Practice.

It is 3:00 in the morning and I am sitting on the couch, wide awake. Of course, I would rather be in bed, but the weiner dog decided that she didn't want to sleep anymore and was going to bark her head off until someone came downstairs to keep her company. Somehow, I ended up with the short end of the stick - I'm telling you, the dog is pure evil.



Oh well - I'll just consider it practice for when the new baby arrives. In other pregnancy-related news:

* This pregnancy has been so much different than the last. I have been extremely sick this time around, well past the first trimester. Just waiting to start feeling like my old self again - I haven't been sick since Monday, so I am considering this a victory of sorts.

* Of course, being so sick has really kept my weight gain down to a minimum. As of my 16-week appointment, I had only gained 2 pounds. Much better than the last time around - where I took the expression "eating for two" a little too far (as in "eating for two adult football players") - but I really don't look all that pregnant yet. In fact, the comment I get most when people hear through the grapevine that I'm expecting? "You don't look pregnant." Wow, thanks... I guess.

* My first (and likely only) ultrasound is on Monday. Hubby and I think that we are going to be surprised this time around and not find out the sex of the baby. Of course, that is always subject to change.

* We have been trying to tell Baby H that Mommy is expecting a baby. He doesn't really understand - he's only 19 months old - but he has been pointing to my tummy and saying "baby" so we are making progress.

And in non-pregnancy news:

* Work has been kicking my butt. The next two months are so incredibly busy, I am just looking forward for Thanksgiving to get here. Then I should have a (very brief) reprieve, until planning for our national sales conference begins.

* I was in Chicago for work last week and will be in Detroit later this month (bleh). Of course, Baby H's first field trip - to the pumpkin patch - falls during my time in Detroit, so I am going to miss it. Hubby has already volunteered to chaperone - lucky duck.

* One thing I won't miss? The Halloween parade at school. Baby H is going as a penguin this year - I already bought his costume from Gymboree - it is freaking cute.

* Baby H is doing great. He loves his new classroom at school - he moved up to Toddler 1 right after Labor Day. He is such a big boy now, it's so cute - he naps on a cot and washes his hands in the sink every morning when he gets into class (they are really big on stopping the spread of germs, which is nice). He is such an active little boy, and so chatty too - of course, his new favorite words are "mine" and "no."

* We were in NJ on Tuesday for the Jewish holidays. The highlight of the trip was stopping by their house to drop some stuff off - the boys had some time to play with each other before we had to leave, and Baby H had a blast! It was so cute.

* I am already thinking about Christmas shopping - can you believe it? I am really lookng forward to the holidays this year.

I still need to upload some photos from our trip to Long Island back in September, so expect to see some more recent pics soon. I am off to bed...