Four Months!!! (and the wednesday weekly weigh in!)

Big post today...first, the Weigh In and then my babies are four months old (and there's plenty to write about, all kinds of growing and changing going on- what a fun age)!

1. Reiterate my goal and where I stand in reference to this goal:

Starting Weight: 205# (since 2-3wks pp)

Last Week's Weight: 205.8# (was approximately 200# at time of BFP, before the hyperemesis kicked in, was up to 250# by 35 weeks pregnant)
Current Weight: 203.6# (yay!)
Goal Weight: 180# (normal would be 144-189)


Starting BMI: 27 (I'm 6'1" by the way)
Last Week's BMI: 27.1
Current BMI: 26.9 (yay for breaking under 27!)
Goal BMI: 23.7 ("normal" is 18.5-24.9)


2. Discuss what I am going to do to achieve my goals/progress:

- Drink 16oz of water every time I pump: I did NOT do a good job with my water this week and I saw it in my milk supply :(  That or it's just on it's way out (and the fact that I'm not eating as much isn't helping either).  I'm kind of sad, but it needed to happen at some point and I'm proud of making it to 4 months at least...I'll probably get another month or so of mostly breastmilk, but I'll need to start supplementing at some point, which I really have no problem with other than the fact that it's gonna cost us a grip.  I have a huge stash that I think we might not be able to use, which is CRUSHING...I'm still coming to terms and thinking of other alternatives.  If we can't, I'm considering donating it. Anyway, that's a whole other post (hopefully in a few days...I have PLENTY to talk about with the whole BF thing...especially because I ended up exclusively pumping for twins...after a rocky start, but I'm proud of that because I wasn't sure it'd work out).

- Eat some form of protein four times per day, working up to eating protein with every snack and meal: I did a lot better at this and I'm very proud of that. It's not easy to think about trying to find some protein, especially since I cut out all dairy (brutal).  I also made sure to stop buying junk food so that it's not in the house (except for one treat, see below) and that helps me as well.

- Walk 1 mile 3x per week, working up to jogging 2-3x per week using the Couch-to-5k program: I finished week 4 today (5 min runs, yeah!) on our BRAND NEW TREADMILL!  I'm really happy that I've been able to keep up with the running, but I'm terrified of what will happen when I go back to work in about a month.  At least I'm doing it now.  The treadmill is awesome, especially because it get up well above 100 degrees here in the summer and I'm sure I won't be able to fit running in around the weather, so this gives me plenty more options!

- Limit to one "treat" per day!! : I decided that eating a butterfinger everyday isn't a good idea.  So I asked B to get me a bag of hershey's kisses instead and I tackle that when I need some chocolate rather than whole candy bar.  Much better.


Activities for this coming week:
-Couch to 5k beginning Week 5

-Walk with the babies if not jogging -- I really need to get back to taking the babies out. I've been keeping them indoors too much...I'm just scared of messing up their routine now that we've finally started working one out.  Ugh.  Not to mention the last time I went for a walk with them was an epic fail.


3. Post a (reasonably healthy) recipe that I've tried, a cooking tip, a new idea for working out for people to try, a photo update of my weight loss, or anything else I feel like sharing.

I've been using the C25K podcast for my runs because I hate having to watch a clock while I'm running.  They are fabulous (minus some questionable music choices especially around the 4 week mark) but I was missing some of my music. So today was great on my treadmill because I could easily see how much time had lapsed since I started my interval and I could listen to my own selection!

What do you do to pass the time while you're running on a treadmill?



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OK- now on to the fun stuff! THE BABIES ARE FOUR MONTHS OLD! Holy cow, really?

My dear sweet, sweet Grace and Caleb,

You two are four months old and the time has slipped by me all too fast.  I look at you and see you discovering, learning, becoming your own little personalities and it fills me with pride and excitement, but at the same time tears at my heart.  I love this phase of your development, but I've loved every phase before and I miss those, too.  You're growing up, and you won't be my tiny babies for long.  I want to hold onto every snuggle and every gaze.  I know I won't have those forever.  I love you both so incredibly much, it hurts. Thank you for blessing me everyday.

Gracie, my princess!

You are 100% sweetness right now.  You're such an easy-going baby and I can't help but fall more and more in love with you every day. I didn't think that was possible with how very much I loved you the first time I saw you.  I can't get enough of you!

Your smile lights up the room, and especially your Mommy and Daddy's hearts.  You've learned to giggle and you're getting pretty good at it, but mostly for Daddy. I work all day to make you laugh but as soon as he comes in and swoops you up, you can't hold it in! You are such a Daddy's girl.  You will stare at him endlessly and give him the biggest smiles. You still don't mind lying in his arms, even though you're getting antsy most of the time to be moving and shaking!  You love it when he bats at your hands and tickles your tummy.  But your biggest smiles come when he catches you off guard by flashing a huge smile at you. You love it!

You're growing too, my love.  You're about 13lbs now, and finally fitting pretty well into your 0-3 month clothes.  The newborn stuff is pretty much shelved, which is sad but ok.  I love to dress you up in your cute outfits!  You tried on your first pair of jeans this month and while they were still way too big, they were adorable of course. Mostly I keep you in comfy sleepers but sometimes a onesie or an outfit.

You've been going through a growth spurt for a while...so I'm starting to think this is your new norm.  You're eating a lot more than you used to which is great! You now take about 5oz of exclusively breastmilk at every feed, except for an occasional 4 or 6 oz bottle. You wake up hungry around 5am most of the time, and then sleep again until 10am.  Then we have bottles around 1, 4, and your bedtime bottle is at 7.  You, amazingly, figured out this whole bedtime thing and go down in your crib without a fight or a protest now right after that bottle.  You take a binky with you because you are absolutely obsessed with it! But you rarely cry at night for it, just during the day in your naps. We get you out of bed for a quick dreamfeed at 10 or 11pm and you usually sleep right through it!

You are starting to like bathtime more, now, since we realized you needed a binky right after you get out of the water.  You really love being in the big tub with one of us so you can splash around. I cannot WAIT to get you in a swimming pool!  You were having a really hard time afterward for a while, but that's all better now and you'll even let me lather you up with a lotion massage after you get out of the water.  Your poor skin is extremely dry and you have an eczema rash all over your tummy and arms, but you don't seem too bothered by it which is good! 

Your favorite place to hang out is probably the bumbo chair,  you just love sitting up! You really love for daddy and I to help you stand, you're so good at it and can hold up most of your weight if we help you! You still have a bit of a bobble head but not much.  Your favorite toy is probably this colorful rattle with lots of places to hang on.  You've started grabbing at things this month and pulling them to your mouth. It's so cute!

I started putting more bows on you this month cuz it's so cute. You don't mind them either, I think you know how lovely you look.  Your hair is still pretty thin and you've got a big bald spot on the back of your head from turning it in your crib all the time.  I wonder what your hair will look like!  You've got beautiful deep blue eyes that I could stare at all day, they're so big and wide! You're long and skinny and you still have kind of a smaller head, but it's proportionate and SO cute.

I can't believe how truly calm you are. You really never cry unless you're hungry or just really, really tired.  I remember when you were first born and you fussed all the time, we thought you were going to be a crier.  But you outgrew that along with your tummy problems and any sort of reflux! It's so great to know that you feel better now, and you're not spitting up all the time anymore.  You just needed time to get that tummy mature.

I never want to forget how wide your eyes get when I'm feeding you or talking to you or how happy you are to lay in your bouncy chair with your arms behind your head, sucking on your binky, and just staring at me washing bottles or making dinner. I love that you want to just take it in and watch us.  You're so curious and content!

Grace, I absolutely adore you. I can't even tell you how much you complete my world.  You have stolen my heart forever and I never want it back.  I'm the luckiest girl alive.


My sweet, happy Caleb!

My little boy.  Buddy, I can't tell you enough how unbelievably happy you make me. You're a mama's boy, just like your sister's a Daddy's girl.  You stare at me and wait for a smile all day, and I can't stop smiling at you, love!  As soon as you see my grin,  you flash one back twice as big and it melts my heart in an instant.  You're such a happy baby, smiling all the time with that huge gummy grin.  I find you just smiling at the wall or the window sometimes, I so wonder what you're thinking about.  But you save the biggest ones for me and Daddy.  And you gave us your very FIRST laugh just a couple of days ago; it was thrilling! All of the laughs you'll ever have, and that was your first one.  You were lying on the ottoman after I had held you up above my head for a while (you love that) and I tickled your neck and it just came out.  Short and sweet, and totally perfect!

You are starting to work out your colic and I can't wait for it to be gone forever- I hated when you cried for hours.  It broke my heart into a million pieces every time, and I couldn't help but cry along with you sometimes.  But this month you've started to outgrow it and we're gradually moving away from the night time sadness that once was! 

We're still learning your routine, especially at night, but for the most part you wake up hungry anywhere from 4:30-6:30am and then have another bottle around 10am.  Then bottles at 1, 4, and 7 and sometimes you'll let us put you down in your crib for the night at that point, but rarely. Usually you hang out in the living room with us as we replace your binky and try to avoid any meltdowns.  Like I said, you're starting to fall asleep during this time more often now instead of being up all the way until 10pm.  You usually need the dream feed at 10 or 11 to help you really fall asleep, but not always (you usually sleep all the way from 10 or 11 until about 5am, but recently you've been waking up to "yell" at me to replace your binky much earlier, like 3am). You're still eating a good amount and all breastmilk, but a lot less than before- you've started cutting back a bit from your continuous two month growth spurt!  Now you eat around 30oz every day, which is a big difference from the 45oz of the month before. I'm glad you're slowing down a bit.  You're about 18lbs of pure chub and it's just so delicious.

You've been outgrowing your clothes so quickly it's hard to keep up! You're now wearing 6 month clothes but sometimes even 9 months fit you better.  I try to change your outfits a lot so you get to wear all of the cute things I have for you, but sometimes I don't even get a chance you're growing so fast.  But I love that you're a big, strong, and healthy little man.
You had a pretty bad eye infection last month again that caused you some trouble and fussiness.  But it's doing better now and hopefully gone for good.  We had to go to an opthamologist and if your clogged tear duct isn't better by the time you are 6 months, they'll need to do surgery. I'm hoping this was the end of it and there won't be any need for that!!

Your favorite place to hang out is probably your jumperoo or your swing.  You just started getting the hang of batting at the toys on your jumperoo and you LOVE it.  Your swing is your best friend when you're fussy, though. 

Your favorite toy is probably the blue elephant on your playmat now that you can sort of grab it!



You are starting to splash around in the bath now instead of just relaxing in it, which makes me supremely happy. I think you're going to be so much fun in the pool! You love the lotion massage afterward, as well. As long as mommy and daddy are smiling at you, you're perfectly content.

I never want to forget those moments when you're staring at me as I feed you a bottle and you can't focus on eating because your smile gets in the way! I love that you want to smile at me that much, it's so adorable watching you smile around the bottle nipple. Don't stop doing that, ok? It makes my day!

Baby boy, you're such a happy dude and I love every single minute of being your mommy, even the tough times when you can't stop crying.  I love that I can usually help you to calm down and you like being in my arms more than anywhere else.  You're such a lover and I'm so lucky that I get to love on you all day every day.  You make my world go around and I look forward to every minute I get to stare at you, hold you, and watch you grow.  I love you so much, little man!

Babies, my little luckies.  These past four months have gone too fast.  You're both growing at warp speed it seems and you're learning new things all the time.  You've both found your hands and love to suck on them...even when they make you gag when you try to fit both in your mouth.  You've also found eachother and I catch you staring at one another from time to time.  I can't wait for the day that you laugh together and play together.  I hope that you're the best of friends!  I will cherish every giggle, every squeal, and even every tantrum.  I am so blessed to have you in my life, I love you more than you will ever know.