RIP, February (but not really.)

Dear February,

You may have Valentine's Day and an extra slot on the calendar this year, what with the whole keeping-our-seasons-in-alignment and whatnot, but I'm still beyond glad to see you come to an end.

I hate to play favorites, or, in this case, anti-favorites, but you are by far the month I struggle most with.  Pregnant or no, I yearly find myself feeling most lethargic, most impatient, and the closest to touching a darkness I very seldom feel. 

I miss the sun.  I miss the smell of green grass and the vibrancy of the air.  I miss being warm and bare toes.  I'm tired of sweaters, socks, coats and runny noses and hand sanitizer.  I'm tired of being tantalizingly close to spring without actually being able to reach out and touch it.  I never lament that you're the shortest month, and I slightly resent this extra day. 

So, dear February, don't take it personally.  We can't all be winners; someone has to come in last in every race.  It is time to fade into obscurity and let the brighter light of March shine.  And, as I always am at this time of year, I'm grateful that we won't meet again for another 365 days. 

See ya then,

Not your biggest fan

Dear elements: Stop ruining my photo shoot.

Okay, so I know it's February.  And I know it's Colorado.  But I waited for a day where the weather was supposed to be above freezing and the sun was supposed to make an appearance. 

I mean, come on!  I tried to get pregnant at a time when the weather would accommodate cute pictures... throw me a bone!

The nearly 50-degree weather that was predicted never actually materialized.  What we got instead was cloudy skies and a very chilly wind coming off the lake that made it very difficult to smile, seeing as our eyes were watering and our teeth chattering.

No matter which way we tried... it didn't seem to get us out of the cold.

We even tried again with the coats on...

...but there was just no relief from that darn wind.

Overall, Leah enjoyed herself,

and we ultimately got what we came for.

Even if it wasn't quite the picture perfect moment I had in mind. 

Hello, world.  Welcome to our family of four.

Everybody's bakin' something

I think that Leah will grow up to be a chef. 

Maybe this is just my pipe dream because, well, let's face it: one of my most favorite things in the world to do is eat (is that sad?  Somehow I can't bring myself to think so.). 

Either way, the girl is awfully cute when she gets going in her Chef uniform and her kitchen.

And even though my last few posts haven't really centered around her, make no mistake: she is still the most amazing thing in my world.  

She's definitely becoming a two year old, and all that that implies.  We've seen some very new sides of her over the past few weeks.  And new phrases like, "Want it NOW!" accompanied by full on fit throwing.  It leaves me wondering, where do they get this stuff?!  I can say with total certainty that I have never used these words in front of her. 

Do they spontaneously generate it?  Is it part of the initiation into the two year old's club? 

On the other hand, it's still neat to see the incredible ways she is developing.  As usual, she is pretty crazy with her words.  She is now into complete sentences, and her conversations are becoming so much more than single or double word ideas with Mommy filling in the blanks.  She's got it all pretty well down. 

She counts to ten without any prompting.  She sings lyrics to songs, and even has a decent sense of carrying a tune.  She has somewhat well-developed imaginative play times that involve role playing her day, or, of course, cooking.  She is still a great helper.  She names her animals and is very emphatic about everyone using them correctly too. 

I'm glad we still have six months before she has to become a member of the big sister brigade, because I think we've all got some work to do before then.  That said, I can't wait to see the lovely little person she'll become once we get there.

Saturday used to be for date night.

It's okay to go to bed at 7:30 on a Saturday, right?

It's not out of boredom, or because we simply don't have anything better to do.  It's not because we didn't get invited to any good parties this week.  It's not like I'm ashamed of the fact that I start yawning shortly after 7 p.m.

It's more like, hallelujah, I made it to 7:30! while doing a little raise-the-roof action with my arms.

One difference I've observed about being a second-timer on this whole pregnancy business is that the narcolepsy I so enjoyed the first time 'round hasn't kicked in.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm not exhausted.  I still am.  With gusto (which is ironic, since I haven't had the energy for gusto in weeks, but moving on...).

Evidently, though, my brain isn't able to shut down as well as it did the first time.  I think it must have something to do with that whole already being responsible for another human being thing.  It just keeps your brain ticking.

And, at the risk of oversharing, last pregnancy I woke up every morning at 3 a.m. like clockwork because I had to tinkle.  It was perfect timing, because it left me plenty of time to hit the sack before my alarm went off at 5.  I was such a zombie that I could sleep-pee, a fact I'm actually quite proud of.  I think it deserves some kind of stupid-human-trick medal or something.

This time, not only can I not sleep-pee, I also wake up an hour later.  Knowing I have to get up at 5 for work makes it pretty much impossible to go back to sleep.  So, in addition to the fact that falling asleep is more ellusive, I've taken to getting up at 4 am pretty much every day. 

It's not my favorite pregnancy trick ever, but I know it's worth it.

12 Weeks

Baby size: Plum

Weight gain: -1 pound

12 weeks brings another doctors appointment, and although we were hoping to get to see an ultrasound, our doc was able to find that strong little heartbeat right away.  Really it's a blessing, but Casey and I were both just a touch disappointed.

I'm definitely excited that this will be my last post in the first trimester.  Every time we go to the doctor, I feel a little like I'm supposed to take a test but I haven't studied... in other words, there's a nervousness that I'm not going to pass. 

I know from experience that feeling fades, especially as the first trimester comes to an end.  Although I also know it will more than likely be replaced by other anxieties since, well, I am me after all. 

Overall, though, I really can't complain.  It's been a super easy first trimester, just like it was with Leah.  Although I've definitely had my days of not feeling the greatest, I'm so lucky in that I can always keep food down.  It might have even been easier this time around, because I already knew that I could do it and I had some proven strategies for fighting off those yuckies. 

Two more weeks, and we're that much closer to "in the clear." 

And it has been decided (by the former Pumpkin) that this baby shall be called Peanut.  I like it, and it won Big Sister's vote, so it works for me!

We love you, Peanut!

Yep. We're still here.

The stomach flu.  Parent teacher conferences.  First trimester sleepies.  Husband out of town for a week.

Add it all up, and you've got a pretty good explanation of why it's been two weeks since I've had a blog post.

Besides that, as I find is true pretty much every February where birthing a baby is not imminent, I just don't have a lot to say in February.  I get a bit of a pre-spring slump, and it's definitely true this year. 

Just to be clear: I can't wait for spring.  Like, for reals.

We did celebrate Valentine's day, although it was pretty mellow since Casey spent the holiday working in Las Vegas.

Leah and I found time to decorate and make cupcakes, and sent Daddy a card.  Not the most romantic of holidays, but I've never been a huge fan of this particular one.

We even managed to keep the house clean.  Or, at least... we managed that between Friday and Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday were a total lost cause; not even the dishes got done. 

Poor Daddy.  It means that - yet again - he'll be coming home to a house that looks as if homeless people have nested there. 

But, I refuse to feel badly about it. 

Pregnant girls with two year olds get to skip doing the dishes one, er... two nights in a row.  Besides, I took the time to tie hearts together with ribbon.  And, I kept the child, the momma and both dogs alive while Daddy was out of town.  That counts for something.

Right?

10 weeks and a snow day

I like this moment right now, because I know that sometime in June at around 30 weeks, I'm going to look back and remember what it felt like to only be at 10 weeks.  To remember how nerve-wracking this whole early-pregnancy thing is, and appreciate how far we've come and how darn fast those last 10 weeks will go.  Getting to 10 always seems like it takes forever. 

Hopefully by then my arms will have lost their oh so attractive white-girl-in-winter look.  Just one of the many reasons I'm looking forward to summer. 

Baby size: Prune (about 1.5 inches).

This has been the week of the stomach flu.  I'll absolutely spare you the details; they're totally disgusting.  So, moving on to the only other news I'm willing to talk about...

We had a freak February snow storm here in Colorado.  Everything was cancelled, and before it even snowed a flake to boot.  That includes the state government and my home school district.  To put that in perspective, I went to school there from K-12 and had 2 total snow days in all those years.  Of course, my current school district was closed, too, which meant that I got to stay home with the little. 

And, what can I say?  The girl loves to play in the snow!

And, of course, she always manages to entertain herself in other ways, too...