This past Saturday marked the first ever TWINstagram Playdate. (ok.. not a clue if this is true or not.. But of our little group, anyway!)
After following one another via social media and watching our little twinsies grow, we realized how close we all lived and decided it would be fun to get some of the local DFW twins together. At first I thought it would be a rather large group.. But as the date approached I realized it was just going to be three sets of us.
Life with twins can be crazy hectic so I understand how easily plans can change (I nearly threw in the towel that morning after a serious Jolie meltdown. And then a second .. and a third. That child was testing me.)
Lunch at Central Market was fabulous! I had the Ham & Pear Panini with Sweet Potato Fries in case anyone wanted to know.. I had never eaten at the cafe and I'm sad we've been missing out! We are in the area a lot, and CM will for sure be added to our list of lunch spots to frequent.
I pretty much adore these ladies and their precious families. I am so excited to have finally met them face to face! Putting a face/voice to an email/blog/instagram photo is helpful in my visual-learner kinda mind:)
Before heading out, Meredith and I decided to grab a refill for the road.. And turned around to our two gentlemen with their hands quite full..
Straw chewing and bow yanking.. Sloane and Jolie are two busy bodied peas in a pod.
So much fun getting to know some fellow twin families on that Saturday afternoon. It was nice to get a little deeper with these ladies (and their hubbies) than a photo comment on IG:)
I still find it strange to be a 'parent'. I understood pregnancy and how hard Jordan and I both worked to get to that point in our life- but the fact that I am actually a mother to two precious little girls is still pretty surreal. Nearly eight months into it and we still have the same conversation "Is it weird that I cannot get over the fact that I am a parent?" I forget somedays that their first word could be 'momma' and for them to be referring to me (even though Jordan works 'daddy' on a daily basis- determined man).
I have said it before that I knew I wanted to be a mother at some point in my life- but the joy I've found in raising these babies has surprised me more than anything else throughout this journey. If you would have asked me a year ago 'what kind of mother do you think you'll be', my answer, even though I haven't a clue what it would have been, would probably be off from where I am today. Maybe it is because my mom and I have had a strained relationship throughout my entire life and were never close- no matter how hard either of us tried. Who knows. What I do know is that I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the whole world.
Breastfeeding @ 1 year ago: "yea, I'll give it a try.. but I"ve heard how tough it can be and if I cant I'll be okay with it." Breastfeeding after 8 months: The most rewarding times of the day with my two girls. I would have never thought I would be such an avenue of advice to so many women that email me on a daily basis questioning and asking for tips on breastfeeding. I have been so blessed to be able to feed these girls and have really loved every minute of it. I never thought for a single second that I would enjoy it as much as I do.
Being a SAHM @ 1 year ago: "I love my job too much. I worked so hard to get to where I am, I'll be fine going back to work. I'm not the 'stay-at-home' type." Being a SAHM after 8 months: Most mornings I wake up longing to stay in bed another hour and wait for my sweet littles to wake up. I hate leaving before they are awake for the day. Once I get to work, I'm usually okay.. but there are some days when all I can think about is being home with Parker and Jolie.
Finding joy in raising kids @ 1 year ago: "I cannot wait to be a mother. We have waited too long for this and now our dream is coming true." Finding joy in raising kids after 8 months: Completely selfless. My response last year was all about us and how hard we had worked. Now, my focus has turned to being all about them. I find more interest in talking about them, learning from them, and leading them than I do anything else. My once love for cooking has been shadowed by the fact that I don't want to be in the kitchen in the evenings when I could be playing with them (especially after being gone all day). Hence the severe lack of posting to Chocolate Broccoli these last couple of months. Somedays I say to myself 'I'll plan to make something blog worthy this week'.. but the truth is, everything I make in my kitchen has potential to be blog worthy, but as I have evolved into a mother, so must my foodie blog. Not to mention the change in this one as well.
My unending concern for another human being @ 1 year ago: "So excited! I'll care for and do my best to care for these girls the best I can." My unending concern for another human being after 8 months: Comment above, just multiplied by about 639,529,565. Who knew I would be so worried (anxiety stricken) over such little things like letting them cry too long, leaving them with a sitter, not sitting in the back seat with them anymore, where is the paci? We cannot forget Parker's 'wubby'. It has been way too long since they ate- are they getting enough, are we bathing them too much? Are they cold? I think they get cold at night..
..and the list goes on {forever}
Perfect example: When the girls got their first diaper rash. Seriously brought me to tears. I thought for sure it was something I had done, but I worked really hard to keep them dry and it was inevitable. They were great sports about it.. didn't cry much at all, but it just looked so painful. Thanks to some tips from fellow momma's, our pediatrician, and a sample of Dr. Smith's ointment.. These girls had some cleared up booties in no time! We tried a few other rash ointments, and then I get a chance to try Dr. Smith's and love it! I couldnt find it in stores, so, I asked our pharmacy if they carried it, and they were sweet enough to special order if for me. I had to do this with another rash cream we tried once before, so they knew the drill. What's even better news it that Dr. Smith's is now available in Walgreen's across the country!
In honor of this special occasion, I'm hosting a giveaway for one of my lucky readers to win a $50 gift card to Walgreens. Of course, if you don't have kiddos, spend it however you please (I would totally splurge on office supplies, make up, and candy, but that's just me..) If you do have a little one (or two!) grab a tube of Dr. Smith's. You won't be disappointed!
Last weekend I had some extra time, so, I spent a good part of my Saturday stocking our freezer with homemade baby food for my sweet girls. They were perfectly good helpers and we all kept each other entertained in the kitchen.
The girls have recently become really good at eating solid foods. If you remember, it has been somewhat of a battle from the begining with them. I actually got discouraged after I spent their entire 6th month trying to get them to eat a single vegetable (I thought ALLLLL babies loved sweet potatoes!)
In the last couple weeks they have started to really enjoy anything I offer them, making this feeding business a lot more fun- just as I thought/wanted it would be.
Grocery List
3 mangos
3 apples (organic)
1 bag carrots (organic)
3 medium-large sweet potatoes
1 medium butternut squash
1 ripe banana
This grocery list of fruits and vegetables makes A LOT of baby food. Right now Parker and Jolie are still eating just one meal a day (hoping to transition back to twice a day as their appetites are back and oh-so-big!). Currently, between the two of them, they eat about 4 ounces of pureed veggies and sometimes about 2 ounces of fruit along with 3/4 cup oatmeal at their meal time in the evening and I have enough food puree to feed the girls for about 3 months.
To break that down into a dollar amount..
Store bough jarred food:
$.62-$.90 per jar of baby food @ about 2 jars/day
Total: $40-$60 per month
x 3 months = $120-$180
Homemade baby food:
3 mangos @ $.50/each (on sale) ~ $2.04
3 organic apples @ $2.58/lb ~ $5.16
1 bag organic carrots @ $2.28
3 sweet potatoes @ $.98/lb (on sale) ~ $3
1 butternut squash @ $2.25/lb ~ $4.50 (a little expensive because it is out of season!)
1 banana @ $.33/lb ~ $.18
Total for 3 months: ~ $17.16
As you can see.. pretty cost effective, especially when I am feeding two little mouths:)
A couple tips for preparation:
-Get a good processor or blender. Pureeing is so much easier (and quicker!) when you have a good machine. I love my Baby Brezza- as it steams and purees all in one!
-Prep all your fruits and vegetables in one step. Get the 'worst' part (in my opinion) over with right at the start. After that its all about steaming or baking, and pureeing!
-Always be sure to thoroughly wash and cleanse the fruits and vegetables that you will be using to make your baby food. Even if you are not using the peels or skins, and even if you buy organic, you should always cleanse the produce. I got a tip from a sweet momma-friend in my life about how she 'washes' her produce. Combine a 10:1 water/vinegar solution and scrub the skins of all produce prior to prep- antifungal and antibacterial:)
Peel, deseed and rough chop the mango.Place into blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin puree.Depending on how ripe your mango is will determine if you actually need to puree the fruit.I prefer to puree to make sure there are no large chunks for my babies to swallow.
To deseed a mango: I use a kitchen tool specifically for cutting mangos (found here). If you do not have one of these tools, start by cutting the mango lengthwise, along the side of the mango pit. You will be cutting off its flesh from one side then repeating the same process on the other side. You will then cut the ends off the mango pit.
Peel, core and cut apple into slices/chunks.Place slices or chunks into a steamer basket or a pan with just enough water to slightly cover apples. Boil/steam until tender; about 15 minutes.
Place into blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin puree.
As an alternative, you may also buy a regular jar of Natural applesauce from your local grocery store.The only ingredients should be apples and water or just apples. A few companies may add ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or citric acid to their Natural Applesauce; this is fine.
Cut butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds.Place halves face down in a pan and cover with an inch of water.Bake in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour - be sure the “shell/skin” puckers and halves feel soft then scoop squash “meat” out of the shell.Place squash "meat" into a blender or food processor and puree.Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
**You can also peel the squash, scoop out the seeds and then cut into chunks and boil/steam until tender (like when boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes) then follow steps for pureeing the vegetable.
Peel carrots and cut into small chunks.Place chunks into a steamer pan with just enough water visible through the steamer basket. Steam until tender; about 15-20 minutes.
Place into a blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
Carrots and Apples
4 medium carrots
1 apple (Macintosh, Gala or Braeburn)
Makes about 1 ½ cups
Peel, core and cut apple into slices/chunks .Peel carrots and cut into small chunks.Place carrot and apple chunks into a steamer pan with just enough water visible through the steamer basket. Steam until tender; about 20 minutes.
Place fruit/veggie mixture into a blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
Butternut Squash and Carrots
½ butternut squash
4 medium carrots
Makes about 2 cups
Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.Peel the shell and cut the squash into small chunks. Peel carrots and cut into small chunks.Place carrot and squash into a steamer pan with just enough water visible through the steamer basket. Steam until tender; about 20-25 minutes.
Place veggie mixture into a blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 sweet potatoes
Makes about 2 cups
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks.Place chunks into steamer basket with just enough water to fill the pan.Sprinkle with cinnamon and steam until tender, about 20-25 minutes.Place potatoes into a blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
Banana Sweet Potatoes
½ banana
1 sweet potato
Makes about 1 ½ cups
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks.Place chunks into steamer basket with just enough water to fill the pan.Steam until tender, about 20-25 minutes.Place potatoes and banana (cut into chunks) into a blender or food processor and puree. Add water or breast milk as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency.
Storage
-Do not leave uncooked or even cooked foods out on the counter at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
-Frozen foods should not be allowed to thaw and then be re-frozen without first being cooked.
-Cooked and prepared foods for baby should be kept in the refrigerator for no longer than 48-72 hours before they are used or frozen.
- I freeze my food purees in ice trays for 24 hours and then pop the frozen cubes out and toss them into a freezer bag labeled with the puree name and date I made it.
-Foods in the freezer have varying storage times; it is prudent to use frozen baby food cubes within 4-6 weeks.
-When defrosting, I pop the cubes it in the microwave on defrost for about a minute and a half (4 cubes) and then finish warming the vegetables through with warmed breast milk
For me, it is super easy to make baby food, and the cost of it overshadows any kind of issue I might have in regards to time or energy to actually do it. In all reality, it doesn't take me too terribly long. These recipes were made over the course of a Saturday and Sunday. I spent about 2 hours on Saturday and around an hour on Sunday. I find it fun to mix up different 'recipes' for my girls and try new things and combinations to encourage other flavors- like bananas- that my girls totally dispise.
The sweet potatoes and bananas were a HUGE hit last night in our house!
I’m 7 ½ months into this new life as a mom and totally loving every minute of it.These girls are my whole world.In these last few months since becoming a mother, I’ve become a wise woman (not) and learned many a-things along the way.During pregnancy I read all about what’s happening to my changing body and growing belly- how the bab(ies) are growing, what new developments they have this week, and all that jazz. I also read up on birth and all the different types of methods there are- normal births, c-sections.. and then, if you are like me, you end up on bed rest with about a million hours of daylight to kill, and scouring Pinterest and blogs finding that anything remotely related to pregnancy and motherhood seems interesting enough to read.Yet, for some reason, no one ever prepared me for what happened to my body afterwards. Maybe because it isn't pretty and probably nothing that one would want to talk/blog/exploit here on the world wide web.Ok, so not that terrible, but definitely surprised me.
Your hair might fall out. I know. Don't you feel pretty now? Here I was all excited and swooning over my luscious locks while pregnant- I could wash it once a week (I know) blow dry and curl it, and it looked amazing, even after sleeping on it (I know).Perhaps it looked so good the next morning because I didn’t actually sleep on the regular (pregnancy insomnia got the best of me).But, when Dr. Walsh gave me 20 minutes to shower and clean up, I obliged.So, it was all too good to be true to be able to ‘fluff’ and go when I needed to.Well, sorry Cinderella but the party is over and the hair fairy wants her glass slippers back. Lame.This is one of those wonderful hormone side effects that can come with giving birth. Around 5 months postpartum I started losing my hair. This is normal, as any doctor will assure you, but it sure is a lot. In the shower, my hair seems to fall out in chunks, and then after blow drying, I literally have to sweep my bathroom floor and counter top to remove the layer of hair left behind.Even still, at 7 ½ month postpartum, I’m losing my hair.Much less of it, but I still notice it on a daily basis. To be honest, I have had three people in the last week ask if I've cut my hair. February was the last time I had it cut. Apparently this hair loss business can happen for up to a year. Yikes!
You might be hot. No, not good hot. Gross and sweaty hot. Thank you, hormones. Once again they may be to blame for giving me these hot flashes and causing me to wake up more than once a night in a sweat (like drenched-change-my-clothes sweaty). Nothing says sexy like a woman who's losing her hair and walking around like she just ran a 5K..because I only can attest truth for one of those things, and it’s not the running one.I was once very cold-natured, carrying a sweater everywhere with me, and now I practically die of heat at least once a day.Typically I break a sweat after pumping while at work.I know- so awesome.
You might go blind {as a bat}.There is good reason for why they don’t recommend getting your eyes checked while pregnant.Changes in hormones (always the culprit!), metabolism, fluid retention, and blood circulation can all affect your eyes and your eyesight during pregnancy.Usually these are small changes, but it could affect how well your glasses or contacts correct your vision.Most women experience minor if any noticeable change. But, no.. not me.I cannot see the television guide while sitting 5 feet from the screen.I can’t read street signs.I can hardly drive at night with confidence.I have completely given up on reading a digital clock that is outside a 1 ½ foot radius. Completely ridiculous.In most cases, these changes are temporary and will reverse themselves within several months of delivery.Here I am 7 ½ months out and still waiting for my vision to return from vacation.I think I need to make an appointment.
You might starve.Or die of thirst.. whichever one comes first.I thought this would gradually come to a halt as the months went by, but oh no.. still got it.I am exclusively breast feeding my girls (in addition to cereal, fruits, and veggies) and pretty much graze all day long.I feel like I’m dying of hunger at least twice a day.I am starved especially just after nursing (or pumping if I’m at work).The hubby always makes sure to have a snack and beverage ready for me when I get home because I’m usually walking in the door to feed the girls.Good news is that all these calories are actually being used when breast feeding to keep energy levels up as well as to keep my milk supply at its peak. You need an extra 400-500 calories for a singleton, and 800-1,000 calories when nursing twins.I can tell in my supply if I haven’t had enough fluids or healthy fats in my diet.I usually drink plenty of water throughout my day, not to mention the little extra I get from fruits and veggies.
You might be forced into time management. I’ve learned that with twins (and I’m sure with a singleton baby, too!) I am the last person on the list to get ‘ready’ and out the door.These girls have got to eat, get a clean diaper, dressed, and loaded up.Getting into the car takes at least 10 minutes.I’ve learned to do my once 2-hour routine (don’t judge me) in all of about 25-30 minutes.Hair, make-up, and fully clothed.I have been known to forget my shoes and last minutes run inside to grab them.. but I always have my earrings on!My new shortened routine has been especially helpful in the mornings before work when sleep seems so much more important than wearing makeup.. but then I realized I speak and counsel people for a living and probably should look presentable.Hence the make-up routine in less than 12 minutes, and most often my hair is dirty.What matters is that I’m able to get somewhere on time (for the most part) and typically being/seeming put together myself and toting happy-fully-bellied babies.
So there you have it.5 things I currently deal with and have come to accept in this new role as momma.Even though it’s been almost 8 months, I’m still humbled on a daily basis the many blessings that have been placed upon me.So.. even if my hair is falling out.. or my grocery budget is through the roof, or my newly sweaty-nature produces even more laundry to do, I don’t really care/mind.
Being a mom to these two is totally worth it. I mean.. seriously.
Hop to my sweet friend and fellow twin girl momma, Amber's blog today {LOVE her!} - I'm using my dietitian brain in my guest post over at Mommy's Me Time some healthy nutrition and snack tips for us busy ladies out there! While you are there, read up on her Summer Fitness Challenge blog series. So much helpful info!
..and for your viewing pleasure over here.. nakey baby bellies!
Baby chatter is the best. I just wonder what in the world they are talking so intently about..
It was hot this weekend. Like sweltering humidity at 8am kind of hot. But, that didn't stop us from our good time. We've been talking about going to a Rangers game for months and finally {finally} we made plans for all of us adults to go.. plus 3 {7 month old} babies and a fetus.
Fetus? Oh ya.. didn't you know? Jacqueline's preggo with a little baby girl due in December. Parker and Jolie will have the bestest friend on the planet out of that little Tapella. Swoon!
Sunday afternoon our crew unloaded into a shady spot on the lawn infront of the stadium for some burgers, beer, and good company with my favorite people ever.
mah ladies.. {Diana, Jacqueline, Ashley, and myself) and our babies {Jacob, Parker, & Jolie}. A little blurry, but still too cute. Parker and Jolie had just risen from a two hour nap in the truck (with the AC blowing full blast, of course.) so they weren't dressed for the game just yet.
Our three littles. THE cutest Ranger fans in the park.
Miss Jolie {and her baby penguin hair} sportin' the huge bruise on her head. Thank goodness she's cute. I contemplated arranging her bow to cover it, but it just looked strange to me.. so we'll make due. It has gotten so much better in just a day's time.
Even though it was really hot out, the girls did great! They love being outside and played happily the entire time we tailgated. My little beauties make this momma proud.
burgers and baby entertainment
Walking into the game we were welcomed with full on heat of the sun and we really needed to cover the girls' bald heads. This girl had me and Auntie dying. Apparently when you've had a bow on your head since day one of life you don't mind other things being on your head either. Even if it's Jarrett's stinky/sweaty ball cap.
Welcome to the ball park! We had great seats.. in the shade. When purchasing the tickets, Jordan made sure to find seats on the shaded side of the stadium. As HOTT as it was, I couldn't imagine sitting IN the sun. Blech. I was thankful for our seats:)
The boys sat in the four seats in front of us, while the girls sat in the four behind. My precious Jolie and her perfect Daddy are so sweet together.
Last week BB picked up a couple of the coolest teether toys and I've made great use out of them already. The Fisher Price EZ Clean Teether is kind of like the mesh teether, but this one is soft plastic. I filled it with little chunks of ice and the girls went to town. These are from Target, but I can't find them on their website.
To my left..
serious obsession.
..and to my right.. Look at those lashes. Sweet baby!
..and in front of me. She was out.
..for about 30 minutes. Clearly she is totally smitten by her daddy.
7th inning stretch
Jarrett and Jordan having too much fun dancing with these two. Ahhh- I love this!
Jacqueline, Me, and Ashley. Love these girls
After 8 innings and serious Ranger cheering, dancing, and crowd waving, Parker finally gave in. She was wiped out by the end.
I think she knew that the game wasn't going so hot for the Rangers and didn't want to watch them lose. Boo for losing on their part, but it was still so much fun. It was a bab(ies) first- but for sure not their last!
So.. its Wednesday and I'm just now getting around to covering this weekend's happenings. Mostly because I'm still wishing for it to be the weekend, and mainly because I took about a 8,752 pictures for no particular reason. As a result, going through those that are worth posting has taken me longer than normal.. and because looking at all these pictures makes me wish for the weekend again.. distraction overcomes into daydreams of this weekend.. even though nothing super exciting occured .. I just like the weekend and time with Jordan and my favorite girlies.. but, hey, if you give a mouse a cookie..
So.. since Thursday was technically my 'Friday', we will start there. This little girl is all over the place, and nothing that we can prevent or manage.. we are doing out best to create the bumpers and guard this baby from anything she can get into- She's just unstoppable.
Since this picture was taken, she has accrued two more bruises on her forehead.
Friday started with a lunch date.. Miss Parker has recently decided she will look everywhere but the camera. Lately, anytime I whip it out for a quick photo-op she is quick to shut down the smiles and laughter. Silly cookie.
..and Jolie, here. Don't let this picture fool you.. she was much more enjoyable during lunch than that. And we alllllllll adore Aunty Ashley times a million, duh.
Friday night the hubbs and myself got a babysitter (aka the twinsie's BB) and met the Tapella's for dinner and ice cream for dessert. I failed at picture taking, but at least I got one of my lovie and me. Even though I love and don't mind to take the girls everywhere we go, it is nice to have some adult time once in awhile.
Saturday morning I headed out to grab some groceries while Jordan stayed home with the girls. He had big plans to finish cleaning out our flower beds while the girls took their morning naps, but, the teething monster had other plans. Their usual 2 hour nap in the morning ended up being a whopping 45 minutes. So.. daddy compromised and I got this picture text of my naked babies in the front yard while I was shopping.
After filling our pantries (not PANTIES as I typed about 4 time before getting it right..) and making our yard its prettiest it can be we headed out for a play date with cousin Kendall and of course it was nice to see Jenna and Adam, too! The girls played so well together. It was absolutely precious how interested Kendall was in Parker and Jolie.
And this is how we do dinner.. We practically need a table for ten with the space three slings plus four adults take up.
Sunday was rough on the teething front. Cranky babies times two and poor Jolie only found comfort in momma's arms. She wanted to sleep the majority of the day, so we kept it easy going with lots of snuggles and Mickey Mouse. It was gloomy out, so it was the perfect day to do so.
While the girls napped, I made some baby food.. and at 'dinner time' we tried mangos..
and.. well.. the world wasn't ending after the first bite and they didn't completely hate it. They did better when it was mixed with the oats.
Just a little dramatic.. wouldn't you agree?
Sunday night marked another baby first- their first time in the bath together! We need one of those non-slip mats, for sure, but they had a blast splashing each other and hollering as if they weren't 4 inches from each other's face.
Having fun, Parks?
Monday was the usual: Jolie's therapy, errands, errands, lunch, errands, and more errands. These girls were ecceptionally pleasant the entire day! Considering the fussy babes I had on Sunday, I was impressed with their patience in the car seat for most of the day.
Running all over town is so much better when I get to look at this face
and this face, too. My sweet girls.
One of our 'errands' for Monday was to finally get the girls' high chairs. We've been putting it off (mainly for the expense) and had a couple coupons and with the twin discount, we got them at a good price. Jolie was the first to try hers out- and sassy pants thought she was soooo big.
Silly girls. Gosh they are getting so big. Stop. Growing.
On Tuesday afternoon I was getting silly pictures from my mother-in-law of my children playing dress up in my jewelry..
When I came home I was surprised to see what my sweet MIL was up to..
She made this, folks. On the mornings she helps me with the girls she hears me in my bedroom practially in a fist fight with my knotted up jewelry thrown into a drawer. She decided I needed something more practical. The sweet woman organized my jewery and hung everything that would fit on this- now easily accessible in my closet. I neeed another one to hang all my stuff, but this is a great start (when I say I hoard accessories, I mean I hoard them).
I spent about 10 minutes this morning trying to figure out what jewelry to wear. I had resorted to wearing the same stuff over and over again because I didn't want to take the time to sift through to find something. I feel like I've got all this new stuff. Thanks, BB! Talk about making my day!
It was a great weekend.. and first part of my week. After these last couple weeks being more on the stressor side of things, it has been refreshing to have so many good days in a row. But, still, thank goodness we are well into Wednesday:)
