June, and almost 37 weeks. Everything summer is happening here: sprinklers, popsicles, heat waves, wildfires. Forget-me-nots blooming by Sophie’s grave, starflowers and dogwood, star-shaped tiger lilies almost ready to bud. Dinner is dandelion fritters, and pasta salad with peas and chickweed.

We are hurry-up-and-waiting, slowly plugging through our summer term, getting over colds, and purging closets.

Lately we spend most afternoons outside, but a few weeks ago we sat on the couch during a rainy spell and did this sweet survey that was flooding social media. The instructions were something like, Ask your child these questions, write down their age and what they say, and try not to laugh so hard that you choke on your coffee.

How old is your mom?

Chamberlain, age five – Twenty-something. (haha!!)

Iree, age eleven – Thirty-nine or thirty-eight. (yes, one of those)

Afton, age nine – Thirty-nine. (but not that one)

How tall is your mom?

C – Taller than Mattie. (wrong)

I – Less than five feet. (wrong again)

A – I dunno…five or six feet? (Close enough. Give a broad enough answer, and you’re a winner!)

What is her favorite thing to do?

C – Eat cookies with a baby in her tummy.

I – Drink coffee with Dad.

A – Um, maybe ask us questions? (sarcasm runs very deep in our family)

What does your mom do when you’re not around?

I – Kiss Dad.

C – She cries.

A – I dunno because I’m not there. (logic runs very deep in our family, too)

The evenings are normal, mostly. Which means we still spend the first two or three hours after bedtime sending kids back to bed in between drinks for water, trips to the bathroom, and sudden appearances of ailments that did not bother them during the 12 hours previous to bedtime. The main difference is that now I make as many trips to the bathroom as all of the kids do combined, and we’ve decided we could probably never live in a house with less than three toilets.

What is something mom always says to you?

C – She calls me Bunny.

I – “Drink water.”

A, frowning – “Wash your hands.” (at this point he decided not to answer all of these pesky questions)

What is your mom really good at?

C – Keeping chocolate off her face when she eats cookies. (I’ve had some practice at this)

What is your mom not very good at?

C – She’s not very good at zipping her coat because Finnegan’s too big.

Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?

C – To sit on the couch and drink coffee with dad.

A – To bed.

I – To STAY in bed.

These kids are brilliant. I thought for sure they’d say “church” or “Kaladis” or “Hatcher Pass” for places I like to go, but no…they know me better than I know myself.

What does your mom like most about your dad?

C – She likes him because he helps with babies and she loves babies.

A – ‘Cause he makes coffee.

I – She says he’s a stud.

(all true)

How tall is your dad?

C – He’s, like, about as tall as the ceiling.

I – More than five feet.

A – Six feet, maybe?

What was your dad like as a child?

C – He loved his mom. (Still true. She’s a pretty great lady.)

What makes dad sad?

C – When he has to work and paint. If he had to paint the whole inside of the house, it would make him cry. (probably true)

We still haven’t settled on a middle name for Finnegan yet. I haven’t finished his blanket yet. I feel woefully unprepared in so many ways and actually had a moment of panic the other day wondering if I had (ahem) appropriate birthing undergarments and such. Those. You know.

We need to pack our grab-and-go bag. We need to choose the wee little outfit to bring him home in. We need to paint, in spite of the trauma this may cause my husband.

And we’re still not sure where to put that yoga ball.

What is your dad really good at?

C – Touching the ceiling. (which is a good thing, considering those painting projects)

I – Making me happy.

C – Yep. That’s true. He made you special and he loves you very much.

I – GOD made me special…

What makes you proud of your dad?

C – Because he loves me and he made me special…

I – He makes sure that we let mom sleep.

What do you and your dad do together?

C – We um, we go…drive to places and get slushies…and drive back home…and then go outside on a nice sunny day…slurp, slurp.

What is his favorite thing to do?

C – Sit with you and drink coffee.

I – Yep. Sit with you and drink coffee.

C – Huh. There’s a lot of coffee in here.

We need to slow down and speed up all at once – we need to rest on the couch with coffee and each other, and then run to the store and buy necessary postpartum supplies. We need to spend time with each of the kids in rambling talks and prayerful questions. But we should probably also teach them how to order pizza.

We need to decide urgent necessary things, like…who will stay with our kids during the birth? What music should we bring for labor and delivery? And, oh my goodness, hold on just a minute – what color should I paint my toenails??

Just kidding.

I mean, I can’t even reach my toenails. That’s another painting job for Vince.