Breakfast cups

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I made it yesterday morning for breakfast.

Source: littlebirdiebaby.blogspot.com via Courtney on Pinterest

They are called Bird's Nests and they are super simple to make and delicious! They are easy to customize to your liking, replacing the bacon with ham or sausage, etc. I even left the egg off of a couple because Peytonn isn't a huge fan of eggs and requested no egg on his. They are easy for little hands to pick up and enjoy themselves.

I made 24 "nests" and froze individually what we did not eat. These are easy to grab and go! Give them a try!!

5 months old

Avonlea turned 5 months on Christmas Day. We have gotten into a good nap routine during the past month. I figured out that she likes to be swaddled when she firsts goes to sleep. It also makes it a lot easier to transfer her from my arms to the crib without her waking up.

Here is Avonlea on Christmas Eve before we went to my grandma's house.

Here is what Avonlea is up to at 5 months:
--weighing in at 15lbs 14 oz
--wearing size 3 disposable diapers and medium cloth diapers
--wearing 6-9 and 12 month clothes
--almost rolling from back to front. She gets 3/4 of the way over and then says "forget this!" and flips back over.
--still waking frequently throughout the night, but she mostly sleeps with me so it doesn't bother me too much
--naps mostly in her crib and sleeps the first 3 hours at night in her crib
--cooing and talking up a storm! She loves to hear herself!
--hasn't had very much solid food this month. I can probably count on one hand the amount of times she has had solids this month. But so far she has tried squash, carrots, applesauce, rice and oatmeal cereal, and we just tried peas last night.
--loves to jump in the Jumperoo or play on her playmat.
--moved her out of the bucket seat and into a convertible rearfacing carseat. She is much happier now in the car.

Avonlea also got to hang out with her Uncle Ryan during Christmas. My brother lives out in California and only flies home a couple of times per year. This is only the second time he has gotten to see Avonlea. It's always nice to get to see my brother and hang out with him. I wish he would move home!!

We had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend it with family, far and near! I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday!

Our Anniversary

Last Friday we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. We have been through so much in the 8 year we have been together.

From our wedding day in Vegas where I was 14 weeks pregnant with our first:

To the birth of our first preemie baby, Peytonn:

To the birth of our second preemie baby, Bennett:

Then 5 months later, Hubby being deployed for a year overseas:

A year later and his return home:

And then the birth of our third preemie baby, Avonlea:

Who knew life could have so much up's and down's, twists and turns, and such amazing joys! I know this is just the beginning of our journey together and I can't see what life has in store for us!



Four Months

Miss Avonlea is four months old already! Little miss is chubbier and sassier than ever! I just adore her, and so do her brothers!

Here are her stats for 4 months:
Weight: 13 lbs 4.5 oz (50th %)
Height: 24 1/2 inches (50th %)

Our doc gave us the go ahead to start solids. With the boys, I waited until 5-6 months, but she seemed ready, so I tried some rice cereal with her. She wasn't a huge fan at the first bite, but by the end she was sucking it off the spoon. I don't think it will be something that we do every night/day, but its good practice and she is a champ and moving it to the back of her mouth. She hasn't choked or gagged at all.

Here is what Avonlea is up to at four months:
--can roll from front to back
--grabbing and holding on to toys
--cooing and interacting with people
--wearing some 3-6 month, but mostly 6-9 or even 12 month clothes
--Moved up to medium rise snap on cloth diapers
--enjoys playing in jumperoo, sitting up, and playing with the plastic rings
--tried solid food (rice cereal) for the first time
--still nursing and taking 3-4 ounces from a bottle
--mostly lost interest in the pacifier
--sleeps decent, definitely not through the night yet though
--loves to be held, carried around, and played with (likes to be the center of attention!)
--very interested in her brothers and she loves when they sing songs to her or play with her
--pulls herself into sitting position when sitting between your legs on the floor

She is also losing a lot of her hair. (as you can tell from this picture!) But she has little hairs growing in. It's hard to tell if she will be a blondie like Bennett or darker like Peytonn.  I can't wait for her to hair enough hair for me to put bows in and such. :)

She is still such a joy to have around. She is mostly a very happy baby and loves to smile at just about anyone!

Holiday Dress

I have been searching for a holiday outfit for Avonlea. I thought I would go the smocked route or a sweater dress, but I found something else that I love! Its a Pinnafore and I adore them. I originally bought one for my niece a year or two ago and I love this shop at Etsy. They are reversable and you can wear them alone, with jeans, leggings, short/long sleeved shirt. So versatile! This is the one I bought for Avonlea:

I just love the print and it reverses to a dot print. I thought the red/cream would be perfect for the holidays but she can also wear it throughout the year too.

Please visit this Etsy shop, she is amazing!

ThreeYellowStarfish

Birthdays

Bennett turned 3 this past week! I can't believe he is 3 years old already. He is getting so big and talking so much now. We had his party this past Sunday and Bennett received so many great things. He is loving the fire truck, bull dozers, and new shoes that he received. Everyone was so generous and Bennett really appreciated it all.

Here is what Bennett is up to these days:
--wearing 3T (some 4T) clothing and size 8 or 8.5 shoe
--fully potty trained
--attends preschool twice per week
--talks in sentences and can express needs or wants (or tantrums!)
--is still super ornery but is learning more self control and consequences every day
--enjoys running and playing outside, playing with trucks, wrestling with his brother, and playing with his sissy

Bennett seems to have grown up so much just in the past 2 weeks. I remember three to be the pivitol age for Peytonn. I am excited to see what the next year holds for Bennett!

In other news, Avonlea turned 3 months old. Well, she's more like 3 1/2 months now. :) But here is what she is up to:
--wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes, some 6-9
--measuring 23 inches and ~13-14lbs when I weigh her on our scale (fully clothed)
--can roll from front to back but has yet to even attempt back to front
--loves to smile and coo
--engaging more with her toys. I noticed this weekend she really loves the plastic rings
--still nursing but takes 3-4 oz from a bottle at the babysitter or with daddy
--sleeping anywhere from 3-6 hour stretches at night
--outgrowing most of her small diapers and is moving into mediums or the medium rise setting on her onesize diaper, size 2 disposables
--loves to stand or sit with you and check out what is going on. She especially loves when her brothers play with her. Bennett loves to sing to her.

Here is a little video of Bennett singing to Avonlea:
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f157/clemce/?action=view&current=photobucket-4892-1321373442750.mp4

Its been a while!

I know its been ages since my last post. There's a million reasons why, but mostly because we have just been so busy.

We are in the midst of making a lot of bigger decisions regarding our family. Some of those decisions include jobs, schools, and religion.

We have decided to withdraw Peytonn from the Montessori school that he was attending. We absolutely love the school and I think it was a great opportunity to introduce Peytonn into the learning world. However, after our parent/teacher conferences this Fall, its evident that Peytonn needs more structure. He is lacking in his letters and upper numbers. We excels in areas of Art, practical life, puzzles, and colors/shapes.

This then leads into the religion part of things. I knew from the get-go that I would never enroll my kids in the public school in our area. Given what I do for a living, I was not having my kid attend the same school as my clients kids. Its just something I am not willing to compromise! I am very adament about keeping my work and family life separate.

We have decided to send the kids to private Catholic school. Now, neither of us are Catholic. However, I am baptized Catholic and my father's side of the family is all Catholic. After much research and discussions, we have decided to convert (Hubby and I) to Catholic. None of the kids are baptized, however, we will have them baptized in the Spring, after we have been completely accepted into the church.  This is something that I feel is right for our family.

Peytonn will start Preschool at the Catholic school on Monday. We are excited for him and he will continue with the kids in his class through to Kindergarten. We made a visit to the school last Sunday after Mass. I really like it and the teachers, I think Peytonn will succeed.

Bennett will remain at the Montessori school for the rest of the year. He will start preschool at the Catholic school next Fall.

I am excited about the new changes we are making for our family.

Medifast Week 2

I am so very proud and happy to report that I lost another 3lbs this week!!! I believe that is 6.4 pounds total in 2 weeks!

I find that I am more in control of what goes in my mouth and my portion sizes. I am not eating out of emotion any more and I am stopping when I am satisified instead of full. I continue to drink my coffee each morning and eat out ocassionally. I have even had Jimmy John's more times than I care to admit over the past two weeks. (Hey, its right across the street from work and they deliver right to our door!)

This plan is great and I feel like the weight is just melting off. I mean, there is nothing better than that!

Medifast Week 1

After my first week on Medifast, I feel great!!! I think I am starting to get the hang of it. Total this week I lost : 3.4 pounds! I am super excited! 

I don't find myself getting super starving, but I can tell when I am hungry. I also feel satisfied instead of full all the time. My clothes are fitting better and I have a lot more energy. I don't feel weighed down from eating too much anymore.

I am really liking the bars, shakes, chocolate chip pancakes, and the brownie. Oh, the brownie! It is actually really good. Oh, and the tomato soup is pretty good as well. I'm finding I can still cook for my family and keep on track with Medifast. I even resisted the real brownies my Hubby made the other day. Now that  is a shocker!! :)

But I am encouraged to stay on track and keep up with it! I really like that feeling.

Today is the day...

This was on my doorstep yesterday when I came home from work! Today is my first day on Medifast and so far it has gone pretty well.

I had Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal for breakfast. It wasn't that great, but I choked it down. :)  I ordered a variety of items to try and then I will know next time what to get and what not to get. I had one of the peanut butter crunch bars and it was decent. Much better than the oatmeal.

For dinner, I made Alice Spring Chicken and it was yummy!! I would make it even if I wasn't on a diet.  The nursing diet for Medifast is a little different than the regular 5 and 1 plan that most people do. With the nursing plan, you only eat 3 Medifast meals per day, have unlimited fruits and veggies, and 3 servings of dairy per day. The idea is to eat something every 2-3 hours. I will have one of the shakes tonight as my 3rd Medifast meal for the day. I haven't felt super hungry all day. A nice feeling of satisfied. I like eating so often. It really doesn't allow you to get super hungry.

So, first day was a success!

Medifast

Well, I broke down and joined Medifast! I really like Weight Watchers, but I just don't have the time (or energy) to count and look up everything. I figure i will try it for a month and see how I like it. I have read so many blogs that are using it and have lost weight. I hope the same holds true for me! I like that it adapts to a nursing mother at any stage.

I think this will be easy for me to take with me to  work and on the go. I think it will be easy to have a meal fast on the nights Hubby works until 7:30pm and I have 2 kids going in different directions and the baby screams when you put her down.

I used one of the codes from a fellow blogger to receive $50 off my order. Which made it slightly more affordable.

I am setting my goal at 50lbs to lose. I need to get back to a healthier weight and stay there. No more excuses!

I hope to get the package this week and will start as soon as I get it.

Such and Such

Things have been busy around here lately. Hubby returned home after being gone for 3 weeks with the military and I've picked up some more hours at work. The boys are in school and trying to juggle it all is a little chaotic at times.

With hubby gone, it was hard to focus on my weight loss because most days I was only able to eat what I could grab. I haven't been tracking my food lately and I need to get back on board with that. I gained back 3 of my 5lbs lost, but I am still 2 lbs pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. We have family pictures coming up on the 11th, so I would like to lose a little bit before then.

Speaking of family pictures, we are once again having our pictures taken by Rebekah of Studio Rebekah Photography. I actually grew up going to school with Rebekah. She is such a sweet person and great with the kids! We got some great photos of the boys last year. Here are some of our pictures from last year:

I can't wait to see how this year's turn out,  especially with the new addition!

Speaking of Avonlea, she keeps growing! Like a weed! She is short, but she has quite the gut on her. She is outgrowing a lot of her things around the middle. She has outgrown most of her woolies and the ones I saved from Bennett are still too big on her.  So, I ordered her some woolies from Sustainablebabyish (Sbish) and I just got them in the mail. I absolutely love them and the color. they are super soft and thick.

I ordered a small so that she could wear them longer. As you can see, they fit her in the waist just fine, but are still a little long on her. At least I know the length will last her a while.  My sister ordered the pink ones and I love the color of them, too.

I might just order those as well. A girl can never have enough cute woolies! (although my husband would beg to differ! ha!)

Avonlea has been sleeping really well at night, averaging only one or two feedings a night. Currently I am trying to get her on a more regular nap routine. She is sleeping longer stretches during the day, so I am trying to get a good morning and afternoon nap from her. We'll see how it goes. 

Two Months Old

Guess who is two months old already?! This little girl! I can't believe it!

Avonlea went for her two month check up today. Her stats are:

Weight: 10lbs 4oz
Height: 21.6 inches

Here is what Avonlea is up to these days:
--wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes but starting to fit into 3-6 month
--wearing mostly one size diapers and smalls. Fits in size 1 disposable diapers
--lifts head for short periods of time and looks around
--socially smiles
--coo's and grunts/groans
--makes eye contact and turns toward your voice
--sleeping in a crib in her own room
--sleeps anywhere from 3-7 hour stretches at night
--loves music, especially Lady Antebellum and Jason Aldean (good choices!)
--likes to look at her brothers and watch what they are doing

Our sweet girl is growing and changing so much! I want her to slow down a bit. She is such a good baby, even during her fussy time in the evenings, she is such a joy to have in our family!

Mocha

I am surely addicted to iced coffee with mocha from Starbucks. I roll through Starbucks probably 5 times per week, sometimes more. And at $3.16 a pop for a venti, it starts to add up! Starbucks has come out with the iced Via coffee packets which aren't too bad, but just not the same without the mocha syrup. Starbucks does sell their syrup, but of course, Mocha is one of just a few that they are not allowed to sell. WTH! I was thoroughly disappointed when the lady told me this. Seriously, I about cried. (ask my sister, ha!)

My sister came to stay with me for a week while my hubby was gone and so we went on a manhunt for mocha syrup.  We couldn't find it anywhere in stores, so I went to the internet to see if I could find a recipe or something.  I came across this recipe for Mocha Syrup.  I cut the recipe in half and cooked it up on my stove, leaving out the vanilla syrup and just using regular vanilla extract. I let it cool on the stove because it was quite thin and I thought it might thicken up if I let it cool down.  After cooling, it was still pretty thin. I put it in a tupperware container and put it in the frig.  The next morning it was nice and thick like a syrup should be.

This is what it looks like while still hot, right after cooking it all together. It is still thin like water.

Now, this doesn't taste exactly like Starbucks Mocha syrup, but it is darn close and it is a great substitute. It would be really good over ice cream or used as chocolate syrup for chocolate milk. A great alternative to the store bought version.  It's super easy to make and I think most pantries have all of the ingredients needed to make this.  I just add as much as I want to my homemade iced coffee and off I go. A lot cheaper than getting Starbucks everyday.

*You can half the recipe and change up the kind of cocoa powder that you use.  I've used regular cocoa only, and also used mostly dark with just a bit of regular.  You can totally customize it, which I like. Enjoy!

Babywearing

I adore babywearing! If you've never tried it, you are surely missing out on some sweet snuggle time with your little one. It has so many benefits (bonding, great for fussy babies, and tummy issues to name a few) and it really easy and convenient. 

I started babywearing when Peytonn was a baby. He was a baby that definitely liked things a particular way and he was never one to nap in his crib for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. That left me one tired and frustrated mama! I remember wondering what was I doing wrong?! Then I learned of babywearing (from my mom, who wore all of us!) and I started to dig deeper into the types of carriers and carries.  I started out with a homemade version of the Moby wrap. I still have that wrap and I have wore all 3 of my babies in it:

Using this wrap and bouncing around the living room was the only way to get Peytonn to fall asleep. This was also how I got pretty much anything done around the house.  I then found out about ring slings and decided to try that out. I had already tried a pouch sling and although I liked it, I really preferred how I could adjust the ring sling.  I mostly wore Bennett in the ring sling. This allowed me to have my hands free to wrangle my then 20 month old.

Then my husband got deployed and somehow I had to figure out how to mow the lawn with 2 small children, one 2 years old and the other 5 months old. Then I discovered the Beco carrier. Pure bliss! I strapped Bennett to my back and away I went with the lawn mower. It was such a blessing.  Now, 3 kids later, I still adore each of my carriers and I like each one for different reasons and situations.  They are easy to nurse in and calm my fussy babies.  They also allow me to cook dinner, put make up on, do my hair, wash clothes and dishes, etc. I don't know what I would do without my carriers.

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 4

So, I'm a day late on this. Sorry about that! But things went great this week!

Weight Loss This Week: -1.7 pounds
Total Weight Loss: -5.5 pounds

I was kind of surprised that I lost almost 2 lbs this week. Things have been so chaotic that I haven't really tracked my eating at all. But then again, chaos usually means less time for eating. More like quickly shoving whatever you can grab into your mouth and going.

I am also wearing jeans today that are a size smaller than my pre-pregnancy jeans! That is a great feeling!!!

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 3

Here we are at week 3 of this weight loss thing. I did much better this week and although I didn't track all of my food for the week, I was still able to manage things.

Week 3:

Weight Loss This Week: -1.6 pounds
Total Weight Loss: -3.8 pounds

With the weather cooling off, I hope to get out more with the kids and go for walks, etc. I've also made a change in recipes. For example, instead of using 100% mayo in a recipe, I cut it in half and use 0% fat Greek yogurt in place of the other half.  It cuts the fat in half and adds lots of good protein. And you can't taste the difference. It still gives that creaminess that mayo adds.

Hoping to keep up the good work this week and loss even more next week! :)

Baby stuff

I was searching Amazon the other day and I stumbled across a nice play bar that I thought would be great for Avonlea.  Most of the toys that you can hang from a play mat, etc have made their way out of our house mostly.  Either through the garbage can or given to friends after the boys were finished with them.  Most of the infant toys we have now are ones that you can hold and pick up.

 

So, I got this from Amazon. From the reviews and pictures, it looks like you can attach it to just about anything....carseat, swing, high chair, stroller, etc. Looks fun and might entertain her for a while.

  I also ordered one of these pacifiers:

It's a Natursutten BPA-free natural rubber pacifier.  A lot of the reviews stated that their children liked these because it touches their nose which reminds them of breastfeeding.  Avonlea likes the nipple of the Nuk pacifiers, so I got her this one instead of the rounded nipple. She has been so finicky about the pacifier lately and I hope this works. I really wouldn't push a pacifier, however, I seem to be the human pacifier and mama needs a break once in a while!

Sleep

I've given in. I'm tired of not sleeping and being a zombie and crabby during the day. So, I gave in and now Avonlea is sleeping with me. It seems to be the only way that any of us are getting any sleep.  She seems to be on this routine of nursing almost non-stop from about 6:30-7:30pm and then is usually passed out by 8pm.  And you know what? That works for me! It means I can usually swaddle her and she will sleep in her bed until about midnight. 

Is it ideal, no, well not forever. But, all of my kids have co-slept and the older two sleep in their own beds. I know its not forever. The other night she woke at midnight, 3:30am, and 6am which is a vast improvement from what it was trying to get her to sleep on her own.

I always wonder how bottle fed babies act. Are they like my nursing babies where they just love a boob? I mean, really, my kids eat and then they use it as a pillow.  Or they use me as a pacifier. It's a comfort thing, I know.

She has actually slept in her hammock and she seems to enjoy it. Just not enough to sleep in it all night yet. She takes naps in it during the day though and I'm sure it will come in time. Bennett started sleeping in his crib around 6 months.

I'm pretty sure she is eating more than enough. Especially in the last week, she has really started to fit good into her 0-3 month clothes. They no longer swim on her.  She is chubby and I love it! Sometimes I think her cheeks are going to suffocate her. I'm sure she'll even out eventually. It makes me sad that some of her newborn clothes she will not longer be able to wear. *tear* She has even outgrown her newborn diapers and we have moved on to onesize or size small. She's getting too big, too fast!! Just slow down a little bit, please! For mommy's sake!

Weigh-In Wednesday Week 2

It's Week 2 of Weigh-In Wednesday and I am quite proud to say that this week I lost: -0.1 pounds!!

Wait? Why am I excited about that? Well folks, because this past week has been terrible for me in the sleep department. I am averaging about 3-4 hours total per night and right now I am just in survival mode. I really had anticipated on gaining back what I had lost last week. So, frankly, I am just happy that I maintained!

Week 2:

Weight Loss This Week: -0.1 pounds
Total Weight Loss: -2.2 pounds

Although I was trying to be mindful of what I was eating, there were times when I just had to eat something. I plan to get on track this week and hopefully have a better loss next week. 

1 month old!

So, I'm a little behind in posting this. Sorry, I have 3 small children, two of which started school this past week. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Anyways, Avonlea is growing like a weed! She has outgrown most of her newborn diapers and we've discovered the hard way that she is a heavy wetter! I have ordered a few more one size fitted diapers and another 6 pack of the BumGenius one size diapers. Those seem to be working the best for us, especially at night time. 

Avonlea is starting to fit more and more into her 0-3 month clothes. She is long and even though she can fit into her newborn sleepers, she has outgrown the length on them.  She has definitely chunked up quite a bit. My guess would be that she is in the 7-8lb range now. With her cheeks weighing at least 4 of those pounds. :)

We continue to struggle with night time and it seems to be getting worse. She usually sleeps well from about 8-9pm until midnight-1am. But then its a free for all and most nights she has a period where she is awake for about 2-3 hours. Needless to say, I'm exhausted most mornings. Add in the boys starting school with me working and it makes for a long week!  She has been sleeping in our room in a pack n play or in bed with me and I think I am going to try and move her to the hammock in her room.  It seems she likes to be upright (she sleeps amazingly in the swing or bouncer) and on her side.  I have adjusted the hammock so that the top is upright and it slants down. I hope this helps. She is sleeping in it for a nap as we speak!

The boys continue to adore her. We still need to remind them to lower their voices or to be more careful when she is on the floor.  But I love that they just adore her! She has started noticing her toys on the bouncer just within the past couple of days. She purposely reaches for them now and bats them with her hand.  She is tracking toys and responds to your voice.  I may have caught a social smile today, but we'll just have to wait and see.

One month old on 8/25/11

Weigh-In Wednesday

Well folks, it's weigh-in Wednesday! The first of its kind. And the verdict is......

Week 1:

Weight Loss This Week: -2.1 pounds!!

Total Weight Loss: -2.1 pounds

I am really happy with my progress for the first week.  I ate out a couple of times this week which probably wasn't the best, but its reality.  It happens. I did take a couple of walks this week with the kids to help off set some of it. 

This also means that I am officially 2 pounds BELOW my pre-pregnancy weight! Woot! I've had a lot of people inquire about the WW program and how it is going. I hope that I may have inspired some friends to get healthy as well. We can all take this journey together! 

I also had my Hubby (who laughed at me for doing this!) take some before pictures of me.  I want to document my success and physically see how far I am going to go and where I started.

And here is Avonlea at 4 weeks old. She's a lot cuter than I am. Ha!

WW recipes

I know there are others out there trying to eat right and lose some weight, so I thought it might be fun to post some recipes that others can use or try out. 

Breakfast

Yogurt Smoothie:
1 cup lowfat yogurt (I use Stoneyfield Farms Lowfat plain yogurt)
1 cup fruit (any kind will work)
1 banana
1 scoop whey protein powder (could also use peanut butter)
1 cup ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and crush it all up. I use the ice crusher mode until the ice is crushed then let it run for a minute or so on just the regular blender mode.  For the entire thing is only 6 WW points and it really fills you up.  Sometimes I add a handful (or two) of baby spinach.  Free points and it adds to the nutrition, yet you won't taste the spinach.  You can also add wheat germ (2 TBSP) or Chia seeds (1-2 TBSP) for added nutrition, yet it will add some points to the smoothie.

Oatmeal w/ fruit and nuts:
2 TBSP slivered almonds
4 cups of water
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used 1/4 cup dried cherries)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

You can toast the almonds in a pan first, but its not necessary if you don't want to.  Place all ingredients in a pan and boil on medium-low until liquid is absorbed.  About 3-4 minutes.  Yields about 1 cup per serving at 6 points.  I added 1 TBSP of brown sugar to my bowl for an extra point.

Lunch

BLT:
2 slices light bread ( I used Aunt Millie's wheat bread) 4pts for 2 slices
2 TBSP light mayo (I use Hellman's Olive Oil Mayo) 2 pts for 2 TBSP
2 slices bacon (I used Applegate Farms Uncured natural Bacon) 2 pts
Tomato slices
baby spinach

Cook bacon and toast the bread.  Spread mayo on each slice of bread.  (I mixed some dill with my mayo) Top with bacon, tomato, and baby spinach.  You can also add some avocado (1/4 of a medium is 2 pts).  You can also find bread that is lower points, like 2 pts for 2 slices. I used what I had which is 4 pts for 2 slices.  So, my sandwich is 8 pts total. I paired mine with some grapes and a spinach salad with a lowfat dressing.  I think my dressing was 2 pts for 2 TBSP.

Dinner

Stuffed Peppers:
I am following a recipe that a friend posted on her blog. I am going to use ground turkey in it instead of ground beef. 

1 lb ground Turkey
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
10 oz tomato sauce
1 cup cooked rice
1 medium onion chopped
4 whole green peppers

This is the basic recipe I am going to use. I plan to add some carrot, spinach, and various spices to my recipe.  These are all zero points.  For the basic recipe, for 4 people, is 8 pts per serving. A serving is 1 whole pepper.

I will probably have a salad with low fat dressing with this recipe. I also have an eggplant that I need to use up, so I will probably grill that with some balsamic vinegar.

Remember to drink lots of water when you are on a diet and basically just in general.  It really helps clean out your system and helps keep you a little more full.  Feel free to post your recipes or tricks.

The time has come...

...to say "buh-bye!" to all this extra weight! I told myself during my pregnancy that I was really getting serious about losing weight after the baby was born. I'm tired of carrying around this extra weight and it seriously needs to go!

I have officially lost the 16lbs that I gained during this pregnancy and I am back to wearing my regular jeans.  However, I have been "stuck" at my starting weight for about a week now.  It's not budging a bit! I would love to lose the 30lbs I gained when Hubby came home from deployment last year and some baby weight left over from #1 and #2.

Ultimately, I would love to lose 50lbs, but right now I am concentrating on 30lbs and then I will go from there. I signed up for Weight Watchers last night. I am doing the online program and I had good success with it after I had Bennett.  Because I am nursing, I get 45 points per day and 49 extra points for the week. I think that is more than doable.  With the new plan, most vegetables and all fruits are 0 points.  Which I think is AWESOME! I already eat a good variety of fruits and veggies, so its great they are basically "free" points.

I AM going to hold myself accountable each week.  My weight in day will be Wednesdays and I will be blogging about it.  I WILL get back to a single digit pant size! So, please, tune in and help keep me accountable!

What have we been up to?

Things are starting to calm down a bit around here and we are settling in as a family of five.  That is so weird to say...a family of five! Anyways, the boys are adjusting great to having a little baby in the house. The only real issue we continue to have is their volume level.  Not a huge deal, I'm hoping in time it will level out.

The weather has been so nice out this past week.  It has been in the high 70's/low 80's and we have had our windows open.  The boys have really enjoyed being outside a lot more and so has Avonlea.  I try to get her out at least once per day to get some fresh air and sunshine.

We've been taking lots of walks and even went to the Farmer's Market in Carmel with Nana and Papa.  After we walked around the reflection pond because the boys like to see the ducks.  My mom lives within walking distance to it all which is super nice. We also walk to downtown Carmel on the Monon Trail which is a great way to get some energy out.

Avonlea also got to make her first trip to Target with mommy this week.  I have been trying to find the Mam pacifiers with the latex nipples and it is impossible to find them anymore.  I have one left over from Bennett and that is it.  She has taken a somewhat liking to the Nuk latex pacifier, so that may be my only hope.  She really only takes a pacifier during the night after feedings.  She really likes to suck to fall asleep.

Things are still going rather smooth.  She has been a pretty easy baby thus far, but I know that as the weeks pass and she is awake for longer stretches that it could change.  She is fascinated by her brothers though and loves to stare at them.

I started back to work today. I only took on one case which equals about 12 hours per week.  I can make my own schedule so that way Avonlea is home with Daddy and I am only missing one feeding.  I can pump at work and I pump before I leave so that Daddy has some milk to give her.  Today went pretty smooth, but I am glad to be home and snuggling on my baby.

2 week appointment

Avonlea had her 2 week check up yesterday. We went  for a weight check/billi test 7 days ago. She weighed in at 5lbs 7oz (up 2 oz from her discharge weight 2 days previously).  At the doctor yesterday, she weighed in at 5lbs 14.2 oz!! Thats a 7oz gain in just 7 days! I was so happy! The doctor and I both agreed that we can stop the fortified breastmilk bottles.  Honestly, in the past week, she has only gotten maybe a handful of bottles anyways and she obviously is gaining just fine. 

The doctor said that her color looks great and the jaundice is no longer a concern.  I have noticed she is getting much more of a pale color compared to her "red/yellow" jaundice color.  She is still about 19 inches long.  She is a long baby! She is in the 19th percentile for length and barely on the charts for weight.  Doc said if we move the chart over for her gestational age, she would be right around the 50th percentile for both height and weight. 

Night time has been decent.  Some nights are better than others.  It seems as though she has at least one feeding a night where she does not go right back to sleep.  She is the first baby we have swaddled at night, so I have a question for those that have swaddled their babies.  Do you feed/change then swaddle? Or change, swaddle, and then feed?  I am trying really hard to have her sleep in her own bed instead of with me, but honestly, last night I gave in.  After over an hour of trying to get her to sleep, I laid down and latched her on and we both passed out.  It felt nice to get some sleep.  It's not that I mind her sleeping with me, my worry is that sometimes Peytonn comes into our bed in the middle of the night and I am not comfortable with them both in the bed at the same time.  I don't think it is safe.  We haven't tried the hammock out yet because we haven't put a hook in our room.  I may have Hubby install one and try the hammock. 

Other than that, we are all doing well.  We seem to be adjusting pretty well and we even went on our first outing as a family of five the other day.  We went to lunch and then to the mall.  We ended up taking 2 strollers, one for the baby and one for Bennett.  I'm still debating getting the second seat for the B-ready stroller that we have.  Maybe I should rephrase that....I absolutely think we need the second seat for Bennett, Hubby isn't quite convinced.  Maybe I should let him take all 3 kids out by himself, that should convince him. :)

And now for some pics from my phone:

 Two weeks old!

No paparazzi while I eat, please!

 This pacifier is as big as my face!

So sweet, right after a bath. She is just so calm and alert!

Cloth diapers

Thought I would do a little update on the cloth diapering thus far.  I really thought I would get a little big farther in my pregnancy and that she would be a bit bigger.  Although, I am still impressed by her size at 35 weeks.

The BumGenius XS are still a little big for her.  They gap some at the legs and they are my last resort diapers right now until she grows a bit more. So, what are we using right now?

Nana's Bottoms AIO's size newborn:

We are also using preemie prefolds:

Starlight Expression Extended Tab Prefolds Infant size (I have to fold down the back about 2 inches to get the rise correct, but they work and are very absorbent!)

They fit great around her little legs! There isn't any poo coming out of these babies!

Currently the only covers that I have that are small enough for her are my wool soakers. Plus she looks super cute in them!

Hopefully in the next few days her cord will fall off and then the covers that I have for her should fit.  Then the BG XS diapers should fit not long after that.  She is definitely a heavy wetter too.  She can soak a diaper from front to back in under 2 hours.  Must be all that good milk she is getting.  She is a champ eater, that's for sure!

P.S. From looking at the different pictures from the day and day after she was born, compared to today.....is anyone else noticing a bit of a gut/belly on little miss? We have her 2 weeks appointment on Monday and I am curious what she weighs now.