Tidbits

I thought I would post some tidbits about my pregnancy since it might be fun to look back on in future years.

A lot of people have asked if I have craved anything in particular and the answer is not as much as I thought I would. There are only two things I have consistently craved throughout my entire pregnancy one of which is fruit juice, especially lemonade. I think I drink gallons of lemonade a week. The other thing I consistently crave is milk. I hate milk, but I have cravings for glasses of milk. I haven't been able to make myself stomach it but I do try and drink a milkshake, eat ice cream or something else high in calcium since I assume that is why I am craving the milk. Otherwise, I like to eat lots of salty foods. Before I was pregnant I ate lots of chocolate, but I have been surprised that I don't really crave sweets that much.

The other thing I have been amazed by recently is my appetite. I literally cannot get enough to eat. I never thought I would say this, but I am so tired of eating all the time. I thought eating all the time would be one of the benefits of being pregnant, but I constantly have to worry about keeping a million snacks at my desk at work so I don't starve! One of the girls who sits next to me commented that I eat so frequently that I make her hungry all the time. I've tried to eat quieter snacks since then! I also have dreams about food. I had heard that your dreams become more vivid during pregnancy. Unfortunately, I can't remember anything about my dreams except for which food I dreamt of.

I was able to feel Patrick moving in the first trimester, but recently I have been able to actually see the kicks and punches in my stomach. It's pretty fun to sit there and watch my stomach contort. Patrick is also a very consistent kicker. I can pretty much predict what times he will kick every day and most of the time its right before meal or snack time. He normally only kicks when I am hungry, Turk or Bailey curl up really close to my stomach or when I am anxious. Another thing that I have noticed is that he kicks really hard when I have a decaf vanilla latte. I only get one every now and then, but every time I have gotten one he has kicked like crazy.

Sleeping is also becoming kind of difficult. I get so thirsty in the middle of the night that I have to keep 2 or 3 water bottles by my bedside at all times. Michael says that I just take frequent little naps all night because I have to get up so much. I guess its just preparing us for little Patrick's arrival!

In other non-pregnancy news, I woke up yesterday morning and let Turk and Bailey outside thinking they would go outside for a minute and then come back in because of the cold. I kept hearing them bark, but thought they were just letting some energy out and barking at each other. I went upstairs to make my lunch and glanced out the window to see if they were playing a game and noticed that they had a huge raccoon cornered! I immediately freaked out and yelled for Michael. He wasn't really sure what to do either, so he yelled at them and when they turned their heads the raccoon jumped around them and climbed up a tree. They are half tree-walker coonhounds, so its in their nature to "tree coons." They both started treeing the raccoon and baying really loud. It was pretty funny to watch. I'm also thankful neither of my dogs were bitten by the raccoon. I'm glad we caught them when we did because Turk looked like he was about to pounce on the raccoon! I'm scared to know what would have happened if he did! Ever since the incident all T and B want to do is go outside and look for the raccoon. I'm pretty sure it won't be coming back, but it keeps them entertained at least. I didn't get a picture of Turk and Bailey, but below are a couple of pictures of the raccoon in the tree.