If you're following, or want to follow the week-by-week progress of Peanut, you can do so here.

People who pray for miracles usually don't get miracles...But people who pray for courage, for strength to bear the unbearable, for the grace to remember what they have left instead of what they have lost, very often find their prayers answered. Their prayers helped them tap hidden reserves of faith and courage that were not available to them before. - Harold S. Kushner

Friday, September 19, we received a phone call from the nurse at my OB-GYN's office, asking me to come in for a consult with the doctor about a small cyst that was found on the ultrasound we had the Friday before. I had just spoken with the nurse the day before about the ultrasound, and how the placenta may be lower than it should be. (That had happened during our last pregnancy with Sweet Pea, but righted itself as the pregnancy progressed.) That is why when the nurse mentioned the cyst, I just thought it was inside me somewhere. "A consult? A cyst? "Ok" I thought, no big deal.

"It's on the back of the head, and is an isolated finding..." the nurse said.

Sometimes, I have moments where it feels like my brain just falls right out of my head. (Like when our sweet child suddenly goes all Sybil on us, and says "NO!" with an attitude and expression that triple-dog dares us to react to her.) This was one of those times.

"What... wait, the cyst is ON THE BABY?"

The nurse knows me, and knows that I'm a good worrier, and that it doesn't take much to send me spinning. She took the time to reassure me as best she could.

While on the phone with the nurse, I held it together pretty good. When I called Hubby to tell him, I could barely form a single sentence. He talked me down as much as he could, and I spent the better part of the afternoon trying really hard not to think about what could be.

I found this article which helped a little, but mentioned trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), and trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) towards the end. I did *not* go look up information on those two syndromes.

By the time I made it home, Hubby had found this site which also offered a lot of positive vibes. I cried and snotted onto Hubby's shirt almost immediately after walking in the door from work, and he turned me around and pointed me at his computer, ordering me to read the experiences of other Moms- and Dads-to-be. I want to be one of those people who can say, "This is what the ultrasound showed, there were no other indications, and our baby boy/girl arrived safe and healthy."

I was still upset, but attempted to put it out of my mind. I slowly began focusing on the "good" and the "now", rather than on what might be wrong. I counted the blessings we already have, and picked up the thread of hope offered by the nurse, the CPC message board, and the article I'd found. Knowledge is power. I felt that we had found out as much as we could about it, and could put it aside until the consult with the doctor on Monday.

On Monday we learned the cyst (which is actually more like a bubble or blister, not a technical cyst) is only 5mm long, (when they are 10mm or larger, they are considered "worth mentioning" by the technician/doctor) and there are absolutely no other indications of any chromosonal abnormalities with Peanut.

Our "Level Two Ultrasound" or "Fetal Echo" was scheduled for noon this past Friday, two weeks after the original ultrasound. Going into it, we felt pretty confident that Peanut would be fine. It looks as though the cyst is shrinking and there are no other indications of any abnormalities -- that's very good news! Of the six possible signs of Down's Syndrome, Peanut has NONE of them. There are also no signs of Edward's Syndrome, either.

The doctor did find something else though. Apparently, there should be two arteries in the umbilical cord, but there is only one. The one artery that is there is currently doing the work of two arteries, and hasn't slowed Peanut's growth at all. More ultrasounds as we get closer to the due date will be done to monitor Peanut's growth to be sure all is going as it should.

All in all, Week 21 has been a very emotional and busy one for us. I am glad we're now at 22 weeks, and look forward to meeting Peanut face to face.

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