Workout Warm Up.

So, my friend Cara and I walk together probably an average of four days a week, five and a half miles every time (unless hell or high water hits us. Or if we get real tired, we'll skip a lap.)

The girls eat snacks, drink water (and make us fill up their cups every lap, even if they've only had two sips) play with toys and read books. And holler to one another. But their favorite time is before and after, when we turn Cara's SUV into a party bus.

Before we head out, they sit in their assigned seats and are sure to stretch.

But when we are all done, it's PARTY TIME!

Step Three.

This week I went to our contractor's show room to start actually picking our materials. Going in I had a pretty good idea of what we wanted - a fairly neutral 20" porcelain tile for the floor, natural cherry cabinets, and a light granite. Picked the tile fairly quickly, loved the cherry cabinets, and then stared at the light granites for awhile, feeling unmoved. Then I picked up a block of mostly blue granite, and it was love at first sight.

Turns out, it's also what our contractor recently put into his kitchen. He showed me a photo of the finished room and it looks great. I was also glad that I didn't pick something totally off the wall, that no one ever orders because it looks horrible when actually laid out on a large slab.

So here's what we're thinking:

Do you not love the iridescent parts? I certainly do. SPARKLY KITCHEN.

We will also have stainless appliances.

The good news is that the "business" side of the kitchen (with oven/range, microwave and fridge) lays out well, with room for adequate cabinets. Now we just need to get our estimates and do some final measuring. Still on track for a November start date. That will be step... something.

Ugh.

I am so exhausted, and ready to have Tim home with me. Ellie has slept like crap this week, including several nights where I spent more than an hour trying to get her back to sleep. And then she's up before 7, demanding that we play, and whining nonstop about this and that (mostly Elmo. While I love the half hour of shower time Elmo gets me in the morning, I am ready to break our freaking TV so that she'll stop whining for that Muppet every waking hour.) Last night and this morning has been especially rotten, and so I am having one of those days where I doubt my fitness as a parent, let alone a stay at home parent. Thank goodness I am not married to someone who is out of town on the regular. I think I would have to just put E for adoption and go ride the rails as a hobo, because I am not cut out for this shit. Especially not while pregnant and hormonally insane.

We did have a really nice time visiting him on Wednesday. We got to LA in the early evening, and had enough time to shop at Ackerman - I bought her a new sweatshirt, and she insisted on wearing it, even though it's a few sizes too big and it was 80 degrees out. She claimed she was cold! Then we went to Drake Stadium to listen to the band practice. She was a pretty cute little girl, listening to the music, having some snacks, and then pacing around the track.

The thrill of her life was when the band split into groups and the drummers walked by us - one of the girls let her bang on a bass drum. That was of course, followed shortly by the REAL thrill of her life, which was seeing her daddy again. She informed him several times (as she'd been repeating to me for a good half hour) that she didn't like the Bruin. She liked her daddy. (We are going through a phase where bears, sharks and cookie monster freak her out, and she will say repeatedly, that she doesn't like them. Also, the frog. No like Biscuit and the Frog.)

We took her out to dinner at the pizza place where Tim and I had our first date. It was a total hit, even though Tim and I couldn't sit at our favorite date table. Boat anchor baby! I was feeding her some yogurt towards the end and she started pretending like she didn't want any more, and I told her she could get a cookie if she finished her yogurt. She crammed those last few bites in incredibly fast, and then said "is cookie time now for me!"

After devouring her cookie and milk (and getting so excited that she threw up a little bit of milk, like a sorority girl) we went back to Tim's hotel where her daddy was able to give her a bath. Then I combed the snarls out of her hair while she stood against the hotel room window and yelled to the cars on the 405 ("oh, come back car! Look at all the cars!") She fell asleep in the car and then let me roll her into bed around 9:30. All in all, a successful day.

Not like today, boo.

UCLA class of 2029.

More La La?

Today after a several week hiatus, we were off to music class with zany Miss Elena once again. This time, we're at a local community center, and slightly later in the morning, which meant Kristen and I got our coffees pre-music class, and took the girls to play at the nearby playground.

It's funny how much more grown up the girls were after just a few months off. Last round, Ellie spent the entire time in my lap, often completely stone faced. This time? She was a DANCING FOOL. Out of my lap, all over the room, hands in the air like she just didn't care, dancing and banging her sticks and clanking her instrument. It was great to see (also, it was nice to not have to carry her around on my hip during the up and active portion of our music time.)

Such a change - three months ago if I so much as stood up she'd freak out at me to hold her, and today during the play along time (aka: kids bang instruments like crazed monkeys) I slipped out to use the bathroom, and when I came back she was jamming with Kristen and Lexi, not sobbing.

She's a little ham, it's true.

Tonight we're heading up to LA to have dinner with Tim, who is doing management training courses through UCLA extension. He's having a great time and learning a lot, but we all miss each other very much. Ellie broke my heart the other day while we were looking through one of her newborn photo albums. I said "that's daddy holding his baby for the first time" and she says "dada no go to work dat day." She was so happy to see him via Skype this morning, so I can't wait to see how thrilled she is when she sees him in the flesh.

In other news, she will turn 2 a month from today. WHO AUTHORIZED THIS? Here is a brief video of us screwing around before heading to music class.

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

...hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity, hoppity, another baby's on his way!

(and yes, the his is intentional. The technology is pretty amazing, and even though we're only 12 weeks, TWO ultrasound techs told me they were pretty sure it was a boy. They thought Ellie was a girl at 12 weeks, so I am inclined to believe it.) 

We are due right around Easter (late March/early April) and happy as can be. Ellie is mostly disinterested, though if you ask her, she will tell you that the baby lives in Mommy's Bellybutton. She's a good big sister already.

Saturday.

Best Play Date Ever.

Jackson (15 months), Ellie (22 months), Penelope (15 months), and Clare (19 months.)

Please note: Jackson got up on the bench himself and got the music playing. The ladies came a'running!

(Also pictured, Marco, age 6 months. Not eligible for a spot on the bench yet.)