Here are some new pictures from today. I will eventually write, but as of now, it’s easier and faster just to post pictures. I should post one from this morning of me trying to shower with two screaming, squalling girls battling it out for who could be louder. I thought, “I can laugh about this, or cry along with them.” I ended up laughing and then drowning the sounds of screaming out with my hair dryer. Hey, at least I’m clean.

Here are the latest pictures of Arden, taken today. We’re all doing well and hoping for some sleep tonight. Mylicon gas drops, work your magic on the baby!!! We need sleep! We had some visitors today and that was nice, especially since none of them seemed to mind the fact that neither Mike or I ever got around to showering. . . .

Lily is doing better with Arden, and actually got upset tonight when Mike put her in the car before Arden was there. She wanted to know where the “beebee” was and seemed concerned. She settled down when I finally arrived with Arden. It helped as well that she went to the park today and got a chance to be a wild monkey again. I have got to get her into a gymnastics program for toddlers - she spends her time at the park doing pullups on a bar (like a chin-up bar, but at her height). She loves to swing from her arms and climb anything. I probably need to channel that into something more appealing than letting her destroy the back of our couch by climbing on it all the time.

Mom sent me another picture of Arden and Lily - this one is hilarious. See posting below for more photos.

No energy to post much, but here are some new pictures of Arden for your viewing pleasure. And I guess I need to change the title of this blog to “Life and Times of Thing 1 and Thing 2”. As you can see from the pictures, Arden and Lily look nothing like each other. Arden is really the spitting image of my father, and his side of the family . . . whereas Lily will spend the summers brown like a toasted marshmallow, sans suntan lotion, Arden will be subjected to complete head-to-toe slathering. This is, unless her skin tone suddenly changes.

I keep hoping the next post I write will be announcing the birth of a child, but so far, no such luck. Last night we had a bit of a scare. On the way back from my parent’s house, I started having painful contractions - I figured they were “fake” ones (whoever thought of that was crazy). However, I had to eventually pull into a parking lot and get out of the car to see if walking around would stop them or at least make them less painful. Lily, meanwhile, was trying out her latest vocabulary word after eating lunch at Chik-Fil-A. While I’m circling the car clutching my huge belly, Lily is screaming out the window at me: “CHIK-A-LAY! CHIK-A-LAY” and giggling hysterically. For whatever reason, she thinks that is a really funny word. I was trying not to laugh because laughing hurt, but how bizarre was that? I’m thinking I’m about to drop a baby in the parking lot while Lily recites her lunch at CHICKALAY: “chitsen (chicken) . . . hot . . . CUT! . . . knife . . . blow . . . CHICKALAY . . . milt (milk) . . .” It would have made for an interesting birth story, that’s for sure.

I’m gritting my teeth and just trying to get through the next couple of weeks. Not sleeping and having no energy has made me sort of cranky, to say the least. I try to keep Lily entertained, but with activities that do not require me to chase after her because at this point she is twice as fast as I am and has no conception of the word “STOP!” I really may have to consider the leash idea . . .