Where did today go?  I suppose time goes by quicker when my brain isn’t melting out of my ears from the lack of air conditioning.  Yes, it appears that after two weeks and three visits from the AC company, we FINALLY have a working air conditioner.  Man, I hope I didn’t just jinx that.

Tomorrow, my little girl will get on a plane bound for Seattle and I won’t see her for over a week. 

Now I’ll admit, there’s a part of me that’s jumping up and down and rubbing my hands together in a frenzy just imagining all the FREE TIME and the SLEEPING IN and the TOTAL LACK OF CARTOONS that will ensue over the next week and a half BUH-WHA-HA-HA-HA-HA.  Ahem.

But then there’s that other part of me, the annoying overly mothery part of me that wants to say WAIT, but who’s going to wake me up at exactly 6:58am every morning by calling across the house, “Mama, is it 7:30 yet?  Can I get out of bed now???”

And who’s going to be my back seat singer for all the songs on the radio, regardless of whether she actually knows the words?

And who’s going to stand up in her booster seat to look the waiter square in the eye and say, “I would like some milk, please.  And do you have mac & cheese?”  (Because for some reason, it’s just not as cute coming from Jens.)

And who’s going to say, “Mama, don’t forget prayers!” after being tucked in and insisting on 6 cups of water before bed?

And whose room am I going to peek in on every night to see if she’s still right-side-up in the bed, or passed out snoring in some obscure direction?

This motherhood thing is full of irony.  It seems that every stage is just as priceless as it is inconvenient.  I find myself craving a break, but not wanting to let go. 

And in less than two weeks, I’ll have twice as much priceless inconvenience.  So I guess I had better take advantage of all the husband-time, girlfriends-time, and grownup-time while it lasts over the next week.

But I’m sure going to miss her.

DUDE.  I’M HOT.  And not in that “I feel sexy because I’m pregnant” way.  (BTW, is that for real?  Is there anyone out there who actually feels beautiful and sexy when they’re pregnant?  Because seriously?  I just feel like a cow.  MOO.)

I’m hot because our air conditioner is busted.

Great timing, right?  A holiday weekend, so nobody’s coming out to look at it until Tuesday. 

A holiday weekend, in the now-early-summer Texas weather, when the temperature is in the mid-90’s. 

A holiday weekend during Texas summer when I’m in the late stages of pregnancy so my body temperature is already 10 degrees above everyone else’s. 

A holiday weekend in the Texas summer when I’m uber pregnant, AND WE HAVE COMPANY.

Really, I couldn’t think of a better time for our air conditioner to go kaput.  This is Day 5 and I’m just about ready to look into nearby motels.  Maybe I could just sleep in the movie theatre.  Or Albertsons – they always keep that place at 55 degrees, which is usually why I specifically DON’T shop there.  Not sounding like such a bad idea right about now.

Ice cream and snow cones, anyone?

“The stars are like sponges.”
“Oh. Really?  Are they …squishy like sponges?”
“Yes.  They are.”

Today my husband received a job offer for a position that would mean a $40K pay increase above what he is currently making. It sounds like a good company with good people, in a good position of growth, with lots of potential.

He turned it down.

And I’m glad.

Because I love having him work from home. I’ve become a total weenie when it comes to being here by myself all day. I love that Kaelin can run in to give him hugs at any point during the day (except when he’s on conference calls). I love that he can take 2 minutes in the middle of the day to help me bring in the groceries. I love that he’s happy with his job and the people he works with. I love that he doesn’t waste 2 hours of every day sitting in the car on the way to and from an office.

And the fact that I can have all these things and that he actually has a CHOICE to turn down a higher paying job because we’re not in dire need of the money* … well, that just makes me realize how truly blessed we are.

*I mean, don’t get me wrong, more money would always be nice and it’s not like we’re eating on silver spoons around here. But we’re comfortable and his current job contributes to a lot of that comfort.

You know what’s funny?  A two-year-old singing “To the left, to the left...”  You know what else is funny?  When Jens starts singing and gets told, “Daddo, don’t do that.  You can’t be on the radio.”  Ouch.  Shot down by someone who thinks a pre-pubescent singing asparagus is a musical genius. 

Totally skipped my dentist appointment yesterday.  Even after they called to remind me and I said, “Oh sure, I’ll be there.”  Also forgot to register Kaelin for Parents’ Night Out this Friday, despite – according to him – numerous reminders from Jens.

Although, I must say that I still think I’m doing better than last time.  When I was pregnant with Kaelin I misplaced a data CD at work.  Looked everywhere for it knowing I JUST HAD IT, and eventually gave up.  I found it the next day when I opened the refrigerator to get a snack.

Three weeks to go!

Recently Kaelin has been introduced to the game “I Spy” and has taken to it pretty easily.  It’s one of my favorites because at 8 months pregnant, any game that can be played sitting in the recliner chair shoots right to the top of the “Best constructive ways to interact with your toddler” list.  Kaelin has discovered other uses for the game as well.

For instance, this conversation took place this morning…

Me: Kaelin, what do you want for breakfast?
Kaelin: Well, it has crumbs… and it’s shaped like a rectangle.
Me:  Um… toast?
Kaelin: No.  A breakfast bar!

I love how when you guess it wrong, she grins and says “No” with the emphasis of “That was a silly guess.”

This morning we let Kaelin celebrate Saturday by watching some Saturday Morning Cartoons.  After about an hour, I heard feet clomping up the stairs, accompanied by “Mama, I’m sick.”

“You’re sick?  Where are you sick?”

“In my tummy.  I’m sick from watching too much TV.”

“Oh. Really?”  I met her at the top of the stairs where she crawled into my lap.  I did not know that watching too much TV could give one a stomach ache.

“Yes.  You should make me feel better.”

And here was a dilemma. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to cure the “too much TV stomach ache.”  So I asked her what would make it feel better.

Did you know that “playing in the playroom” is apparently the remedy to all sorts of ailments?  C’est vrai.

* * *

Today we also had a gettogether with a couple other families at the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve.  We have friends with a daughter named Kaelyn, so I told my Kaelin that there might be another Kaelyn there today.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me with furrowed brows.

“I’m Kaelin.”
“Yes.  There are two Kaelins.  You’re Kaelin and there’s another Kaelyn.”
“There’s only supposed to be one Kaelin.”

How can I argue with that?  In a way, she’s right.  There will only ever be one Kaelin.

Mama: Kaelin, stop wiping that [peanutbutter sandwich] all over your face.

Kaelin: (looking down at the piece of sandwich) It’s not cherry lipstick.

Tonight we saw Forbidden Kingdom.  That movie was all kinds of bad.  You know in college when you would invite people over for Really Stupid Movie Night?  That was this movie.  Lord of the Rings meets Karate Kid, in the style of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but with a plot and acting only a 10 year old could appreciate.

Good times.  I guess every once in a while you just have to see a mindless stupid movie. 

* * *

Yesterday, we had Mothers Day Tea at Kaelin’s “Tuesday School” (CLC).  It was fun to meet some of the other moms and see Kaelin in the Tuesday School element.  It’s funny how kids act differently in an environment when they’re not used to you being there.  I’m not really sure how to describe it, but she was sort of hyper and alternated between trying to stand up in her chair, putting her feet on the table, and just falling all over me.  It was weird.  But it was a fun time and sweet of the teachers to put the event together.

Kaelin sort of spilled the beans last week though.  I guess that’s one of the problems with having a kid that likes to talk

She came home and told me she made me a plate and a handprint.  Sure enough, the kids had all decorated plates and made laminated placemats with an outline of their hands. 

* * *

I’ve discovered the best thing since peanut butter sandwiches:  DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING.

I used to be a big scrapbooker.  Seriously.  I even had my own online store.  My albums were elaborate and complete and I always had an abundant mess on my desk that included scraps of paper, tape, embellishments, and an assortment of cropped photos.

And then I had a kid.  And everything came to a halt.  It’s too messy, too expensive, too time consuming.  And there are too many little pieces that like to find their way into the mouths of toddlers and pets.

Two and a half years later, I’ve discovered this miracle called Digital Scrapbooking, in which I can build my pages on the computer – no mess – in a fraction of the time.  In the last 2.5 years, I’ve completed approximately 3 pages.  I think I left off with the day Kaelin was born.  In the last few days of digital scrapbooking, I’ve completed Kaelin’s first year.  And it’s SO much cheaper, especially since once you “purchase” a paper or embellishment file, you can use it over and over again.

The downside is that it requires a lot of storage space for the files and costs $6/page to print (because I insist on doing 12×12” scrapbooks) – but that’s still less than I would spend on a lot of my pages doing things the 3-dimensional way.

“Mama, my mouth hurts.  I have an owie on my mouth.”
“How did you get an owie on your mouth?”
“I kaflunked on the floor in the bedroom on the pillows and I fell and bumped my mouth.”

* * *

Also, you know this song?  This is Kaelin’s version:

“The phone… the phone is ringing.
The phone… beaver hair.”

She doesn’t believe me when I tell her the song doesn’t have anything to do with beavers.

These are some pictures that I took of Kaelin and had framed for her grandmothers for Mothers Day.