For posterity

The semester started for Tyler on Monday and the warm wonderful feelings from our amazing weekend fell apart almost the second we awoke.
      Heidi had wet the bed and wasn't very happy about it.  This child flips emotions like a coin and it's exhausting.  We handled that crisis and went forward straight to her dumping her bowl of cereal onto the carpet.  Deep breath from Mommy, clean up, more cereal, all was good.  Strike 3 was when I discovered that the washing machine drain pipe was frozen and all the dirty water from the bed wetting and clothes came back up onto the floor in the laundry room. We hadn't even been awake an hour.  I'll spare you the rest of the details, but let's just say it's been that kind of a week.  Tyler did rescue me after an exhausting Monday by coming home from work with flowers and an entire bag of chocolate Oreo's for me, Twix for the kids and the curry paste I needed to finish dinner.
     It's going to take some adjusting but I think we can survive this new schedule.  Tyler is mostly teaching Physiology this semester but he has a few open labs and a section of Anatomy that he is looking forward to.  We will get him home for dinner Monday through Wednesday but the kids won't even get a glimpse of his smiling face Thursday or Friday.  We have vowed to make up for this with fantastic weekends, and with a baby less than 3 months away, the pressure is on to make these first 2 kids feel super loved AND establish some good habits that will carry us through newborn crisis time.
     I'm officially into the back pain and heartburn months.  I waddle like I'm 11 months pregnant and have had to establish some exercise routines so I can make it past noon upright.  My posture is abysmal.    Last appointment the doctor said "Flower" (this is the new name chosen by Alex, Snowflake got bumped to a middle name) was measuring 2 weeks small and so unless she had grown 4 weeks in the next 4 weeks, they would do an ultrasound.  He also said not to worry, but my thoughts immediately jumped to the 20 week ultrasound when they said she was measuring a week big- therefore I've reached the conclusion she hasn't grown in 3 weeks and it's because I'm eating chocolate and have therefore ruined her entire life before she is even born.  Oh, and my hormones have made me crazy.
    Tyler is glad to be back teaching and has vowed to be the greatest teacher ever.  I'm so impressed at what a good teacher he is and how willing he is to read textbooks and learn more so he can be an even better instructor.  And I'm sure he often wonder's how I graduated from college with my 2nd grade understanding of the human body.  But he has yet to let any disgust show.
      Alex blows my mind with the things she is learning everyday.  She picks up EVERYTHING she hears which is sometimes sweet and endearing, and sometimes makes me vow to never let her near another human being again.  She has a particular friend who talks down to me as though I were the child.  It infuriates me and I have to keep myself in check and not treat her in turn like a 27 year old that I'm displeased with.  I go back and for between banning Alex for ever seeing her again, and reasoning it's better that Alex learn through listening to me lecture her friend about inappropriate behavior and words- instead of learning by receiving the lectures herself.
      Heidi is STILL potty training.  2 months ago I was upbeat and optimistic that it would all be over soon.  As of today I've decided 2 days of labor pains is 1000 times better than 6 months of constant potty accidents and this never ending process.  We have gotten rid of all pull-ups and diapers so she has no crutch to fall back on, and she walks around the house in dresses with a naked bum (because for some reason she is unwilling to wet herself without panties on).  I'm pretty sure I'm the only one NOT grossed out by the constant partial nudity, but it's the only card I've got left.  She is getting better (knock on wood) and had no accidents today!  We must have completed this process by April or I will go insane.
    Utah is suffering through an inversion, with temperatures hovering around 15 for the last 2 weeks.  We are stuck inside due to bad air quality and frigid temperatures and have been playing a lot of pretend, and trains.  Life is going well though and we find ourselves happy to be here with our current future prospects.