What Michael said

Michael: "Buzz Lightyear is sad, Mommy."
Me: "Oh no. What can we do to help him feel better?"
Michael: (He thinks for a minute.) "Take the blood pressure."

"He kicked me!" - With a big smile, feeling baby brother move in my tummy.

"Knock knock. Who's there? Boo. Don't cry it's a joke!" - Overheard, joke-telling to one of his toys.

"Bye Mom! I'm getting on the bus! I'm going to school to see my friends!" - Waving and carrying an Elmo lunchbox.

"Happy birthday song, Mommy. Coming right up!" -- He sings, dances from the waist up, and plays along on the iPad piano.

Pregnancy faves

During my pregnancy with Michael I took weekly belly shots, wrote letters to him here on the blog, wrote things down in my pregnancy book, and worked on Michael's baby book. Things are obviously different this time around. But over the last couple of weeks, I've been feeling the need to document a little bit more before our babe arrives and the two pregnancies permanently run together in my mind. (Documenting and nesting. That's all I seem to want to do these days. And eating ice cream.)

If I had written a 'pregnancy faves' post when I was pregnant with Michael the picture at the top would have looked so different. There would be a big deli sandwich, hot thai food, bagels with cream cheese, a dog leash and a picture of Ella's face, big comfy scrubs for work, my long coat that fit over my belly until the very end, and my favorite maternity cords that I wore out the winter I carried Michael. That pregnancy was all about comfort food and being cozy. This time cool and refreshing is what I crave. Here are a few of my favorites:

1 Tracy Anderson's pregnancy workouts - tailored to each month, they're effective and fun
2 Curel lotion - it's not glamorous, but it's inexpensive and it took good care of my skin the first time around!
3 Rosebud salve - my lips always seem to be dry when I'm pregnant and this heals them up fast
4 Iced tea - sweet and cold, even better when enjoyed on the front porch
5 Fudgesicles - the yummiest way I know to handle my mad sweet cravings
6 Peaches and strawberries - I can't get enough
7 iPregnancy - my favorite app for weekly pictures and info, storing information related to doctor visits, and counting down (63 days until due day!)
8 Old Navy maternity tanks - again, not glamorous, but they fit great and the price is right (I live in mine)

Three things

...about this pregnancy.

1. The first three months were rough. I found out I was pregnant at about 5 weeks. A few days later I started feeling really sick and tired. I never actually "got sick", but for the first three months I felt like I was getting over a bout of bad food poisoning - weak, sleepy, and nauseated by most foods. I lived on lots of cereal and clementine oranges and naps during that stage. And then, at 12 weeks I felt better! It was amazing how quickly it changed, and such a relief! I still don't want meat very much, but I've had lots of other (mostly sweet) cravings: peaches, ice tea, s'mores (with peanut butter), ice cream, strawberries, milk, hummus and greek salad, pizza, and popsicles.

2. It's possible that my memory is fuzzy, but this baby seems a lot more active than Michael was. I felt the first kicks at 15 weeks and they were strong! Ever since then, this little guy has been flipping and rolling and kicking almost constantly. I'm so interested (and a little scared) to see how his energy level compares with Michael. I thought Michael was active, but I think this one might keep me even more on my toes....

3. Once those first few yucky months were over, this pregnancy flew by. We've still got 9 weeks to go, and I can feel time slowing down a little bit, but overall I can't believe how quickly it has passed! I'm so thankful that the baby and I are healthy, and I'm thankful that I have Michael to keep me distracted from the countdown. I'm so excited to meet this little man and cover his sweet face with kisses.