing it in writing at the actual size and seeing it on a ruler helps make things more clear.  I think that sometimes us as patients hear terminology from doctors that we don't clearly understand.  Also, he was explaining worst case scenearios with us, but I think it would have helped if he had a ruler and showed us just how small these cysts are to really make us understand how they really are of no harm.  Also when I saw them up on the screen, it looked like a big hole in the placenta, so thats where some confusion came in too.  The report says that there is no blood flow in the cysts, which is really good because that means they are not harming the placenta, but I completely understand that they are something to watch because if they do happen to grow bigger, then thats where complications come in because they will compromise the space in the uterus which could cause intrauterine growth restriction.  Now it all seems so clear why he is having us wait until the end of June to see us again because these cysts are really not that big and going and seeing him more frequently is completely unnecessary considering the size of the cysts because they may not grow much or at all.   Here's a website I found on Placental Cysts http://www.sonoworld.com/Client/Fetus/page.php?id=173

As far as the brain thing goes, the report noted, "fourth ventrical is communicating with the posterior fossa."  And anything that I can Google on that subject talks about cysts as well, but he never mentioned a cyst in the brain, just that the areas between the two had not closed yet.  But again, at the appointment he made it clear that he wanted to keep an eye on that area, but didn't seem too concerned at this point that it wouldn't resolve itself by the next appointment.  Margie said that she had one other woman recently that saw Dr. Roberts and he had communicated somthing similar to her regarding the brain scan, and when her baby was born, they did a CT and everything was fine...so I feel like I can relax now, and actually look forward to the ultrasound in June instead of dreading it like I have been. 

Of course I still have all the motherly concerns that come with pregnancy and I cannot wait to see him and hold him and really know and physically see that everything is okay, but I think that this has helped me relax a little and see that things aren't as horrific as I thought.

So on the the fun part...At our appointment today Margie went to find his heart on the doppler and he started moving all around and she had to "chase" him down to get a reading...it was 157 today, and she said that it had actually had started lower but when he started moving them it went to 157 which is a really good sign that his little heart is working perfectly how it should :)  Also, I am 20 weeks and 2 days today, and when she did the uterus measurement (measuring from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) it was 24cm (usually the measurement corresponds to the # of weeks you are...so it should be 20cm)...so he is obviously growing, and growing well!!  He is very active and he kicks a lot...he is getting really strong and sometimes the kicks catch me by surprise because they come out of nowhere really hard lol

Sorry this is so long...but I wanted to share the news...I will post some pictures when I get home tonight :)

Thanks for reading, and thanks again so much for your prayers and keeping us in your thoughts!