can you compare pregnancies?

my belly at 36 weeks with Clara!

I am about a week away from giving birth to our second baby...and this whole pregnancy I have been comparing the experience with my first pregnancy. I've heard that every pregnancy is a unique experience, as is every delivery, as is every child.  And I couldn't agree more (well, with the pregnancy part anyway.)  Of course, I've treated these two pregnancies very differently.  With Clara is was ZERO caffeine...not even a sip...and as many organic foods as we could afford (I was hardcore).  With this little dude I've had a few sodas, a few coffees and a few teas...probably zero organic foods....and I never once worked out.  Whoops. 

Here are some others things:

Food Cravings:  
Clara:  I couldn't eat enough oranges.  Craved them hardcore for months.
Baby:  Not any one thing in particular.  One day I will have a hankering for sorbet, the next day I can't focus on anything until I eat a handful of Swedish fish.  But that is kindof like my real life when I'm not pregnant too.

Food aversions:
Clara:  Veggies.  Couldn't stand the thought of them for the first and second trimesters.  Ugh. 
Baby:   Veggies...for the first trimester...but even now that they don't make me puke, I have to force myself to eat them.

Skin changes:
Clara: my skin was wacky with frequent breakouts.
Baby: my skin was delicious for months...and then it became crazy red/dry/irritated - which has resolved with serious skin care product alterations (I started using Cetafil products...it's way better now.)

Stretch marks:
Clara: nada.
Baby.  ugh.  A couple right above my belly button...about 1 inch long...not excited.  But whatever.

Facial alterations:
Clara: my body got so swollen the contours of my face were altered...and the pictures of me just before having her and for a couple weeks after her birth the pictures of me don't look anything like me...and it wasn't just facial chub...my nose and eye sockets...distortion or something.
Baby: I may have a more pronounced double chin these days...eh.  I think I look the same (so does my hubs.)


Weight gain:
Clara: I gained just below 40 lbs (just over the 25 - 35 lbs recommended weight gain)  I gained 6 pounds in the last week of that pregnancy, alone!!
Baby: So far only 22 lbs...but I still have a week and a couple days to go...so we'll see.

Energy:
I can't comment on this...No recollection.  I'm tired.  I'm always tired.  It's either the fact I continue to be mildly anemic, or residency, or pregnancy, or a combo? 

Sleep:
Clara: I had a hard time sleeping during that entire pregnancies.  Almost every night was interupted several times with bathroom breaks or uncomfortable positioning.  I had to sleep with a special pillow no less...and remember how uncomfortable it was.
Baby: There are a few nights here and there where I will get up to go to the bathroom....but for the MOST part, I've been sleeping oh so soundly every single night.

Nesting/Obsessing:
Clara: I thought about Clara's arrival day and night during the entire pregnancy.  I obsessed about getting her nursery together, buying the safest baby products, and having everything "ready."
Baby: I can honestly say that I spent this pregnancy still thinking about Clara day and night...does that sound awful?  Clara has been the center of my universe for the past couple years...it's only feels natural to continue to revolve around her.  I would think about this little guy too...but it wasn't anywhere near the obsession I had with my first pregnancy.  We've sortof gathered the stuff together to bring this little guy home...washed the goods with Dreft...bought some newborn diapers...and got a double stroller.  Oh...and I spent the day sterilizing bottles.