5 AM

5 AM is a strange hour. We've all met it for some reason or another, and some more frequently than others. You wake to find the moonlight swimming through the sky, merrily tossing long pale rays through windows and doors and dreaming that its rays could reach in to lap sleep from the eyes of the slumbering soul like its undeniably brighter counterpart. Indeed, its silent efforts are seen by few. Those who wake by moonlight in the summertime are not hastened on their course by its gentle hand, but wake against the silence of a world that would lull them back to sleep.

These days I am most grateful if I can wake only once or twice during the night, rather than seven or eight times, so waking at 5 AM after six hours of sleep seems strangely restful, despite that my body is now the ever depleted garden in which two tiny souls are growing. During the day I munch on gummy vitamins to supplement my prenatal so that I can get a bit more nourishment. My fridge is constantly stocked with fresh fruit of every kind: melons, orchard fruit, berries, tropical fruits and more. It's my constant craving. I often wish that I craved more salads, but alas, spring greens and spinach, while ranking high above fried foods, are the least on my list of pleasant foods at the moment.

With a much smaller pharmaceutical selection these days, I am most grateful for the following items that have helped me navigate the otherwise challenging waters of pregnancy:

• Zofran - or the generic version. It helped me survive morning sickness, and I have now been off for a solid week!
• Senna - to counteract the less-than-desirable effects of Zofran (plums and similar items are most helpful, too).
• Saline spray - when I wake unable to breathe, this is far better than an antihistamine (forbidden) these days.
• Tylenol - I had ruled this out as a qualified pain killer, but it has come in handy a time or two.
• My sister - After an ultrasound on my gallbladder, two bottles of tums (salicyliates forbidden), and a Dr's visit, my sister told me she'd had the same problem I was having and told me I needed something to coat my stomach while pregnant.
• Carafate - Ahhhh. Alas, relief from stomach pain! This lovely baby-safe glue coats my stomach like a shield. It could mend at last! Sucrafate does the same, according to the nice pharmacist man. No more jalapenos, broccoli, or Indian food for a while... :(
• Two showers a day - for the workout I seem to be doing by merely sitting in a chair. Who knew I had sweat glands that work when I am not hitting the gym?
• Dr. Pepper - because Rx migraine meds and babies don't mix, and it tastes yummy, too.