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.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
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.
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
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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:
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!
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