I’m having nightmares about wall decals. (Alternate title: This will show that overexposed Paul McCartney.)

Hello! Howdy! Bonjour et salut et all that! For those of you wondering why I bother to have a blog at all if I’m going to just let it fester for over a month without updating it, I say to you: IT WAS ALL AN EXPERIMENT. AND YOU AND I TOTALLY FELL FOR IT.

You’d think that after taking such a blogging vacation I’d have oodles and piles of stuff to share with you, but I instead I’ll basically sum up the past month or so with this:

1. Still pregnant

2. More enormous

3. Rough patch with the business, now some downtime, back to blogging, and hey, we got REALLY far with the baby’s room LOOK:

There. Now we’re all caught up.

Looking forward, this Friday brings us to Aura’s last day of kindergarten. (Literally–we heard about our petition to get her into public first grade, and it was successful. I loves you, my town. Forget everything I said about those potholes that one time on that local message board lalalalala)

While Aura’s school doesn’t host a kindergarten graduation, there is an all-school Last Day Play. Aura will be playing the essential role of Woodland Creature in The Secret Garden. To be precise, she is a rabbit. A rabbit that, along with The Other Woodland Creatures, apparently breaks into “All We Need is Love” by The Beatles somewhere during the first half. I don’t know about you, but I’m sensing serious blackmail material for her wedding. Which is honestly why we paid all this money for kindergarten anyway.

In other news, we have been eating a lot of s’mores.

In this sixth-to-last-week of pregnancy, it has not gone unnoticed that this is the last time in my life when I will be able to eat anything and everything not nailed down and have a fairly plausible excuse. Which would maybe kind of explain this:

It's not as empty as it seems, except for the part where that's a gigantic lie.

What else? I mean, there’s stuff. There was a dance recital (let’s hear it, all you Manilowacs!); a near catastrophe at an event our business held, remotely, halfway across the country (my Scary Kate Phone Voice apparently does nothing to cow people in the Show Me State who are DEADLY INTENT ON BANKRUPTING US); and the other night there were even some mild contractions! at 2:30 a.m.! that terrorized me enough into buying an actual car seat and diapers at 2:45 a.m.!

No contractions since, but now I wake up to use the bathroom every hour in greater peace, knowing the baby will be able to poop in comfort and safety on the way home from the hospital. Who knows where he’ll sleep or what he’ll wear, but…eh. Details. Who needs ‘em anyway.

P.S. I put Aura in charge of the nursery decorating scheme. After lingering on the idea of turtles, then changing to frogs, she settled on owls. So I ordered this wall decal. Turns out it has numbered parts and a map and OHHH I SELF-LOATHE REAL BAD RIGHT NOW

P.P.S. Still no name for the baby, either. Aura is a big fan of Marc-with-a-c, Jack, and, recently, Fizzy. Given the alternative of Baby X, Fizzy is looking better and better every day. It has a certain…soda-themed charm. (Adam already said no to the name Diet Coke. Because you know I asked.)

Breenah

June 13, 2012 | 8:39 am

Nice to hear from you again I hope the next six weeks are awesome and full of many more ice cream cakes for you

Amber

June 13, 2012 | 10:44 am

I think when you are pregnant you don’t need to explain why you have been absent. Specially when you are creeping up on the finish line. I hope that the next six weeks go quick for you. Also I’m afraid of those wall decals also. I’m so afraid I’m going to get them up there and WHAM huge bubbles will appear in them.

julie gardner

June 13, 2012 | 2:58 pm

Readers of And Then Kate:

It was I who ate that Oreo Ice Cream Cake. I swear. Except for the part where that’s a big lie.

(Sorry, my friend. I am terrible at subterfuge.)

But I do love the name Jack.

Maybe only a little less than Fizzy. But since my own Jack turns 15 next week, it’s probably too late to change it, right?

I do like the sound of “Fizzy Gardner Takes on High School,” though.

It’s got a certain panache.
Or something.

Either way, hang in there.
Six weeks.
You can still fit in a whole lotta s’mores.

Matt

June 13, 2012 | 6:46 pm

I’m glad to see you’re back and I’ve been wondering why the local supermarket was out of those damn ice cream cakes.

Would you please save some for the rest of us?

As for the baby name, I like Fizzy. It sort of has a muppet/soda thing going on for it.

Muppets and soda, a win-win combo!

Jessica

June 14, 2012 | 11:37 am

I’m going to vote for Fizzy. And that you send back the wall decor and instead buy some more desserts to chow down on.

Ilana

June 19, 2012 | 11:59 pm

At least you have a baby’s room! We’ll be storing ours in the bathroom. Under the sink so he/she doesn’t get in the way.

By the way, big fan of Fizzy. Or maybe Fitzy? Very Hamptons prep.

If I find out I’m having a girl, I’ll give you my boy name. Although, it’s also an “A” and I’m not sure you are that kind of family.

tj@ any given moment

July 2, 2012 | 7:08 am

checking in to spy on your life: I say trade in labor and birth for oreo ice cream cake as long as you can!

Karen

July 5, 2012 | 10:09 pm

Good to hear from you Kate. You are missed when you don’ write for a while. But, sugar highs and creativity have never been a good mixture. Just wait ’til you can have Adam’s cocktails again! So…Adam and Aura…shouldn’t Kate have a “K” boys name? I’m thinking Kaden or Kayden or Kurt. Just a thought…..
Or, maybe Adam would let you name him Oreo?