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Week 31

Sweet lordy, we’re behind. But I promise I shot these images last Saturday. Pinky swear, even.

Now why don’t you come over and we’ll braid each others hair and gossip about boys?  Sunny will join us. Because she now only functions with two braids firmly planted on her head. But James isn’t allowed, because he pulls. And it hurts. Silly boy.

So, it’s busy. I’m currently writing this with Kaki latched to the right boob, feverishly pulling my much shortened hair (still long enough for tug-o-war, apparently) and pinching and gripping any loose skin within reach (re: my now very saggy bosoms). When she isn’t fitfully sucking and biting and grabbing and expressing her general discomfort and frustration with teething, she’s spending her time in plank pose, trying to figure out how the hell to propel her body forward without once again landing squarely on her head.

Also, we’re on the verge of some very exciting news.

And no, I am not pregnant, MOM.

If all goes accordingly to plan, I’ll share the happy announcement here.

If not, you can come over and we’ll braid each others hair and drown our feelings in tubs of Ben and Jerry’s.

Sunny is gunning for the latter scenario. Anything in the name of ice cream.

Courtland: 31 weeks
Addison: 34 months

Week 29

Despite this weekend’s shit show (ba-boom, ching!), we managed to shoot Week 29. We missed Week 28, so there was no way in puke-covered Hades I was missing this week. Sure, Addison had thrown up earlier that day and James was still a permanent resident in one of our bathrooms (I don’t think I have ever been so grateful for a home equipped with three bathrooms. Ever), and then Courtland took it upon herself to spit up all over Sunny’s hair and our bed mere minutes into the shoot but GUESS WHAT?! I am now the expert Barf-Cleaner-Upper. Seriously. I am a bodily fluid cleaning Olympian! My children are nurturing this skill. How supportive!

Suffice it to say, I shot an abbreviated Week 29. And here it is folks. Brava, me.

It started out a bit rocky with Addison refusing to relinquish her blanket and Courtland practicing her four-limbed mobility, but we had a brief 60 seconds of success, and then? Bile! Duh!

Courtland: 29 weeks
Addison: 33 months

Week 27

I can’t even get into what has gone down in our household over the past 48 hours. Oh but I will. Lucky you! It involves every manner of bodily fluids. Complete with a urinating dog getting coated in a thick layer of preschooler vomit!

I’ll be amazed if our washing machine survives.

But on to Week 27, eh? As you can tell, it has become exceedingly difficult to photograph the girls because a certain half year old is trying to learn to crawl and thinks that it is positively the most awesome thing in the world to be on her tummy, pulling her big sister’s hair.

Sunny is less than pleased. Which just causes Kaki to raspberry and giggle with delight. Ah the joys of siblinghood.

Also, Addison has hit the magical 2 year 9 month milestone, which means that she is now qualified (according to Massachusetts law) for proper preschool. No more Toddler 2 classroom for her! If she ever stops vomiting, she’ll be able to mark this milestone by attending said proper preschool class.

Here’s hoping…

Courtland: 27 weeks
Addison: 33 months 

Week 26

The kids are on the mend, which of course means that now I’ve finally caught their germy filth. WE CAN’T WIN!

James is still up to his eyeballs in Admissions files.

The baby continues to be the happiest, giggliest thing ever. That is until she’s mad. Or it’s the middle of the night. Such a fickle creature.

Sunny and I have been doing Valentine’s Day crafts like kindred Weeks spirits, and I am unabashedly pleased with this.

Life is good. Overwhelmingly busy. And exhausting. And have I mentioned how fucking tired I am? But yet still so good. I am thankful everyday to have the problems that I do. The world throws far worse at people, so I’ll continue to be grateful for my sleep deprivation and beautiful, healthy children.

Also, this marks the half way point of this series.  *ONSLAUGHT OF TIME!*

Courtland: 26 weeks
Addison: 32 months

Week 25

We skipped right over Week 24 due to our adventures in the Big Easy and are in the heart of Week 25. It’s hard to believe that in two weeks time we’ll be half way through this project.

I’m going to resist saying the obvious parental cliche, ya know, about the onslaught of time coupled with the posing of hypotheticals.

Anyway, here are our little snot balls. A term I use because it’s the only appropriate way to capture the the state of affairs chez Petri Dish. I don’t understand how such small beings can produce so very much fluid, and yet, they never cease to defy the odds.

Sunny is showing off Courtland’s raspberry in this series. As you may have noticed in previous images, Kaki has a large raspberry (a cluster of blood cells that have risen to the skin’s surface) bulging out the side of her right elbow. The pediatrician claims that it will get bigger and bigger over the course of her first year of life (it was nonexistent when she was born), but then gradually disappear during year two. I remain skeptical. Fortunately, in this household, we’re big fans of raspberries, and big sister in particular finds it positively fascinating.

Courtland: 25 weeks
Addison: 32 months

Week 23

As you saw yesterday, Kaki has found her toes. And boy are they delicious. So delicious that Sunny thought she’d take her sister’s lead and nom her toes as well.

We finally have some snow around these parts so we’ve been teaching Sunny to sled and bundling Courtland like the abominable snow baby. Remember this snow suit from when we first moved back to New England? Yep, it’s back in full effect!

James, Kaki and I are off to New Orleans on Wednesday as I have work meetings, James has never been, and Courtland is boob-dependent. Sunny will be hanging here with the pups and her Tine and then her Auntie Kimmy. We’ll see what Courtland thinks of the Big Easy. I’m preparing my belly for some muffuletta, beignet, fried Southern goodness. <drool>

Courtland: 23 weeks
Addison: 32 months

Week 22

The kids are sick. And cranky. Their noses are flowing like faucets, so James and I are gearing up to meet a similar fate.

Damn you, Preschool.

This state of affairs explains the tears and attempts at distractions by James’ hands in the images below.

Now, back to excavating green boogers from the nostrils of a 5 month old. The things I’ll do in the name of motherly love.

Courtland: 22 weeks
Addison: 31 months

Week 21

Last night Courtland happily put herself to sleep. The keyword here being “happily,” because up until yesterday evening, we had all had to suffer through the screams of an infant if we wanted her to put herself to bed. (So, we’d pace around nervously for 10 minutes or so before caving at the demands of 4 month old and I’d become The Human Pacifier).

But yesterday, I laid her down in the crib, eyes wide open, turned off the lights, and let myself out, preparing for the shrill cries of discontent… and nothing came.

11. Count that, 1-2-3-4… wait a second! That number is far too high. Far too many! But it’s true! 11 hours later, she finally awoke at the heavenly, reasonable hour of 7am. This eternity of sleep left me with boobs as solid as rocks from engorgement, and certain that something either unbelievably magical or terrible had occurred during the night.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was the former.

Sunny, of course, awoke at 6am, because the sisters are already conspiring against their parents and taking turns determining who’s going to give us trouble sleeping.

But, at least there is light on the sleep horizon. Or darkness, as it were. Because who the hell can sleep with any light? Most certainly not moi.

Courtland: 21 weeks
Addison: 31 months

Week 20

Oh sweet sweet vacation. A time when we sleep just as few hours as we do NOT on vacation, except we get to spend the day in pajamas. And we don’t have to go through that pesky routine of bathing.

Good thing we have two dogs to blame for the resulting stench.

The baby’s sleep habits are improving. Although now that I’ve immortalized that in sans serif on The Interwebs, we’re surely screwed. Now, off to consume the abundance of leftover sweets lying around this house. Simultaneously the best and worst part of hosting the holiday festivities.

My pant zippers are disgruntled indeed.

Courtland: 20 weeks
Addison: 31 months

Week 19

Well, I’m just admitting that we are three weeks behind on this series and skipping weeks 17 and 18 because, quite frankly, there are no photos to show for it. Between returning to work, Kaki’s horrendous sleep habits and this cold, no one’s surprised that we fell short on this front.

I’m going to get back in the groove for the New Year, because I cannot wait to put together a time lapse movie of this series come August of 2012. In the meantime, the Cart household is about to burst with the toddler’s enthusiasm. SANTA IS COMING, y’all! WE NEED TO MAKE REINDEER FOOD! AND COOKIES FOR SANTA! AND! QUICK! CHECK THE CHIMNEY SO SANTA CAN GET DOWN! LOOK AT ALL THE PRESENTS! MOMMY! DADDY! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s intense. And awesome. Also? How awesome is it that Addison and Courtland have similar expressions in so many of these shots. It’s sisterly symbios, or something.

Courtland: 19 weeks
Addison: 31 months