Popsicles

Popsicles, Tillman's new favorite treat. Remember the recent post about buying the popsicle makers at IKEA? ... and how the ones we tried to make didn't turn out too well? ... Well, Tillman has been on a popsicle kick ever since, wanting a popsicle and asking for a green popsicle. We have yet to retry making the popsicles ourselves, but we did go to the store Sunday afternoon and finally got Tillman some popsicles. They are Italian ice and actually very good. She has requested one each day since Sunday as her snack when she gets home from Robin's house.

I asked her today what we were going to do when we ran out of popsicles and the popsicles were all gone. Her response, "Eat Cheerios."  I was absolutely expecting her to say we would buy some more popsicles, but no, we will just eat Cheerios instead.

Sunday's popsicle - the 1st one out of the box

Today's popsicle - flavor # 4

She got 2 popsicles on Sunday. It was too much fun for just one, and such a pretty day.

Fun All Around

Josh planned a fabulous afternoon for us this past Thursday. The weather has been pretty inconsistent lately with cold, rainy days interrupted with nice, warm, sunny days. It's been hard to get out and spend time outdoors, so Josh took advantage of the nice weather for one day and planned an afternoon out. We had a blast.
When we got home from school we loaded up the van and headed downtown Clemson. We took Tillman to a playground where we ended up spending an hour playing, climbing, chasing, and throwing rocks into the creek. After that we drove around campus for a walk down memory lane. Tillman had us stop at a few "tigers" along the way so she could see them. Then we went to Moe's for dinner and Cook-Out for a milkshake. It was a great afternoon!

Tillman also received another Valentine's gift this week. She loved it; a pirate water pouch with a Dora card and stickers inside. She is all about Dora and pirates, as you will see in a minute.

Opening the pirate pouch

Opening the Dora card with stickers

Tillman starting passing out a Dora sticker to everybody. Even Baby Carter had to get a sticker.

We had a girls' night out with our Sunday School class and women's Bible study class last night. We had a group of about 20 ladies. We went to Fatz for dinner and then to see Safe Haven. It was a great night! I hadn't (and still haven't) read the book, but the movie was good and kept me entertained. I didn't cry (I think Kasi and I were literally the only 2 girls who didn't cry) and felt some parts were pretty predictable. Still, I had a great time getting out and spending some time with the ladies. Josh, on the other hand, not only had Tillman duty, but he had the pleasure of keeping both Tillman and Hadley all night. Braden had to work, so Josh was the go-to guy. He did a fantastic job and both girls were asleep when we got home. I think it wore Josh out a little bit, so I owe him a free night. Thanks babe! 

The girls at dinner

Story time before bed

I mentioned both girls were asleep when we got home. 

I didn't mention that Tillman was in her room and Hadley was on the couch with Josh. He tried putting her down in Carter's room/crib, but Hadley just wouldn't go for it. Passed out on the couch she goes. 

The girls playing together in the "bounce house" 

Back to Tillman's pirate obsession... 

We dressed up like Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) tonight and she and Josh sang the theme song. Tillman sang it over and over and marched up and down the halls at least 5 times tonight before going to bed with the bandanna wrap still on. So cute and entertaining. 

Tillman saying, "Argg!"

Pirate princesses

singing the theme song

32 weeks

We are well on our way to Baby Carter's arrival. I was 32 weeks yesterday and went for a check up today. All is well and my doctor gave me rave reviews on all my statistics. I am measuring at exactly 32 weeks, so we are pretty certain Carter will not be as big as Tillman was when she was born. (8lb 15oz)  Carter is facing head down and is ready to go. We are just continuing what we are doing and counting down the weeks. 7 weeks until April 9th!

Another fun comparison picture:

32 weeks to the day with both girls

Tillman on the Left - Carter on the Right

Other fun things going on this week so far:

Monday was a professional development day so I got to have lunch with Kasi and her family in between meetings. This is Kasi's daughter, Hadley, one month younger than Tillman. 

"Reunited and it feels so good!!!" - SO happy to see these DES girls at our afternoon session!! 

I miss them!

Being silly at the meeting, showing off the belly. 

This is how I rewarded myself with a good check-up today - A Reese's cup milkshake from Cookout :) 

Tillman trying to climb out and over from the "bounce house" as she calls it. We are still loving having it set up in the playroom and definitely getting somebody's moneys worth out of it. 

Bounce House action

Tillman with a ladybug crawling on her

Two Week Deadline

Ok, I've made it just in time to post before another two weeks has passed us by.  I've been so disappointed in myself that I have not made them time to post more frequently, especially with everything going on lately.  But then again, maybe everything going on is somewhat what keeps me from sitting down or having the time to blog. Probably not, I'm just full of excuses.

Anyways, we've been up to a lot lately and I have not taken a single picture with a camera. It's all borrowed from friends or taken with my phone because it's more convenient. Instead of a narrative, I'll just recap with pictures. I'm sure they will be out of order, but you'll get the idea of what life's been like for us. (Oh, minus the emotional roller coaster of ups and downs I've been having and Josh has been having to live with. We'll leave that for another day.)

Tillman had a sick day two weeks ago. Josh actually had to take the day off work and stay home with her to play Mr. Mom/nurse. He did a great job and she bounced back quickly. 

This (snuggling, laying in my lap) never happens. A clear sign she wasn't feeling well. She's always up and running.

Last weekend we had some good friends come into town to visit for the weekend and go with us to Switch-a-roos, a huge baby/kid consignment sale in Greenville. We were all very productive with our purchases and are looking forward to another sale in 6 months.  Here are Jade and Ansley at the event.

Tillman and Ansley playing in the playroom. Tillman had a good time being the "big kid."

Photo fail #1.

Photo fail #2.

We just need to photo shop the two pictures together to get a decent one.

Playing before church Sunday morning.

Tillman giving Ansley and huge good-bye kiss. She really enjoyed having "Baby Ansley" up for the weekend.

Making sure Ansley got her paci back. I think she's ready to be a big sister. 

Tillman super excited with her Valentine's Day package from KC and Joe Joe. She's been wearing the pajamas in previous pictures, so these must be out of order. 

Only a portion of what it's like on Valentine's Day as a teacher. I really appreciate the parent that sent a Chick-Fil-A giftcard instead of a generic box of chocolates. 

My Valentine's Day surprise from Tillman. She made this at Mrs. Robin's house and I love it!!! 

Another surprise, from Josh. We don't buy gifts for each other at any holiday, so I really wasn't expecting anything. I think my hormonal mess of emotions made him think a little treat would be nice and keep me happy. He was right. I absolutely love this bracelet!! It was accompanied by the sweetest video message on my phone to explain its significance. Tears. 

Part 2 of Josh's surprise. He spoils me so. And all he got was a card and a basket case of a wife. 

Some super cute new shoes T got with a gift card from Christmas.

Carter's closet is starting to fill out. With some generous gifts from some special people in our lives we've been able to buy Carter some new necessities and a few "wants" along the way. We stocked up at Switch-a-roos and Ana brought up a huge tub of Ansley's clothes for me to go through and claim. Some of it is Tillman's, but I'm really afraid the seasons will be too far off for me to use too much of T's baby stuff. 

We didn't have school/work yesterday due to an inclement weather make-up day, so we headed to IKEA for the day. We were on a mission for a few specific things and came back with more than was on the list, as usual. 

Yes, Tillman has two different pairs of socks on her hands. Hey, whatever keeps you entertained, right?

And even more creatively, she's turned her boots into a microphone. Yes, she claims it's a microphone, and yes, she did sing in it and yell into it all the way down the road. 

New lamp shade in Tillman's room

New lamp for Carter's room

New chair for Tillman's room (#1 priority for IKEA trip) which has allowed us to move the glider into Carter's room, which was our original intention when we found out we were pregnant. 

(Thank you to a very special family member for your generous gift that helped us purchase this new chair! We love it!!) 

We got this popsicle maker at IKEA, so of course we had to try it out. Notice Tillman is eating a store bought popsicle and not one from the tray. Popsicle recipe #1 - fail. I need to do some research to find a better recipe to use. 

We went to a friend's birthday party at a jump/bounce house today and Tillman had a blast!! She ended up with a bloody/swollen lip early on, but that didn't stop her from going. She ran from one jump castle to the next and loved every minute of it. So, naturally, when we got home and she got up from her nap, what did she want to do? Yes, set up her very own jump house in our playroom. We've been borrowing this from a friend for a while and we've finally put it to use. It's still up now. Somebody had a major meltdown when it was time to do to bed. I guess we have our plans for tomorrow afternoon set up for us. 

Her hair. 

She loved it! She was squealing, jumping, dumping toys in it, and just going plain nuts. 

This is what Carter's room looks like right this second. Chaos. 

We've got a little over 7 weeks to get it together. The last piece of furniture will arrive in two weeks, so after that comes we will have a better feel for everything. Until then, let's just keep the door shut. :) 

Other events on the list of life (that I remember):

Dinner with a friend at Blue Voodoo - amazing!!

Dinner with a friend at Groucho's, one of my new favorites

Wednesday night bible study - something I look forward to every week - fills a need and reminds me I'm not alone in this emotional mess of being a woman

Josh - basketball,  playoffs start this week

It snowed again today :) - It's gone now, but was fun to play in for a little while

TILLMAN IS ON DAY 9 OF NO DIAPERS!!! Yes, you read that correctly. We've been kicking this whole potty training thing into gear. I must give Josh the credit for this one because he's the one who got us going, and buddy we haven't looked back. Tillman has been doing a great job and we are so happy/impressed with her progress!! Yes, there have been a few accidents along the way, but overall, she's done very well.  She's waking up from a few naps and overnights completely dry and is getting better about voicing to us when she needs to go. We've been asking her and sitting her down every 30-40 min. even if she doesn't request it. We made it all the way to IKEA and back with outlet stops, dinner, and other shopping with no accidents. We did take the potty with us in the car, and at one pit stop a police officer even pulled over to check on us. It scared the dickens out of me, but once he realized what we were doing, he kindly turned off his lights and kept going. 

If you're still reading this, you're a trooper. Thanks for taking interest in it all.