22 Weeks!

Wow. A lot has changed since my last pregnancy update post at 20 weeks. As you already know, our precious baby boy has been diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). It was a real shock to hubs and I and certainly not something I had ever read about in my "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book. But I will say that God has been faithful to us and has given us the strength we've needed to process and accept the diagnosis and begin planning for the tough journey ahead of us.

As I think I mentioned earlier, we are treating this pregnancy the same was we did with LO. I'm looking forward to the joys ahead of us. I've already felt a LOT of movement from our little guy on a daily basis, and it's getting to where hubs can feel it, too. I think it's only a matter of time before we can get LO to feel it as well. I can't even imagine what her reaction will be!

Enough rambling... here we go!

Week and day: 22 weeks

Belly Button in or out: Still in.

Wedding rings on or off: SO still on. Random note to self: I really need to get them cleaned by our jeweler. They sparkle so pretty when he cleans them!

Food cravings: Meat. Ya, pretty much any kind of meat these days. I've eaten chicken, steak, sausage -- even hot dogs! ((GASP!!)) I also get random cravings for water -- and drink it like I've been stuck on a deserted island for 3 weeks! Weird.

Food aversions: None. Still no sweet tooth, though.

Nausea: None! Woot!!! But, let's talk about this heartburn stuff. It is NOT fun. I never had heartburn until I was pregnant with LO. And I really haven't had any this time around until the past 2 weeks or so. Everything seems to give me heartburn: pizza, chicken -- even water! Ugh. I got me some Tums all up over the house.

Energy level: It's about the same as usual. Always wish I had more of it! I had a REALLY rough day last Thursday. It was almost an out-of-body experience. It was all I could do to BREATHE -- and even that wore me out. It was really strange having breathing problems and weird chest pains that I've never experienced before. But ultimately I think it was just my body saying "PLEASE give me a break!! Just a few hours! PLEASE?! I need some "time off" from the craziness to recoup and recover from a difficult 2 weeks!" The next evening, when hubs came home, I reintroduced myself to him as his wife since the person I was all day Thursday was NOT the real me. I'm guessing I need to do a better job of taking care of myself. We've got a long and difficult journey ahead of us!

Weight gain: Right now I'm sitting at 9 pounds. Not too bad for 22 weeks, but I'm sure I'll start packing it on big time sooner rather than later!

Mood:Anxious. I'm looking forward to meeting our son in about 18 weeks, but I am very anxious about the journey we will begin once he's here. I'm leaving it all in God's hands, but, being the planner that I am, it's so hard to not have any idea what lies around the corner. God is faithful -- He will see us through whatever comes our way!

Maternity clothes: A necessity at this point (see pic below if further clarification is needed).

Size of baby: About 11 inches in length and weighs almost a full pound! He's getting so big!

Baby's changes: His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Next appointment: July 15th for our regular OB appointment. We'll also have another appointment with the Pediatric Cardiologist next month, but that one hasn't been scheduled yet. We'll also have an appointment at MUSC in Charleston, SC, around 32 weeks, which will be in September.

Here it is... my 22 week pic. Yes, I'm wearing lounge clothes again, and yes, it appears that I'm in the same pants as my 20 week pic. Did I mention I like my lounge clothes? Oh, and HOW HUGE AM I!? I'm just over halfway there, and I feel like a COW!