I've read the book, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" from cover to cover. What I didn't expect this time around is to have basically an entirely different experience!

As I've moved through these 25 weeks of pregnancy, I've often compared carrying this baby to carrying Kanyon. When I found out I was having another baby, I thought no problem! I have been there done that! I really didn't realize this would be like starting over in terms of what's going on with me and my bump.

With Kanyon, I wasn't sick at all. I had zero problems in terms of food, in fact, I hit the munchies like there was no tomorrow. This baby? I couldn't stand the thought of making lunch and even the mere mention of raw hamburger was enough to send me reeling. I had to make myself eat for the first 3 months of this pregnancy. By 3 months with Kanyon I'm pretty sure we'd been to Red Lobster at least 6 times and I was eating for 2 or 3!

That being said, my weight gain is completely different as well. I gained a bunch (I can feel for Jessica Simpson for sure) and I think by the time it was said and done it was nearly 60 pounds with our blonde, blue-eyed boy on board. This child has me not wanting to eat too much too often, and then there's all the chasing and playing involved with a toddler at home, so I'm on target at about 14 pounds so far. I'm sure that will ratchet up considerably in the final weeks but I'm happy with that at this point.

My bump didn't show up until about 5 1/2 months with Kanyon and now that my ligaments or whatever know the drill, they went ahead and let loose early, making my third month resemble my sixth month the first time around! I had to break out the maternity pants at like 11 weeks!

In terms of the other fun pregnancy side effects, I'm happy to report I haven't needed physical therapy and lots of chiropractic care with this child! Kanyon decided he was going to make a mess of my hips, back and neck but this child has only given me some tailbone problems. I'm so glad, because with Kanyon I couldn't get comfortable at night and tossed and turned. Happily, I'm sleeping okay! Perhaps that comes from the exhaustion of being a working mom with a 16-month-old. Maybe I would be tossing and turning but I'm too tired to notice!

Then there's the cravings... I had several random cravings with Kanyon. I had to have vanilla oreos and milk one night, Red Lobster was a big one and pudding pops were a must! With this child, I've had zero cravings but I am very suseptible to suggestion. If I smell something in the breakroom (garlic bread for instance) I have to have it. If I see a commercial or hear someone talking about a certain food, you can almost bet we have to make a run to get that kind of dish.

This baby is also registering a much slower heartbeat (cue gender guesses here). Kanyon came in at about 175 or 170 and this child has been coming in around the 150 beats a minute mark. Girl? Who knows. I'm going with... no clue. I was so wrong with Kanyon. Chris and I both swore we were having a girl. This child could be a boy with a slower heart rate!

The kicks are totally different too so far. This baby (must know I'm talking about him/her... kicks just started in) is kicking me very very low at the bottom of my baby bump and Kanyon's kicks were always mid-bump to high on my belly. Supposedly that's normal for the second pregnancy, but I wonder.

Judging by the ultrasound (a stretch here, I know) this child is a bit more shy than their older brother. We could not get a good profile shot of their face. The baby kept hiding it from the ultrasound tech. Now if you've been following this since Kanyon was born, you know we have quite the show boat at home. He was posing for pictures in the womb! Perhaps this is a sign of a different personality to come!

What will delivery be like? I hear the second is easier and I pray that's the truth! Now that I know what's coming it's scarier than the first time around... ignorance is bliss on that one! My doctor says be prepared to go 8 days early like I did last time, so that is interesting. I've blocked off my calendar at the end of August. Baby is due Labor Day so we'll see!

If you've got more than one kiddo, did you experience the same thing? Were your pregnancies completely different?

I love hearing from you as always! Have a great day!