JClaire's Nursery Part 1

{JClaire's Nursery}

We finally started working on the nursery Saturday. Then almost got it finished up on Sunday. It is the same room that both CDC and CRC's nursery was in, so it has been painted a few times {wink} That's ok. Everyone said "Oh great! You already havce a girl's nursery and all of the stuff" But of course, I wanted something different!

I've had my heart set on Owls, as you may remember. I thought this baby was going to be a boy with my whole heart, so I had been looking at boy stuff for quite some time. When I found out she was a Girl, I became both excited because I could look at PINK again, and set back because I found so many great Owl things that I loved. I soon realized I could still have my Owl stuff in girly colors!!

I found a great bedding set at Pottery Barn Kids called "Brooke" Collection. I got it at a great price on eBay. Then I found these ADORABLE wall decals at Target from the "Love Nature" Collection. They were so easy to peel and stick on the wall and definitely make a cute statement.

The Owl picture above is on canvas. I also found it at Target. My grandma is painting two smaller coordinating ones to go with it because they only had the one large one. The bedding is mostly green and blue, but the Target collection stuff had so much pink in it we thought a pink wall would look great as an accent. I totally LOVE this nursery!! I know it's Whimsy and Cutesy, but I adore it. Believe it or not, it is the most girly nursery we've ever had in or house! Both the other girls nurseries were all green! {w/ accent colors of brown and white} You can see CRC's here.

Pete and Re{Pete}

CDC is the girliest little girl i've ever seen. She doesn't like to get dirty or touch "yucky" stuff. She's not a fan of playing ball or many other sports instead loves to dance and play dress up. 

CRC is a tough little cookie. She's not much for being proper. She's destructive. You can usually find her climbing something or knocking something down.

Complete opposites!

However, they love to play together and very often like to do and play with the same things. So I found this picture quite funny.

CDC was sitting on the stairs like a little lady with her legs crossed. CRC looked over at her and noticed her legs and tried to do it herself. Her chunker little thighs {like her mommys} made it difficult to get them crossed and keep them that way. So I helped out. At first CDC was mad that CRC wanted to sit like her, but then she thought it was funny because CRC couldn't keep the pose going! Ha!

23 Weeks..

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 Weeks 

Size of baby: Large Mango

11 inches and just over a pound!

Total Weight Gain: As of last week, 14lbs since 8 weeks preg

I don't know how much I weighed before 8 weeks preg. I steer clear of scales.

Maternity Clothes: Ohh YES! 

Most definitely. I only have one pair of pre preg jeans that still fit. BOO!

Gender: GIRL!!!!!

Movement: ALL the time!

I love love the movement. The kicks are getting stronger, but still so low!

Sleep: Still sleep well..

But I wake up sore! My hips and inner thighs take a while to get worked out.

What I miss: Actually nothing this week. I feel GREAT!

Cravings: Umm..nothing much..still Cokes.. Dr Pepper/Diet Dr Pepper mixed. Yum!

Symptoms: Not many other than actually feeling pregnant now.
What I’m looking forward to: This baby girl!! LOL! I know that doesn't count, but I really am. I'm so excited to have a new little bundle again. But aside from that, i'm ready to get everything done. I'm not quite in the nesting mode, but I want stuff done and looking CUTE!

{not your typical pregnancy shot. Ha!}

When Little Girls Play Dress Up

Also known as "when big sister dresses you up!"

 Sometimes you're a butterfly princess with a modern hat {wink}

and other times you're a quirky little chef, who just likes to dance.

All the while, you wonder why your momma wants to take so many pictures of you..

so you pass up the "cheese" she is begging to see for chewing on a baby doll's head.

No matter the clothes or the serious faces, you remain super cute!

Hrmm..Baby Girl Name Change!

Well, I just thought we had baby girl's name chosen, but the more we discussed it, the more we liked something else better.

I did this exact thing with CRC .She was going to be Cadence for the longest time until CRC just clicked and we fell for it.

Calli Grace is such a beautiful name, but it didn't click for some reason. I think partly because I knew a girl from our hometown that was named that.

I first believed she had to have a "C" name to continue along with the girl's names, but I think a "C" middle name does the trick just fine. One day she may be happy to be a little different. Either way, I am in love with the name!!

I cannot wait to meet you, Miss JClaire

I'm Still a Crab

I've been on a mini blogging break to spare the crabbiness.

I had a terribly long, hard weekend at work. Two 9 hour nights on my feet the entire time and didn't make much at all. Boo! It was the busiest weekend we've ever had. Saturday night between the restaurant and bar we sold about 15,000$. That's unheard of in that small family business. I'm still sore from standing for so long. My big 'ol belly is putting a ton of pressure on my who ha and legs! I dropped CDC off at school this morning, came home and CRC  and I went back to sleep around 9 and slept til 11! I couldn't hold my eyes open, for some reason. I will be done working weekends in two weeks though. So yay for that! I personally hired a new girl to fill my spot until I go back in July.

On another bad note, I owe about 3K in Dr. bills from this pregnancy. Ouch!!! Medicaid is still being a PITA to deal with! They've denied me 3 times. I just went today to reapply. I never thought i'd be in this situation. I always had great insurance and never thought twice about Medicaid. It's been very humbling to say the least.

CDC is still coughing her poor little head off. The antibiotics haven't kicked in just yet. I think CRC may have a slight ear infection as well. She's been a crab right along with her momma. She hasn't complained at all, but neither did CDC, so i'm just going to have to watch her.

I am though trying to be more comfortable with my burgeoning belly. I compared pictures to me pregnant with CRC and although my belly is almost 2x the size, my bum, arms , and face aren't quite as large. So that's a positive for me!!

I've also been trying my best to eat healthier. It's been going well too! But my tummy seems to act up more when I eat healthy..lol! Strange.. Everything makes me gag with this pregnancy. Especially water! Makes difficult for eating healthy. Tonight we're having Sauteed Pork Chops with Mushrooms, Onions, and Bell Peppers, Sweet Potatoes, Pinto Beans, and Steamed Veggies. Yum! And for dessert, i'm having a fresh fruit smoothie. Baby girl is kicking away as I cook/type. Ha! Yes i'm a multi tasker.

Girls just ran downstairs hollering "HUNGRY!!!" So I better get back to the food. =)

Sicky Vicky and Other Random Gripes

My big girl has been coughing for a few weeks now. I thought it was just the weather and would stop soon enough, but it never did, just kept getting worse. She was hacking like a lung was going to be coughed up.. very gross! I finally decided to keep her out of school and take her to the doctor. She has an ear infection in her right ear and a sinus infection. Blah! I feel so bad that I didn't take her in sooner, but honestly she hasn't complained at all and has been super energetic and happy. {Take a look at the picture above. That was this morning!} Her doctor put her on the antibiotic, Omnicef(sp?) and I think she's taking to it well.

In other news, i'm TIRED!! All.the.time!! I have no clue why i'm so tired. I know you're supposed to have MORE energy in the 2nd trimester, but I do not. I'm lazy lately, which I think makes me even more tired. Our house is a disaster at all times. Seriously, i'm soo over cleaning!! These girls have entirely too many toys! I'm about to bag up a bunch of them and take them to the grandparents house. I've already donated 3 garbage sacks and 3 boxes to Goodwill and there is still too much. AHH! It's like a Toy Store right under our nose.

The weather is yucky! I think I have the winter blahs. I've got the big belly plus all the layers of clothes I have to wear to keep warm. I just feel like the Abominable Snowman! I'm ready for spring and summer. I'm such a happy person in the warm weather. I can't imagine living up North. I think i'd go crazy..

Sorry to be a crab. I know a few of you have said to stop feeling sorry for myself, but I really don't. lol! I'm just grumpy! I don't like being pregnant. It's such a blessing and I can't wait to hold my sweet baby, but I hate hate the pregnancy part. It never agrees with me.

For now, i'm going to bag up toys and perhaps start painting the Nursery to change my mood..

22 Weeks..

{22 Weeks}

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 22 Weeks 

Size of baby: Spaghetti Squash

11 inches and almost 1lb!

Total Weight Gain: 14lbs since 8 weeks preg

I don't know how much I weighed before 8 weeks preg. I steer clear of scales.

Maternity Clothes: Yep!
I've found that with my belly getting so big so quickly, Maternity clothes flatter the bump much more than regular clothes.

Gender: GIRL!!!!!

Movement: ALL the time!

I love this part of pregnancy. The kicks are starting to get harder and they happen all throughout the day. She's very active!

Sleep: Hmm..I still sleep fairly well..

However, I can't lay on my back because I read it's not great for blood flow to the baby and on my side, she kicks the bed the entire time. lol!

What I miss: Being able to run around and work like I used to.

I'm getting slow and tired!

Cravings: Coca Cola!
That's bad, I know. But honestly, I love it right now and I used to hate Coke!

Symptoms: Not many other than actually feeling pregnant now.
What I’m looking forward to: Painting the nursery! It's still painted to match Carrah's baby nursery, so it's time for a change! I got the bedding in yesterday and i'm so excited!! We're doing the nursery paint simple this time around. We went all out for Carrah's room, but i'm going simple this time so when I change it in a couple of years it wont be as much work. =)

Wordless Wednesday - The "say CHEESE" Attempt

Baby 3 Ultrasound Pictures

I don't have much to talk about right now.

Not a ton of stuff going on. I'm kind of moping around because I feel so fat! Like a pig or a whale..or a house! Seriously, I cannot stop the weight gain. And it is all going to my booty and hips and thighs. Why do I have to be pregnant in my butt? Hello, baby is in the belly!!! Blah.. i'll get over it soon. lol!

Here is baby #3, the supposed 3rd GIRL! I say supposed because the u/s shot she gave me is not convincing. The view I saw on the u/s screen in the office was totally Girly though! I saw the 3 lines and the absent penis and scrotum. But she was in a hurry and snapped an awful Gender shot picture.

Sweet {although rather creepy} little face

 Profile view! So cute!!

 Foot! I had one of the hand too, but couldn't get a great picture of a picture with my Blackberry.

The "Gender shot" see the arrow pointing at it. You can sort of see the 3 lines. It's like a profile view of the goods. I still am pretty positive it's a Girl!

Potty Training Update

So, it's been 6 days since I started vigorously training CRC and she is already almost 100% using the potty!!

I guess I should go apologize to her for saying she was going to prove more difficult than CDC. She has been SO easy! Last week, i let her run around the house all day in her panties and kept asking her if she needed to go. I bet I asked her 20x/day. But she got the hang of it and realized she got 2 M&M's every time she successfully used the potty. {We started with money in the Piggy Bank, but M's seemed to work better for her}

I do still put a diaper on her at bed time. During her naps, she stays dry, but at bed time 8:30pm-7am, she probably wets her diaper once. Not bad!!

This morning, she hollered down stairs to me "Mommy!!! Come here, hurry!!! I pee pee in Froggy Potty!!" I ran up there and sure enough, she had taken her pants and panties off and gone in the potty all by herself. Then about ten minutes later, she went poo poo in potty all by herself. She hasn't had any accidents in several days.

Go CRC!! Do your thing girl. You smart little cookie!!! I'm so proud of you! :)

Because Every Girl Likes Sweets!

Last week{yes these pictures are a bit late} CDC got to try out her Easy Bake Oven for the first time. I remember using mine as a little girl and loved it!! CDCwas full of excitement watching the cookies go into the Oven, but the thrill was short lived when they took forever to bake!!

But when she did finally get to pull it out, she was giddy!

I Bought It - Nursery

I purchased the Brooke Collection Quilt and Sheet Set from Pottery Barn Kids {except I got it off Ebay for a better price!} Yay!! 

We have a start to the nursery. I had to buy SOMEthing!! I figured the best bet would be to start the purchases with the room. I have plenty of time to get clothes and little things, but I want the room complete first! I didn't get all of the other accessories..Bumper, Dust Ruffle etc.. I don't need that stuff.

I am off to work now though, got to make some money so I can spend it on another GIRL!!

Had the Anatomy Scan today and It's a ...

.
.
.
GIRL!!!!!!! 

What?! OMG! I know, right?! I was shocked too, but it was clear as day. Her legs were spread wide open and there were the 3 lines staring at us. Definitely no boy parts. :) I'm actually VERY excited about the 17 week u/s oops. I knew I wasn't very giddy about a "probably a Boy" Today was totally different, I couldn't stop smiling. I cannot wait to have 3 little girls!!! YAY! Bring on the Bows, Pink, Tutus, Glitter, Sequins, and Frills once again!! Woo Hoo!!

21 Weeks..

21Weeks {and 1 Day now}

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 21 Weeks 

Size of baby: Length of a Carrot

10.5 Inches Long and 12-16oz or 1 Lb!

Total Weight Gain: Not totally sure.
I'll find out today..eek!

Maternity Clothes: Some..
I'm still wearing a few non maternity jeans and shirts, but mostly maternity now.

Gender: Still unsure..
Although, I still think BOY! lol..we'll find today

Movement: Yes!
Mostly at night. Love it.

Sleep: Blah..

It's getting more difficult to find a comfortable spot to sleep. And i've been getting crazy bad hearatburn at night!!

What I miss: Not being sick!

I swear i'm having morning sickness or something all over again. Ugh! Food sucks right now.

Cravings: Absolutely nothing! Again, food sucks! Gag!

Symptoms: Lots of kicks, Feeling very full and round..
What I’m looking forward to: The Anatomy Scan today!! And my maternity clothes that should be arriving in the mail soon.

This is a cute wrap thing my mom bought me pre pregnancy and it's still so cute over shirts. I love it!

I normally probably wouldn't post this bare belly picture, but since Cami wanted to be in it so badly, I decided to show it. =)

Trip to Labor & Delivery Today

Not a planned trip, I may add.

I woke up fine just like every other normal morning. But things changed around 9am. I got home from taking CDCto school and decided to cook pancakes for CRC I took hers upstairs to her and came back to finish cooking the batter. I knew I was hungry so I took a couple of bites of one I had finished. A few seconds later I started feeling nauseous, so I made a glass of Sprite. As soon as I took a drink of the Sprite, the room started to spin and I couldn't open my eyes. I laid over the sink so that I wouldn't fall to the floor. I couldn't speak or open my eyes for what seemed like forever. Finally I did get them open and saw tons of black squiggly lines and spots. Then I broke out in a sweat all down my chest and hands and started vomiting in the sink. {Gross, I know}

I just sat there for a few minutes because I still felt so nauseous. Then I coudlnt' regulate my body temp. I went from hot to cold for about 5 minutes. Then I got ahold of myself and called the nurse line. They said go to L&D asap. So my mom came and picked me up and took me to the hospital. Once I was there , they didn't do much at all. Took my blood to check Electrolytes and CBC, then did an EKG to check my heart. All of that was normal, but my Blood Pressure was only 106/54!! Yeesh. That's the lowest it has ever been, I believe. They told me other than that, everything looked fine. Oh and by everything, I don't mean the baby because they didn't even check him/her. Just got the heart rate, which was 155 and said "it was fine." No u/s, no exam of the cervix etc.. So they sent me home..

They told me to eat many small meals throughout the day and not to stand up too quickly. I ate as soon as I left and felt a little better. Not nearly as nauseous. So i'm guessing it was just low blood pressure and blood sugar. It really blew my mind they didn't check my blood sugar since I told them Diabetes runs in my family. Oh well.. apparently i'm doing well. Just hope it doesn't happen again because it really scared me!

Anatomy scan tomorrow! I'll try to muster up a picture in a little bit for my 21 week post..

Wordless Wednesday - Who Me?

{ =) }

Do The *clap* *clap* Potty Dance!!

This week has started a new chapter in our lives. Potty training CRC, or at least attempting to do so.

She has already proven to be more difficult than CDC! I started potty training CDCwhen she was the same exact age that Carrah is now. She was fully PT, day and night, dry at all times, within 3 weeks. Easy peasy. CRC is going to take a wee bit longer I expect. I think Cami was more "ready" when we started because she would go hide when she had to go #2 and Carrah doesn't. She just goes wherever and most of the time is okay to let it sit in her diaper without telling us she needs to be changed. {Not saying that's her responsibility, just giving an example.}

She's done okay with the progress. I don't use Pull Ups, we just do Panties from the beginning. I go check on her about every 20 minutes and have her sit on the potty just in case. She has had a couple of accidents, but overall she's went on the potty. But I am asking her, she's not yet telling me she needs to go.

It will be a challenging road ahead, but i'm up for the challenge to not have two in diapers!

Edited: Let me go back on my word a little. lol.. Since I posted this, CRC has been running in her panties all day and she has pee pee'd on the potty 3 times. Twice without me even asking her. She called downstairs to me and said "Momma, I pee pee on potty" singing it like a song. Hmm..so maybe it won't be so bad :)



And just for fun, The Potty Dance =) The girls like to hear this song.

Let it SNOW - Day 2

Snow Days 2011 - Take 2!

 CDCand our dog, Bambi. They're the same age, born a month apart and have been best friends since day 1! So sweet!

 

Cam and mommy! Look at her big blue eyes. They photograph so well outside.

. Ha!

I love this picture. I think one day when they grow up they will love it too. Best Friends Forever <3!

Stuck!! See their heads flying backward..lol

Scary pic of me. CRCs like "Get away!" ha!

Bambi running FAST in the snow.

CDC was watching her daddy in the shop. He thought he could get the riding mower out and play on it. Another "Duh.." ha! It got stuck too..

Soo precious. Big sister protecting little sis from the loud mower...

Again..just waiting..

Ha! CDC's face. It was blowing snow out of it

Poor bear! She fell so many times because it was so deep..

 

Weeeee!!

CDCwanted them to ride together. So cute!!

Let it SNOW - Day 1

SNOW DAY 2011!!

We are SOO beyond excited today!! The girls woke up just after my last blog entry, just in time to beat the darkness. They ran upstairs to get in their "snow gear"{ha! we have nothing even close to snow gear so we have to make do}

We only stayed outside about 20 minutes because it was frigid for these parts! Our hands were freezing so we knew theirs must be, even though they'd never admit to it. All of our gloves are cotton material. We don't get enough snow to buy thick, snow proof gloves. Although, I was wishing we had some today!

 This was taken right after she pelted her daddy with a Snow Ball! Ha! Go girl =)

 

CRC running up the hill so we wouldn't catch her.

My unsuccessful attempt at a picture of both of them.. never fails!

She said "Look at my shiny nose" ha!

Little miss was all over the place! She's never gotten to play in this much snow.

She finally looked right as we were coaxing her into the house. Her face is like "Ooo"

We took these tonight as the snow was still lightly falling..

The most snow we've had in years!

The same spot I took the picture earlier with my coffee cup..

Measured 5" on the back porch. Probably around 7" in the yard.

Snowman tomorrow!!! No school and no work for daddy..