Friday Favorites

Here are a few of my favorite baby products:

• The Ultimate Crib Sheet...My least favorite "Mom job" is changing the crib sheets. Is it just me or is that the most impossible task? Anyway, this sheet snaps around the rails of the crib, so you don't have to deal with pulling it over the corners. And, if there is any sort of "accident" in the middle of the night, you can just pull it off and there is a perfectly clean sheet underneath!

• The video monitor...We have watched Clare do some of the funniest things while she is in her crib. Very entertaining to peek in on her without her knowing.
• The Pea Pod by Kidco...This is new to our repertoire, but I think it is going to be very helpful. My mother-in-law bought them for her house for the little ones to sleep in. They collapse down to the size of a basketball. Perfect for traveling.

• Personalized place mat from Olivekids.com....I just ordered this mermaid design for Clare. Of course, her says "Clare," not "Sara." This certainly isn't a necessity, but it is nice for her to have a "fun" spot at the table.
  

• The Snack Trap...We are kind of in between uses with this item. It worked great when Clare was just old enough to hold her snack on her own, but wasn't overly stable. Now, she does better with an open bowl. However, I am sure we will bust this baby out again when the little ones want some Cheerios.

• The Bath Sponge...This is the easiest way that I have found to bathe babies. Until they can sit up, it is just too tricky to put them down in the tub. I just set this guy on the counter and wash away. It is super cheap too, so once you wear one out, it is no big deal to replace it.

• Table Toppers....I love these things! Just peel and stick them to a restaurant table. You can put food right on them and toss them when finished. So great not to have to worry about all of the nasty germs .

What are some of your favorite baby things?

Baby Boot Camp, Phase 2

Operation: Sleeping Through the Night

This weekend marked our second phase of boot camp. Sydney (right) had gotten into the habit of eating several times through the night. Admittedly, it was my fault. She cried; I fed her. My thinking was that it was just easier to go feed her than risk her waking everyone up. I knew that it wasn't good for her (or me) to continue that habit. So, we decided this long weekend would be the "let them cry at night" weekend.

On Friday night, she woke up twice before midnight and cried for about 20 minutes each time. Then she slept until 6! She has done great the two nights since then also. Sunday night, she went from 7:30 to 6:45! But guess what...Jane has started waking up! I can't win for losing. However, I think we are on the cusp of a full night's rest for our entire crew...I can feel it. Don't worry, there will be a huge celebratory post when that occurs!

P.S. Phase One of boot camp has been deemed a success. Our nap schedule is pretty much in place, and both girls are responding well.

P.P. S. (or is it P.S.S.?) Sydney has boycotted the bottle once again. What the heck? That girl keeps me guessing.

Catching Up With Clare

Clare has kept us laughing around here lately. Here are a few of her most notable moments:

• I was sitting on the couch holding Sydney, who was crying. Clare walks up to me and says, "Here, let me take her."

• Tonight Casey was giving her a bath. She squeezed her rubber duck and it made a tooting sound. Clare looks as the duck and says, "What do you say, ducky?"

• After hearing about Julie's successful family movie night, we decided to try it at our casa. We had pizza, ate popcorn and watched Cars. Well, at least some of us did.

This is as close as Clare came to sitting down and watching the movie. She was all over the place. During the movie, Casey said, "Clare do you like the movie?" She looks at him and says, "No." Although she didn't see more than two minutes of the movie, she seemed to enjoy herself.

Like Night and Day

It is amazing how twins can be so different... two babies growing in the same womb with the same parents with very different personalities. Also amazing is how we can love them each so completely.

Jane is so sweet. I appreciate her calm demeanor, her usual contentedness, and her sweet spirit so much. She is almost always happy. If she gets tired, you can just go lay her down, and she is asleep within minutes. She always has her hands in her mouth, and when she gets really excited she opens her mouth up really wide. She has dark hair, and I think it is going to be curly. Her eyes are darker than Sydney's, and although she is the bigger of the two, she appears smaller.


Sydney is my fiery girl. She has blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes. She has a "rounder" look that gives her the bigger appearance. This girl knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let everyone know. As much as her temper can get the best of me, I love that she is so passionate. And as mad as she can get, she can be equally happy. She is snuggly and expressive. She gives great smiles and loves to be kissed. She laughs out loud fairly often and moves/rolls all over the place.


What a blessing these girls are to our family. Although they each have distinct personalities, they balance each other out quite well.

"You're Still Here?"

Jane-left; Sydney-right

Baby Boot Camp, Phase 1

That's right, folks! These two cuties (Sydney-left; Jane-right) are enlisted in Baby Boot Camp. Phase One consists of getting on a schedule that includes three naps a day and a more consistent bedtime.

Jane and Sydney had been taking smaller naps frequently throughout the day. I was getting tired of everyday looking different; I needed more structure. And so it began. The tricky part for the girls is that they have to stay up a little longer between naps. They can usually do this if they have your undivided attention, but since there are three kids and only one of me, it gets tricky. Hopefully, they will get more used to the new schedule the longer it goes on.

Also, we are working on Sydney's catnapping. She likes to sleep for 45 minutes at a time. If I go in and rock her right when she wakes up, she will go right back to sleep. How can I get her to sleep for her "full nap" without having to rock her?

Today was Day 2 of our new regimen, and we made some good progress. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. Sydney took a 6 oz. bottle today! Hallelujah! I can't express how freeing this is for me! I am not ready to quit nursing, but it will be nice to be able to get away for more than three hours!

It's Potty Time!

The other night at dinner, Clare wanted to say they prayer. It went like this:

"Dear God, Thank you for family. Clare went tee-tee on the potty. Amen."

Can you tell what has been the topic of conversation around here for the past few days!

She has been doing so well!

She completed her sticker chart on Sunday, so she got to pick out a new toy.

This is what she picked. A "mermaid bubble toy."

Yesterday we transitioned to big girl underwear. Today we had an accident-free day!

I must confess that even though she has taken to this relatively easily, I think all of the "training" is worse than diapers. We have been spending A LOT of time in the bathroom! It's got to get better, right???

Me and My Girls

What a Mother's Day it was! The festivities began on Saturday night when we had Casey's family over for dinner. Besides a major meltdown from Clare, we had a nice time...and I was lucky enough to be the recipient of a new camera and a pedicure! The fun continued on Sunday when my parents came over for brunch after church. Clare was much better behaved, and even showed off her new potty skills...but that's a whole different post.

I am so thankful to have a great mom. I think that the greatest preparation for motherhood is having had a good example. There is no way you can be totally prepared for all that motherhood throws at you. However, if you had an involved, caring mother raise you, I think you are more likely to come out the other side with your sanity intact. So, thanks Mom, for helping prepare me for this crazy year!

I have had quite a year as a mother, and today I am especially grateful for my three healthy girls. Even with all the diaper changes, sleepless nights, constant worry, and temper tantrums, it is by far the best thing I have ever done.

About This Week

• Jane has slept through the night for the past three nights. I'm talking from 9:00 to 8:30. Seriously "sleeping through the night!" Hopefully, she'll convince Sydney that it's the cool thing to do.

• Jane was laying on the floor the other day, and Clare walked up to her with arms outstretched and said, "Come see me!"

• The twins are both rolling over front to back and back to front. Sydney has especially become quite the roly-poly.
  

• Today we completed our first day of potty-training around here. We had one success and several "uh-ohs." Her pull-ups have hearts on them that fade away when they get wet. When Clare would potty in her pull-up, she would say "Gotta get more hearts." This morning I started out very gung-ho, but lost my enthusiasm throughout the day. Hopefully, I will wake up re-energized tomorrow. Like my mom says, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

• Looking forward to a fun Mother's Day weekend. I am hoping to get a decent picture with all three of my girls....a girl can dream, right?
  

The Much Anticipated Meeting

I met Brody! He is every bit as cute as I expected him to be, albeit slightly larger. He makes the twins look teeny-tiny! Although our time together was too short, it was fun to see their new little family. Nathan is the proud papa that I knew he would be, and Megan has taken to motherhood swimmingly.

LoLo and Pop and their grandkids

The "kids" and their kids

Brody, Clare, Jane and Sydney

Granny and Grandad

Mamma
She got all the babies on her lap. Quite an accomplishment!
(Can't you tell I am raising a little lady by the way Clare is sitting?)

Babies, babies, and more babies

I can't wait until we go to Colorado in the fall. Then I will get some serious face time with my favorite little guy!