for the last hour, i have been trying to figure out if carter broke my nose this evening.

i think not, as the pain is finally subsiding, but it was touch and go there for a while. it was a total accident, we were snuggled up and he was on the left side and wanted to get on my right side so he shot up without warning and just jammed his head into my nose-- and since i was lying down, he caught it right on the bottom and basically shoved it up into my sinuses. the crack that reverberated through my brain was nauseating. i instantly developed a headache and sinus pressure. that has not gone away, though the searing pain in my nose has.

it will be interesting to see what i feel like/look like in the morning....

in other news, we went sledding today. very fun, ava built herself a jump at the end of the run, caught air and landed on her back in a pile of snow. perhaps the funniest thing i have seen in a while.

carter talks and talks and talks. now he is enjoying the fact that he can convey his desires: "mommy! turn UP!" (music). and his favorite word is "shuff" = "flush" -- though he has successfully learned to say "darn!" very clearly.

i think what i am enjoying the most about ava is that she does some really silly things that are funny in a way that can get me moved to hysterics. and she has developed that kind of uncontrollable laughter/giggling that is mature enough (now that is a weird way to assess giggling) to share with an adult. there have been multiple instances in the last few weeks where both of us are laughing uncontrollably over the same thing. that is fun. she may not be a snuggly baby anymore, but she is a fun little person.

this afternoon, as i was waiting for them at the top of the hill, i was thinking about this, watching her climb up to me, and thinking how amazing it was that this person was here, joining me in life, and she was so unique and wonderful. i felt really lucky. it is a weird thing to describe.

and while carter doesn't get or giggles, he is just so NICE. as the ladies at the ski area nursery say, "he's a good guy..." -- we have this thing where i nuzzle him, tell him i have a secret, and then whisper "i love you" in his ear. EVERY TIME i do that, he pulls his head back, looks at me, puts his hands on my cheeks and gives me a big kiss. then he hugs me tight.

i could do that 50,000,000 times a day.