Ugh. This weekend was a “our house is a biohazard” kind of weekend. All three of us are sick with a cold. I haven’t been sleeping much because I can’t breathe! Started with a cough, progressed up to my sinuses, and now it’s trying to sink its teeth in. Every time I think I’ve got it going away a little bit it rushes back into clog my sinuses. And I can’t even take any of the good decongestants! (For all that Den says it barely helps, it’s better than nothing!!)

Kate has been very miserable, very snotty… she didn’t seem particularly sick but moody and prone to meltdowns. And then I noticed the two lower canines poking through. Agghhh! I’ve been waiting and waiting for this next round of teething – it’s been a while since the last one – and of course it hits when we’re all sick. So the poor kid is barely eating anything at all, yogurt and fruit purees are key right now, and she is pretty unhappy. Like I said, very prone to meltdowns. The smallest thing will set her off: not being able to reach something, me saying she can’t have something right now, etc. She’s also been very clingy. I had a big project I was working on this weekend (also perfect timing) so I spent a lot of time locked in the bedroom with my laptop while Den played with her. She actually did really well for most of the day, but then I guess enough was enough and she just kept sobbing for mama. :( Today I spent a lot of time with her, often she just wants to be picked up and held, or for me to sit on the couch with her.

Though she isn’t sitting still for long. Sick teething child, you’d think maybe she’d be lethargic and want to cuddle right? Nooooo. She’s not sick enough for that. She’s bouncing off the walls since we’ve been cooped up in this house for days! She has found new creative ways of climbing everything in sight, which makes Den super twitchy. Remember, he’s the nervous one always worrying about her falling and cracking her head on something – he’s already removed several toys for climbing violations. (I’m wondering just how much toys/furniture will be left at the end. Not much, I think.) She’s also showing a lot of cunning, knowing how to move furniture around to get to things that she wants.

She has also been so very funny. All this energy and her craving for attention has made her a bit of a ham. Today while we were watching a movie in the evening we had to pause because Kate was having this entire conversation with me – or maybe I should say at me. For like 2 or 3 minutes she was going on and on in what I think was mostly toddler-jibberish, but mixed with known words. “Ahd, bak, dah, yuck yuck yucky yucky maaaooo.” It was hysterical! I really feel like she’s going to bust out with real english sentences any day now, like her brain is processing and is sitting right on the edge. She seems so heartfelt when she is talking away and I feel bad when I have no clue what she’s trying to communicate. Most of the time I just nod and say, “Okay!”

Yucky is her new favorite word, by the way. She loves to point out the yucky things. Trash? Yucky! Fluff on floor? Yucky! Dirt on hand? Yucky! Also random things I really can’t identify, but she’ll insist yucky, yucky! This is also leading to more girly/prissy behavior. She will not continue eating if she has some crumbs or half-chewed-something on her hands. “Yucky!” she states as she holds out her hand. “Yucky. Yucky. Yucky.” And on it will go until you remove the offending yucky thing. Bits of crackers and fluff is constantly being handed to me now as she is playing.

She also likes pretty things. We’ve been trying to figure out what to do with her hair, since it’s getting longer and really looking a mess. I’m balking at cutting her bangs, though I know it would make things neater… I just am not a fan of bangs. So I’ve started trying to put a little barrette in her hair. Oh my goodness so cute! She looks so girly with it in. And it does keep most of her hair out of her eyes. But of course she does remove it… though not for the reason you’d think. She doesn’t remove it because she doesn’t like it… she removes it because she likes it a lot and wants me to put it back in. It’s like she’s studying it. I even saw her lay down on her belly on the floor, barrette in hand, studying it very closely (another adorable mannerism). She still loves to wear her bead necklaces and has started bringing us clothes to put on her. She especially likes to put on pants, skirts, and the other day a dress. I think soon she’ll be putting on her own pants and skirts but for now she needs help doing it.

Sitting on my lap is getting more difficult with the belly in the way though. She hasn’t noticed, but I sure do as she thumps her butt down and squashes me. She’s still such a toddler, wanting to stand on my lap, wanting to climb on me, wanting to be held and talked to and get down and back up. I really do feel like a jungle gym most days.

Not to mention what’s going on inside my belly. If outside I am a jungle gym for a monkey, then inside I am a ring for an acrobat. Ember is a mover! Some evenings it feels like constant movement while I’m sitting down. And she’s not gentle. I don’t mind the outward kicks and punches so much, but there are times when I’ll just start wincing as she turns her attention way down low, or I have to grunt and stretch as she pushes up into my ribs. Luckily it isn’t often yet. I think she actually bruised me somehow the other day, because Kate bumped a spot on the side of my belly that made me give a little yelp. I prodded the area and found a sore spot! I’ve never noticed something like that before. It felt just like a bruise, but without any visible bruise.

The more active she gets, the more real she feels… though sometimes I catch myself calling her Kate when I pat my belly. So many good memories overlapping, my two active little girls!

I think to myself, wow, I’m already 28 weeks! And then I think, wow, I have 3 more months to go. 3 months seems like a long time. But I certainly am keeping busy… May will be here soon.