Chronicles of a Messy Eater

Jane is the messiest eater I have ever seen.

Here she is before we begin. Clean as a whistle.

Halfway through. She has carrots all over her body.

She puts her fingers in her mouth between every bite, thus transporting carrots to all crevices of her body.

Carrots, applesauce and a biter biscuit later...

After a good meal, she goes straight to the tub!

Throwin' In The Towel

I say "uncle." I am done trying to give Sydney a bottle. It just isn't worth it anymore. There are only a few weekends that pose any possible conflicts, and for those weekends, we'll just play it by ear. The girls are almost 8 months old. I will nurse them till almost a year, so we are well over half way through.

Instead of getting frustrated by Sydney's teetotaling (she's against the bottle!), I will just go with it...be happy she nurses well and is healthy. I just don't have time to continue to force the issue. Admittedly, I haven't given it the full-court press. There are a few other things I could try, be more persistent, but I no longer have it in me to even try.

(Sydney and Jane)

In other news, the girls are sitting up! That's not to say they don't ever topple over, but they are both enjoying their new upright view!

It's Tough Being the Baby

The Bink Fairy

This past weekend the Bink Fairy made a stop at our house. We put Elmo's bink in a special box on the front porch on Thursday night. (Yes, Elmo had a bink.) The next morning there was a treat in the box. Then on Friday night, it was go time for Clare's pacifier. She begrudgingly put in the special box, and we set it outside.

There were tears. There was screaming. There was definitely second guessing on Mommy's part. But after less than an hour, Clare calmed down and went to sleep. She woke up one more time on Friday night and needed some comforting. She kept saying, "I no want my bink outside." However, on Saturday morning, she couldn't wait to see what the Bink Fairy had left her.

Since then she has done really well. It does take her a little longer to go to sleep, and every night before bed I have to tell her all the people that don't use pacifiers....including Elmo, Cinderella, Dora, etc. I am sad to say goodbye to one more piece of her "babyhood," but thrilled to be a pacifier-free house!

I Did It!

I took all three girls to the grocery store by myself this past week! And we survived! I put the twins in the side-by-side double stroller and Clare carried her purse that has a strap (leash) that I held onto. I only needed a couple things, so I just threw them into the stroller basket. So at least now I know that I can do it...although I still think I will go solo when at all possible!

Our Vacation In Numbers

6... Nights spent in Hot Springs with all of Casey's family


2...Number of teeth sprouted (one for Jane, one for Sydney)

75...Casey's best golf round


3...Times I swam in the lake

5...Number of times the boys played golf

2 am....The time Clare fell asleep on the first night...guess she slept too long in the car!!!

6...Games played (Password, Buzzword, Trivial Pursuit, Apples to Apples, $25,000 Pyramid, 'Would you rather?')


9ish...Number of boat rides


2...Birthdays celebrated


Countless...Stroller rides the little girls went on. They loved strolling all along the deck! Many thanks to the grandmas and Morgan for taking them on so many rides.

29...How old Casey is today!

10...Hot dogs Casey consumed during our trip

8+...Times Clare played "restaurant" on the boat


2...Trips to the pool

230...Number of pictures Deedee took



Lots...Amount of fun had by all!

Home Sweet Home

After a very fun, week-long vacation with Casey's family, we are home...and anyone with kids knows "there's no place like home." A full recap with pictures of all of the happenings, from boat rides to birthday parties, will be up soon. All the girls were very tired when we arrived home tonight, and they all went to bed without a peep. Here's hoping they stay that way through the night!

Smooth Sailing

Things are cruising along at our casa. In addition to celebrating America's birthday this past Friday, it was also the day the twins turned seven months old. The girls (Jane on left, Sydney on right) have really gotten into a good groove. They are napping so well. Sydney has finally given up her mini-naps and realized that a nap is a good thing! They still go down three times a day, usually at 9:30, 1:00ish, and then a little nap again late in the afternoon.

While we're on the subject of sleeping....the girls continued to wake up around 5 am for a feeding session for far too long. I knew I needed to let them cry it out, but so many things were holding me back...the fact that there are two of them, the issue of Clare waking up, blah, blah, blah. Anyway, this weekend we let them cry. Lo and behold, last night they slept from 7:30 pm to 7:00 am without a sound. The thought of not being woken up during the night excites me to the core! Now if I could only get them to learn to sleep in!

Jane and Sydney are becoming more delightful everyday. They are "talking" a lot, playing with toys, putting everything in their mouths, and they are SO close to sitting up! Despite my comment in my last post, Sydney has tamed considerably. Both of the girls are so sweet. I feel like we are in a good phase, and I am going to enjoy it while it lasts. Hopefully it isn't the calm before the storm!

Happy Fourth of July!

Here is everyone in their 4th gear. Never mind the fact that Clare is pinching Sydney's ear. Jane's shirt says "Born in the USA." Sydney's says "Little Firecracker"...never have truer words been written!

Guess Clare Wanted Triplets...