20 Questions

When people find out you are pregnant, there's a standard series of questions asked: When are you due? Have you been sick? Will you find out the sex?

But the one that I get the most is "Are you having any cravings?" And when I answer "no," I often am met with disbelief -- but the truth is, I'm just plain hungry. Not hungry for anything specific, usually.

While I'm not craving anything persay, I am enjoying food much more. Perhaps its that killer sense of smell finally working its way to affect my taste buds, but the cantaloupe I had this afternoon was the most perfect-tasting melon I've ever had. So much so, that I felt compelled to e-mail my colleagues with a public service announcement for cantaloupe.

Then, immediately following the cantaloupe incident, one of my colleagues let me in on a delicious drink recipe. See, at our office, we get free bagels, cheez-its, animal crackers, bread, cheese, coffee, soda, crystal light...the list goes on and on (they keep us happy in the smallest of ways).

Agatha introduced me to lemon-flavored crystal light with a splash of sprite on top. And now, I can't get enough of it. It's seriously so refreshing, I could guzzle a gallon. (But I won't, b/c I know I have to watch my sugar).

So, while I'm not "craving" things, persay -- maybe my intense food enjoyment is my "weird food thing" for my pregnancy. Let's just hope it doesn't go away in 6 months!

Is the baby dancing? Or is that an earthquake?

Like many of you in the Lou, I awoke around 4:30 a.m. to my bed moving and jumping thanks to the 5.2 earthquake that happened about 150 miles east of St. Louis today.

But, here's something the rest of you (unless, you too are pregnant) likely did not experience. My own mini after-shock...of hunger.

Being pregnant means being hungry all the time -- apparently even at 4:30 a.m. when you're freaking out about whether your house is haunted or the earth really just shook your house that hard. Apparently, the baby seems to think that as soon as I wake up, he/she gets to eat.

Of course, strong-willed, I told myself -- "self, you don't need breakfast - it's the middle of the night." Guess who won that battle? Yep, the hunger kept me awake until I gave in and ate something.

Eating for two, I can handle. Eating 'round the clock just seems excessive though, right? Let's hope this doesn't become a habit.

The news is out!

And we couldn't be happier to share the wonderful news with our friends, family and co-workers. It feels much more "real" now that people know. Many thanks for all the kind words and sentiments -- we're thrilled to be going through this with such an incredible support network, so THANK YOU!

The sweetest sound

Yesterday, Stephen and I had our second doctor's visit, where we heard the sweetest sound -- our baby's heart beat. Well...not until after we heard my blackberry causing interference with the doppler equipment (ha), but then, once that subsided, that little, fast thumping was there.

Loud and strong, it put the goofiest smile on my face. It's really real! There's a baby in there! And he/she has a heart already, pumping to help him/her grow.

It's hands-down the coolest thing I've ever heard. We now also have only two months until the full-on ultrasound to hopefully see whether our little strawberry is a boy or a girl. Let the countdown begin!

Under Scrutiny

Life as a pregger in hiding is awkward, to say the least. It often feels like every co-worker, family member and friend is scrutinizing your every move. "Did she drink last night?" "Why has she been so tired lately?"

It's one of the hardest parts of pregnancy to date -- avoiding the awkward conversations, in some cases, avoiding social outings altogether, and even pretending to drink.

Stephen and I have devised elaborate scenarios that have hopefully tricked family and friends to date. Two of my favorites are:
*Parking in a parking lot, pouring out beer and using a funnel to fill the now empty bottle with similar-looking NA beer, then recapping it, driving to my parents' house and then serving it to me.
*Carrying NA beer in my purse, heading to a party, getting a cup of beer, then going to the bathroom and dumping it out, to refill it with my NA.

Simple, but crafty. It'll be interesting to see whether I'm really fooling anybody. :)