Mommy, Thou Art Blonde: Things I've learned while pregnant with a second child

1. The first pregnancy was far, far easier, and I'm not talking less nausea or sickness, or any physical things. It was easier because when I was tired, I slept. When I wanted to, not when Child No. 1 was sleeping. Yea, I'll sleep when Baby M takes naps, and I quit staying up late so I sleet at the same time M is sleeping at night, but how I miss those days when sleeping in was an option!

2. Nausea is actually worse because if the smell of food is causing the nausea, and you still have to cook Child No. 1's lunch or dinner, you will be nauseated. I experience a lot of food aversions while pregnant. First on the list is hamburger and steak, which is typically our main dinner ingredient. So dinner the past month has been sketchy not only for M but for the hubby, too. It's too hard on the budget to eat out every night, but I do end up buying a lot of WalMart and Safeway chicken so that I'm not having to prep anything while green at the gills.

3. It's less stressful carrying a second child because now, I know what to expect. My first pregnancy was all that and a bag of chips, but I was still a bit stressed because I was, in fact, bringing a child into this world and I had no clue how to take care of her. What would I do when she cried? I didn't want to change dirty diapers, I'd rather scoop horse poop... How do you bathe an infant? How am I going to save enough money for her college education? (Yes, I worried about that. Still do, actually.)
But in the end, I have now made it an entire year with my first precious baby, and she is healthy and happy. We've made it through the formula, the changing, the crying, the screaming, the sleepless nights, the sickness. Now instead of not wanting to leave the hospital for fear of actually doing it on my own, I plan on being in that hospital as little as possible. I'm thinking a "Have baby in a.m., be discharged by p.m." type scenario.

It's been several weeks since my last post, but since M's first birthday party, I've pretty much been recuperating. M and I came down with a flu last Wednesday and that knocked me out the rest of last week, and as I mentioned, (except for Olympic action) I've been in bed the same time as M.
Thankfully, her party went well and she had fun! I am not a food photographer by any means, and I slipped into Mommy-with-a-camera mode, but I'm sure I'll love these photos from here to the end.