As I did with Michael, I Google each week of pregnancy that I’m approaching, just see what I should expect, and how baby should be growing. But this pregnancy is totally different from my first, of course. For example, I could feel the baby making a ruckus, as I was rocking Michael to sleep, and worried a little bit that Michael would feel it and look at me, wondering, “why is your belly moving, mama?”

Anyway, in a way, the cold, hard reality that I’m going to have a newborn and a toddler in just a few weeks is beginning to hit me. This week, I let Michael’s daycare lady know that she’d have Mikey’s brother as well — hopefully that won’t be until the beginning of the new year. The timing sort of works out — just as we get the newborn into daycare, Michael will be turning 2, and thus will command a lower rate. (Believe me, this matters.) But while I’m on maternity leave — and I’m hoping that won’t start until mid-September — Michael will be at daycare part-time — partly to keep his place in daycare, but also to help me out while I get used to taking care of two small kids.

This week, I’m going to have to start going through the literature I collected from my birthing classes the first time around. We didn’t even discuss taking the classes again this time around — who’s got the time? — so I’m glad I was so thorough with keeping notes and literature.

As for the pregnancy itself, its thankfully been mostly uneventful. I was unfortunately diagnosed with shingles a few weeks ago, a small rash on my right side, underneath my bra strap line. I wasn’t contagious, but I did end up missing work for four days because I came down with a really bad cold. From what my doctor explained to me, pregnancy weakens your immune system, so that the baby isn’t rejected by your body. Then I got hit with the shingles, which further weakened my immune system, so BAM! I get hit with the summer cold from hell. Even after I went back to work, my voice still sounded terrible and it took me another full week to really recover — when Michael gave me another cold. Thankfully, this one wasn’t as bad and I’m already recovering.

I’m no longer wearing my wedding ring — I had to stop a few weeks ago, after finding a nearly perfect imprint on my finger — but I’m not swelling out of my shoes the way I was last time. I still have visible tendons and veins in my feet. Trust me, I’m looking every day. However, my teeth and gums have been bothering me, and my gums are pretty inflamed. I’ve taken to brushing my teeth and rinsing with Listerine after lunch at work, and chewing sugar-free gum when I can’t. And I have a dentist appointment next week.

This pregnancy, I’ve also taken it much easier. I haven’t taken on any extra activities and have really been neglecting my blogs, heheh. I have been doing my best to keep my legs elevated and have been avoiding salty foods, but my daily doses of caffeine are my weakness. What I wouldn’t do for a hot hazelnut latte from Coffee Bean….but I usually just indulge the craving by getting a pure chocolate ice blended, which is more often than not shared with Michael.

One thing that I’ve been doing this pregnancy that I didn’t do the first time around is reading….a lot. I don’t know what it is, but I think that the periodic mental escapes really help keep me calm and relaxed.