Santa was extra generous this year.

Not too many parents can document the night of their child's conception.  Apparently, I can. 

As of today, I am going into my 16th week.  Calculating it back, Jeff and I were able to figure out when the magic happened.  Suffice it to say, we will no longer be attending his office Christmas parties.

Baby boy Trimarchi is expected to arrive on or about August 31, 2014. 



Surprise!

As a seasoned veteran of the mommy brigade, I pretty much knew about three weeks into it that something was off.  I tried to tell myself that my new found massive cleavage and all day nausea were just signs of aging.. pre-menopause.  Yeah, that's it. 

Even as my chest got bigger, and denial grew stronger, we still managed to head off on our Christmas break to NYC, during which time I happily splurged on a Christmas gift to myself - two pairs of Rag+Bone skinny jeans which are now gathering dust on the top shelf of my closet. Oh the irony.  To have been diligently working out for months and months to fit comfortably into those jeans...

It's also come to my attention that other moms on this island have found themselves in this situation,  as a direct result of said Christmas party.  I don't know what to say to this, other than I'm thinking class action for child support. 

Just kidding!!  I'm kidding, said company!!!

Jordan and Mina are very excited about the whole thing.

 

Anyway, I'm hanging in there, even in the face of a rapidly diminishing wardrobe.  Yoga pants and baggy hoodies are my new best friends.  It's also a little surprising how much earlier you pop out with the third one - a fact the kids never fail to point out.

Our Halloween rules.

I totally forgot to put this one up...



First dibs is a critical lesson to learn early in life.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Well, there have been worse days.

Comic relief helps.



Not on the grass, Sweetie. Never. On. The. Grass. See how much fun Daddy is having?

(Photo: Jack Thompson, Dwell, October 2009), courtesy of unhappyhipsters.

Flowers from afar. Thanks, Jeff. That brightened the day. Can you believe 18 years ago, was our first official "date."



Mina's thoughts.

What passes for breakfast conversation around here.

Once upon a time, I spent the whole day with the kids. Most of the time, it was a grand experience. They started out little and didn't say much. They cried a lot. Slowly, they began talking.

And then they began talking back.



That's when things got interesting.



One day, I realized they were ready for school full time. I can't describe the exact moment when I knew we were ready for the next step. They had outgrown the little home routines and needed more. So, fulltime pre-school for them. Full time paid work for me. Onward and upward.



snack bags. Designs by request.

These days, the bulk of our time together occurs in the morning and after 6:30 when I get home. Weekends too, but that's different. During the weekend, we're too busy driving them around to all the different social events they have been invited to.

Despite our limited time together, they manage to come up with a few amusing things.

I'm so pulling this video out to show her senior prom date.



Misc.

Midweek best of.

New favorite blog title.

Favorite recent blog post from Motherhood is Painless.

Best quote. From the blog, Life is Beautiful.

Best explanation for etymology of said quote.

Best facebook question midweek:

JS: question: what films or books actually changed your mind about something? (as opposed to simply reinforcing what you already believed)

Thinking ahead: cutest valentine's day craft if you know anything about sewing. I don't. Wish I did.

And what broke my heart tonight:
“There is no one, nothing, no medicines,
no explanations for why my daughter is going to die.”

— Jeudy Francia, outside St. Esprit Hospital in Port-au-Prince.
Captioned in online headlines, New York Times, January 13, 2010.

What's encouraging though is that the desire to help is global. This website spans images from Haiti, but what encouraged me was seeing aid workers from all over the world gearing up to help in the search and relief as well as provide direct aid on the ground.

Short visit, lessons learned.

This weekend, we got a chance to spend some time with Uncle Riz and Aunt T.



And of course....

Arman! a/k/a Manu..



He was cautious at first.





But he warmed up right away.



All it took was some food. I understand. I'm easily bought off too. Just throw me a chocolate cupcake or some Cadbury mini-eggs, and I'm yours for life.



It was a short visit, but with much bribery involved, I was able to get one picture of the three of them together.

And to reciprocate, Uncle Riz was kind enough to teach my children the following song. If gratuitous groin handling offends you, skip ahead. I can't explain this move by Jordan. It must be a guy thang.



Translated:

"If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops,
Oh what a rain it would be.
Standing outside, with my mouth open wide..
Ah-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh...
Oh, if all the rain drops were lemon drops and gumdrops,
Oh what a rain it would be."

Guess what part of the song is their favorite?

Thanks, Riz.