Katie is my darling love, and I am so excited to give her the joy of a little sibling. I love my own little brother so much, and Bill cherishes his collection of younger brothers---and we wanted to give her the same gift of a little sibling that we have treasured in our lives.
As of this moment, Katie is still unsure, however, about the arrival of a little brother or sister. When asked what we should do with Little Sib when he or she comes home, Katie's response is that we should put him/her in the laundry room, or even outside. :-) She tells me she wants to be my only baby, and when questioned further this morning, she revealed that she worries I will give all of my love to the new baby and won't spend time with her anymore. At least she is able to verbalize this. As all mothers know, however, our love is infinite and multiplying... I reassure her daily that I will always love her forever, that she will always be my favorite firstborn daughter, and that we will still have our special moments between just the two of us sometimes. She is so sweet, and refers to me as "my mommy." I think our challenge will be leading her to the understanding that I can be her mommy, as well as another person's mommy, and that my love will keep growing for both.
So far my pregnancy with Little Sib has been fairly easy. I was tired for a few weeks, seemingly more tired than I was with Katie---but then, when I was pregnant with Katie, I didn't already have a two-year-old to keep up with. ;-) I have recovered most of my energy, though, and so I am feeling great! I've had hardly any sickness. I get little waves of queasiness now and then in the morning, but it almost always passes without incident and this week it seems to clear up quickly. So in those two aspects---tiredness and queasiness---this pregnancy seems very different than my pregnancy with Katie.
I also have much more pronounced food cravings with Little Sib, and earlier in the pregnancy, too. With Katie, I craved only one item: red grapes. Bunches and bunches of red grapes, everyday, beginning later in the second trimester and extending through the third trimester. With Little Sib, though, I find myself flat-out obsessed with Honey Bunches of Oats (a cereal I haven't eaten in YEARS---I tend to eat hot oatmeal). I am also craving legumes: lentils, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, you name it. My mom gave me a lunch of wheat pasta prepared with cream cheese, lentils, onion, kale, and red pepper flakes today and it was heavenly.
And milk. One of the reasons I am craving cold cereals is partly due to the milk. I didn't crave milk as much with Katie.
However, I have this odd---and basically unresearched---theory. I mean, let's be totally upfront about the lack of true scientific study with respect to what I am about to say. A long time ago after my first miscarriage, I read somewhere online that increasing whole milk/cream/milk fat uptake helps a woman become pregnant. Yes, I confess: I read it exactly ONCE online without cross-checking sources and yet decided to apply the theory. Any former AP students of mine are probably reading this and slapping their hands to their foreheads: Mrs. McGaugh, how could you? Like I said, not very researched and not my usual critical thinking approach...You can't really believe anything you read online, especially just once, unless it is from an ultra-credible and proven source, preferrably sources. So, you probably shouldn't even believe my mere anecdotal account of what follows. I would be highly suspicious myself. :-) But anyway, I have this CREAM CONJECTURE. Both times before getting pregnant, one-two months before conception I switched from 2% milk to whole milk, increased my drinking of milk (I actually don't really like milk at all) and started adding cream to my morning coffee. I swear by it. Many months went by before conceiving Little Sib, and then I decided to add more cream to my diet....and voila!
So Little Sib has been craving milk and Honey Bunches of Oats and legumes.
After a family breakfast and a good ride on the bike today---which felt great at a high resistance---Katie and I walked over the my mom and dad's house for a baking sesh. My mom had already begun two beautifully rising loaves of oatmeal bread and homemade minstrone soup bubbled away on the stovetop. With the leftover cabbage, she made an old-fashioned and simple simmered cabbage recipe with butter, salt, pepper, and sugar that my Great-Grandmother Sadie (the orginal Sarah Matics) used to make. So yummy. I loved cooked cabbage. Once Katie and I arrived, we made the more decadent recipe: chocolate donuts. We chose to bake them and not fry them, and they were yummy little cakes indeed. But my favorite item of the day was definitely my mom's homemade bread. Few pleasures in life compare, truly, to a thick slice of homemade bread just warm from the oven. My mom sent me home with a loaf, and boy oh boy, do I have grand plans for that thing. Grand, grand plans. Those plans may involve a pat of golden melting butter and thick hot chocolate over the stovetop, but we'll see...
As an added treat, Bill took care of dinner tonight. I was prepared to make a little something, but he took care of us and so I had a free night without dishes. I so much appreciate that.
It has been a cozy, happy day, and I hope each reader has found the magic within herself or himself today and found a way to let your joy radiate out into the world in ripples that will bring camaraderie and happiness to you in reciprocation.
