Our Fruity Chocolate Monster

At 18 weeks, you're as big as a large bell pepper and weigh as much as a chicken breast (I hope your aunt Genevieve is not thinking up some recipe with bell pepper and chicken breast now).

You're sucking and swallowing, and you might even be able to yawn and hiccup now (Daddy and I would kill to see you do any of these things on the next ultrasound). "What to Expect" says that you might even be able to taste what I eat!! I hope that spicy hot pot the other night didn't shock you too much.

Speaking of food, many people have asked if I have any strange cravings, and I think my answer bores them. The truth is, I don't really crave anything in particular. I still (dis)like the things I've always (dis)liked. Perhaps you simply like what Mommy feeds you, huh?! Let's just hope it stays this way after you're born too.

I have, however, noticed a few changes in my food preference.

What's surprising is that I'd occasionally want some chocolate now and, since Mommy didn't use to deliberately want chocolate before, that must mean that you like it (Actually, I shouldn't be surprised. You are, after all, your Daddy's son). Oh, your aunt Lisa will be very proud too when she reads this because I think it bugged her that Mommy didn't like chocolate (you see, your aunt Lisa has absolutely zero self-control when it comes to chocolate. I mean, uncle Scottie had to hide a whole box of chocolate once just so she wouldn't shove it all down at once). Since you took residence in my belly, however, Daddy has come home and found me sitting in front of the TV with a tub of Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream (Oh~ that was a Kodak moment for preggers). When I went out for lunch with a friend the other day, I finished a big thing of chocolate milk shake all by myself (with whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top) and felt very happy.

Another thing I've.. we've been eating A LOT is fruit. I mean, by myself, I eat a lot of fruit already. With you, and this is not a joke, I'm eating double the amount. I once finished a whole bag of plums (there must have been 8-10 of them) in one setting. My colleagues who witnessed the whole thing were simply stunned. A couple of days ago, I single-handedly finished a chunk of a large watermelon (like the one in the picture) all by myself. Daddy had... oh... maybe 2 bite-size pieces. On average, aside from the 3 major meals, we eat fruit throughout the day. "A giant fruit salad" has also been the first thing on my mind some mornings.

Mmmm.... what else what else?! Ah! Dairy products! Not so much cheese per se, but definitely milk and yogurt (fruity yogurt too... yum!).

I enjoy the fact that you like chocolate and fruit 'cause that truly shows you're a combination of Daddy and me. You're our little fruity chocolate monster. Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!