Choroid Plexus Cyst

We had a pretty scary doctors appointment yesterday afternoon. The doctor told us he saw a Choroid Plexus Cyst on the baby's brain in the ultrasound. He said this fairly common and he has seen quite a few before. He said that the cyst alone does not cause any harm and usually goes away before delivery. However, he suggested we go to a Maternal and Fetal Specialist to have a more detailed ultrasound because the cyst along with other signs could mean the baby has Trisomy 18. I know one other sign they are looking for are clinched fist which we see in the pictures of the ultrasound but during the ultrasound she had her hand open at times and waving. Trisomy 18 is a chromosome disorder where the baby has two of the 18th chromosome. This usually results in a miscarriage or death soon after birth. My doctor said he has never seen a case where the cyst turns out to be Trisomy 18 and he said with my age we are much lower risk of this happening. He said usually by the time the patient goes to the specialist the cyst has resolved itself and there are no future complications or checks that need to be made. We have an appointment with the specialist next Thursday to hopefully clear all of this up and move on with the happy and exciting pregnancy. I, of course, am a nervous wreck and would like answers right away. All of the research I am doing on the internet has positive results and according to doctors research there is a 99% chance that this is nothing. Many doctors are arguing that they should not even tell patients about this since it causes the parents to stress when it is unnecessary.
Other than the cyst the doctor said she is doing great. Her heart is great. Her heartbeat was 140 yesterday. At the ultrasound she was measuring perfect for 18 weeks (40th percentile). The doctor was very reassuring that the cyst would not be a problem. He is required to tell us about it. And he suggests the follow-up ultrasound just to reassure parents that they should not be concerned.
I'm trying to stay positive and Tommy has been a huge support. I know many parents have to deal with things alot worse then this. We have been blessed so far with a very uneventful and perfect pregnancy. We just hope that we get nothing but good news for the next 4 months!

2010 is going to be a great year!

21 weeks and Christmas

How far along? 21 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yep there is no escaping them now.
Stretch marks? Thank goodness there are none yet
Sleep: Pretty good lately. Tommy bought me a preggie pillow for Christmas and it was really helped me sleep lately. The last two nights I haven't even gotten up to pee once.
Best moment this week: Christmas with the family and the first coat of pink paint on the nursery walls.
Movement: Yep
Food cravings: Still strawberries. On Christmas Eve, Tommy made me the best chocolate covered strawberries I have ever eaten. He's the best husband.
Gender: We definitely have pink walls.
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? still in but it's definitely not as deep as it was.
What I miss: getting on the scale and seeing the number go down instead of up...but it's all for a good cause!
What I am looking forward to: finishing up the painting in the nursery so we can put together the crib!
Weekly Wisdom: Wow we only have 4 more months to go.
Milestones: We got most of the nursery furniture in. The hutch is still on backorder. But I'm excited to get it placed it in the room and start setting everything up for our new arrival.


Christmas was nice this year. It started off horrible because Tommy got the swine flu on Wednesday and missed Christmas Eve dinner with my family and Christmas day with my grandparents. But he is much better now and well rested. We went to my parents house on Christmas Eve to quickly open up gifts with them. We didn't stay long because Tommy didn't want to pass on the flu and my uncle was having dinner at his house that night. So Tommy headed home and I went get some gumbo and open more gift. Christmas morning Tommy and I exchanged gifts. I gave him a Craftsman tool chest and a few other small things. He gave me a preggie pillow, some PJs, slippers, a craft organizer, a smoothie maker (for yummy strawberry smoothies) and few other things. We had a great Christmas. Then I went to my grandparents for their HUGE Christmas day lunch. Tommy had to miss out on this too. The food was great and I think everyone had a great time. We had Christmas with Tommy's parents and brothers on Sunday at our house. I really enjoyed having everyone over and using some of my serving dishes and wedding gifts that I don't use very often. It was very fun. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I can't wait for 2010! I know its going to be a very exciting for us with lots of new surprises.

20 weeks

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: about 9 lbs.
Maternity clothes? My T-shirts are even getting a little tight.
Stretch marks? still none.
Sleep: Great
Best moment this week: Tommy feeling the baby kick.
Movement: Oh yes, and daddy was even able to feel her kick.
Food cravings: strawberries, any with strawberries, strawberry smoothie, strawberry lemonade, or just plain strawberries!
Gender: pink
Labor Signs: We're not ready for that yet.
Belly Button in or out? in
What I miss: being able to move and twist without my body hurting.
What I am looking forward to: painting the nursery. We bought the paint this weekend.
Weekly Wisdom: Time flies!
Milestones: Half way done with the pregnancy. It seems like we just started this journey and we're already 20 weeks into it. I can't wait to see that baby girl but then again I don't want the pregnancy to end.

19 weeks

How far along? 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: about 7 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yep, its either comfy windsuit pants or maternity pants.
Stretch marks? None yet. I hope I can keep it this way.
Sleep: I can't get enough of it. I've been sleeping well and sleeping alot but I always wake up tired.
Best moment this week: shopping for a baby girl, all pink!
Movement: at least twice a day now. And if Tommy would keep his hand there long enough he would be able to feel it.
Food cravings: haha, to be honest I've been craving a margarita or strawberry daiquiri but I can't satisfy those cravings. So a strawberry smoothy had to do the trick.
Gender: pink, pink, and more pink!
Labor Signs: still none. I'm sure I'll feel a few braxton hicks soon. But I can definitely wait a long time for the actual labor signs.
Belly Button in or out? still in
What I miss: eating and drinking whatever I want.
What I am looking forward to: getting the nursery furniture. Supposedly it shipped today.
Weekly Wisdom: I could spend my life savings on little girl clothes. I need to wait until after the shower before I go shopping again.
Milestones: Almost half way through the pregnancy, and it feels like the fun has just begun.

Christmas Decor

Here is some pictures of some our christmas decor.

The tree

Front door

Ornaments on transom

The entry way

above kitchen cabinets

above another kitchen cabinet

Top of the tree

mantle (with a pink polka-dot stocking for baby girl!)

Merry Christmas to all,

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: up 5.5 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yep, i have to wear maternity jeans now.
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep: Getting better. I actually slept the entire night without a bathroom run on Friday night.
Best moment this week: Finding out we will be having a sweet princess.
Movement: every once in a while. I'm still waiting for it to be strong enough so Tommy can feel it.
Food cravings: carrots
Gender: GIRL!
Labor Signs: none
Belly Button in or out? still in, but i think my belly has finally popped.
What I miss: being independent and being able to lift on things and climb ladders, etc.
What I am looking forward to: Tommy feeling her kick.
Weekly Wisdom: sometime the hormones do take over and you become a little moody.
Milestones: It's a girl!

It's a...

GIRL!

Profile pic

We even got a few 3D pictures. Here is her face with her arms and hands.

This is her butt and legs, it's a girl!

We're so excited. Everyone thought it was going to be a boy, she surprised us all. Tommy is thrilled and just giddy. We both can't wait to meet our beautiful little girl.