Little differences.

There is nothing more frustrating when you are pregnant then someone telling you what it was like for them, therefore implying that it should be the same way for you.

"I didn't show until I was 7 months pregnant with my 2nd baby."

And there I am, standing there, plastering a smile on my face and nodding my head in agreement, all the while knowing I am only 11 weeks pregnant and already having to tie a hair band around the button of my pants to keep them from unexpectedly popping open.

Weight gain and a faster growing belly are just a few of the major differences between this pregnancy and Wyatt's.

I am only happy if I am going at least 10 miles over the speed limit. My road rage has hit an all time high and if someone dares to cross traffic without a blinker or not stop at a cross walk while children are waiting I feel like I am entitled to rear end them and then drive away. With Wyatt I always had this sense of calm about me while driving, usually laughing as I noticed that I was going 40 in a 55. I would absent-mindedly drive past the exit for the hospital before an appointment and laugh. Now I can honestly say I would drive through the concrete barrier and continue on my way without even blinking.

Food makes me sick. Granted my body is still having no problem packing on the pounds in all the wrong places, but I can no longer stand the idea of eating, especially breakfast and dinner. Greasy food makes me sick, Denny's commercials on television send me racing towards the toilet and raw meat makes my head spin and my stomach upchuck. When I was pregnant with Wyatt, there was no food I couldn't eat and could usually eat two portions at that. It wasn't a choice with Wyatt, it was a necessity. If I didn't eat I would get sick and if I got sick the only thing that made me feel better was 8 Ling-Ling pot stickers or an Egg-Bacon-and Onion Sandwich. Just writing that is making my stomach curl and I am dry heaving over the keyboard as we speak.

With each pregnancy the number of people I care to continue to have in my life dwindles. There is something about being pregnant that somehow allows you to see through people. Maybe its the clarity from lack of alcohol for 9 months or the little nugget in your tummy that is sucking away the all important nutrients that allow you to think straight but for some reason with each pregnancy I find myself more and more enlightened with peoples true colors, both the good and the bad.

Besides the obvious answer of hormones, I don't know what it is that causes these sudden changes. I don't know why with one I would feel great, happy and hungry and with the next I feel miserable, annoyed and constantly nauseated. I am lucky that I have had an understanding husband for both go arounds, taking both the ups and the downs in stride, as well as now having my loving Wyatt next to me pretend-hurling into his little potty while mommy lays next to the big one. He may not understand the same way as Bryan does, but he doesn't complain when lunch is a little late... or served in the bathroom.

Yes, each pregnancy is different but the one thing that has remained the same is the two people in my life that make it all worth while... and lucky for me that number is soon going to increase to three.

Truly blessed. Morning sickness and all.

Lesson learned.

A few totally awesome things I have learned over the course of the last 17 months.

1. The baby calendars that lazy people like myself use to track all the progress our children make over the first year, really need to be extended. So far it looks like Wyatt has done absolutely nothing since his first birthday since I have nothing (on hand, easy to get to, with cute stickers included) to write anything down on now.
Some note-worthy dates we have missed but should not be forgotten...

• Flew for the first time to visit cousins in Colorado- July 28
• Went poopoo on the toilet- August 15
• Pacifier removal- August 26
• Found out you were going to be a big brother- August 29
• 2 Ridiculously annoying K-9 teeth appeared- October 1

I'm sure there are more that I have since forgotten but I think this represents the majority of the big occasions that have taken place over the last 5 months.

2. Spoon feeding a baby past the age of one is super frustrating. Not just for me, but Wyatt hated it too. It was like he knew that by opening his mouth like a baby bird he was acknowledging that he was still an infant. I discovered that the majority of the things he would need to be fed could easily be mixed or blended with some sort of liquid and be turned into a drink.
Examples:

Yogurt+Milk= Delicious smoothie

Strawberries+Bananas+Blueberries+Orange Juice+blender= Instant Jamba Juice

Small Curd Cottage cheese+Peaches= Lumpy, yet still drinkable and tasty smoothie

The only one I just couldn't handle blending to a mushy mess was mashed potatoes so instead I just set a few of the boiled baby red's aside and served them chunky instead of mashed so he could easily pick them up. No spoon required.

3. Shopping ahead for the next stage (or 2) is the only way to shop! By the time Wyatt was born, I had accumulated clothes from sizes newborn up to 12-18 months. Now at 17 months, were almost fully stocked up to 3T! Everything I bought was on clearance and I loved that whenever I discovered that he was ready for the next age range, rather then having to go to the store and stock up, I was just able to pull out the next tote. My only suggestion would be to keep track of what you have bought along the way so that you don't end up with 14 pairs of 12-18 month jeans. Whoops.

4. Live in the moment. I have said it once and I will say it forever. I have found myself over the course of Wyatt's life looking forward to the next stage. Then at certain points, we get there, and I wish we could go back. I couldn't wait for him to turn 1, but that was about the age he became daddy's boy, which is fine, for dad, but somewhat saddening for me. I wanted him to start talking, but at around 15 months I found that talking for whatever reason came hand in hand with temper tantrums. All of these things I wanted him to do, but at the time wasn't fully appreciating what he was already doing. Lesson learned, now living in the moment, especially since the 'terrific? twos' are looming ahead.

This hardly begins to sum up what I have gained from becoming a mother. I have learned to love, learned to let go, and learned to listen. I have learned what is important and what can be ignored. I have learned about family and friends and how the two go hand in hand. I have learned so much, more then I will ever be able to write about, or really more then anyone cares to read about. Most of all I have learned that no matter how different I do it from all the others, I am a mother, the best mother I can be, and Wyatt will love me regardless. And in the end...

that's the most important lesson I could have ever learned.