Luke: 3 Months!

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Stats: (estimating) 23 inches, 15 pounds (from my bathroom scale)

Favorites: He LOVES baths! He sits there like he is hot tubbing with his buddies.  He loves any kind of interaction with him. He smiles so big when he knows you are paying attention to him. 

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: His play mat and his swing.  It’s nice to give him activities to do when you have a high maintenance two-year old running around.  He really is a good baby….for now. I know what is coming and I am not looking forward to it.

Dislikes: Again, when I take too long to feed him.

Facts: He is super vocal this month, always screeching and cooing.  He is super smiley when you hang with him.  We call him “roly poly” because he just wants to roll into a ball. We try to get him to stand and he won’t even attempt it.  He is starting to get the sitting assisted and is quickly moving towards using the Bumbo.  He loves Olivia and loves to coo at her.

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Sleep Habits: He has about 3-4 naps a day and has started a night routing about half way through this month.  He falls asleep around 8 or 9 and then wakes up at 4 to eat and then goes back to sleep.  I will take it!

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Doctors Visits: None this month for him.  4 month appointment is next.

Eating Habits: He eats 5 ounces every three hours and then holds off at night until about 3 or 4 in the morning.  He has a pretty good schedule going.

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Milestones: Talking, rolling to his side, grabbing and chewing toys, looking in the mirror

Looking Forward To: Christmas. He is going to be so dang cute.3month9

Luke: Month 2!

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Stats: 22 inches 13.5 pounds

Favorites: He loves to sit up on the couch.  He also is loving baths now.  He sits in his bath chair and looks like he is soaking in a hot tub all comfortably.  He, of course, loves to eat!

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: Whenever he goes in his car seat, he takes the best naps!  Also, when putting him to sleep, he likes his blanket to touch his face on his cheeks.

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Dislikes: When I take too long to feed him.  It is usually because I am being tag teamed by Olivia.  They both seem to know when to yell at me at the same time.

Facts: He is making eye contact and opening his eyes a whole lot more.  His cry sounds like an angry cat and I am finding he uses his cry as a way to just talk.  He will cry for a minute and then stop and look all content.  He loves to be held in the evening.  The rest of the day he is pretty content just sitting and looking at things or sleeping.  He has reddish-brown hair that is slightly curly, but not like Olivia’s.  He has the cutest smile..I can’t wait until he REALLY smiles at me!

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Sleep Habits: He sleeps on and off all day.  I can tell his really heavy sleep is about 9 at night until midnight and then it’s on and off all day until about noon and then he heavy sleeps until about 4 or 5.  We will figure it out one of these days.

Doctors Visits: Just for his two month appointment.  He had to get shots and was a champ!

Eating Habits: He eats exactly every three hours…it’s as if he has alarm clock.  He is still eating a lot at night too, which means I have to wake up a lot still. 😦

Milestones: Lots of smiling and eye contact!

Looking Forward To: I can’t wait until he can sit up on his own. He loves to sit against the couch right now but falls over every time!

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Luke: Month 1!

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Stats: 21 1/2 inches (1 1/2 inches longer than birth) and 10 pounds 2 ounces

Favorites: He is pretty good about sleeping.  He is more alert at night, which will be fun when I start sleep training him.  He likes it when I put his rock and play by the back window so he can look out.  He is loving his swing.

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: His swing.  Right after I feed him at night, he usually will go right back to sleep if I put him in the swing.  Also, his rock and play is nice to move around the house when I am doing activities with Olivia and housework.

Dislikes: He absolutely hates baths and screams when I do it.  He also screams when I put him in the car seat, but usually settles down after a few minutes and then sleeps the whole time.

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Facts: He is making eye contact and opening his eyes a whole lot more.  His cry sounds like an angry cat and I am finding he uses his cry as a way to just talk.  He will cry for a minute and then stop and look all content.  He loves to be held in the evening.  The rest of the day he is pretty content just sitting and looking at things or sleeping.  He has reddish-brown hair that is slightly curly, but not like Olivia’s.  He has the cutest smile..I can’t wait until he REALLY smiles at me!

Sleep Habits: He sleeps on and off all day.  I can tell his really heavy sleep is about 9 at night until midnight and then it’s on and off all day until about noon and then he heavy sleeps until about 4 or 5.  We will figure it out one of these days.

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Doctors Visits:  He went in a few days after birth, one week out, and then two weeks out (he had lost a lot of weight), and then for his monthly check up.  I feel like I have been at the doctor’s office a lot.  It’s cool to see his charts and his growth.

Eating Habits: Since he was losing weight, I had to supplement and let’s just say that it definitely helped. He eats A LOT…about every 2 to three hours and doesn’t take any breaks.  He also went from 50th percentile to 75th percentile in weight because he is such a piggy.

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Milestones: Pretty much just keeping him alive and giving us eye contact.  He is so good at lifting his head and swings it around a lot!

Looking Forward To: Seeing him smile and interact more!

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Baby #2: 37 Weeks!

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How far along: 37 Weeks

Maternity clothes: Gym clothes, Mike’s shirts, yoga pants, large shirts, long skirts

Stretch marks: It is a miracle…none. My skin feels like plastic around my stomach.  My arm and leg skin is extra soft with all of the fat I have gained.  It is so strange to see how different my body is right now.
Sleep: Not too good, but then again it is not a surprise.
Best moment this week: Getting to see little one in his last ultrasound.  The doctors were monitoring him because he was so big, but he is doing alright.  I get to go hear his heartbeat tomorrow.  It always makes me feel better when they monitor him at the doctor.
Miss anything: I admit I had a huge pity party for myself on the 4th of July.  My family went tubing and mountain biking and I was so emotional about it.  I had to give myself a pep talk and realize that I should be grateful for this opportunity.
Morning sickness: I’ve been okay.  I really don’t like to eat certain foods now.  I am really burned out on the meat and veggie combination (protein and good carb) that I try to follow for Mike’s diet and mine.  For some reason, I just don’t want to eat the dinners I make. I pretty much just snack during the day.
Movement:.He scared me one day last week when he wouldn’t move, so I put an ice pack on my stomach and that got him going.  It’s usually one day of little kicks and then the next day he will be rolling all over the place.  He dropped last week, so he is head down, which makes me waddle like a penguin.  He is super low. He stuck his butt out the other day and my skin went numb all around my belly button.
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Food cravings: Carbs. But then again, even when I am not pregnant, carbs are my downfall.  I am in for a major shock when I start the 21 day fix in September.  I already have my meals planned out and my exercise routines.  I’m actually pretty excited about it.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Like I said, some meats and veggies and definitely leftovers.  Even throwing them away makes me gag.
Have you started to show yet: Now that is a dumb question.
Gender prediction: Boy. I am still so nervous about it.
Labor signs: He dropped and one day last week I had some Braxton-Hicks contractions going on.  I swear my hormones are going extra crazy because this has been a super emotional week for me.  I cry about everything. I feel anxious and nervous a lot for no reason.
Belly button in or out: If it could go out, it would have weeks ago.
Wedding rings on or off: Off.  I have swollen hands right now. I haven’t had swollen ankles like I did with Olivia.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Like I said, I have been so moody and naggy this week.  Everything is making me sad.  I think it’s the anxiousness of what is to come.  I like my ducks in a row.  I am also nervous because this will be the first time I am away from Olivia and it will be for three days.  I hope the healing process is quick.
Looking forward to:  Meeting with my actual doctor this week who is going to perform my C-section.  I’ve talked to a lot of people who have had them, including nurses, so I feel like mentally I am getting there.

Baby #2: Week 35!

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Last minute picture because I will be 36 weeks tomorrow…so pajamas and picture in front of a fan it is!

How far along: 35 Weeks

Maternity clothes: I can’t fit into some of my maternity clothes now…so long awesome maternity jeans (until after baby when I still look like I am pregnant). As soon as we get an actual paycheck, I am ordering a Bellefit…they look kind of cool to use!

Stretch marks: I thought I saw stretch marks coming in…but so far I am safe. I thought it was funny that when I give Olivia lotion, she immediately starts putting it on her belly.  I think she is watching me a little too closely.  Ha ha
Sleep: Not cool.  Mainly because I can’t breathe laying straight down, so I sit up a lot.  I move around the house at night because I get Charlie horses too.
Best moment this week: Celebrating Father’s Day and realizing it is Mike’s last time being a dad to one kid!
Miss anything: Mike went up to Cloudcroft to ride with his friends and I admit I cried when I said goodbye to him.  A lot of people don’t even know I really like to mountain bike and road bike and that I raced.  I miss running, racing, biking…believe it or not, I used to do it and PLAN on doing it soon.
Morning sickness: No. I just really don’t like to eat a lot now, and especially certain foods.  What kind you say? It depends on what day it is.
Movement: I’m now at the point where I am actually counting how many times he kicks, just to make sure he is okay.  He dropped and moved his position. He hurts me a lot by getting into my ribs. Today he was way over on my left side, so I was super lop-sided.
Food cravings:Definitely not as hungry at night.  I do crave BBQ a lot and have since the beginning of this pregnancy.  I BBQ at least once a week now that it’s summer, so it helps with my cravings!
Anything making you queasy or sick: No more eggs for me, and I am really sick of toast and sandwiches.
Have you started to show yet: I went through the grocery line today and the lady told me I looked like I was about to bust!
Gender prediction: Our last ultrasound definitely showed the boy parts!
Labor signs: I kind of overdid it last Wednesday when I worked out and went swimming in the same day.  I had major back pain that night and was so scared I was going into early labor.  It stopped by noon the next day…thank goodness.
Belly button in or out: If it could be out, it would.
Wedding rings on or off: Off.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Tired. Mainly because Olivia decided to turn into the devil this week ( I miss my sweet kid!).  She really can make or break your day with her attitude.
Looking forward to:  The next few weekends.  It’s weird we only have a few weekends left and we have been planning them all out to make sure we use them wisely before he comes!! Also, we get another ultrasound next week because he is such a big boy and so they can monitor him.  That should be pretty cool.

Baby #2: Week 33!

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How far along: 33 Weeks

Maternity clothes: This is the point where I want to go into hiding.  Mainly because I don’t have anything to wear so I walk around in pajama pants and Mike’s t shirts at home.  I wish I could wear long flowy dresses every day of my life.  I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes.  Most of the stuff I have will fit post pregnancy, just not in the “about to bust” phase.  I did manage to “squeeze” into a bathing suit this week and go swimming.

Stretch marks: No. Just dimples on my legs. Come on skin! Hang in there!!!
Sleep: I sleep mainly on my left side at night, but then eventually end up sleeping sitting up.  I have to lay with one or both arms above my head to lengthen out my torso so I can actually breathe. I’ve had a hard time breathing this week…and it’s not from being out of shape.  When just sitting and doing nothing, I feel like I am suffocating.
Best moment this week: I washed all of his clothes and set up his drawers with his pajamas and onesies.  It’s neat to think he will be wearing all this stuff I have.
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Raising his fist in fury!!
Miss anything: Like I said in the previous post, being pregnant in the summer is not fun when you like to play.  I really do miss laying on my stomach.  I love to lay on it and snuggle with a pillow.  I will be looking forward to that!  I really miss doing ab workouts at the gym too.
Morning sickness: Not really.  I just have a few food aversions now where I don’t like being around certain foods like eggs and chicken.
Movement: He moves a lot!  I love to see my stomach move like an ocean. He seems to move more during the day, which I am hoping is a good sign of things to come (meaning: he likes to sleep at night) !
Food cravings:I’m not as hungry as I was a couple of weeks ago.  I think a lot of it is that I ran out of room.  I eat big lunches and then really small dinners.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Eggs, leftover chicken, microwave meals, mushy apples
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It is definitely a boy. He he
Have you started to show yet: I lie about my due date and tell people I only have a couple more weeks and they still give me a hard time!
Gender prediction: Boy. Did any of you guys check a Chinese calender for the gender of your baby?  Mine was dead on for both. Not that I am into that stuff but my ultrasound tech told me about it and had me all curious when I was pregnant with Olivia.
Labor signs: I had my first set of Braxton-Hicks this week. Other than that, nothing.
Belly button in or out: If it could be out, it would.
Wedding rings on or off: Off.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Can I say sleepy? All I do is sleep lately. I’ve been taking some naps during the day and it’s been awesome.
Looking forward to:  Taking time out the next five or six weekends to live it up before my life turns into baby jail again.

2 Years Old!

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Stats: 2 feet 11 inches tall (95th percentile) and 26 pounds (50th percentile).

Favorites: She is all about Paw Patrol right now. She has the whole collection (almost) and she sits and plays with them and has them talk to each other and drive around.  She lines them up on the coffee table and then switches them around to drive different cars.  She loves to watch the cartoon as she plays and then acts out what is going on.  She loves her classes a lot now.  She is getting better at tumbling at the gym and singing along to songs at story time.  She is all about going on a field trip somewhere.  Every morning she is asking me when we are going “Bye Bye”. It’s sad that she knows the word “Walmart” and says it a lot.

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Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: For her birthday, she got a bunch of toys and stickers that have been awesome forms of entertainment for her, especially at church.  Grandma Coleman taught her to play out back while we worked on the yard, so that has helped when I am doing chores.  She loves to lay on our bean bag too and chill out with her new blanket that Grandma Barrow made for her.

Dislikes: She will not say the word “please”.  I repeat it so much throughout the day and even pair it with “thank you” and she will say thank you but not that.  Why does she dislike that word??? It is a constant battle.  She is super impatient when a toy is not working and does not want me to help her.  She doesn’t like it when I get to her level and say NO when she hits or throws.

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Facts: She can count to ten all by herself and can name the numbers out-of-order if we switch them up.  She knows about half of her alphabet letters, but will not even try the colors.  Mike got her to say “red” the other day and she knew what colors her blocks were , but she doesn’t seem to want to go any further on that.  She loves to mimic and mock us now, so I will look over and she will be sitting exactly like I am, she will fold her arms and close her eyes for prayers, she started yelling out “Mike!” when I am yelling for Mike across the house.  We need to be careful!

Sleep Habits: She was doing so awesome and then…I feel like she went through a growth spurt or something because she is now not sleeping through the night.  She keeps screaming for water, her blanket, for me…anything to try to get me to come in the room.  It’s so crazy how it just started up.

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Doctors Visits:  Just her two-year old check up.  She was sick that day so we were able to get some antibiotics and it was gone in three days.  We have been laying low so that we can hang around Mike as much as possible. We have a dentist visit coming up too.  I’m curious what he/she says about her famous gap.

Eating Habits: Definitely the worst it has ever been.  She is so hit or miss.  She will eat breakfast and lunch, but then not dinner, but then will want to drink two glasses of milk.  But then the next day she won’t want breakfast, but will have a huge dinner.  It’s weird and from what I have been reading, totally normal. I started giving her vitamins to make me feel better about her nutrition.  The doctor says that her stats look good so not to worry, but I am up at night reading everything about it and stressing!

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Milestones: Officially counting to ten, walks up the stairs by herself, starting to learn the idea of a balance bike, waters my plants for me, feeds Barney for me, can identify many letters of the alphabet, sings and plays along to the stories and songs at story time, helps me clean up the blankets and pillows around the house, talking a lot more (unfortunately she is super shy, so it is mainly at home)….she is going to be a great help with the baby!

Looking Forward To: Seeing how she reacts when the little guy comes home from the hospital!

Baby #2: 30 Weeks!

  

  

How far along: 30 Weeks

Maternity clothes: Pretty much gym clothes..unless I have to go to church…then it’s a long dress or skirt.  I love my maternity jeans.
 Stretch marks: No. Still a miracle.
 Sleep:  Pretty good.  I’ve been sleeping really hard and having the craziest dreams.  I keep having teacher dreams where my classroom is out of control.  They never go away!!  Also, the problem is that I have a toddler who decided not to sleep through the night anymore, so I keep having to sleep in spurts to go calm her down and get her back to sleep.  I think working out every day during nap time has worn me out too. I seriously have gotten so tired the last week.  I usually pop out of bed ready to do chores, but find myself dragging a lot more in the morning.  It takes me at least two hours to get out the door.
 Best moment this week: The realization that this is going to happen soon. I think hitting the 30 mark makes it real. I can feel him kick more and more too.  I think he is running out of space in there, because I can see him moving around a lot now.
Miss anything: I miss a lot of things.  This time of year gets me so excited to travel and go to the beach and bike and run races and then I realize I can’t do any of that.  The thing is I know this is just temporary, so I don’t feel sorry for myself at all.  I love summertime.  It totally brings me back to the college days of trying to figure out what I was going to do for the summer and then going on my adventures.
Morning sickness: I’ve been very lucky. No morning sickness at all.  The only bad thing I have is heartburn.  Tums and I are friends.
Movement: Like I said, he is definitely moving a lot more now.  He is a night owl and is starting to get more aggressive with his kicks, especially if I am making him uncomfortable with the way I am sitting.  He gave me a few big kicks tonight to let me know he wanted to move.
Food cravings: Sweets. I’ve noticed this week though that I am not as hungry at night.  I chalk that up to not having any stomach space by the end of the day.
 Anything making you queasy or sick: I made some leftovers the other day and had to throw them out.  It seems just the thought of leftover food is gross to me.
Have you started to show yet: I still have people asking if I am due any day now.  I went to a baby shower last week with a few girls that were also pregnant and I was pretty much the largest one there.  Thank you short torso!
Gender prediction: Boy.  It still is so crazy to think a boy will be in our house! Ah!
Labor signs: He is super low so I don’t think I will ever know if he drops.  It looks like I am going a week earlier than my due date, so I may not even go through the labor signs like I did with Olivia.
Belly button in or out: Flat and weird.  I don’t think it can pop out, which is nice.
Wedding rings on or off: Off.
Happy or Moody most of the time: A lot happier now that I am getting a routine of working out and some normalcy at home.  Chicago really screwed things up emotionally, physically, and mentally for me, so it is nice to try to get things calm here.
Looking forward to:  I actually started pulling everything out and getting a hospital bag together.  I pretty much am nesting right now where I want to deep clean the whole house!  And I will!

Baby #2: 28 Weeks!

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If you look closely, you will see a smooshed baby face turned sideways and two little fists below the face….hello baby Luke!

How far along: 28 Weeks

Maternity clothes: I found some really long shirts at Kohl’s that I went a size up in that weren’t maternity and love them.  I also love yoga pants…a lot.  Maxi dresses, maternity jeans, maternity black pants, maxi skirts, long tank tops and shirts, and up-sized workout clothes are the way to go!
Stretch marks: No. Still a miracle.
Sleep:  Seeing that it is two in the morning as I type this, not so good.  Tonight the culprit was heartburn.  Other nights, it is usually Olivia and worrying about something dumb.
Best moment this week: The ultrasound, of course.  I seriously was stressing about it because we had a red flag on our last ultrasound, but everything was measuring great.  He is 2 pounds 11 ounces right now and dead on for all of the other stats!  Phew. I thought that the stress of the Chicago trip would have caused something!
Miss anything: I have boxes of clothes sitting behind me that cannot be worn.  I really missed the bike this week because of the beautiful weather.  I keep planning out my future races and workout routines for this fall. It gets me pumped!  I think I had such a bad attitude after having Olivia because I kept thinking in the back of my mind that I was just going to gain weight again, when I got pregnant again…not a good attitude by the way!
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(Another face shot.  Sideways. Ultrasounds are creepy.)
Morning sickness: I’ve been very lucky.  The unfortunate side effects for me are heartburn (like three hours later) and extreme hunger.  It is ridiculous. I’ll eat a meal and still feel hungry.
Movement: I actually can see my stomach move now.  He has some big kickers!  He loves to kick and move.  He switched positions this week from sideways to vertical.  It was so weird.  Now he is back to his feet on my left side and his head on my right.  He is sitting really low!
Food cravings: I was not this ravenous with Olivia.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not anymore.  Once the second trimester hit, I was okay.
Have you started to show yet: Of course.  People think I’m going to pop any second. Sleeping is super uncomfortable.  They didn’t measure my stomach, but I feel like I am measuring bigger.  I blame it on the fact that I had no core at the beginning of this pregnancy so all my belly fat is laying on top of him.
Gender prediction: Boy.  Mike was able to see the parts again during the ultrasound and congratulated him for staying a boy.
Labor signs: No. I was told that I will be having the baby a week earlier than expected.  I will find out a few weeks from now what my exact schedule will look like this last trimester.  So crazy that I am in the final stretch. We are not in as much of a hurry this time.  Hmm…I wonder why.
Belly button in or out: Flat and weird, as usual.
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The large kickers!
Wedding rings on or off: Off.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Let’s just say that I don’t hold back when it comes to what I think, when I am pregnant.  Little things bother me more than when I am normal, so I am quick to let people know what is on my mind.  Not sure that is a good thing.  I’ve been a lot happier the last few weeks because my mom has been here to cut me some breaks with Olivia when she is driving me bananas…and she is driving me bananas with her two year old ways!
Looking forward to:  Taking in as much time as possible with one child before the craziness of two kids enters my life!

Baby #2: Week 26!

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How far along: 26 Weeks

Maternity clothes: This is the largest I have ever been, even with Olivia, so I’ve had to be really creative.  I still wear a lot of gym clothes, but I found a few more maternity clothes while out and about with my mom.  I love how maxi dresses are in.
Stretch marks: No. It is a miracle. Do I think I will get them? Yes.
Sleep:  I’m hit or miss. Lately, it has been Olivia keeping me up, but little boy definitely likes to party at night while I am trying to sleep! Also, I get the worst cramps in my legs at night where I am paralyzed.  Sleeping is definitely an art with pillows between my legs and sitting up.
Best moment this week: I was sitting in a movie and he was having a good old-time kicking and moving.  This was the first time I actually saw my belly move.
Miss anything: Not gaining weight.  I did so well the first trimester and then it ended.  I miss biking a lot.  I miss running in 5K’s and training for races. I definitely miss my clothes. A lot. 
Morning sickness: I have been very fortunate to not have to deal with this! Unfortunately, I have to go get some dental work done, which really hurts and sucks so I count that towards the pain of morning sickness.
Movement: Oh ya, totally moving and kicking and I love it! 
Food cravings:  Everything.  Food is my enemy right now!
Anything making you queasy or sick: It’s weird, but the smell of Mike’s deodorant makes me kind of queasy.
Have you started to show yet: Yes.  I actually lie to people about when I am due because they give me this look like I am about to bust any minute.  I told a lady yesterday that I was due in June and she told me I was in for a long pregnancy.  Nice. (If you calculate, I am due mid-July.)
Gender prediction: Boy. I’ve had two people walk up to me on the street and say “you are having a boy, huh?”. I must be carrying him like a boy!  I didn’t know there was a certain way we carried the sex of the baby. I still think it’s an old wives tale.
Labor signs: No, but my belly seems to be getting lower.
Belly button in or out: Flat and weird and shows through when I wear white shirts.
Wedding rings on or off: Off.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody.  I am really defensive about people being in my personal space.  I also have this paranoia thing going on where I think people are trying to control me, even though they are just trying to be nice.  Seriously, pregnancy makes me so nuts.
Looking forward to:  Ultrasound next Monday where I can see him and see how he is doing! Nerve wracking, yet awesome at the same time!