19 weeks

Gender time! We have the Christmas card in hand with the gender noted inside it, but we are holding off until Christmas Eve to finally reveal what we are having. The suspense is dreadful, sorry guys!

We just got back from our 3rd ultrasound appt and, so far, the baby weight and heights measures out perfectly. Heartbeat was 136 bpm, slowing down from last time at 140 bpm. "Your baby equals a large heirloom tomato in size and weighs 8 1/2 ounces. (length: 6 inches, head to bottom)" It's feeling that big too, between its light kicking and pressure on the bladder. Oh man, this little one can really push when it needs to. The kicks come every other day, so not often but they are there. And just walking makes me feel like I have to go the bathroom 24/7 --- its insane! But, seeing the ultrasound confirms why I'm feeling everything more so. The baby is smooshed in there like a sardine, the baby was in an almost full circle position (very cute). First picture the baby is holding onto his/her feet with hands --- Frank said our baby is stretching for a run! --- and likes to flip-flop positions every second. I felt at least 2-3 kicks during the ultrasound, and the technician said "I can't believe how quickly he/she can move positions!" Must have gotten Frank's reflexes :)

In other news, the technician discovered two Choroid Plexus Cysts (CPC) in the brain (one on each side), which made us feel very nervous and scared. Our doctor reassured us that everything will be okay, and this happens to a lot of babies. Most of the time, the cysts go away naturally on their own within 24-28 weeks or the third trimester. We have to scheduled a Level II ultrasound (Tues. Dec 22nd at 9am in Boston) to have an actual doctor perform the ultrasound and look more closely at the cysts. Right now the technician didn't find any other indicators of any other problems related to the cysts, which was a good sign. It was a roller coaster ride of an appointment, one minute feeling happy seeing the baby move, looking at its little hands and feet, then hearing that there are these cysts. It's something you could never expect. We're certainly feeling a bit anxious because all we can do is wait, but we are going to remain as hopeful and positive as we can. Fingers crossed that everything will be just fine.