She's Here

With a very grateful heart I am so happy to update that my baby girl is here. She was born at 12:24 am on Dec. 20th. She weighed 8lbs. 10 oz. and 19 inches long. Everyone is adjusting to our new life. I am so appreciative that I have my husband home for 2 weeks and that she came before Christmas. I will try to post some pics soon. Thanks to everyone who had our family in your prayers.

No Baby...Yet

I had my 38 week checkup last night. I have dialated 2 cm. I was really hoping that I could be induced before Christmas (so I could be home with the baby before Christmas). But, the only way the Dr. will induce me is if I have an amnio tap done to see if the baby's lungs are developed. Husband and I both feel like we should not go that route (due to minor risks involved with the procedure). So, if I want this baby to be home before Christmas then I need to go into labor on my own. I walked a good bit yesterday but, I think I may become a marathon walker today. I really want her to come today or tomorrow but, I know that God will send her in his perfect timing. Several months ago I had mentioned to a few people that I would really like for the baby to come on the 20th (since husbands last day of work before the Christmas break is the 19th). These people have been praying diligently for the 20th to be the day she is born. Whenever she does arrive I will be one happy Mama.

Just So You Know

As I was taking a shower this morning The Belle busted into the bathroom and announced "the letter of the day is W." A few minutes later she re-entered and announced "the number of the day is 15." Thanks to Sesame Street and The Belle for the update.

Lack of Progress

I went to the Dr. last night. Not much progress has been made since last week. I am still 1 cm. dialated and 70 percent effeaced. I left a little disappointed with the lack of progress. I really want the girls to be well before # 3 makes her debut and neither one of them are showing much signs of improvement. The May coughed all night and The Belle is whining ALOT. So, I am glad that there is no baby just yet. The girls have their first Christmas performance (singing "Away in A Manger" while dressed as angels; not really a performance) this Sunday night at church. I want to be there for that and then anytime after will be wonderful for this baby to come.

Dr. Visit Again

We just returned from the pediatrician. The Belle's ear started bleeding last night. The Dr. couldn't see if her drum was busted or if her tube was still in due to all the dried up blood. She prescribed some ear drops. The drops will clear up an infection and/or heal the drum if it is busted. She took the right tube out because it was not functioning anymore. The Belle did really well until she took it out. She had a meltdown but by the time we left she was better. She actually hugged the Dr. Hopefully, that will be our last trip for awhile.

Quite Impressive

The girls are getting better. I took them to the Dr. on Friday. The Belle did not have an ear infection but, just a bad cold. She still has a little runny nose and a cough. When the Dr. looked up The May's nose she said "this is quite impressive". I have learned that when a Dr. says that it is usually not a good thing. Her nasal passage was completely swollen shut. She was not breathing out of her nose at all. She prescribed 2 different types of nasal spray and breathing treatments twice a day. She is better but it could be a while before she is back to 100 percent. I am praying that they will both be completely well before the baby arrives. I have another Dr. appt. on Wednesday so , we will see what the progress is. We did manage to go cut down our Christmas tree on Saturday. We decorated it Saturday night. Both girls can not keep their hands off the ornaments. I love the smell of a real tree in the house.

Tired

It's 6:30 am. No one in this house has slept more than 20 minutes in the past 10 hours. Both girls have been coughing and sneezing uncontrollably with fevers all night. I am sitting in the recliner with both girls, each holding a blanket and a sippycup and a laptop in my lap (not to mention my belly is as big as a house). We are watching I love Lucy. The Dr. opens at 8:30; guess who will be their first call.

Making Progress

I went to the Dr. last night. I am dialated 1 cm. and 60 percent effaced (sorry, if that is too much info. for some of you). I really don't think I am going to make it to my due date. I am so excited that there is some progress going on. I packed my bags and a bag for the baby today. The girls were very helpful while I was packing. The Belle had lots of questions about the hospital, when we would go, if she would get to go, if she would get to sit with me, and on and on. We have a game plan in place in case I go into labor while husband is at work. I don't know why but my gut feeling tells me it will be at night. That could be becasue I began laboring at night with the girls. I think Husband is the one who is worried the most. I am just excited to get her here!

My Little Elf

I am always so sad when Husband returns to work after being off for a week. We had a very productive week. The girls are now sleeping in their new beds. I like having both girls in the same room. They are still adjusting to the newness of it all. I began wrapping presents today while The May napped. The Belle had a great time tearing the tape off and placing it on the paper. Then we moved on to Christmas cards. Her job was to stuff the cards. The entire time she was stuffing she was begging to lick the envelopes. So, I finally gave in and she began licking. She got about halfway through her stack and she said in this little pitiful voice: "Mom, this doesn't taste so good." She quickly gave up her job to drink orange juice. I am hoping to go cut our tree down by the weekend. I still can't believe Christmas is here! You know what that means...only a few more weeks until baby girl arrives! I have a Dr. appt. on Wednesday. I am taking my bags with me just in case (I am sure that is only wishful thinking).

Happy Thanksgiving

What I love about Thanksgiving:

Macy's Parade

Sweet Potato Casserole

The Sale Ads

It's Officially Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Cleaning Out

Husband is home all this week! We have been cleaning out closets, drawers, and cabinets. We are desperately trying to make room for baby girl # 3. We brought out the baby swing this morning. The girls quickly moved it into the living room in front of the t.v. The May was sitting in it and The Belle was pushing her. Both of them were very content for a good 30 minutes. The Belle wanted to know if we could bring her swingset inside so she could swing and watch t.v. Life is really about to change for those two.

Just The Two Of Us: Part 2

My Mom kept the girls for us last night while we went to our monthly parenting bible study class. She came and picked them up early which allowed me to get ready without having to manage 2 children. Husband and I had a peaceful drive to Subway where we had a peaceful dinner. I know we were only gone for just a few hours but that can be so rejuvenating. Not only do we need to spend one on one time with the girls but we need to spend one on one time with each other (more often). I love this picture of the two of us. It was last February and I was about 45 pounds lighter. Man, I can't wait to get back into my "normal" clothes.

Just the two of us

I had a Dr. appt. this morning. Husband and I thought it would be good for The Belle to go and see a positive experience at the Dr. Everytime she has been to the Dr. it is always because she is sick or she has to see the ear Dr. Each time is horrible. She screams, kicks, and cries. She is a completely different child. I know she associtaes her ear pain with the Dr. and she is just scared. Luckily, Grandmama kept The May while we went. The Belle asked a million questions once we got there and she listened to baby girl # 3's heartbeat. We went to Krispy Kreme when we left and ran some errands. We had such a good time together. She is at the age where she appreciates being out of these 4 walls. She was so good while we were out. I really need to spend more one on one time with both of them. We get in such a rut being stuck at home everyday and as soon as the baby gets here I am sure it will only get worse.

Thirsty Teeth

We have had an eventful morning around here. The May began the morning with falling off the side of the couch and busting her bottom lip. I know you are thinking what in the world is a 2 year old doing standing on the arm of the couch . Well, that is (or should I say was) the girls balance beam. But, after this morning there will be no more dismounting from the couch. I finally got baby girl # 3's clothes out and into her dresser. I didn't realize how many baby clothes I actually had. I still have one box to sort through. The May is now sleeping and The Belle is pestering the mess out of me. She just asked me to PLEEEASE fix her something to drink because her teeth are thirsty. You would think she is on the verge of dehydration. What in the world am I going to do with 3? I guess we will find out in 5 weeks!

Sunday Morning

Sunday mornings are always so rushed for us. I actually had time this morning to take some pictures of the girls before we left. The weather turned a little cool so The May was able to wear one of her birthday outfits from Ms. Carla. Friday night we went to the Homecoming game. The girls had a blast with Margo, Jude, and Lily. They all loved the band and danced all night. Of course I forgot my camera. The rest of the weekend was pretty typical: gym, naps, football, and church. One more week and husband is off for an entire week! I can't wait!

Camoflaged Peanut Butter

The Belle helped me make peanut butter balls yesterday. The May does not like peanut butter. I know its shocking! The girl loves everything but not peanut butter. Well, until you cover the peanut butter balls with chocolate! Then she loves peanut butter. How funny is that!

Artsy Smartsy

We went to the Arts Festival on Saturday. They offer a huge area for children. The girls made pottery, sand art, wands, crowns, and painted. They had a great time. I was exhausted from all of the walking but, it was well worth it. Notice in the last picture of The Belle that my belly button is sticking out (honestly, if another person tells me my turkey timer is done I may scream!)

Heartburn Relief

My heartburn has gone from a nightly visitor to a 24 hour guest. The only thing I want is milk or ice cream. After my Dr. appt. on Wednesday my sweet Husband took me to Steak and Shake to get a milkshake. It was DIVINE! I am not sure what all we will be doing this weekend but, hopefully another trip to Steak and Shake will be apart of it.

Pumpkin People

We went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago (well, not really a patch but a place to buy pumpkins). We went to the same place last year. The girls had fun picking out their own pumpkins. The pumpkin patch was torn down last weekend and the girls were very upset when we drove by and there were no pumpkins. Neither one of them really understand seasons and how certain events only come around once a year (4th of July, Halloween, birthdays). They both randomly ask to go see fireworks and to have a birthday party. We have been explaining that Thanksgiving and Christmas is coming up soon so that has helped some. Another event we have been "talking up" is the arrival of baby girl # 3. Only 7 more weeks to go!

There's No Place Like Home

We had a very busy Halloween weekend. Friday night we went to "trunk or treat" at church. The girls had a blast getting candy and handing out candy. They both crashed when we got home. Saturday morning The Belle went to gym and we rushed home to put the girls costume back on for Husband's school carnival. This was our first trip to his new school so it was exciting to meet all his co-workers and students. Then we headed home to change for Aunt Emily's birthday dinner. Thank goodness we gained an hour of sleep because we all needed it (The May did not get a nap and was exhausted). Sunday we went to church and to my mom's for lunch and back to church (no nap again for The May). The Belle had a great time at church last night. Ms. Sherry brought The Belle an apron and cooking utensils back from her trip to Boston. It was a great weekend. We are going to spend today trying to get back on somewhat of a routine. There really is no place like home.

And The Winner Is...

I have been having computer problems this week so there was a delay in the pumpkin reveal.Thanks to all of you who voted! The winner is...

1st Place: AUNT EMILY with her kitty cat pumpkin


2nd Place: Me with her Mickey Mouse pumpkin

3rd Place: Aunt Sarah and Uncle Josh tied. Sarah's was the Batman and Josh's was the jack-o-lantern face. (Photo not available)

5th Place: Uncle John with his plagiarized pumpkin - he copied everyone else's idea. (This was Uncle John in his Halloween costume; he was a candy grab machine!)


6th Place: Husband with his coke bottle pumpkin. He was going to spell out C-O-K-E onto the pumpkin but, it busted when he was carving it and the image ended up looking like a fetus in the womb.

Pumpkin Politics

We spent Sunday afternoon carving pumpkins at Grandmama and Pappy's. Uncle Josh, Aunt Sarah, Uncle John, Aunt Emily, Husband, and Myself each carved a pumpkin. Pappy and the kids voted on their favorite pumpkin but, we want your opinion. There are 6 pumpkins to choose from. I have included a daylight picture and a dark picture of each pumpkin. Please vote for your favorite on the side of this page. I will reveal the pumpkin owners and the winner on Friday. Happy Voting!


PUMPKIN # 1:



PUMPKIN # 2:



PUMPKIN # 3:



PUMPKIN # 4:



PUMPKIN # 5:



PUMPKIN # 6 (there are several views of this pumpkin):





All 6 PUMPKINS!

Me Too

Out of the blue The Belle tells me: "Momma, I am really wishing that baby was out of your belly so I can play with her." I am really wishing she was out of my belly too. Only 9 more weeks to go and soooo much to do!

Poor Girl

The Belle loves Sunday and Wednesday nights at church. On Sunday night Ms. Sherry is her teacher and on Wednesday nights Ms. Pam is her teacher. Both ladies are wonderful and The Belle loves them. She asks everyday if she is going to one of their classes at church. So, of course when she woke up this morning the first thing she asked is if she was going to church tonight. She was so excited to be going to church tonight. She asked all day long if it was time to go to Ms. Pam's class. Around 4:00 she told me she was tired and her head hurt. So, I checked her temp. and sure enough she had a low grade fever. Then, I had to tell her the bad news: that she couldn't go to church. It was so heartbreaking. She tried not to cry (her bottom lip was shivering) and then all of a sudden she was sobbing. Then I started crying. She kept telling me that she didn't have a fever and she could go. It was one of the saddest days for me as a parent. She fell asleep at 5:30 and slept until 7:30. It is 9:30 and she is lying next to me in the recliner sleeping. Hopefully, this fever will not last long and nothing else will come along with it. There is a little good news: the dryer is working.

The Hits

Husband and I have a saying we use alot that we got from the movie "Just Married" (if you have not seen it, it is hilarious!) The saying is: the hits just keep on coming. Well, that is how I feel here lately. It seems as if everything around here is breaking or falling apart. Within the past few months we have had the following to happen: phone line struck by lightning, hot water went out, leaking tub, leaking fridge, and today the dryer quit. It quit just in time. I had a load of towels in the dryer, a load in the washer, and 2 loads on the floor waiting to be washed. I know it is all small things but it seems as if it all happens at the same time. I hate to complain but that's what is going on around here these days.

Words of Wisdom

Unfortunately, I failed my 1 hour glucose test on Friday so I spent today taking the 3 hour test. I don't know which is worse: having to fast or getting poked with a needle 5 times within 3 hours. Thank goodness it is over. I am praying now that I will pass it. I had to go through the same thing when I was pregnant with The May. I have felt yucky all day. Husband had a deacons dinner tonight so my mom cooked supper for me and the girls. When we got home I was so tired and was anxiously waiting for husband to come home. I turned on Dancing With The Stars and The May proudly announced "it's dancing time"! The girls spent the next 25 minutes dancing non-stop. They were so cute dancing together. I was too exhausted to grab a camera. Maybe next week.

Growing Girl

The May had her 2 year old check up yesterday. The Belle went with us so she could see a positive experience at the doctor (ever since she had tubes put in she HATES going to the Dr. and has a complete meltdown). It was a great visit. The May was very willing to get on the scale, to let the Dr. check her ears and throat, and to get measured. The Belle took it all in and saw that there was nothing to be scared of. She actually let the Dr. look in her ears; which is a MAJOR breakthrough. The May has jumped to the 75th percentile for her height. It felt really good to leave there with no one crying. Our next visit will be when baby girl # 3 arrives (unless someone gets sick before then). Hopefully, it too will be good.

Birthday Blast

We had a great weekend. The May had a wonderful birthday party on Friday. She got lots of cute presents. Her favorite gift was from Grandmama and Pappy: a baby stroller and the baby pictured below.

The baby has a sensor in her forehead and anytime something comes within 18 inches of her she begins to coo and move. The May thinks she is a real baby. She also got a sand box from Nana and Papa. We finally filled it up with sand yesterday. The girls played in it for 2 hours last night. Saturday The Belle had gym. We came home and all of us took a 3 hour nap. Then we went to Jude's birthday party. The girls had a blast. Aunt Sarah bought a pinata. The girls loved filling their buckets with candy. Sunday we went to church and ate lunch with Grandmama and Pappy. We all went to bed early Sunday night. We spent yesterday cleaning up and playing with all the new toys. It's going to rain all day today so, we will be spending our time indoors until we go to Moe's tonight.

Countdown is On

I have T minus 4 hours until The May's birthday party begins. Here is my to do list:

fix lunch
cook chilli for party
make the beds
wash/dry/fold about 3 loads of laundry
vacuum
clean up the tornado of toys in the living room
wash dishes
get all party stuff set out
dress both girls
make myself look a little decent

Instead of getting my junk in gear, I am sitting in the recliner reading blogs. At least my new clothes that I ordered from Old Navy came in. That kinda takes care of the last thing on the list since I won't have to iron.

The May at Moe's

We started The May's birthday off Tuesday with balloons and blueberry muffins. Her party is Friday so, we didn't celebrate too much. The Belle and I sang happy birthday to her at breakfast and she blew out the candles on her muffin. We eat at Moe's every Tuesday night (kids eat FREE!) with Uncle Josh, Aunt Sarah, Margo, and Jude. The May loves Moe's (as you can tell in the picture) so we stuck to our normal routine. Grandmama and Pappy joined us for dinner to celebrate. Grandmama baked cupcakes (which were very yummy). After Moe's we went to Toys R Us to buy The May's birthday present. The girls loved looking at all the toys and we got some great ideas for Christmas. I am going to try to spend the next couple of days cleaning around here for the party. I say try to clean because it is getting really difficult to do much of anything at week 28. Only 12 more to go! At least my Mom came over and mopped my floors. That was a huge help.

Happy 2nd Birthday

To my sweet May:
It is hard for me to believe you are two years old today. You are such an independent little girl that I sometimes forget that you are still just a baby. You are at a very active age. You spend the majority of your day getting into things, (like shampoo, band aids, pots, drawers, etc.) playing with your babies, and running outside. You don’t have any interest in T.V. although you know who all the characters are. Your favorite thing to do is eat. You have many favorite foods including: oatmeal, applesauce, cheese, cereal, muffins, and cupcakes just to name a few. When you really enjoy eating you do this little dance with your shoulders. It is so cute. We are constantly amazed at your vocabulary. You say things that are so beyond your age. You have been speaking in complete sentences since you could walk. You love your sister and the two of you play very well together. You wake up every morning singing a song. When I go into your room to get you the first thing you ask is “where is Daddy”? You have always been the best little sleeper. You go to bed between 8:00 and 8:30. Sometimes I have to go wake you up at 9:00 in the morning. You still take a 2 – 3 hour nap everyday. You have no problem going to sleep. There are so many little things you do that I wish I could capture in my mind forever. You will soon become a big sister and I am very anxious to see how you will interact with the new baby. It is hard to believe that you will not be the baby anymore. You are such a fun little girl and I love you with all my heart! I hope you have a very happy birthday.
Love, Mamma

A Wedding And A Fever

This weekend didn’t turn out exactly like I had hoped. Husband took The Belle to gym Saturday morning while I stayed home with The May (she has a pretty bad cough). It was fun being home with just her. She plays so well by herself. I packed the girls clothes so they could spend the night with Nana since we would be returning late from the wedding. When The Belle got home from gym, she too was acting as if she didn’t feel well. We went ahead to the wedding, which was beautiful. The reception was on the campus of Southern Mississippi. The reception actually overlooked the football stadium. It was such a neat atmosphere and a beautiful day. I posted a picture but, it is hard to see the stadium due to my huge belly (take notice of the cow dress). On our way home I called my Mom to check on the girls. The Belle was running a slight fever. I decided we should probably go get the girls so they could sleep in their own beds. They both were happy to see us and were eager to go home (my first clue that they were not feeling well). We spent Sunday at home nursing The Belle’s snotty nose. Tuesday is The May’s birthday and I am hoping that everyone will be better by Friday for her party.

Ranting Hefer

I bravely loaded up the girls yesterday to go find me a new dress. Husband and myself will be attending a wedding this weekend and since I am as big as a house I needed a new dress. I was desperately hoping that Target would have something so I wouldn't have to go to the mall. I have no idea what is going on with Target's maternity selection, but it is bare. There were literally 3 racks and all the clothes were lounge wear. Before leaving Target I bought the girls some TinkerBell lip gloss in the dollar spot. I thought "this will be good bribery to keep them occupied at the mall." So, off we went. After loading the girls into the stroller and hiking through the parking lot I pulled out the lip gloss. They were both very excited and were entertained for a while. Old Navy's dress selection was also bare so, off we went to Motherhood. Now begins my ranting. First of all, this is strictly a maternity store. So, there customers are pregnant mommies. What do pregnant mommies have? They have kids. So, you know they will be entering the store with a stroller. Here is my stroller:

I swear to you I have been in closets bigger than this store. I could not fit down any aisle without pulling some piece of clothing off the rack or knocking my children into something. Of course I wasn't the only pregnant mommy in the store with a stroller. So, here are me and this other lady both with strollers and fat bellies trying to finagle our way through this closet. It was horrible. I finally found some dresses to try on (in the handicap dressing room). As, I am trying on dresses I hear The May chewing on something. Yep, you guessed it she ate the lip gloss. I mean she bit off the entire end of the applicator. Then she began crying because her "TunkBell" lip gloss was broken. After drudging through the store once more I finally came out with a dress. It is not cute at all. Matter of fact it looks like cow print. Just what I need to look more like a cow. But, it was $16.00 and it is comfortable. Here is a pic:(BTW: I do not look anything like this in it)


Guess what the name of this dress is on Motherhood's website: sleveless cow Lneck dress. Now I know why it was so cheap. What pregnant woman other than myself would buy a dress labeled cow? I promise I will post a pic of the hefer in the dress.

Not much going on

There's not much going on around here these days. It's a pretty typical week. We were going to have a playday with our friends Lily and Susie but, Susie isn't feeling well. I am thinking about taking the girls to the park. The weather is beginning to feel "Fall like" so the girls can stay outside longer than 15 minutes without melting. I am also thinking about cleaning out what was our summer garden and decorating it with some fall decorations. It might take me a week or so with this huge belly that I am carrying around. BTW: this is week 26 of carrying this belly, but who's counting?

One Liner From The Belle

As I am getting out of the shower this morning my cell phone started ringing. This was quickly followed by the sound of running footsteps and The Belle yelling "Mama your cell phone is calling you." I thought to myself "great just one more thing calling me." Good thing it has an off button.

Good-Bye Gracie

We got a new van today! I have dreamed about this day for awhile now. The picture is not our van but, it looks very similar. My Nannie always named her vehicles and I carried on the tradition by naming our car Gracie Grandam. I have to say pulling out of the dealership parking lot and leaving her there was wonderful. She was very good to us but, she had 180,000 miles and could not hold all of us any longer. We actually brought The Belle and The May home from the hospital in Gracie. I guess we will have to name the new van in honor of Gracie. I never knew how much of a difference a bigger vehicle would make. The extra room is so nice. Getting the girls in and out of their car seat is a breeze now. In the car I had to bend over (with a huge belly) and lug them in and out. Now, they can just climb in on their own and I don't have to bend over. And not to mention we will have somewhere to put the baby when she arrives. This is our first "grown up" vehicle and I love it!

Baby Blog Shower

Ok, so let me explain. The cutie Mommy over at OneFabulousMom is throwing a virtual bloggy baby shower. She has so kindly paired all of her pregnant readers up with a partner who so graciously sent a gift to the expectant mother. This is so unbelievable to me! I mean these ladies have no idea who I am (other than reading my blog). Although, I feel as if they are one of my very good friends because I read their blogs daily. I was paired up with SelfConfessedLampTramp. The girls and I quickly made a trip to the post office this morning to pick up our package. When we opened our gift we found that our sweet partner not only bought my sweet baby girl # 3 a gift but she also got The Belle and The May a gift. I am so honored that a lady from Louisiana would take the time and money to buy my girls something so sweet. She got the girls matching lunch boxes (with their names monogrammed on it) and baby girl # 3 the sweetest pink baby blanket. All of which, was purchased at monogramchick.com (go visit her site NOW; it is sooo cute!) So, here are the pictures of my goodies! This was so much fun! Thank you so much to OneFabulousMom and SelfConfessedLampTramp. What a great way to start the week!

Princess Duties

Husband went to church tonight so, I had: kitchen clean up, bath duty, tooth brushing, bedtime and all the other little things that are involved with nightly activities. I put the girls in the bathtub and went back to cleaning up the kitchen, when I overheard The Belle say “ I am Cinderella, you (The May) are Sleeping Beauty, and well Jasmine (me) is washing dishes." Poor Jasmine. I thought well in that case if we are following our princess duties I should be flying around on a carpet somewhere whilst Cinderella is doing the dishes.

Very Liberating

We went to eat lunch with Nana and Papa at Cracker Barrel today. They are on vacation this week. I was worried about The May because she wore only her panties. She tried to go before we left Cracker Barrel but, no dice. We had to make a quick trip by Wal-Mart so I began to worry even more since it had been a few hours since she had been. Of course I had to go once we got into the store. As I was washing my hands The May told me that I did a good job and declared that she had to go potty. So, on she went (her 1st public potty) and lo and behold she went pee pee within 5 seconds. I have to say it is very liberating to take 2 children in a store and not have to worry about changing a diaper or lugging around a diaper bag (although I did have it with me just in case of an accident). I am sure we will still have accidents but, after 1 week I think it is safe to say The May is potty trained. YEA!! Now, if I can just get her out of her crib.

Weekend Review

We had a good weekend. Friday night we ordered pizza from our new favorite place. We stopped by the grocery store and let The Belle pick out her choice of ice cream and cookies. She definantly takes after her Mama. She chose strawberry ice cream and peanut butter fudge cookies. Saturday morning The Belle had gym. Then we came home and husband cut grass. The girls played outside which was well needed since we stayed inside all week potty training The May. Considering she was in a diaper Saturday morning and the majority of Sunday while we were at church she did well. This morning she went on her own several times. I think after another week of a solid routine, we will be well on our way. All in all, we had a nice restful weekend. The next few weekends are going to be busy with birthday parties and a wedding. Before I know it, it will be Christmas and I will have a new baby girl. Time sure is flying.

Sweet Girl

I'm not sure what all we are going to do this weekend but, I do know that there is going to be something special planned for The Belle. She has been such a sweet girl this week while I have been potty training The May. Unfortunately, we have spent almost everyday this week inside. So, she has watched ALOT of t.v. I did get out paint and playdough a few times but for the most part she has been kooked up inside watching t.v. or playing by herself. I am so proud of her for being so willing to help and keep herself entertained.

Where To Put It?

Thanks to Nana we are the proud owners of a jump-o-lene. This thing is huge! It takes up the entire living room. The girls love it! I have no idea where we are going to store it. The May refused to sit on the potty this morning and continually "dribbled" in her panties. There was no reward good enough for her. We spent the entire morning in the bathroom. We colored, read books, played with babies, sang songs, and tried lots of bribery. So, finally at 10:30 she went (after lots of tears). We all clapped, sang, and ate reeses pieces in honor of the occasion. Day 3 of potty training is really beginning to wear on me. Hopefully, she will be willing to go on her own soon. I must say The Belle has been a trooper through all of this. She is like The May's personal potty cheerleader. She needs some kind of special prize for all she has done.

Making Potty Progress

The May pooped in the potty! After her nap I tried for 3 hours to get her to go pee on the potty. Then I pulled out my best parenting tool...bribery! I told her that if she would go pee pee on the potty Daddy would get her some M&M's. Let me tell you, it was as if she pushed a button and the flood gates opened. Apparently, she understands alot more than I was giving her credit for. We will see how tomorrow goes.

IN the Potty

We are back from the beach! We had a great time. I will posts some pics soon. We spent yesterday catching up from the late nights and short naps. We also began potty training The May. She never made it to the potty yesterday. She did manage to pee on the couch, a chair, the edge of my bed, the floor, and on top of the potty. This morning she managed to pee on the floor and on top of a stool. I caught her peeing on the stool so I made her run to the potty. She quickly sat down and finished her business in the potty but, with her panties on. So, does that count as "going in the potty"? I just tried to take her again and she got mad when I tried to pull her panties down. I think she is a little confused since she went with them on. I think it is going to take her a little longer than it did The Belle (4 days). We will probably spend the rest of this week and the majority of the weekend at home potty training.

To The Beach

We are off to the beach! Hopefully, the weather will be nice and Gustav will miss us. I am sure there will be pictures next week! Happy Labor Day!

Packing

We are off to the beach this weekend. Lucky for us Uncle John and Aunt Emily have recently moved to the beach! They were kind enough to welcome us to their new condo for the Labor Day weekend (we really invited ourselves). I am working at church tomorrow so, today will consist of more cleaning up and packing for the weekend. I do not like to leave a dirty house with tons of laundry undone so, I will get as much done today as possible. We are hoping not to see any effects of Gustav while we are there. Hopefully, it will be lots of swimming and relaxing in the sun.

The Smell Of Clean

I have been cleaning this morning. I CLEANED my bathroom. I mean really cleaned: toilet, shower, tub, sink, mirrors, wiped down the walls, vacuumed, and scrubbed it all again. As I was cleaning I was thinking of certain people that I know that have really clean houses. You know those people that their house just smells of clean all the time (Monica Gellar from Friends comes to mind). These are the people who have a spot for EVERYTHING. You could go to their house at any given time and it would be clean and smell as if it were just cleaned. How do they do it? I guess my first problem is that I don't like to clean. I know how to clean and believe me I want my house to be like those people. But, I just don't enjoy cleaning. My second problem is The Belle and The May. For example, my bathroom is clean (not perfection but good enough) but, the rest of my house is a wreck! They destroy each room while I am cleaning another. So, it is like a never ending cycle. My third problem is that I am pregnant. I am exhausted after cleaning just one room (that is why I am sitting here posting instead of cleaning the remainder of the house). So, how do those people do it? Obviously, they have no children and they must not have a job. I need to know what to do to become one of these people. Any advice would be appreciated.

Because Why?

The Belle and I had a very productive conversation last night. It went something like this:

The Belle: Mom, what are you doing?

Me: Cleaning the table off.

The Belle: Because Why?

Me: Because there is food on it.

The Belle: Because Why?

Me: Because you and The May are messy eaters and you got food on the table.

The Belle: Because Why?

Me: I don't know, probably because you are little girls and you aren't very careful.

The Belle: Oh, Becasue Why are you using that kind of cleaner?

Me: Because this is a special cleaner for wood tables.

The Belle: Because Why is it a special cleaner for wood tables?

Me: Because you have to only use certain chemicals on wood.

The Belle: Where did you buy that cleaner?

Me: I don't know probably Wal-Mart.

The Belle: Because Why did you buy it at Wal-mart?

Me: Well, that is where we were shopping at the time.

The Belle: Because Why did you not buy it at Target?

Me: Because we weren't at Target.

The Belle: Because Why were we not at Target?

Me: I don't know go ask your Daddy.

And thank goodness she did. Then a very similar conversation took place with the two of them while I continued cleaning up the kitchen. I knew this question stage would come but, good gracious it came on very suddenly. The two most annoying words to me right now, yep you guessed it: Because Why?

TV Please

I know television is not the best source of entertainment for children. There are some really good educational shows that I really like. The Belle probably watches much more than she should although, I am constantly encouraging other activities. But, today I am begging The May to watch tv. I can not get anything done. I tried to take a bath this morning so I could shave my legs. The Belle graciously watched Mickey Mouse but, not The May. She fell in the bath tub with me (with her clothes on). She has also pulled an entire plate of cookies on the floor, pulled out every single band aid in the 500 count box, and climbed on top of the kitchen counter into the sink and played with all the dirty dishes. I do not see or hear her right now so, I better go see what she is destroying because I know she is not watching tv.

Insanity

I just spent 2 hours searching for a pacifier so The May could take a nap! Of course I found 2 within 3 minutes of each other.

This leads me to my to do list. I have 3 goals that need to be accomplished before baby girl # 3 arrives. Which gives me just 4 short months.

Goal # 1:
Potty train The May. I don't think this one is going to be too terribly difficult. She has pooped in the potty a couple of times already. We will begin this the week after Labor Day.

Goal # 2:
Break The May from her paci. This is probably going to be the most difficult one of all. I would really like to break her of this by her birthday. That gives me about a month. We will see how that goes.

Goal # 3:
Figure out The May's sleeping situation. I actually have about 6 or 7 months to get this one accomplished. She is a great sleeper in her crib. But, I am going to need the crib for the baby (when she is about 3 months old because she will be in the bassinet until then). So here are my options:
1. Let The Belle and The May sleep in the same bed.
2. Put The May's toddler bed in The Belle's room.
3. Put The May's toddler bed in the nursery with the baby.
All three of these options scare me becasue it actually messes with her sleeping arrangements. If she weren't such a great sleeper I wouldn't be concerned but geez I don't want to ruin a good thing.

So much to do in such little time! I better get busy. God Speed!

Hii or Shii

We had our gender party last night to reveal what baby # 3 is. Pappy, Grandmama, Uncle Josh, Aunt Sarah, Margo, Jude, Uncle John, Aunt Emily, and Reba were all there. So, the big party began with Uncle Josh slinging the BBQ. It was delicious! As all of you know from my previous posts, we have all become obsessed with Wii. So, to reveal the gender husband and I created a Mii character of the baby and after Aunt Sarah dressed her up she was very cute. That's right it's a GIRL! 3 girls ages 3 and under. We are very excited! All of husband's family guessed it was a boy so, everyone was very surprised. Thanks to all of you who voted on the poll. 3 of you guessed girl and 5 of you guessed boy. So, congratulations to the 3 who were right! We can not wait to meet our new baby girl (who does have a name).

It's A.......

We had our ultrasound yesterday and we know what we are having. We wanted to tell husband's family in person. So, we are having a gender party tonight to celebrate. Then we will tell everyone else. Until then, I have created a poll on the right side of the screen. Let's see what you think it is. No guessing for the 6 of you who do know. The pictures are from the ultrasound yesterday. Happy Guessing!