It provides us a general snapshot of the forecasted trends and gives us an idea of what kind of outfit to get Brooklynn into for the day. If we really want to get granular, we do this¹:

Hourly, up to the next 12 hours. So, we don’t hear about the NEXT BIG STORM!!! that the news channel meteorologists love to get worked up about. We just get a calm forecast with chance of precipitation²

We don’t always know what the systems will bring more than a day or two out. Things are pretty fluid in weather, so I don’t make plans more than a day ahead of time anyway.

It does seem that if something big is going to happen, we hear about from other people. This is kind of my default filter for news – if it’s important enough, someone will tell me about it. So, I’ve been getting emails from work and our daycare and people in the office are talking about the NEXT BIG STORM!!!

The prediction³ is 10-18 inches over the next 24 hours. Yesterday, it was 6-10. This morning, 7-12. Now, they think the metro will get over a foot. It hasn’t actually started snowing yet, but maybe when it finally does, forecasts will be even higher⁴.

That’s a lot of snow for us. We missed the last big storm over Christmas, so part of me is kind of hoping we get it. Part of me is also hoping we don’t, because if I’m at work during the storm, it means I get to shovel when I get home. We have a sloped driveway, and at 34 weeks pregnant, there is no way I’ll agree to Rhiannon going outside to do any sort of snow removal.

If you don’t hear from us, I guess it means the snow broker our internets.

That, or I’m just not posting anything new, like normal.

When we left for dinner that evening, Brooklynn was drawing wavy lines and small squiggles on her white board and telling everyone it was sea turtles swimming in the ocean.

Yesterday, she decided that she was a train like Thomas the Tank-Engine. She called herself Thomas and said we should too. When asked directly where Brooklynn was, she would point to herself and say, “Right here!” while looking at us with an expression that seemed to indicate she worried about our sanity. I mean, where else would she be when she’s right in front of us? Silly mommy and daddy.

But other than that, only Thomas would respond to any sort of requests.

She also likes when her stuffed animals carry objects, talk, and dance. Yesterday, I got kicked off a stool at her table to make room for teddy. Apparently it was his seat first.

We have confirmed imagination happening in our house. I suppose it’s only a matter of time before we have full-fledged tea parties and princess sightings².

You just say sure.

Of course, the day she could sleep in was also the day she woke up at 5:50 in the morning. So we said goodbye to Mommy, had some medicine, some crispys (Rice Krispies), and watched a couple rounds of Horton Hears a Who.

Along with being sick, Brooklynn has been pretty horrible in the mornings for the past three weeks. Over half of the days it feels like she spends most of the time crying because she doesn’t want to go to school or telling us she doesn’t want to get dressed, and no she doesn’t want to wear that. No, she doesn’t want to eat that right now, and no, we can’t put on a coat or shoes or cooperate in any way.

To be honest, it’s a crappy way to start a morning. I can’t wait until we’re trying to get two children ready each morning.

I mentioned that I stayed home with Brooklynn a couple days ago, and we spent some of our time on the couch watching movies.

After taking a mid-morning potty break, before we restarted the movie, she told me to lie down and she sat on my chest. She reached out her hand and gently touched the tip of my nose with her fingertips before quickly jerking her arm back to her chest.

“I got your nose, Daddy!”

Again, reaching her hand out to my face, “It’s ok, Daddy, I give it back. Now, you get mine.”

So we played, taking turn at getting each other’s noses and eyes, and ears and lips. As I gave her second ear back for a second time (because you can’t take just one ear and not the other), her eyes finally started to betray how tired she was really getting.

“Ok, all done.” She laid down nestling her head underneath my chin and curling her body up on my torso. We grabbed a blanket to cover up with and she reached a hand up and felt my face again.

“Daddy, you happy?” she asked me, raising her head to look at me from 6 inches away.

“Yes, Brooklynn, I’m happy. Are you happy too?”

“Yep.” She laid her head back down. “Let’s watch Horton now.”

This morning was a bad morning. I had to physically force a small screaming child into a car seat. So every time that I ask why myself doing this again seemed like a good idea, I also think of times like that morning, cuddling on the couch.

We get to do this again. That’s the focus. We’re looking forward to having you, Artoo.