Sunday:

Why even bother to post the rest of my pics when this one CLEARLY wins?

Caroline got dressed up to attend a friend's birthday party.

It took him a while, but Little Evan figured out how to blow through the noisemaker to make a noise. Sadly, it "broke" and had to be thrown away.

Monday:

On our way to Stroller Strides! Little Evan actually says "Soller Siiiides!" now when you ask him if he wants to go. It's super cute.

I got two boxes for Valentine's Day. The one from my husband contained these beautiful purples roses (my favorite, and the kind we had at the wedding)...

...and the one from my doctor contained a giant orange jug for me to pee in. Very romantic.

Tuesday:

I packed some books to read at the pediatrician. We've moved past basic board books and I could not BE more excited.

I got some awesome mail. Uff Da and BH&G!

Solo Target trip! It took ALL my willpower not to buy the blue & white cow. I already have TWO of the plain white ones.

Wednesday:

We met some friends at the extrememly uncrowded aquarium for a playdate. That's Little Evan & an employee standing by the most popular exhibit.

Evan has discovered stickers. The end.

Thursday:

See the time? 9:00 am. That's what time it was when I got to Stroller Strides, a full 15 minutes early, even with 2 kids.

ROCKET MAN

I cleaned out the freezer & threw away the 2 year old breastmilk. This is just what I've pumped since December 20th.

Friday:

Helping me vacuum the bedroom

This is the picture I tweeted @MarthaStewart for her blog when she asked for baby pics. We'll see if Caroline shows up there on Monday!

The yarn I bought for our ribwarmer knit-a-long play group. I'm obsessed with it.

This was my desk when I was a kid. It's been in our basement for years - my parents threatened to throw it out - so I finally dragged it out for Evan. I think he likes it.

Saturday:

One more time at Stroller Strides. Caroline sleeps through all the classes.

A little trip to JoAnn's for some 2nd birthday party supplies

It was a pretty busy week & I definitely felt it. I wish I could sleep for a week. E actually has a FOUR day weekend so the chances of getting a nap in the next couple of days is pretty high. YAY!!

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s. It’s really fun!

Sunday:

We all spent some time on our laptops

And watched the Superbowl. Little Evan wasn't so sure about the half-time show. My (unpopular) opinion was it was way better than the last few years.

Monday:

We played a little 7 am pajama hockey

And we made it back to Stroller Strides for the first time since I had Caroline!

I had an OB appointment across from where I used to work. Doesn't it look super depressing? Makes me glad I don't have to go there anymore.

Tuesday:

We made it to Stroller Strides AGAIN! No one tell Little Evan these things move if you put money in, OK?

It wouldn't be a weekly round-up without a lying-on-the-dog picture.

Wednesday:

Stroller Strides! Aren't you totally in love with that blanket? It's Bird E Studios (@simplerika on Twitter). I won a credit to her shop & this is what I ordered.

3 days of Stroller Strides really wore me out, so we had a little lie-down during Evan's naptime.

At the yarn shop for Knit Night. I did almost no knitting because of a cranky baby but it was nice to socialize.

Thursday:

Skipped SS for some Target shopping for E's birthday present. That toy Evan is holding has enterained him for 3 full days.

Fuzzy hat!

I had a very productive nap time, making tutus...

...and doing a little knitting.

Friday:

Play time with Friend A after Stroller Strides.

Adorable onesie made by the adorable @lifeversiontwo

Sushi + antsy toddler = HUGE mess. It wasn't a very relaxing meal but it was delicious.

Saturday:

Westerly, RI. I took Caroline down for some photos with Kade (who did our family maternity shoot) but she screamed the WHOLE time.

Car window shot of Foxwoods Casino - I drive past on my way to RI. I miss the days when we were cool enough to go there.

McDonald's made their milkshakes all fancy. But they taste the same.

E enjoying his new Kinect. It takes pictures of you while you play. That you can put online, say, perhaps on a blog.

Did you count? That was FOUR days at Stroller Strides. I could barely walk by the evenings but felt good enough to go again the mornings. I WILL be able to do more than zero sit-ups by the end of March.

Did you take any camera phone photos this week? Link up with one or lots using the linky below and grab the code (so it shows on your blog too!) over at Amy’s. It’s really fun!

Wednesday.

Win: Caroline went to bed at 11 and slept until almost 5 (then snacked and went back to sleep). I felt very well rested.

Lose: I was so sore from Stroller Strides on Tuesday I couldn’t straighten my legs properly. It feels like tiny gnomes are stabbing me in the calves with knitting needles.

Win: Evan let me change and dress him without kicking me in the face.

Lose: Evan refused to eat anything for breakfast, choosing instead to sob into the open refrigerator demanding more more more…something. I packed extra goldfish in my diaper bag.

Win: We make it to Stroller Strides (again!) on time.

Lose: I still cannot do one single sit-up during the abs part of class. Not. Even. One.

Win: Gymboree is having a FANTASTIC sale and I had a 20% off coupon. Little Evan will be sporting some absolutely fantastic plaid pants in a couple months.

Lose: Caroline thought Gymboree sucked and expressed her displeasure by screeching like a rabid hyena.

Win: I found a comfy semi-private spot in the play area to nurse the baby while Little Evan played on the slide.

Lose: Little Evan got bored with the slide after about 20 seconds and took off running into the mall. I managed to flash at least eight people, squirt milk all over my shirt, almost drop Caroline, trip on the stroller and lose a breast pad while trying to chase him down.

Win: A nice mom grabbed him and brought him back because she felt bad for me. Or maybe she was just tired of looking at my boob.

Lose: I had to wrangle TWO screaming children into their coats, into the stroller and through the mall wearing a soaking wet t-shirt. Even a deaf person could have heard us.

Win: Little Evan was so exhausted from our morning he willing ate tuna fish for lunch and then slept for 3 hours.

Double win: Caroline and I napped on the couch.

Lose: It’s 9:30 and I am SO EXHAUSTED I want to cry, but there is no way I’m going to get to bed until 11 and I’ll be up again at 5. For at least the next SIX MONTHS.

I need a vacation.

I learned some lessons on round 1 of the baby ride, especially when it came to baby gear. We bought stuff we liked, we bought stuff we hated, we bought stuff that seemed unnecessary but is OMG VITALLY IMPORTANT and we bought stuff that seemed VITALLY IMPORTANT but ended up being useless.

I discovered a “co-sleeper” is just a  fancy word for “$150 bassinet” and if you plan to actually sleep with the baby you can save yourself $150.

The high chair I thought was very very necessary is collecting dust in the dining room while the clamp-on Phil & Ted’s chair I thought was probably a huge waste of money gets used 3x a day.

Nursery bedding sets are a joke. Buy a pack of 3 fitted sheets. The end.

If your baby hates tummy time, there is no tummy time mat on the planet that will convince them they don’t.

Sometimes a $7 umbrella stroller is all you need – and sometimes spending $400 on a car seat is totally worth it.

But if there was one most important lesson I learned, it’s to READ THE REVIEWS and LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS when it comes to baby stuff. If someone on the internet says “Hey, this high chair had a bunch of pieces fall off after a few weeks” they’re probably not making that up. And when your friend says “My kid REALLY loves that Sophie giraffe teether thing” you should stop balking at the $21 price tag and just BUY ONE. So when it comes to the stuff we’re going to need for round 2, I’m not spending a single cent until I get some advice from you.

We need a crib. Eventually. After Baby Sandy starts sleeping in 4 hour chunks of time, outgrows the co-sleeper and I decide I need my bed back. I’m thinking Ikea – they seem pretty well liked, I don’t think they’ve had any major recalls, and some even convert to toddler beds.

Advice needed #1: Does anyone own an Ikea crib they love? Or hate?

We need at least one double stroller. Probably two. I want a side-by-side jogger for Stroller Strides and in case I ever actually, you know, jog. Plus I want a tandem double for regular use, like at the mall or the aquarium or walking around the neighborhood. Since I’m not really interested in the jogging part, my plan is to buy a used side-by-side cheap (like really cheap, like probably from my friend Sarah for $20)(if she still has it)(Hey Sarah, I still want your jogger) and invest in a tandem.

Advice needed #2: Does anyone have a tandem double stroller they love? Or hate? My top choices so far are the Baby Jogger City Select, the (much more afforable) Kolcraft Contour Options Tandem II, the Phil & Teds Inline, or the Uppa Baby VISTA with the doubles kit. Advice on the brands in general is also welcome.

And I think we need another glider/rocking chair. The glider in Baby Evan’s nursery was such a last-minute decision – I had resisted buying one, mostly because the ones at Babies’R’Us seemed so expensive – but it gets used more than any other piece of baby equipment except for the crib. Our current glider is from Target. It is…functional. I mean, the arms are really loose and one of them keeps coming unattached and several screws seem to have fallen out and it squeaks a lot and it doesn’t recline so you can’t really sleep in it. But it still rocks. I guess we’ve gotten our money’s worth in the last 18 months.

Advice needed #3: PLEASE recommend your glider. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it can be. I learned my lesson when it comes to cheap chairs.

That’s it. Unless you have an absolute favorite baby item you cannot live without and want to recommend. Especially if it’s the sort of thing that helped you survive life with TWO children. Because I’m more than willing to take advice.

Since becoming a  stay-at-home-baby-incubator/stay-at-home-mother/both I’ve experienced every possible emotion regarding my work/lack of work/OMG SO MUCH WORK, ranging from incredible joy to mind-numbing frustration.

This is the best job in the world, why would I EVER want to do something else?!

God staying home is boring. How many years until kindergarten?

I love spending every second of every day with Baby Evan!

This one-income thing SUCKS. Maybe daycare would be worth looking into.

What do you mean I don’t “WORK”. YOU THINK THIS ISN’T WORK!?!?

I don’t think these feelings are the least bit unusual. It’s a rare person who is always happy with every second of their work or home life, even if they’re doing something they love. You don’t even have to be a mom to have days when your job feels pointless and frustrating and you think you must be missing out on something really awesome, some calling that would make you happy every day, some magical fantastic occupation that other people have but you do not. Dissatisfaction is part of the human condition and our ability to imagine how much BETTER things could be sometimes gets in the way of remember how much WORSE things could be.

You know what cures a good old-fashioned case of the woe-is-me’s? Doing good.

This weekend, I spent a few hours helping set up, working at, and breaking down a tag sale my friend April organized as a fundraiser for the Women’s Center of South Eastern Connecticut. It’s part of her Mommies on a Mission initiative, encouraging members of our Luna Mom’s Club to volunteer their time and talents for good causes, which she runs in addition to owning the Stroller Strides franchise, raising her two kids AND being a dedicated Navy wife. (April is kind of amazing. OK, REALLY amazing.) We raised over $800 in cash plus donations of women’s and children’s clothing for families who have been displaced due to domestic violence and need a new start. It’s amazing that you can turn a bunch of old junk into that kind of support with just a few volunteers and a Saturday morning. Playing just a small part in that good deed has given me the warm-fuzzies all weekend. Now I understand why so many otherwise unemployed housewives run charity events/foundations/galas/raffles. Those ladies-who-lunch are really onto something, even if I still can’t help making fun of their oh-no-my-maid-forgot-to-iron-the-sheets type problems.

I actually can’t wait for our next mission so I can get that happy, satisfied feeling of helping someone else again. Even if you don’t have time to organize or volunteer at an in-person event, doing good can brighten your outlook:

Jill from Baby Rabies’ #helpSam fundraiser reached an incredible total of over $9,000 in 3 weeks, thanks to the generosity of some great companies, bloggers and random internet strangers. I spent an afternoon tweet-spamming every celebrity and semi-celebrity I could think of and knowing I helped just a teeny tiny bit brought me to tears when I saw the incredible video Sam’s family created as a thank you.The giveaways are closed but the Paypal account remains open and donations are always appreciated.

Raising Madison is currently running a fundraiser for Keegan, an 8 month old with Medulloblastoma. She’s got some incredible companies on board (hello, who doesn’t want an ERGO?) and not a huge number of entries so PLEASE go over take a look. Just $5 is enough to help make a difference.

The March of Dimes is always accepting donations to make sure all babies are born healthy and full-term. Our team raised $3,000 during our March for Babies back in April and I loved every second of that damp, muddy walk. I’m already looking forward to next year’s event and would encourage everyone to find a walk in their area.

If you know of any other current fundraisers or causes, please link them in the comments. I would love to bring any attention I can to more people who are trying to live by the rule that small deeds make a world of difference.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead

One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.
-Henry David Thoreau

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
-Mahatma Gandhi