2nd Trimester and a family update.

As of today, I am officially in my second trimester!!!! I haven't blogged about this pregnancy until now because it seemed strange at first. This pregnancy has felt extremely surreal.....so, I wanted to wait to blog about it. I did mention it on facebook, but blogger seemed so much more official to me.....I'm not really sure why. It makes no sense, but it made sense in my head....lol

SO, I am 13 weeks and 3 days today and am due March 19th. I've been so lucky this time around. I've had minimal nausea and other negative pregnancy symptoms. I've had many food aversions. So far, I cannot really deal with Mexican food, burgers, onions and garlic, Italian food (shocker).......in reality the aversions change depending on my mood. As far as cravings go, they are like the aversions. They change depending on my mood. I've wanted pineapple, mashed potatoes (same as with B), watermelon (which didn't work out so well), and Chinese food, particularly rice. I'm sure there have been more things I've wanted, but that is all I can think of right now.

On the baby front- everything is looking great! Baby's heart rate is typically in the 160s. I ~may~ have felt some light kicks, but I am not saying definitively so. All of my appointments have gone well, and at my 3 ultrasounds I have had so far, there has been lots of growth and development!

Brian and I are super excited to be bringing another baby into our family! We've tried explaining the concept to Brandon, but he is still not completely grasping it. I assume that is normal behavior for a 31 month old. When we first told him that Mommy has a baby in her tummy, he insisted he had a baby in his tummy too. It was very cute. Now, when I ask him where the baby is, he points to my tummy, so perhaps he is beginning to understand a little better. I plan on reading him a variety of books about the subject, and introducing him to as many experiences with babies as I can before this little one comes along. He's probably the most easy going child on the planet, so I am sure that he will adjust relatively well.

Brian deployed in the middle of August, and we have been adjusting to life without him here. We are adapting to the best of our abilities, but we do miss having him around. He will be gone until mid-August 2011....the time can't go by quickly enough. Brandon has responded quite well to him being gone. He asks about him regularly, and we talk about where Daddy is and what he is doing. He seems to be ok with the fact that Daddy is in Iraq working hard. We say Daddy Prayers every night, and kiss Daddy's pictures all the time. He has gotten to talk to Brian a few times and loves it every time. Hopefully, once Brian gets his computer, we will be able to skype with him and they will be able to see each other.

Brandon is growing like a little weed and is just the smartest little boy I know! He weighs about 42 pounds and is about 40 inches tall. He wears a size 4T/5T and a size 8-9 shoe. He is known as the "little Einstein" of his class and the education specialists are bringing in higher level (3-4 year) work for him to do because he is bored with what they are learning in class. Every time I hear someone compliment his intelligence, Brian and I are just filled with joy. He's amazing, and everyday he does something else to amaze us. Some cute little quirks he has lately are:
-singing the theme songs to his favorite shows
-calling himself, "so weird."
-telling me, "I told you" when he wants something. For example, "I told you I have to get juice." He gets that from me because when I tell him not to do something because he can hurt himself but he does it anyway, I tell him that I told him he was going to hurt himself.
-when he jumps, he leans over as far as he can, puts his arms behind him and stays in that position for a LONG time, then jumps.
-he points out EVERY tractor (and reminds me that they move sand), school bus, big truck, motorcycle (of bike as he calls it), and helicopter (pronounced helitocker) he sees.
-his favorite thing to do is watch the dump truck pick up trash.
-he loves Thomas the Train, Ni Hao Kai Lan, Yo Gabba Gabba, and Monster's Inc.
-he loves to color, play with play dough, lace beads, paint, run, jump, swim, read, and play with his trains.

He is an awesome little boy. :)

We are all doing quite well, and are looking forward to the new addition to our family!