Right now I am sort of propped up sideways on the couch with an ice pack on my head and a hot pack under my left hip, because I am a) pregnant and b) a million years old. I had an amazing newborn session this morning but newborn sessions are basically like an extended workout – squat down, lean over, sit, stand up, reach out, lean the other way, etc etc etc – and most of my recent workouts have ended when I leaned over far enough to reach the remote. I have not been an active pregnant lady this time and I already regret it.

Sunday:

Princess dress #1

Princess Dress #2 (and possibly the sign of the Illuminati???)

Princess Dress/Jammies #3 (COVERED IN PAINT STAINS I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT)

Monday:

Pop Tart Face (sign of a parent dealing with more than they can handle)

Typical trip to the grocery store

Dressed appropriately for my ultrasound

Tuesday:

Mark it on the calendar: this week is officially The Week Caroline Discovered Hairstyles

A visit to the maternity ward for someone who wasn’t me

I miiiiight have a slight problem with blankets/props/wraps for newborns

Wednesday:

Even her “baby suit” is princess themed. DEDICATION.

The Day Evan Learned To Swim (and also balance on a foam duck)

The Day The Kids Learned You Can Get Icees Somewhere Other Than Target

Thursday:

It was crazy hair day at school, This was as crazy as he wanted to get.

So many animal friends

Bruno Mars was kind of terrifying on Sesame Street

Friday:

Best friends

Puppet show

Cuddle time

Saturday:

Ballet for Caroline, iPad for Evan

Totally unimpressed with these “flowers”

Actual, real hair cut. He looks 12 now.

After mainlining the whole first season of The Americans, I’m pretty convinced that everyone I know is secretly a spy. But luckily my only secret is how many boxes of Girl Scout cookies I’ve eaten today. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll totally kill anyone who reveals that number, but I don’t think it’s going to undermine national security.

I can’t believe it’s March.

I think it snowed again this week. I mean, it probably did. It never does anything else.

Sunday:

He’s a pro at iPading

This is basically every Sunday around here

Monday:

Dinosaur House

Sleeping dolls in a box are kind of creepy

I have this photo from every day. Caroline requests it.

Tuesday:

Let it go, let it go!

Snow in the house because I am the coolest mom

Naps for everyone!

Wednesday:

BACK TO SCHOOL

I hate youuuuuuuuuuu

She’s finally getting real hair instead of baby hair

Face in the water!

Thursday:

She insisted on helping

Singing at the school potluck

Twins

Friday:

Someone put herself down for a nap at 11 am

The dog hates thunderstorms, so she was helping him not be scared

DuckTales WOO OOO

Saturday:

So much chowder at the Chowder Cook Off (that’s clam/corn/sweet potato and spicy seafood)

SUPER EXCITED to be outside WITHOUT A COOOOOOAT

E’s new favorite place

It was 50 degrees this weekend and I got an adequate amount of vitamin D for the first time in months. Unfortunately all the out-and-about on Saturday was a lot on my poor pregnant hips so Sunday I just lay on the couch. Well, after laundry and cleaning and a baby’s 6 months mini-session. But BESIDES that, I took a really nice nap.

My 20 week ultrasound is Monday afternoon. It will be a test of my willpower if I can still report on Tuesday morning that we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl. Considering how my willpower fared against 20 different kinds of chowder on Saturday (very poorly) I’m not totally hopeful.

Today’s surprising news: I’m not dead! I was certain I was about to be dead most of the weekend, thanks to the fountain of snot both coming out of my head and totally blocking my sinuses. If you’ve ever tried to use a netti pot and had the water come out your eye balls, you know why I was convinced of certain death. Today I am both not dead and well enough to be both hungry and bored, which is my normal state.

Sunday:

The most amusing game of duck, duck, goose I’ve ever witnessed.

Dinosaur heaven

Princess Anna give epic side-eye on House of Lies

Monday:

Totally obsessed with her veggiesaurus

My internet girlfriend/wife/best friend sent me a present. I did not share.

Signing his own valentine’s is HARD

Tuesday:

OMG THEY ACTUALLY HAD A SCHOOL DAY

This is the laundry chair, where I put the clean laundry. PLEASE NOTICE THE LACK OF LAUNDRY SITTING ON THE CHAIR.

In my next house, there will be separate tubs for children and relaxing

Wednesday:

Looking for Neverland

It’s the moooost wonderful tiiiiiiime of the yeeeeeear!!!

E finally got to eat his birthday cake

Thursday:

That iPad has totally paid for itself is mornings they did this instead of wake me up

The only family member still excited about snow

Snow days are exhausting

Friday:

The inmates are running the asylum.

CABIN FEVER

3 year old bath toes are cuter than mine

Saturday;

Trying to remember what a day WITHOUT snow looks like

If I HAD to be sick and unable to get off the couch, at least I picked the weekend House of Cards was released to do it.

Blushes judges me, but I finished season 2!

Today my goal is a) brush my hair and b) leave the house. I got (a) done at noon and I’m hoping to get (b) accomplished by going to see The Lego Movie later. Then maybe I can tackle harder things like “make dinner” or “unload the dishwasher”. I’m not pushing myself.

I sort of can’t believe that a week ago we were in Ohio. It’s amazing how easy it is to forget the change in our routine after a few days of normalcy. I think that’s why coming home from vacations are so rough – once you’re in your own house a couple nights the time away doesn’t feel real anymore. One of these days I’ll go on a real vacation and then tell you if that theory holds up.

Sunday:

Obsessed with her Aunt Kristi’s ponies

Cousins love the same thing: juice boxes and iPads

A Star Wars/Transformers battle at Bob Evans

Monday:

Toddlers don’t understand sitting quietly during a serious occasion, so we read this book 1000 times instead

Checking out the competition for Grandma and Grandpa’s attention

Tuesday:

Pennsylvania

New York

Connecticut

Wednesday:

Snow dog loves the snow

Snow cream and movies on a snow day

Mommy take a picture of us cuddles!

Thursday:

Waiting for the bus selfies

Cuphead is stalking you

Being adorable

Friday:

OMG U GUISE, ANOTHER ICE AGE! WE’RE DOOOOOMED!

At least she thinks a sink full of dishes is adorable

Snow White had a long week

Saturday:

Oh well that’s not going to give me nightmares.

First day of ballet class

Buying essentials.

Today we are introducing Evan to the Star Wars movies. It’s basically the best plan ever, since we’ve bought ourselves an entire day of sitting on the couch with only occasional interruptions to explain that Han is definitely going to be OK even though he’s frozen or that they’re called “light sabers” not “life savers”. The day would be almost perfect if we weren’t out of jelly beans.

Caroline finally has her 3 year checkup tomorrow so I can see if she’s grown as much as I think she has. I’m not looking forward to the screaming while she has her shots part but afterwards we can get milkshakes so we’ll both feel better. Plus the baby loves milkshakes. Smart baby.

Besides announcing I was pregnant, I haven’t blogged much about potential ginger baby #3. I don’t want him/her to read my blog some day (originally documented to record literally every single thought I had about my first pregnancy/baby/Baby Evan from the second I got a positive on the stick) and think he/she wasn’t as wanted. I just don’t have a desk job, unlimited internet and 24 hours a day to think about nothing but BABY BABY BABY BABY anymore. In my mother’s day, this shows up in the fact that I have 3+ photo albums of my childhood, my sister has 2, and my brother has…almost 1.  Today you are less heavily featured on social media. 2014, baby!

Before I wrote this, I had to find an online calculator that would tell me how pregnant I was based on my due date. I’ve been saying “Uh…15ish weeks?” for a while now, since I lost a week based on the measurements at my first ultrasound and I keep forgetting to subtract it and I can’t remember which day I flip over to the next week. Plus I’m assuming the end of the pregnancy will be as miserable as the last one (quick recap: tons of pain, kidney stones, surgery, kidney infections, pre-eclampsia, induction) and I’ll probably be induced again. If I was a character on Downton Abbey this wouldn’t end well. Thank God for my modern medicine and weekly check ups – it helps to know they’re keeping a close watch on me. To sum up that rambling: Not sure when I’ll have this kid, probably July.

I had my second doctor’s appointment yesterday with one of the midwives. Everything is entirely normal, despite the fact that I got my first talking-to about how much weight I’ve gained/might potentially gain. I don’t actually know my starting weight OR my current weight – I had hoped it wouldn’t be an issue at all but I don’t think I’m going to be that lucky. I’m surprised though – besides an endless craving for McDonald’s bacon, egg and cheese biscuits (a horrible craving, since I can only get them in the morning and I mostly want them at 9 pm) I haven’t been eating much or badly. My nausea has kept me from pulling the “PREGNANT! TIME FOR ALL THE FOODS!” card. I’ve been getting to the gym as much or even more than I was pre-pregnancy. I’m not sure what else I am supposed to do so I only gain a couple more pounds in the next 25 weeks (stop eating? take up marathon running???) so I’m going to just let my perfect blood work and amazing blood pressure make me feel better.

On a less complainy note, we’re not finding out if it’s a boy or a girl. I have one of each, so I have stuff for each (and really, is there anything for babies that HAS to be either/or? No, there is not) and I like the idea of being surprised. E doesn’t care. I’m shocked he doesn’t care, but he really doesn’t, at all, not a bit, zero percent. I thought I might have to talk him into waiting but he was totally on board. I think he thinks it will keep me from buying a lot of baby stuff and he might be right. So far I haven’t been tempted to change my mind, but that hasn’t prevented GUESSING. Currently I guess girl, but that changes fairly regularly. I never thought I’d be a person who didn’t find out, since I figured I’d always have a preference (no matter how slight) and I’d want time to accept and get used to the idea. But this time I really don’t care. Caroline says it’s a girl we should name “Caroline Baby Jesus” and Evan says it’s a boy we should name “Diny” (short for Dinosaur) and they like the idea of being surprised when the baby comes out too. Although my poor kids have no idea what getting a new sibling really means, so boy/girl won’t be their ONLY surprise.