differences

They say no 2 pregnancies are alike, and now that we are in the 25th weeks of pregnancy with Sweet B I have found this to be totally true. There have been a lot of differences between this pregnancy and when I was pregnant with The Phi.

• Morning sickness- When I pregnant with The Phi back in '04-'05 I felt nauseous exactly 2 times. Once before I knew I was pregnant and PR Dad and I were driving to an Erks show in Hollywood. The second time was about 4 months in and I was standing in my co-workers doorway. That was it. I never actually puked. With Sweet B I was sick for the first 3 months straight. And was there puking involved. I even was on a anti-nausea medication for a short time to try to get some relief.
  
• Showing- With The Phi I did not need maternity clothes until about the 6th month. With Sweet B I was in giant elastic waist band jeans by 3 months. I showed so much more and faster this time around.
  
• Vices- With The Phi I cut out all caffeine and very very rarely even took Tylenol for a headache. This time around I have limited my caffeine intake but must admit I have not given it up completely. I will have a cup of regular coffee a few times a week, but for the most part drink decaf. At home I stick to diet caffeine free soda once in awhile but when I am out I will have a regular diet soda.
• Diabetes- I did not have gestational diabetes with The Phi. This time around I was diagnosed with GD at about 9 weeks. This has lead to a lot of changes. One is having to poke my finger with a needle 3 times a day to get a blood sugar reading. The positive about this is The Phi loves to read my numbers so she is learning her 70's, 80's and 90's.
  
• Food- What I remember about eating with The Phi is eating Carls Jr. hamburgers in bed and making Uncle Matty take me to Del Taco for bean and cheese burritos and ice cream after wards. This time because of the GD I have a very very different diet. It is strict and I have to eat 6 times a day, specific types of food in order to keep my blood sugars stable. It is tough to be on such a strict diet, especially one that does not allow sweets when you are pregnant and all you want to eat is brownie sundaes. Needless to say I have not eaten one cheeseburger in bed this time around.
  
• Weight- By 25 weeks pregnant with The Phi I would say that I had gained about 15 pounds. (See the cheeseburgers in bed above). This time around at 25 weeks I have gained a total of 2 pounds. Big difference. This has been the good part of the diabetic diet. At first I was worried that I was losing weight, then not gaining weight, but my doctor has assured me that Sweet B is fine. And if you see this belly in real life you would know this kid is growing just fine!
• Sleep- last time around I had the luxury of coming home from work and sleeping for a few hours everyday. This time that does not happen. This time I am chasing, entertaining, and dealing with a 4 year old. I am always on full-on Mom duty. Which means I am falling asleep on the couch by 9:30 most nights.
• He Put A Ring On It- This time around it is all legit. PR Dad and I have been married for over 3 years. In fact Sweet B is due one day after our 4th anniversary. With The Phi PR Dad proposed, while we were reading in bed, when I was 7 months pregnant on Easter. (there were no cheeseburgers involved)
• Clothes- This time around I am much more stylish all thanks to my BFF Sam and the hand-me-down clothes from my sister and cousins. Last time I wore a lot of PR Dads t-shirts. Out in public! To work even! This time I have real woman clothes, and nice stuff. I think I dress better now, then I did when I wasn't pregnant. I don't even wear PR Dad's t-shirts to bed. Well not that often anyways.
• Time- Last time I felt like I was pregnant forever. This time is has already gone by so fast. Our lives are much more busy now and the weeks are flying by. Sweet B will be here before we know it.
  
• Excitement- this may sound bad, but it is not as exciting this time around. Of course we are excited to have a new member of our crew, but the little firsts have not been as exciting as it was the first time around. It's like a "been there, done that" kind of thing. There is not as much time to read all the baby books or just day-dream and wonder about what she will look like. Too much going on with making sure The Phi ate, is read to, is happy, is bathed, work is nice and busy everyday
• Now We Know- last time we were not sure if The Phi was going to be a girl. We were about 65% certain but that other 35% kept us from announcing ITS A GIRL. This time by 19 weeks along we had a great ultrasound with a great money shot and this time we are confidant is saying "ITS A GIRL".