21 weeks

I am 21 weeks today!

Dollar Store Decisions

Since attempting to have the girls sleep together in the same bed and room for the last couple of weeks, there have been some difficult nights and some rather easy ones. So, after a few days of them getting up out of bed, fighting, playing hide and seek, screaming, pinching, hitting, kicking and Jeremy or me having to go in and settle them down, I decided to do a reward chart. Each night they go to sleep in their bed together, go to sleep rather easy, and sleep all night, they get a star sticker. It's on a weekly basis, so at the end of the week we count how many stars they got and see if they got enough for a treat or surprise. Here's the reward chart:
3 stars-get to do bubbles
4 stars-get to play with play-doh (which is not one of my favorite activities)
5 stars-get to cut with scissors (Camden LOVES to cut and I never let her do it b/c she cuts the tiniest pieces up and they get everywhere)
6 stars-Mommy will get them a surprise
7 stars-a trip to the Dollar Store and they get to pick one thing

Well, the first week didn't go so good. They only got 2 stars, which left them with no treat. But, week 2 they did awesome. I'm not saying they didn't get out of their bed or they didn't hit/kick/fight, etc... And, they did get several swats on the bottom, but they did earn 7 star stickers for the week. So, after church today we went to the Dollar Store and they were in heaven. Claire found a bear, which she thought she wanted, until she found the babies. Then her mind was made up. Camden, on the other hand, took FOREVER to pick. She was so indecisive about her treat. She would find one thing and carry it around and then put it back and pick up something else. I finally had to give her a time limit. She, too, picked a baby doll. They were so thrilled to be able to pick out their own prize!! Way to go Camden and Claire for sleeping good ALL WEEK!!! Let's try for another great week!

Fun Friday

This morning we met Aunt Rachel, Jaxson, Aunt Crystal and Madeline at the Spray Park. The kids had so much fun playing in the water. After we left, I took the girls to McDonald's for a Happy Meal (such a healthy lunch) and to play. On our way home, we decided to stop at Andy's for some yummy frozen custard. The girls and I had a great fun Friday!!

Mother's Day Fun

I had a great Mother's Day weekend. Yesterday we took Nana's gifts over to her and she loved her new bird feeder and the picture frame that the girls and I made for her. Camden and Claire had a great time helping Papa hang the new feeder from a tree in their backyard. This morning started off great. Jeremy and the girls took me to breakfast and then we came home and I opened my presents. The girls got me an intial flag and a gift certificate to Bath and Body Works. Then we went to church with Nana and Papa. After that, we went to lunch and then headed over to Marme's house to celebrate with her and Pops. Marme' also liked her frame and loved her new apron. Camden and Claire had lots of fun playing outside with Marme' and Gigi and enjoying the pretty weather. What a great Mother's Day...and just think that next year I'll be a mother to three sweet little girls!! I can't wait.

19 weeks

Today I went to the doctor for a check-up and was very alarmed to discover that I had gained 7 pounds, all in a month. WOW!! The nurse seemed a little concerned and just said that as long as I don't do that every month it should be fine. My doctor never even mentioned it. I guess I shouldn't worry too much. I did gain 40 pounds with Camden and Claire, so I'm sure I'll gain just as much with Carlyle. The heartbeat sounded great. I haven't been feeling her move a lot, but I guess that means that maybe she's going to be very laid back. That would be nice!! I keep thinking that I need to start doing something with the baby's room, but just can't get motivated. The closet is so junky....just filled with tons of clothes that Camden and Claire have outgrown. I really need to go through them, sort them by size and put them in storage containers, but I just keep procrastinating. That's just the yucky part of getting the room ready. I can't wait to pick out paint color, get everything organized and start hanging clothes in her closet. It will be so fun, but I'm so glad that I have a few more months before her arrival. That will give me some time to prepare.

19 weeks and 1 day

First Attempt

I started thinking tonight that I needed to start trying to get Camden and Claire sleeping in the same room. I knew I didn't want to wait until late summer to start because that's just way too close to my due date. So, I was going to see if Camden would sleep on the top bunk tonight and let Claire sleep on the bottom, but Jeremy suggested that we just try to let them sleep together for a week or so on the bottom bunk. Probably a good idea. So, after dinner and baths they were super excited to be sleeping together. After I tucked them in and said our prayers I left the room. All I could hear was giggling, laughter, and talking. It was very cute, but the cuteness wore off after Jeremy and I alternated going in their room at least six or seven times. They got up to play and started screaming and then they came out of the room at least 2 or 3 times. I knew they just needed to get used to the idea of being together in the same room, but I was exhausted after 2 hours of monitoring. Finally, after Camden had gotten up for the last time, I popped her bottom and they both seemed to settle down pretty quickly. I laid with them for a few minutes and kissed them goodnight. So far....they're still in bed and QUIET!!!! YEAH!!! I hope they sleep all night without waking up. Maybe tomorrow night it won't take as long to get to sleep. Hopefully, we can gradually move Camden up on top, although I don't see that happening without Claire putting up a fight. She really wants to sleep on top, too. Maybe they'll have to take turns. Who knows how it will end up...all I know is that I'm TIRED and hoping they both sleep well tonight!

Outdoor Fun

Tonight after dinner we headed out to the backyard to play. The girls do have clothes...lots of clothes...but choose to run around in their panties or shorts. Usually I make them wear clothes, but tonight I decided to let them run free. I'll only allow this "lack of clothing" while playing in the backyard. After playing on the swingset for awhile, Camden wanted to show off her baseball skills. Instead of using a tee, she wanted her Daddy to pitch to her. She was doing great hitting the ball. Who knows...maybe softball is in our future.