Great news!

This news has been out for a while, but not on our blog, so here it is: I'm pregnant! The baby is due August 16th (Or August 14th, according to my doctor, not that it matters!).

Elise is hoping for a boy. Lydia was originally hoping for a baby sister, until Elise converted her with this logic: If we have 2 little brothers, then we can play princesses and have a prince for each of us! Poor Tyler and his hypothetical brother! Except that I'm pretty sure Ty would LOVE to have a brother, and probably wouldn't mind the princely role either. I'm very wishy-washy about what I would prefer, and I haven't felt any intuition either way. Mike is sure this one's a girl. Want to know how I know? The other day he started a sentence like this: "When we find out what she is..."

I am feeling pretty good lately. For the first couple of months of the pregnancy I felt yucky - stomach churning pretty much all day. That has gone away, and now I am just extra tired. Sometimes I nap in the afternoon, but more often I sit and stare listlessly at blogs and Facebook in lieu of a nap. Stupid!

An awesome side effect of pregnancy: healthy things are SO appealing. Fruit, vegetables, water, regular Cheerios instead of sugar cereal! I eat fresh pineapple until my mouth hurts. Today I ate 3 bowls of pureed butternut squash soup*.

Even weirder: suddenly I have the ability to eat sweets in moderation. Where did that come from? Usually I can't help but eat all the candy and baked goods in sight, and you would think pregnancy would only make it worse, but get this: I had Valentine candy (chocolate!) still sitting on my counter when February ended. I don't think that has ever happened to me.

*How to make Butternut Squash Soup (Andrea, correct me if I'm making it wrong, and thanks for the idea)
Cube up a butternut squash**, and put it in a pot. Add enough chicken broth (or water/bouillon) to cover the squash. Boil until the squash is soft. Pour the contents of the pot into a blender, and puree. Return to the pot, add a little dash of cayenne, and maybe some black pepper. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired (I didn't have any and it was still so yummy).

**Out of curiosity I looked up the nutritional information for butternut squash. I found out that a cup of cubed butternut squash has 457% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A. I probably ate 3x that. Then I found out that excessive Vitamin A causes birth defects. I freaked out. Then I found out that the "Vitamin A" in vegetables is actually beta carotene, which does NOT cause birth defects. I calmed down. The end.