Random Happenings...

Yesterday I baked mini-muffins. A lot of mini-muffins. I baked blueberry muffins and cinnamon carrot muffins. By the end of the night, the smell (and thought) of muffins was making me very nauseous. Unfortunately, I already thawed out bananas for banana muffins which I'll have to bake at some point today. Bleh.

It's interesting to me how sick I often feel with this pregnancy. With Tiernan, the only symptoms I ever had this early on were sinus problems, extreme tiredness, and running to the restroom every 5 minutes. This time around, I have sinus problems, frequent bathroom breaks, nausea, exhaustion, lower back and hip pain, shortness of breath, and I am always hot. It's insane how different this pregnancy already is. I am ecstatic to be pregnant, but honestly, I could do without feeling sick all the time! Also, when I was pregnant with Tiernan I craved healthy foods. I craved cucumbers, carrots, and watermelon the most. I would eat a salad, especially caeser, any time of day. This time, I crave junk food. Greasy hamburgers, fast food, giant steaks, chocolate milk, brownies, and french fries are among some of the things I yen for. Oh, and everything smells weird. I keep smelling stinky feet and cigarette smoke...both of which make me want to heave.

Sometimes the cravings are so strong I can't resist indulging in them. Last night, I did a late night Taco Bell run. I was starving and really needed something fattening and greasy. While waiting to order in the drive thru, the car in front of me ran out of gas. There were three people in the car, yet the driver decided it was more appropriate to get out and ask me if I would push their car because it just ran out of gas. I assumed he meant push with my car...so I politely told him that my car had been backed into and the bumper wasn't on as securely as it should be. He gave me a somewhat confused and annoyed look. Certainly, he wasn't asking me to get out and physically push the car with my body?!? Just then, I heard the voice from inside the little "Order Here" box say, "One of our guys is going to come out and push you. He'll push you to the first window so you can pay, then the second window so you can get your food, then out of the drive-thru." I was certainly impressed that this employee was going way above the fast food call of duty! As I was leaving the drive thru (after getting my three soft supreme tacos) I saw that this employee was actually pushing the car down to the gas station which is a good quarter of a mile away. Crazy. Two things about this incident shocked me. First, how awesome it is that I live in a town where people will do things like that for others. Second, there were three people in the car. The driver was not a small man and he appeared perfectly capable of doing what the Taco Bell employee did. When I explained that I could not push his truck, he got back in and sat down. Like he had absolutely no idea what to do. The other two passengers never budged from their seats. Am I the only one that thinks it's weird that nobody in the car attempted to rectify the situation on their own? Well, anyway, kudos to the awesome Taco Bell employee.

I keep watching the video of the baby's heartbeat...just to make sure I didn't dream it, I guess. I am still a little anxious about something going wrong. I try to rest as much as possible and not push myself. It's very hard not to think about what could happen. Every day that I feel good and don't seem to have a lot of symptoms, that worry comes out. I'm thinking of renting a fetal doppler to try and help me accept that there really is a sweet little baby growing healthy and strong. I had one with Tiernan and it was wonderful to hear his little heartbeat whenever I wanted.

Being pregnant with Tiernan around is a lot of fun. If you ask him where mommy's baby is, he'll kiss my stomach. We're still trying to help him understand that he can't jump on mommy's tummy like he used to, but I really think he's going to be an amazing big brother. When Tiernan was born, I cried for months because I didn't think I'd ever have any more kids. Not because of physical problems, but I couldn't imagine that it was possible to love another baby as much as I love him. Sometimes I still wonder if it really is possible. Even after working in childcare with kids his age, I am still amazed by the things he does every single day. There is definitely no way to describe the powerful love a mother feels for her child.

Since getting his tubes, his speech has really blossomed. He had a good vocabulary before the surgery, but he's saying 2-3 new words everyday now. His articulation is also improving. He is starting to say, "wawer" instead of, "ba" for water and is starting to differentiate between the "b" and "d" sounds, as well as, the "m" and "n" sounds. In fact, he just walked up to me with a packet of parmasean cheese (he loves exploring the refrigerator) and I told him it was for spaghetti...and he goes, "dighetti?" Then he grabbed my hand and said, "eat?" and led me to the kitchen. He climbed up in his booster chair and said, "Eat? Dighetti?" He is now happily chowing down on his very own dish of "dighetti".

Another new experience is the exiting of the Terrible Two's. There have barely been any temper tantrums for weeks now. Tiernan doesn't seem to get as frustrated as he once used to and the banging his head on the floor/walls/doors/etc has pretty much ceased. I'm really hoping the Terrible Two's don't show their ugly faces again, but I know, that may be an unrealistic hope.

Life as a family is nothing short of amazing. I love my husband and my son so much. I know there's room in there for at least one more child. I can't wait to continue to see our family grow.

Next week we leave for Montana and I could not be more excited. Don't get me wrong, I hate packing for trips. I am the worst over-packer ever, but I am in dire need of some rest and relaxation. Sure, I can lounge on the couch and not clean the house here in AZ, but I still have to tend to Tiernan which is exhausting! I am excited to see my family and for them to finally meet Tiernan! This is definitely a year full of blessings!