How Things Have Been Around Here Lately

At work: s-l-o-w. I even managed to finish a library book the other day- one of the short term in-demand new releases too!- thanks to the generous "free" time I have at work. I'm there, I show up, I put in 8 "hours" a day. I usually manage to bill something every day; I think there has only been one day this month that I didn't bill anything. But making it to 7.5 is a pipe dream. Usually I don't finish my to-do list on purpose, just so I'll have something to do the next day.

At home: Caetlin is awesome, and wearying. I know, I know, she's two, she's supposed to be energetic, but she wears me out. She's decided lately that she doesn't want to sleep or do anything associated with going to nap or bed. So naptime is traumatic. Bathtime is traumatic (because it comes before bedtime). Storytime is traumatic (because she's rather be playing). We have, fortunately, taught her the magic words, "Would you rather have story time or night nght?" She learned quickly that asking for door no. 3, "Play, please," doesn't get much traction. It's cut some of the trauma out of storytime. Only some, though.

In the closet: My rapidly expanding size is also the reason why Caetlin wears me out so much. I have a very small- by comparison, anyway- baby belly, but it's enough to crowd my digestive system and my lungs, and to make hauling a 30+ pounder around tough, especially over the crib railing. It also means I have officially grown out of non-maternity clothes. Thanks goodness for Liz Lange maternity for Target. It's not the height of fashion, but it's serviceable, and very reasonably priced. I wish I had known about it when I was pregnant with Caetlin. I probably spent, no joke, $600 on crappy maternity stuff from Mimi Maternity. I had to do more shopping this time because I needed maternity wear through the spring and summer last time. Those skirts and sleeveless tops aren't going to cut it, even here where it doesn't get that cold.

In the uterus: Segunda continues to grow (see above, although some of that is due to my complete lack of discipline around food in the last month or so) and kick. I can feel her moving around pretty regularly now, even at work or if I'm not paying attention. I'll be glad when Caetlin can feel her moving, since I hope that will help explain to Caetlin that she has a baby sister on the way. So far, it really doesn't seem as though that idea is taking any root in Caetlin's mind. We talk about it daily, and she has several books on the subject that she likes, but I just don't get the feeling that she understands. I'm not sure why she would, though, at this point. Abstraction isn't her strong point yet.

On the educational front: We've decided to start making a concerted effort to teach Caetlin how to read. She seems to want to be able to read by herself, taking books and "reading" them out loud to herself, yanking them away when one of us offers to read it to her. We bought some phonics flashcards and right now are working on her recognition of lowercase letters and her awareness that each letter makes a sound. I don't have super high expectations regarding how fast she'll be able to read, but she enjoys the cards, and it at least gives us some focus. I learned to read when I was three, so it can be done, and she has a great memory- she knows all the uppercase letters, numbers through ten reliably and twenty intermittently, and many colors. I know, it seems like we're pushing her on this, but I don't have any real expectations for it. I don't personally care whether she reads early or not. She just seems like she wants it and it makes a fun addition to night time reading.