“My husband looked at my belly around 6 months and said, ‘You’re not going to get much bigger, right?’”

What are you most excited about? Seeing her face. What will she look like? Who will she look like?

What’s the best part about being pregnant? Not counting calories!

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? Changes daily, but if I want something I want it NOW. My husband once suggested we have dumplings instead of the Korean food I was craving for lunch once. I totally threw a fit at REI!

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous, that someone has said about your pregnancy? My husband looked at my belly around 6 months and said, “You’re not going to get much bigger, right?”

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? My spelling has gotten really bad—not a great quality in an editor!

How involved is your husband/partner? He’s as excited (and nervous) as I am.

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? I’m afraid this is the new “normal.”

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Dresses and no bras.

What are your plans for the nursery? Owls and birds. Very little pink!

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? How easily it folds into your normal life. Sometimes I have to remind myself, “Oh yeah, I’m pregnant!”

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? Halloween baby!

“I keep forgetting the word “clipboard” at work. Try thinking of another word for clipboard… it’s not easy. “

Was this pregnancy planned? No, it happened about 1-3 years early. But we are rolling with it and are very excited!

Do you have any interesting or funny details to share about getting pregnant? When we first found out we were expecting, my boyfriends dad gave him some beautiful words on how he was ready to be a dad. I always have known he was going to be an amazing dad, but this was so honest and meant so much between a father and son – it was amazing.

What are you most excited about? Holding my little guy!

What’s the best part about being pregnant? Starting to feel him moving around inside me.

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? I crave garlic stuffed olives!

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? Oh my goodness yes, I cannot remember the simplest of words.  I keep forgetting the word “clipboard” at work. Try thinking of another word for clipboard… it’s not easy.

How involved is your husband/partner? He’s getting more involved at an starting to show more.

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? Right now my energy level has gone up, but I am definitely more tired that “normal”.

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Soft stretchy clothes, oh I love them!

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? How hard it was in the beginning. I had a lot of morning sickness, and the pregnancy headaches.

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? I would go in to labor, when ready and we (we is my boy Jared and our Doula) would go to the birth center. We would labor in different positions and in water. I would get to 10 centimeters and start pushing without tearing. We would have skin to skin and breastfeed. That’s what I hope for, I want to try to keep my ideas loose and positive. I’m so excited!

“I wish I knew that pregnancy isn’t always about ‘joys’ and ‘glowing’, it is 90% feeling yucky ;)”

Do you have any interesting or funny details to share about getting pregnant?
Our first pregnancy was an ‘accident’ and the 2nd time around it took us over 1 year to conceive!

What are you most excited about?
Seeing how my girls will interact with each other.

What’s the best part about being pregnant?
Knowing what a miracle it is!

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to?
Loving salty foods… hating eggs!

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous, that someone has said about your pregnancy?
Wow! I can’t believe you are only 26 weeks!!!

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet?
I went grocery shopping without my purse… no money no food :)

How involved is your husband?
Very. He has been great and very supportive! Late night cravings and he runs to the store for me!

How is your energy level compared to “normal”?
Sooo very tired… must sleep now!

What clothes are you finding most comfy?
My husband’s clothes.

What are your plans for the nursery?
We are doing an owl theme.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)?
I am surprised how different this pregnancy is compared to my first.

What words of wisdom or piece of advice do you wish you knew about pregnancy, before getting pregnant?
I wish I knew that it isn’t always about ‘joys’ and ‘glowing’, it is 90% feeling yucky ;)

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like?
A smooth, quick, pain-free delivery, resulting in a healthy, happy beautiful baby!

“When I found out, I put the pregnancy test in a pen box and wrapped it for my husband.”

Was this pregnancy planned? No, definitely not… we were completely surprised and a bit shell shocked. When I found out, I put the pregnancy test in a pen box and wrapped it for my husband.

What are you most excited about? I am most excited to see what she looks like. If she’ll have straight hair like me or curly like my husband. Will she have dark olive skin? Who’s nose?

What’s the best part about being pregnant? People are so much nicer and are geniunely curious/concerned about how I’m doing. That’s nice.

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? No aversions… anything heavy smelling I avoid. No real out of the blue cravings either. If some kind of food is suggested to me, such as an In N Out commercial, I have to have In N Out.

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous, that someone has said about your pregnancy? I think it’s strange when people ask me if I’m excited… I guess at the beginning we were shocked and scared, but would anyone ever say NO to that question?

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? Definitely. I am spacey at work… I forget things that I would have never forgot in the past.

How involved is your husband/partner? My husband is not very “involved” in the little stuff. He has an opinion about certain things and is supportive about what I want. But, he doesn’t really care which burp cloths to register for.

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? The beginning was insane. I had a hard time getting up out of bed, sleepy all day and asleep early. Now, I’m cruising. I dont want to run a marathon, but I am at least awake at 9:00pm.

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Maternity stretch pants, Maternity work pants and tank tops. I dont like the under the belly pants… I prefer the full panel. I guess I like the feeling of the belly being somewhat supported.

What are your plans for the nursery? I ordered Hawaiian fabric for the bedding, we are going for a tropical room that is color neutral with splashes of pink/purples.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? How awful insurance companies are! I mean, I guess it doesn’t surprise me… but I was hoping for a little bit more guidance or help for a first time mom.

What words of wisdom or piece of advice do you wish you knew about pregnancy, before getting pregnant? Listen to PregTASTIC! I’m serious! I started listening to Pregtastic about 2 years before we got pregnant. I just wanted to know stuff. I’ve learned so many interesting and strange and wonderful things just listening to the podcasts. I think it’s helped me to not be embarrassed to talk about the weird things in pregnancy/childbirth/breastfeeding.

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? Hopefully, I would start laboring at my house… so I can spend a few hours there before going to the birth center. I want to be able to shower/bathe, eat and just be at home for a while. I would already have my bag packed and we’d go to the birth center and I would labor without drugs and have our little girl. I’m completely open to whatever happens, but I am hoping for a natural birth for me and her!

“I find myself repeating stories. As the stories are coming out of my mouth, I’m realizing, ‘Oh crap, I already shared that’.”

Was this pregnancy planned? Goodness no!  My pregnancy was a huge surprise! I had been practicing the calendar method, successfully for over four years and I something happen. We goofed, I guess.  Before I found out I was pregnant, I remember feeling sooooo tired.  One night I went to bed at 7pm and slept 12 straight hours. Unheard of for me. During the day, I was napping for about three hours right smack in the middle of the day, everyday for the first two months.  Whew, thank God that came to an end.

What are you most excited about? I’ve always dreamed of being a mommy but truthfully, with Matt in my life, I know we will be awesome parents!

What’s the best part about being pregnant? I get chili fries when ever I want them and get to eat them, guilt free!

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? When I first got pregnant, I couldn’t stand the smell of coffee which is an absolute favorite of mine.  I could not handle walking in to a Starbucks.

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? YES! I find myself repeating stories. As the stories are coming out of my mouth, I’m realizing, “Oh crap, I already shared that”.

How involved is your husband/partner? From the very beginning, Matt has been VERY involved.  He is at every doctor appointment and goes out of his way to make me feel as comfortable as possible.

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? My energy level has dropped a couple of notches.  While I’m still happy all the time, I get tired really easy from silly things like washing the dishes or doing a load of laundry.

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Dresses seem to work really well for me as well as stretchy kind of clothes such as leggies.

What are your plans for the nursery? My favorite color is orange so the nursery will definitely contain its share of orange.  So excited.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? My belly. While people say I don’t look pregnant, I think my belly is getting big really fast!

What words of wisdom or piece of advice do you wish you knew about pregnancy, before getting pregnant? Morning sickness!  The thing last ALL DAY LONG (so why the heck do they call it “morning sickness”???)

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? I wake up in the morning and it is an absolutely perfect day.  I shower, shave, do my hair and ohhhh, I feel a contraction.  The contractions begin to escalate and within 2 hours I’m dilated to a 7. I rush to the hospital where I arrive at an 8 and as they prepare my delivery room, I’m a 9 boarder-lining on 10. I push a few times, and out comes my healthy baby. It was a natural child birth. Matt doesn’t pass out (his fear). My sister (who is a doctor) is in the delivery room with me.  My doctor is proud of me and my healthy child is screaming. Ohh what a beautiful day! Then, the colorful flower bouquets, balloons and congratulations start pouring in.

Do you have any interesting or funny details to share about getting pregnant? The pregnancy was planned (we stopped using birth control intentionally), just the timing was off in a good way. Many of our friends were having problems with infertility and I have historically had very irregular periods, so we thought if we were going to have babies according to our master plan for me to be 31 for our first, we better get started a year earlier. Well, it took us 2 months-luckily! I just hope the others happen so easily for us.

My husband thought the way I told him the news was pretty funny. He had always pictured one of those pregnancy test commercials where he comes in from work to see me holding a positive pregnancy test and a little pair of baby booties. Instead, he received a text… while he was waiting to pick up his friend to take him to work… that simply said “It looks like our plans have changed. I’m pregnant.” He called me immediately and we laughed in disbelief. This was until he came home and I showed him the 3 tests I had took that day. And then just to double-confirm, he bought another test from the drugstore and had me pee in a cup for him to test himself! Finally… he believed it was true, we were pregnant, and our plans had changed, and we couldn’t be happier about it!

What are you most excited about? I can’t wait to grow my family. As an only child, I’ve spent my whole life being independent. I wore this independence as a badge of honor as a woman, as a college student, as a NYC resident, in everything I did. I took it so far to think I didn’t need anyone – I could take on the world on my own, one accomplishment at a time. Then I met my husband. We fell in love, and after almost 4 years, the feeling that I had to do everything alone finally started wearing away. Now, though sometimes I feel vulnerable, the feeling of trusting another person and loving him unconditionally is indescribable. As I love him more, I lose more of that hard shell, and it renews my soul. From what I’ve heard, if I think I love my husband, just wait until I have a child. Well, the moment’s almost here, and I can’t wait to grow my soul and my loving family even more.

What’s the best part about being pregnant? The best part of being pregnant is my body, believe it or not. I’ve been pretty skinny all throughout my adulthood, so now I’m lovin’ my new boobs and booty (and so is my hubby!)

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? Ice cream! I’ve always loved sweets, but I usually went for pies and cobblers on the menu. Now, I want ice cream 24/7… don’t know what I’d do without Ben & Jerry’s Fro-Yo (little less guilt). I’m also so grateful that I can still eat spicy food. Being able to “out-hot” all of my friends and family has been a claim to fame for quite some time. I’m hoping that I won’t have to adjust my cooking too much post-partum since baby should already be used to the heat!

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? I would say no I haven’t experienced “baby brain”, but my husband disagrees. The morning after I hosted my book club at my house, my husband found trash bags in the recycling bin. He asked me why I had done that. Knowing that I hadn’t done it (or being in denial as my husband claims), I told him that it must have been a bum. We live in North Park and there are bums who rummage through the trash and recycling bins weekly. He asked me “Now, why would a bum move the trash to the recycling bin?”. I answered “I don’t know. Do I look like I know bum logic?”. I maintain to this day that it was a bum, but my husband swears it was a case of “baby brain”. I guess we’ll never know.

How involved is your husband/partner? My husband is very involved with the pregnancy. He goes to every OBGYN appointment with me and thinks of questions to ask ahead of time. Since I’ve been pregnant, he’s been even more helpful than he was before around the house, making sure I don’t overexert myself (I have a hard time taking it easy when injured or in this case pregnant). I feel very fortunate to have him and know that he’ll be great when the baby is born!

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? Everyone says you’re most fatigued in your first trimester, but I felt great and energized. It’s now in my 2nd trimester that I’m sleepy. I feel the closest to “normal” when I keep a regular sleep pattern (go to bed and wake up at the same time, weekdays and weekends) and get 8 hours of sleep. On the weekends, I take lots of naps!

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Leggings! I’m so glad they’re in style. Just about everyday I wear black leggings, boots without heals, and a long sweater or shirt. On days I have client meetings, I usually wear a dress with boots and tights. But, I’m not going to lie, I’d love to be able to wear sweatpants to work everyday!

What are your plans for the nursery? Owls! Whether it was going to be a girl or a boy, I always wanted owls in the nursery. Luckily, our spare bedroom that will become the nursery has taupe walls, and will go perfectly with the Crib Sheet Set I registered for on Amazon.com.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? I am surprised at how different every woman’s pregnancy is. Being an only child and not around many pregnant women in my life, I always thought everyone had the same experience – you get pregnant, you find out you’re pregnant when you start throwing up, you carry the baby all in the front, and then you have a traditional birth. Since I’ve been pregnant, I’ve learned that every pregnancy is very different. I didn’t have any morning sickness, I’m gaining weight slowly, and I haven’t decided yet if I’ll have a traditional or natural birth (if I’m lucky enough to have that choice). I’m pregnant with 3 other friends, and none of us have had the same experience or have the same birth plan, which is surprising and cool!

What words of wisdom or piece of advice do you wish you knew about pregnancy, before getting pregnant? Not all companies pay for maternity leave. If you’re planning to have children and return to work afterward, and maintaining your lifestyle is important to you, try and find a company that pays you for maternity leave well in advance of getting pregnant (switching jobs might not be the best move during pregnancy). If you love your company or your job and don’t want to move, talk to your manager or CEO (if it’s a small company) to see if you can negotiate any type of assistance from the company when you’re out on leave.

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? Describe the day for us. If I could have my perfect delivery, first and foremost my parents would be in town. They’re planning to fly in from Michigan as close to the due date as possible to be here for the birth and to help afterward. If I’m too late or too early, they might miss it! I know it would be futile to plan the actual day, time, or even the way my labor starts (my water broke!). But, I do hope that my husband is home to take me to the hospital when it seems I need to go. Ideally, I won’t need to take pertussis or have my water broke to induce labor. If I do need an epidural that I’m not so numb that I can’t feel anything or that my baby is groggy. And since I’m going to be giving birth at a hospital, I hope I get a great shift of nurses. No complications, and I’ll be ecstatic. At the end of the day (or days!), as long as I have my husband and my little baby boy, I will have had the perfect delivery day.

“I had loved that during my first pregnancy and one day near the end of term was lamenting the loss of that feeling to my husband.  He said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get you another one.”  Little did we know, he’d get me another 2. “

Was this pregnancy planned? Planned yes, in a sense. Definitely didn’t plan on having twins! I had been using ovulation predictor kits to help time sex because we wanted a boy this time around. We got our boy and a bonus daughter too!

What are you most excited about? The easy answer right now as I’m enormous and uncomfortable would be to say “not being pregnant anymore”.  While that’s true, it really hasn’t been SO bad. I’m looking forward to twin-specific moments. Like when they can entertain themselves just by looking at each other. Since I’ve had a single baby and loved getting to spend time with her and learning about her, I’m looking forward to the differences to be discovered in twin babyhood.

What’s the best part about being pregnant? Feeling the babies move around inside me. I had loved that during my first pregnancy and one day near the end of term was lamenting the loss of that feeling to my husband.  He said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get you another one.” Little did we know, he’d get me another 2.

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? I craved sweets a lot during the first and second trimesters, which was a bit unusual for me.  No major aversions.

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous, that someone has said about your pregnancy? After telling inquisitive strangers that I’m having a boy and a girl, without fail, some of them will ask if the babies are identical.

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? Yes, but I’ve forgotten any specifics! I don’t know that I’ve recovered from my daughter’s birth 2 years ago. I think I’ll be claiming “mommy brain” for years.

How involved is your husband? He was deployed my first pregnancy and has been home the entirety of this one, so he’s much more involved. He is particularly helpful with our daughter, which has been great since I’m so exhausted. He’s slightly uninformed – willfully so – and questions everything I do or don’t do. I sorta wish he’d just pick up a book or do some research on his own, but that’s not his style.  It’s a little tough with twins because he sees all of our friends pregnant with singletons being very active and feeling great. That was me the first go-round. But this time it’s just so different and I think that’s harder for him to understand.

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? Horrible. Way, way off. I’m a good 80% off my norm. I have to take naps and sit down all the time.  It’s very hard for me to stand or walk around for longer than an hour.

What clothes are you finding most comfy? I think typically it’s stretchy yoga pants with low elastic waistlines. But for leaving the house, I have a pair of cords that are cute, soft and stretchy without being frumpy. I don’t like the full belly feel right now, so most of my pants are super low riders.  Also I need layering tanks and shirts because my belly is huge and very low, most maternity tops don’t cover it all the way.

What are your plans for the nursery? Nothing immediate. We will move cross-country when the twins are 2 months old. For the time being we’ll have them sleep in our room in a pack-n-play. Then once we move they’ll have a more proper nursery. I’m not a big design person and don’t really think kids need the latest and greatest fashion.  It’ll be more utilitarian than cutesy.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? Just how very different this one has been compared to my singleton pregnancy.  I have much more sympathy for women who have problems during pregnancy now, or even just more symptoms!  My first was such a non-event and I recognize now how lucky I was.

What words of wisdom or piece of advice do you wish you knew about pregnancy, before getting pregnant? I don’t know that there is anything.  I had researched a bunch and felt pretty prepared at least mentally for the task.  There was no way I could have predicted the twin pregnancy. Since I already have a child – I’d remind myself and others to research more about what to do when the baby comes home!  Pregnancy is a great time to read up and prepare for being a parent, not just being a pregnant woman.  You won’t have the luxury of time once baby comes home.

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? I’d like to go into labor on a Saturday morning, so my husband would definitely be with me and we could easily find childcare for our daughter.  We’d wake up with our daughter, maybe have breakfast and some time to shower before heading in to the hospital.  Our hospital is literally 5 minutes away, so I don’t feel the need to rush over the second labor begins.
I’d arrive about 6cm or more dilated and progress rather quickly and painlessly of course!  Basically it would end up with an easy 10 mins or so of pushing to get my daughter out (she’s first in line now) and then my son would be another 10 mins of pushing after that.  The main focus is on healthy babies who can come home with me.

“The woman who recently fit me for new bras said to me ‘Honey you don’t look pregnant – you just look a little fat! If you were 55 years old you would look great!’”

What are you most excited about? I’m most excited about finally being pregnant and meeting our baby! We tried for a while (about 8 or 9 months). After about 2 or 3 months it started to become stressful and a little all consuming so when it finally happened we were extremely grateful and happy. Sometimes it still doesn’t feel real…but then I look in the mirror and am reminded by my growing belly that this is actually happening!

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? Not so great but much better than the first trimester. Normally I can work a full day, workout for 1-2 hours, cook dinner, etc. Now it’s work 4-5 hours, do a 45 minute workout and sit on the couch!

What clothes are you finding most comfy? My husband’s oversized t-shirts and old, lightweight sweats or a pair of Nike, long, oversized cotton shorts that my friend Nicole lent me. She wore them throughout her pregnancy.

What foods do you crave or have aversion to? Do smells gag you? Anything carb and cheese related is great: bagels and cream cheese, cottage cheese and fruit are some good examples…or just cheese and crackers. I love mangos and berries right now as well as pineapple. I am also highly influenced by the power of suggestion. So if someone is talking about something they ate or I see a commercial for something that looks appealing, I want to eat it ASAP!

n terms of aversions – I’m not so into apples (which I usually love but got sick from a few weeks back). I’m trying to eat fish and red meat but they definitely aren’t very appealing to them. In the beginning I had an aversion to vegetables! That’s getting much better. Also, the smell of coffee sometimes makes me gag. I couldn’t handle it during the first trimester when my husband made coffee in the morning – the smell was awful!

What are your plans for the nursery? We aren’t finding out the baby’s sex and we are going to be moving when the baby is about 2-3 months old so for now we aren’t really planning the nursery. Nothing too gender specific – something neutral and low key. I recently saw crib bedding that I loved – it had animals on it with brown, green and cream coloring.

What is your best baby prepping purchase so far? We are taking our first trip to Babies R Us next week so we haven’t really purchased anything yet. I’m particularly excited about getting the B.O.B. Revolution jogging stroller so I can get back into shape!

Where did you conceive? Want to share some funny details? We conceived in our bedroom at home. Not that much of a funny detail but a detail is that my menstrual cycle has been totally out of wack for years, and I actually had been feeling like I was getting my period but it wasn’t coming, so I did my first ever ovulation test (which I had been adamantly against – friends said that they would drive me crazy) and it came out positive! So we got right to it – that night and the proceeding 2 or 3 nights. J

How involved is your husband/partner? He is EXTREMELY involved. Not only in everything related to pregnancy and baby preparation but in everything related to our family and home life. He cooks, does laundry, cleans and takes such good care of me. We are a true team and I know he will be a WONDERFUL father.

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous that someone has said to you about your pregnancy? Oh lots of things….all from the mouths of men. My neighbor: “I think I am going to have to start calling you hubby.” A person on the street: “Excuse me miss, do you have a license to carry those things?” (Referring to my big boobs) The woman who recently fit me for new bras: “Honey you don’t look pregnant – you just look a little fat! If you were 55 years old you would look great!”

“I think the most ridiculous thing is when someone told me it was going to hurt (to have twins). Duh really?”

Was this pregnancy planned? Absolutely, my husband and I have been married almost 4 years and have been trying for just that long. I have had a number of female issues that have lead to me not to conceive such as severe pre cancer pap smears, a tilted uterus, and I had a miscarriage in 2006 which left me with only one tube and ovary. It seemed like it was meant for me not to have children with my husband. I have a wonderful 14 year old from a previous relationship and my husband has been a great father to her. After trying for so long we decided to do IVF with Reproductive Specialists. My doctor was Dr. Garzo and he was referred to me by several of my co-workers. They told me out of everyone that had gone to him, everyone got pregnant. Sure enough it worked on the first time. My husband was the one who told me I was pregnant and right about the time I called him to tell him I thought my car was stolen he had just found out I was pregnant. He about lost his mind. What a shock to discover we were having twins. Double the blessings.

What are you most excited about? I am most excited about being a mom again. My first relationship with my daughter’s father was awful and he left when she was two years old, plus I was very young and immature. I never really took the time when she was a toddler to enjoy her. This time I plan to cherish every moment!

What’s the best part about being pregnant? The best part of being pregnant is eating everything I didn’t before.

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? I have been very lucky and have had no food aversion, but now I love fish and chips from this little tea house in UTC called Tapioca Express.

What is something silly, verging on ridiculous, that someone has said about your pregnancy? I think the most ridiculous thing is when someone told me it was going to hurt (to have twins). Duh really?

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? Any funny stories to share? I heard “baby brain” was a wives tale, but for me it is so true. I even left my purse before. I can’t remember anything!

How involved is your husband/partner? I have been so blessed to have such a supportive husband. These are his first babies so he is just over the moon. He really takes the weight and stress of family life on his shoulders so I don’t have to worry. He takes great care of me and my daughter.

What clothes are you finding most comfy? None! Everything feels too tight.

What are your plans for the nursery? Since we are having girls we are going to do an island surf theme. I have a fairly of surfers in my house.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? How slow time goes. What can I say I am anxious.

What words of wisdom or piece of advice do you wish you knew about pregnancy, before getting pregnant? Be prepared for anything! My doctor took me out of work at 12 weeks and I was completely blindsided and unprepared.

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? Describe the day for us. I would have time to shower, put on make-up and a pedicure.

“If I crave something, I need to have it two days in a row. I can’t handle cooked seafood, yet I crave sushi.”

Was this pregnancy planned? Yes. My husband and I always knew, even during the most exhausting and challenging days of parenting, that we wanted to have a family of three children. We started trying when we were still living in Germany and unlike our first two pregnancies, conception was elusive. The first fertile moment in San Diego, I got pregnant. I like to joke that this baby didn’t want anything to do with Germany and is an all-American kid.

What are you most excited about? Finding out the gender! For my first two pregnancies, we kept it a surprise.

What’s the best part about being pregnant? Not feeling self-conscience about having a beer gut or a muffin top. I’m sticking my belly out with pride.

What type of food are you craving or have an aversion to? If I crave something, I need to have it two days in a row. It’s been bean and rice burrito and Japanese ramen so far. I can’t handle cooked seafood, yet I crave sushi.

Have you experienced “baby brain” or “momnesia” yet? Any funny stories to share? I’ve been suffering from this condition since the middle of 2006, when I was pregnant with my first child. Since then I have only had a 6 month break from being pregnant or breastfeeding. The prognosis is not good for me that “baby brain” will go away any time soon. I suspect that my husband also suffers from this condition.

How involved is your husband? He’s involved enough to also have baby brain! There are two factors preventing my husband from being more involved than we’d like him to be in this pregnancy: this is our third child and we’ve just relocated to a different country. Thanks to time zone differences, he has to start work now a lot earlier, preventing him from going to “first thing in the morning” appointments like he used to. (He went to nearly every single antenatal appointment with me in Germany.) He is also travelling about 50% of the time now. Also, since this is our third child, we’re juggling so many more schedules and people that the doctor’s visits aren’t so important as getting the existing children taken care of!  We’re hoping that he’ll still make it to the most important prenatal visits as well as take a hospital tour with me. He’ll be at the birth for sure, and on weekends he’s been a real star about getting in the car and picking up my order of my latest craving!

How is your energy level compared to “normal”? Lousy and my toddler and preschooler are unforgiving.

What clothes are you finding most comfy? Dresses and low-rise maternity pants.

What are your plans for the nursery? Good question. There are two kids already in there, so I’m going to try to fit a third one in.

What aspect of pregnancy has surprised you (so far)? This isn’t a complete surprise, but that the nausea and fatigue gets worse with each pregnancy.

If your delivery day turned out perfectly, what would it look like? Nobody will want to induce me.  (I was sent to the hospital both times before to get induced. But I got lucky. In Germany, they were willing to let me drink the homeopathic cocktail to induce rather than take drugs, but both babies came on their own. I haven’t had the chance though to call my husband to say, “Honey, I think it’s time” as I’ve always spent the night before in the hospital. Of course, I’d like a third vaginal delivery and no placenta accreta, as I had with my second child, but the most important thing is being able to hold a healthy baby in our arms.