One of these things is not like the others...

From the very early stages of this pregnancy, I have said that it was "different."  Originally, "different" meant "miserable," but over the course of the last few months, it's becoming less miserable and just more....ummm..."different." 

Here are a few of the differences I've noticed in all of my pregnancies:

Morning Sickness:  With this pregnancy, I've actually gotten sick less than either of the others, but during the first 10-12 weeks, I felt sick 24-7.  I drank and ate ginger snacks and drinks, I tried accupressure bands, I stopped cooking (or even walking in my kitchen) and I had to stop using almost all of my "natural" home cleaning products because I couldn't stand the smell of vinegar and tea tree oil.  I think Pack thought I was in the early stages of death since I wouldn't get off the couch to do anything.  It was a tough couple of months.

Heartburn:  Whoa...honestly, I didn't even know what heartburn really felt like before this pregnancy.  Yuck. Gross. Gag.  I'll be glad when my digestive system stops revolting.

Swelling:  There hasn't been any.  Well, I do have some swelling after I'm on my feet all day and after traveling, but nothing compared to the multiple liters of fluid that were in my legs and feet during my pregnancies with Penn and Jude.  My leg/foot swelling was actually pretty legendary at my former workplace and are "fondly" remembered as my "telephone poles" (thanks, Pack).

Weight Gain:  After all the fast food I consumed during my first trimester, I'm still shocked it hasn't been more out of hand.  The way things are looking, I will weigh about 10 pounds less this pregnancy than at the end of my pregnancies with Penn and Jude (where I ended up tipping the scales at +50lbs and +30lbs higher than my start weight with each child respectively).  I'm not done yet, so I hate to make any premature judgments on this, but with every doctor's appointment, I'm shocked I haven't gained more, although my belly definitely looks "bellier!"  So far, I've gained 15 pounds...I'm cool with that!

Baby Movement:  Most active baby yet (in utero, at least).  I've never had one keep me up at night moving, so this makes me really nervous about the little personality to follow...

How I Feel:  Overall...less anxious, more impatient.  I have decided that this baby will definitely be born as naturally as possible (i.e., no epidural or induction), so there is some nervousness that comes with this decision, but overall, I know I can birth a baby and I think the birth process will be much more enjoyable if it happens the way it was designed to.  I do feel that I'm having to educate myself from scratch on the labor and birth process, but I'm learning a ton and looking forward to putting all my new knowledge into practice.  I'm so ready to do this.

Getting Prepared:  The baby's room has been completed for a month now.  Unprecedented.  Yeah...we could use a second coat of paint on the walls and a few pieces of art, but so long as she has clean sheets to sleep on and a few diapers lying around, I feel prepared.

Big Difference:  IT'S A GIRL!  I still am not 100% sold on this (which is why the nursery is painted blue with girly fabrics (easy to change if we're wrong), but I think this is the main reason this pregnancy has been so different.  I will not be suffering any gender disappointment if "Anna" turns out to be a "Silas (my choice for boy's name)," but I have had fun shopping in the "pink" department in the meantime:)

And just for comparison, here are a few pictures taken from each of my pregnancies...

8 Months with Penn (round all over)!

9 Months with Jude...whoa!

8 Months with Anna...hanging in there!