early pregnancy weight loss normal | Pregnancy Blog Week 32

early pregnancy weight loss normal

Hello week 32! I am not at all prepared to write this weeks blog post I have to say.  I have completely neglected to take a picture of bump, and as Im typing this, I cant wait to get into bed, but I didnt want to miss my weekly update.  So here we are. 

It feels like I have had a really busy week this week and lots has been going on.  My daughter has struggled a little getting back into the routine of pre-school which is emotionally exhausting in itself, and then weve had quite busy days in-between all of this. My husband is also away on a business trip at the moment, so last night I set a new record and went to bed at 7.30pm! 

For some bizarre reason I am constantly comparing this pregnancy to my last one and almost convincing myself Im doing a worse job.  I think that I shouldnt be as tired as I am, and that I should have more energy.  But, by this time last pregnancy I had actually finished work, and I certainly wasnt climbing up a soft play step ladder (which I was earlier this week). I think Im being way too tough on myself and its actually quite ridiculous to compare the pregnancies as they are going to be different.  Im setting myself up for a fail. 

I had some lower back ache earlier in the week, and for the second time now, I convinced myself I could be going into labour.  Im not sure what my obsession with going into an early labour is.  But, obviously I wasnt, which is a good job as my husband flew out that morning. 

Whilst I havent packed my hospital bag yet, I have wrote a list of things that need to go in it! Hurrah! All I need to do now is go and buy all of the stuff. Expect an upcoming post as to whats in my labour bag when I finally pack it! I did manage to wash all of babys new clothes today.  I really dont like that smell that you get from brand new clothes, and dont you ever wonder how clean they actually are? Anyway, I just gave them a quick wash and they now smell lovely.  I have bought newborn sizes and to me,  I think the baby gros look way too small, but I have a feeling I have completely forgotten how small a newborn actually is.  

My other complaint at the moment is needing the toilet ALL of the time. If I wake in the night, I have to go and pee.  In fact, if I walk past a toilet, my body urges me to go and use it.  In fact, that may be why I am so tired.  Im constantly walking to or from the toilet at any given moment!

As the weeks go on, Im getting more and more excited.  I cant wait to meet Baby B, well, I can certainly wait another 8 weeks, but there is definitely the anticipation of meeting our amazing little baby in the air.  

I promise to be a better blogger and post some pics next week.

Have a great weekend, 

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baby weight loss first week | HERBS THAT MAY HURT FERTILITY

baby weight loss first week

Pregnancy and Fertility Over 40 With Herbs

Much has been written about how herbs can help fertility for both men and women. However, not all herbs are helpful, and some can hurt. 
Some herbs like St. Johns Wort, Echinacea, and Gingko Biloba may actually hurt fertility. One of the reasons I didnt go the "herbal route" (aside from some herbal teas) when trying to conceive is just because herbs are "natural", it doesnt always mean theyre safe. I have a friend who wound up in the ER with an irregular heartbeat after taking herbs (this wasnt someone trying to conceive) - but it just goes to show you that you have to be careful.

 Read more about both side of the issue: 

 SEE ALSO: HERBS FOR FERTILITY AND PREGNANCY (getpregnantover40.com)

"some herbal remedies may also be expected to interfere with normal reproductive function. This expectation prompted researchers at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Loma Linda, Calif., to explore the effects of four popular herbs on eggs and sperm. Their findings were published in the current issue of Fertility and Sterility, the journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Three of the herbs, St. Johns wort, Echinacea purpura and Ginkgo biloba, had ill effects on either eggs or sperm or both. The damage, the researchers said, included a reduced ability of sperm to penetrate an egg, changes to the genetic material in sperm, poor sperm viability and, in the case of St. Johns wort, mutation of the tumor suppressor gene, BRCA1, a change that can increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers in women who inherit the mutated gene.

Of the herbs tested, only saw palmetto, which is commonly taken by men to relieve the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, did not damage eggs or sperm in the doses tested. But even saw palmetto reduced the viability of sperm that were exposed to the herbal preparation for seven days.

The journals editor, Dr. Alan H. DeCherney, said, This is a very important study that could provide important information to patients suffering from infertility. He added, The growing popularity of these herbal products means we must examine all their possible effects.

from: nytimes.com

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safe weight loss during pregnancy obese | Parklife

safe weight loss during pregnancy obese

"All of the people,
So many people,
Go hand in hand
Through their parklife."
-Blur

What snuggling the boys looks like

It has been awile since I posted a blog about our schedule. Scheduling a family of five is difficult. Some days we do better than other days. There is a lot that goes into a family schedule. Before I decide on a schedule for us, I think about what our family needs. My husband is busy and needs to be able to have time for his studying. Because I cant count on him to always help with bedtimes or dinnertimes, I like an easy schedule that I can do by myself. This works out well too because on those nights that my husband is home, it is nice to be able to leave him to do the bedtime routine by himself so I can have get out of the house or curl up in the fetal position on the floor-- er, I mean-- have a minute alone to read or unload the dishwasher. I really do think about the needs of myself and my husband before I start thinking about the needs of the boys. We feel that the children need to learn that they are part of the family unit and need to adapt to the rythyms of our family. That is why I loved the book 12 Hours in 12 Weeks by Suzy Giordano. I feel that book-- that schedule-- set the tone and helped the babies adapt to our family life. The first couple years are hard. As much as you dont want to just cater to your childs every whim, newborns need to eat frequently. Babies need to nap. Toddlers need to practice independence. The two books that really helped us form our family schedule and parenting attitude (besides the B-I-B-L-E) were 12 Hours in 12 Weeks by Suzy Giordano, which we relied heavily on for the first year and a half, and Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman. We didnt follow either book to the letter, though we were extremely strict about the twins schedule the first year. I really liked the foundation of both books: the children must adapt to your family schedule. As parents, it is not our job to cater to our childrens every whim for the rest of their lives. It is to teach them to become self-sufficient human beings. It makes me feel like I have a goal and purpose these busy first couple years; it keeps perspective on the long, long days; it helps me cherish those tender moments that happen in the midst of the chaos. More importantly, those books, especially 12 Hours in 12 Weeks, gave us structure so we were able to get through the days.

I posted several blogs the first year regarding our family schedule. I have found, as stated in 12 Hours in 12 Weeks, that often times people say their children sleep through the night, when really they wake up a couple times in the night or at some point come crawling in their bed (we are planning on transitioning them to toddler beds when we have to or perhaps when we move to South Carolina). We still have our 23-month old toddlers in their cribs and they sleep 12-13 hours a night. They nap between 3-4.5 hours a day. During those times of sleep I dont ever go in the nursery. I get 12 hours of uninteruppted sleep every night. Of course there are times when a baby is sick and I need to get up. Our four-year old is prone to bloody noses. When O is having a flair up (read my blog post "Follow up on reactive airways"), I tend to not sleep well; when I hear him coughing in the night I sometimes go to the hallway outside his door and listen to make sure he is okay. On the average night, we put the boys to bed by 8-- all of them have an 8 oclock bedtime-- and I do not get out of bed until 7:45 am on weekdays (preschool days) or 8:15-8:30 am (weekends). I like to get up a little before the boys to make my cup of coffee and get myself together. D wakes up the earliest. We have taught him how to get himself a snack (he can open a banana, make himself a bowl of cereal, and get himself something to drink by himself) and entertain himself in the mornings. Most mornings I find him in a "nest" in the hallway outside our bedroom doors with a picture book in his lap. O wakes up next. We have a couple toys in the toddlers cribs and he will play with his toys quietly until it is time to get out of bed or until C wakes up. C wakes up last. He loves his sleep. He takes 10-15 minutes to wake up; he needs to roll around in his crib a bit before getting up. If you interuppt his morning routine, he will be one grouchy bear. He has slept until 9 am-- not sick-- and frequently naps for 4 and a half hours, sometimes still needing a morning nap. This child loves his sleep.

In the mornings, I let the dog out, brush my teeth, primp a bit, make my first cup of coffee, eat a snack, make the boys the first course of breakfast (cut a slice of breakfast bread, open a banana, or wash some berries-- something to tide them over until their eggs are ready), and then go get the boys up. D is usually with me once I open my bedroom door. We like our time together before the toddlers get up. He tells me about his dreams last night ("I had the noddle dream!") and I tell him about mine ("I had the noodle dream too!"). If the toddlers diapers arent full, I just put them in their high chairs straight away. If their diapers are full, I change them and then do breakfast. They always eat breakfast in pajamas so they dont mess up their clothes for the day. If it is a preschool day, I pack Ds lunch while they eat breakfast. On preschool days, I usually take D to preschool with his brothers in their pajamas, slippers, and coats, then I come home and do Os medication. On weekends, we hang out in pajamas until Daddy wakes up, then Daddy does Os medication. The toddlers like to play with the train table right after breakfast. D likes his morning cartoons.


On preschool days, I like to run errands while D is in school. That way I can put both toddlers in the cart with the aid of my Buggy Bench or using a double cart and Im not dragging all three boys through the store. I find taking one age group is usually the easiest, only the toddlers or only the preschooler. If I have no errands, we hang out at home and get home things done: laundry, dishes, reading, and lots of train table time. The toddlers usually eat a late lunch, which works out since they eat a pretty late-- and large-- breakfast. If they are hungry before lunchtime, after we get D from preschool, I give them a little snack in the car while we are picking D up. We eat lunch at home after getting D from preschool. They eat at the table while D finishes up his lunch or eats a little snack. After lunch, they all like to play in the sunroom a bit before nap and quiet time. The toddlers go down to nap anywhere between 1 pm and 2 pm, if we arent out. If we are out, I can push them to about 3 pm. If they go down after 2 pm, though, they sometimes dont nap very well, especially O. I like to get them down between 1-1:30 pm. The flexible nap schedule is nice. I like not having to rush home and having freedom to say, "Yeah, lets run to the grocery real quick and pick up milk." (As if there is really a "real quick" when running to the store with three kids.) If we are out and fall asleep in the car, C is really good about moving from the car to his crib. I can count on him to fall back asleep. O, on the other hand, is a bit more unpredictable. Sometimes when I transfer him, I hear him hollering in his crib and playing for 20-30 minutes before quieting down and napping. Sometimes he never does fall asleep and just quietly plays in his crib until I come and get him. The hard days are the ones where O doesnt want to nap and screams until I come and get him. Those days are when he wakes C up and then C wont nap; then I have two angry toddlers. I try to give them a late evening nap on those days. I play with them in the sunroom, give them a snack around 3 pm, and then attempt to lay them down for a late evening nap around 3:30-4 pm. It doesnt always work, but if they do nap, it makes the evening better. I let them sleep until about 6 or 6:30 pm. C can sleep all the way to 7 pm and still go down to bed at 8 pm. O has a hard time falling asleep at 8 pm if I let him sleep too far past 6 pm. Funny how they have different nap needs, being identical twins.

D rarely, if ever naps. Some days a friend will pick him up from preschool. Shes a cool mom and will take the boys to bounce houses or the park. D looooooves going home with her. Those days he will sometimes nap. I put in a movie for him when he gets home, make a "nest" on the couch with blankets and pillows. Next thing you know, hes sound asleep watching "Sword in the Stone." If I feel bold, I turn off the movie and turn on The Beatles radio on Pandora; it is fun listening to my own music while all the kids nap. Most of the time I let the DVD menu repeat itself over and over again until he wakes up, not wanting to risk waking him. Most days he comes home with me from preschool. I insist on quiet time while his brothers are napping, giving me a couple hours to do my own thing. We pull out his playsets-- Imaginex or Playmobile-- and he will play quietly in the family room while watching a movie. We also have books on tape, puzzles, and crayons. After he has played quietly for an hour or two, we will often do something together. Lately weve been doing crafts. Most of the time he helps me with a household chore, like unloading the dishwasher or folding laundry. Im impressed that his four-year old hands can actually fold toddler shirts and pants.

After nap and quiet time we have snack. C often sleeps through this and it is just O and D having a snack. I start preparing dinner during snack time. If Im cutting up a bunch of veggies for dinner, snack is cut up veggies with milk. If not, snack is anything from cheese to leftover popcorn from Target or whatever I have on hand (healthy snacks or not-so-healthy cookies). I try to make snacks healthy. If dinner is time consuming to prepare, snack is usually something fun so they stay happy and busy. Fun can mean putting cheese on apples or eating yogurt out of a cup. Fun usually means messy, which the dog likes.

Dinner is not always fancy. Dinner is usually not fancy. I bought a few new cookbooks recently that I l-o-v-e. They are all by Southern Living: Big Book of Slow Cooking, Feel Good Food, and Fix It, Freeze It, Heat It, and Eat It. I also cook a lot from Real Simple, which I receive monthly. I also love The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond and Homemade by Clodagh McKenna. I love recipes that are fresh and simple with quality ingredients. To save money on whole foods, I shop online with Harris Teeter. We eat meat dishes about 3-4 times a week because buying free-range, organic meat is just pricey. A lot of our meat is just free-range since organic sometimes just doesnt fit in our budget. We also shop at Costco. They sell a 3 pack of organic ground beef for less than I pay at Harris Teeter, though I like getting freshly ground beef from Harris Teeter more. When I find quality meat at a good price, I buy in bulk and freeze what I dont use. I do the best that I can buying foods with good ingredients. Sometimes we make the "better" choice, like the Veggie Straws the toddlers love so much (they fall in the fun food category) instead of the Doritos my husband prefers. Right now we can afford to buy D his Squeezers yogurts for his lunch and the toddlers their YoBaby cups; we will probably have to make changes when all three boys want Squeezers. Often times I just buy tubs of plain organic yogurt and mix in berries or purees, which is healthier anyways. But we have a budget. The other day I chose regular eggs for about $6 for two cartons over organic free-range eggs at $14 for two cartons. We buy local milk for under $4 a gallon instead of organic milk which is $6 a gallon. I buy organic or local produce when possible (usually cant afford both organic and local), but we often have to buy conventionally grown fresh produce and organic frozen produce. We do avoid high fructose corn syrup, products with over 10 ingredients (like to stay under 5 when possible), and hydrogenated oils. Trader Joes is great because they do have convenient food with better ingredients. We have weaned ourselves from many processed food crutches, like how much cereal we used to go through and instant oatmeal (really, Quaker? Thats what you put in your instant oatmeal packets?) My favorite trick for making dinner is to make too much. I either freeze half to have for another night or re-purpose the leftovers. Chicken dishes often make great toppings or accompaniments to salad the following night. Beef dishes can usually be put on a sandwich, wrapped, or put on a crunchy toast. A lot of dishes-- vegetarian, chicken, pork, and beef-- are great leftover stir-fried with veggies. Or, my favorite way to serve leftovers: make rice and cut up some peppers. I do what I can around here. :)

I keep seeing these posts about "Facebooking." I think Facebooking falls under the same category our pastor talked about when I was growing up where your family argues all the way to church, but when you get to church you smile and say everything is "fine" when asked. I hope I dont give the impression on my blog that I make dinner every night, my kids all get along great, my husband and I have the perfect marriage, and that I love every single minute of being a stay-at-home mom. I also dont think that everyone needs to always air their dirty laundry. I think everyone knows that life is challenging, money is tight, and that family life will try your patience. Marriage is hard; being a military wife is hard. Moving is hard. Raising kids is hard. Im writing this blog while my kids eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on hot dog buns served with veggie straws and raisins. My four-year old is having a glass of sweet tea and Im on my fourth cup of coffee today (for my friends who have been following my weaning of caffeine, Ive fallen off the wagon). My husband is wearing a burnt orange colored t-shirt with a pair of red basketball shorts. Im still in pajamas. Neither of us have eaten since breakfast; his breakfast was a bowl of cereal, mine was a leftover carrot raisin muffin. Today is daylight savings and Im not entirely sure what time it is. The computer says 1 pm so my hubby and I are hoping naptime is soon. I think family life is just messy. Occasionally you hit this perfect Kodak moment that makes you smile. All the boys are squealing happily in a fort that your husband and son made. You take a picture of it and post on Facebook, "Happy boys!" Two seconds after you post the picture, a toddler hits the other toddler in the head with a block, your four-year old shoves both of them out, and your husband totally ignores the kids while focusing on the engineering side of building the fort. All this makes you start counting down the minutes until bedtime...

So we do have a schedule, but our schedule is a guideline. We do the best we can. Many days we are making judgement calls, "Okay, he needs an early nap..." and somedays we are flying by the seat of our pants, "All right, O is wheezing, C hasnt napped, D is watching his third movie in a row, Daddy is getting home late, and I havent started dinner..." Our boys have multiple minor skirmishes a day. My husband and I fight, sometimes just short sarcastic comments when we feel irritated, sometimes long drawn out arguements after the kids go to bed. Our kids sometimes get on our nerves, when they wont share, they wont listen, they keep repeating the same bad behavior, or when we just cant get something done that we want to get done. We forget to pray. We forget to be understanding. We forget that toddlerhood doesnt last forever. We stress over our budget. We dont ask for help. But the best part of family life is that we learn these lessons together. We ask for forgiveness. We rely on our friends to step in and say, "Hey, I know you wanted some time to yourself, but I gave you long enough and Im calling to ask whats going on." We have people who pray for us. We hold each other accountable. We love our kids; we love each other; we love this life that we lead together, complete with its ups and downs.

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baby losing weight while teething | Good enough

baby losing weight while teething

 

As a blogger, I tend to try to read blogs posted by sites I follow.

As a mother and Navy wife, ah! This can be exhausting.

Why?

It seems a lot of blogs tear people down. One of the ones I just read talked about how life as a military spouse really isnt that difficult. Another talked about moms make their own lives difficult. These two blog posts really struck a nerve with me. I know that lately Ive been over sensitive and taking things personally, but, man. Come on now, mommas. Can we build each other up?

What bothers me about these posts?

Immediately after reading them I felt defensive. I wanted to explain so much-- why I agree on some level and why I disagree on another. They felt like attacks on me. Because Ive been struggling so much lately with all the different responsibilities in my life and then throwing my husbands return to submarine life-- going underway and now a shipyard schedule. The whirlwind of reasons why it all feels like a lot to me right now left me feeling deflated and lost reading these posts, these posts that are telling me that I am the one failing right now. Me. I already feel like Im failing and now these posts are basically proof that Im failing.

When a different thought hit me: I do not think I have it worse than other people. I just think that-- for me-- this has been a lot of changes all at once. I dont think we have a bad life. I think I am struggling right now.

There are other things I know:

This is a season in my life.

It will get better.

The children are going through a phase.

I need to be present.

The biggest thing for me to remember:

I need to bring this all to God.

Our twins are 4-years old, an age I have come to realize is not my favorite age; I did not enjoy 4-years old with our oldest son either. I feel stressed when dealing with them, when managing the day to day life with two 4-year olds in tow. I understand that they are in a phase and that it will pass-- I loved 5-years old with our oldest-- but, man, right now... Right now I am tired of the arguing, the meltdowns, the drama, the bedwetting, the tantrums, the tears, the whining, the moping, the constant conflict over each and every aspect of our lives. The sass. Even worse, I have a really hard time handling the input from strangers when it comes to our childrens behavior. They seem to have completely dropped any semblance of manners and when strangers jump in to inform me they should use manners, I feel instantly judged. I feel 5 inches high. I dont understand why all these things that I have spent the last 4 years teaching them have flown out the window. I am trying my best. I am praying all the time. I am struggling.

And when people pat me on the head and say, "It is just a phase. Enjoy it before they..." or something equally dismissive, I feel alone. Like I am failing as a mother for not loving the small things, the in-between moments. I feel horrible for dreading the day before it even starts. I love them to pieces and I love being their mother. I love staying at home with them and I love being the one to teach them new things. I just need a break.

The mommy martyr blog definitely hit me like a ton of bricks. Is that what people think about me? We just moved to a new area. We have four children. We have two children with breathing issues, one with anxiety issues. Baby-sitters are hard to find and not inexpensive. I know in my bones that so many of the behaviors that we are struggling with right now are due to our recent changes: moving, Daddy going underway, starting at a new school, missing their old friends and their old favorite places to go, Daddy coming home and working long hours. It is all a lot for such little people who dont really understand it all. When you are just meeting people and just making friends, it is hard to find people willing to take on four children who are adjusting to a new place. I dont feel comfortable imposing on new people. I dont feel comfortable leaving children Im concerned about with people I dont know or who Ive barely met just so I can go to coffee and take a break by myself-- in a town I dont know. It feels selfish. And imposing.

What I would love is to be living next door to my best friend again. What I would love is to drag all my kids to her house and let them destroy it while she makes me tea and lets me cry on her shoulder. I would love to give her children some love. I would love to feel at home. Connected. Like Im not a burden or intruding or annoying or all over the place. That my mess is welcome. That Im not being judged. That struggling for now is okay.

Of course I call and write to my friends. And of course I reach out to the new and old friends that I have here locally. But everything here is different. As a military spouse-- a submarine spouse-- we move and adapt. I am in that hard phase of adjusting to a new place. The coping mechanisms that I had at our last duty station dont work here. I dont have a long list of easy places to take the kids or know where to grab a quick cheap meal when dinner fails and my husband is working late. My relationship with my husband is also under strain from an entirely new schedule because, as a military spouse, a PCS means a new job.

No, I dont think we are alone in those pressures. No, I dont blame my spouse for these struggles. No, Im not angry at him for moving us or any of that. But there is so much comfort in finding support within a community that understands what you are going through. Just like the support networks we have made through our entire lives: peer friends as I went through high school and college, making friends with other young married couples after I got married, making friends with babies after we had our first son, making friends with fellow parents of multiples after we had our twins, reaching out to other families that have had miscarriages and loss after our second miscarriage, joining homeschool support groups when homeschooling our oldest in preschool and kindergarten and now our twins in preschool, finding other large family friends after we had our fourth son... It isnt strange to me to desire to find support within the military community when dealing with all these changes.

So, for me, this past underway when our oldest was struggling, I gave his teacher a heads up that his dad was away, not so that he could have a free pass, but so that she knew where he was coming from. When I had a hard time from comments I received while my hubby was gone, I would say prayers and seek a local support network. I do not believe that if my husband had a different job our life would suddenly be worry free. I feel that this is the job he has and this is the community we were given. There are unique challenges with this job-- just like any job has its own unique challenges-- and some of these are easy to identify and some of them are hard to explain to people who dont live it. I may fail as a mother in the eyes of the world everyday. I may be judged by strangers for how my children are behaving and I may struggle to find the enjoyment in certain ages and stages with our children. I may struggle with certain aspects of my husbands career right now. I feel all of this makes me exactly what I am: human. I dont have all of the answers and I dont know what Im doing. This is exactly why I depend on God, why I pray, and why I spend time in his word. I fail-- constantly. I feel weak and vulnerable lately. I feel judged. I feel burdened. I feel weighed down by the smallest aspects of our day.

But Lord knows I am grateful. I am grateful for this family, for my husband and our four beautiful boys. For the friends that I have-- near and far. I am grateful for my family, that is so supportive. I am grateful for Gods mercies and grace. I am grateful for my story and testimony.

I dont know where those two blog posts I read fall in my story (the Military Spouse blog and BluntMoms blog), if they are supposed to be convicting or if I should just move on past them. I wont forget how they made me feel reading them though, that someone out there thinks that people like me arent good enough. What I think is important to remember is that God says you are good enough. God is enough. I am not called to have my act together. I am called to depend on Christ. 2 Corinthians 12:9:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christs power may rest in me. That is why, for Christs sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I am not at the point of feeling strong yet. I am sure that looking back on this time I will be able to see how strong we were in Christ. Right now I feel like Im hanging on by a thread. His grace is sufficient.

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weight loss after pregnancy reclaiming your body | From 3 to 4

weight loss after pregnancy reclaiming your body

What has changed for us now that we have 4 kids?

1. My mom is always right.

Dont tell my mom that. And maybe not always, but... yeah, my mom is always right. While Im close to my mom anyways, I find myself calling her more and more to find out exactly what I should do, not get her advice and consider it, but, "Hey, Momma, what would you do? Tell me everything." My hubby isnt home for everything and I love having my mom by my side {even from a distance}.

2. Always looks on the bright side of life.

Life is busy and messy and, well, sometimes not fun at all. While every week is pretty much one thing after another, this week was one of those weeks where it was one.thing.after.another. I psyched the kids up for a day and a half to go to the pumpkin patch with our homeschool group...and then our van broke down and was out of commission for 2 days. Because I was sick last week, I had rescheduled everything to this week; I had to then re-reschedule everything to next week because of our van issues. Our cat was spayed-- sat in traffic to drop her off and pick her up, and then dealt with 4 kids at the vet to pick her up (that is about as much fun as it sounds). I had to take our baby to urgent care (hes fine) and his cold has kept me up for the past 5 nights, not to mention hes somehow managed to reintroduce a night feed we had previously dropped. My husband was dealing with a shift change through all of this at prototype. We ran over a nail after getting our van back from the shop and it took 3 hours at Costco to get it repaired; the kids screamed and fussed and fought the whole time we were there. My husband and one of our toddlers both dislocated a finger this week. Our other toddler had a speech therapy assessment and his stutter is worse than I thought and now I need to work a weekly speech appointment into our calendar. And weve been finding time for an hour and a half of homeschool each day through all this... Life is just messy. Being a Monty Python fan, Ive had this song stuck in my head all week: 

"If life seems jolly rotten 

Theres something youve forgotten

And thats to laugh and smile and dance and sing...

Always look on the bright side of life..."

Sometimes you just gotta look at the bright side of life.

 

3. Nothing will ever go as planned.

 

Im not saying things went as planned before-- they didnt. But now it is a toss up. I take the kids to the park and one is throwing sand in his brothers face while another is climbing the play structure and another is crying -- or -- they all go and play happily -- or -- two of the boys play happily and two fuss and cry. Last night we planned on going to a fall festival. It became apparent about twenty minutes before we needed to leave that it just wasnt in the cards for us last night. We made the smart call and didnt push it-- better to have our plans fly out the window than have a super stressful time getting everyone dressed and ready to go only to come home to a messy house with hungry children.

 

4. Nothing will ever go as planned.

 

Yeah, it is on there twice just to really drive home the point that nothing ever goes as planned. Ten minutes before it is time to go out the door, the toddlers who were fully dressed are now naked and claiming they need to use the restroom, even though they already did. The baby poops and needs a diaper change. The dog needs to go out. The doorbell rings and wakes up my husband who needs to sleep due to shiftwork. The kitten goes missing. I mean, nothing ever goes as planned. I try-- and I often do-- get to places on time, but inevitably something happens. On the flip side,  I am constantly surprised and pleased with how well our boys handle various situations. We just did weeks of road tripping and visiting friends and family. Our boys did amazing! I was blown away by how well they did. It gave me so much confidence that we can handle traveling and this Navy life.

 

 

 

5. 4 isnt that different from 3...

 

We never had 2 kids, so Im not sure how that goes. But I did have 3 kids. There was no strapping on the baby and following after the older sibling or my husband supervising one and me the other. There was no holding both my childrens hands as we crossed the parking lot (2 kids, 2 hands). There was no standing near one on the playground and keeping an eye on the other. We jumped straight from have a "one and only" to zone defense. Managing 2 babies at the playground while our toddler played to watching 2 toddlers and keeping an eye on our preschooler to now having a kindergartner, 2 toddlers, and an infant. Thankfully now I have my Tula and am pretty good at keeping up. It is also nice that this time we have a baby and toddler twins {instead of toddler and infant twins like last time}, so I can wear the baby and hold our toddlers hands; our oldest is very good about keeping close. Still playing zone defense though.

 

 

6. ..except for the times when it is very different.

 

Baby #4 is the best baby weve had. I totally relate to Horney Moms blog post. But, yeah, there are times where the baby is crying to be fed, the toddlers are at each others throats, our kindergartner fell off his bike, the dog is trying to sneak all the food off the table (and throw it up later)... Or the other day when one of our toddlers was stung by a bee while I was out shopping. I had to carry him back to the car while I held the other toddlers hand, baby #4 strapped in the Tula, my oldest keeping close and carrying all my purchases. Also, when my husband and I split up the kids, we view keeping 1 or 2 kids very differently than we used to. Now he says, "Yeah, Ill take our 6-year old and a 3-year old to the barber shop," when 4 years ago I cant imagine either of us thinking hair cuts would be a great time to spend a little individual time with 1 or 2 of the kids (or that staying home with 2 would be somewhat of a "break").

 

7. Different strokes for different folks.

 

You know what moms of 4 know? That every child is different and every time in your life is different and it is A-Okay to be different-- and not just doing things differently each time, but doing things differently than other families. What works for your family might not work for another family. What works with one baby might not work with the next. What came easy with one baby might not come easy with the next. Having identical twins also is a good lesson in that-- what works for one doesnt always work for the other. Husband underway? Take it easy. Rough night? Have cookies for breakfast. Its okay. We know that it all works out. Just because you are taking some shortcuts now (maybe even a lot of shortcuts) doesnt mean that you will later. Seasons of your life.

 

8. It really is just a phase.

 

Speaking of seasons of your life, we also know that it really is just a phase. Your toddler refuses to eat anything, like a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g. He will eat again. Your baby is up all night. You will sleep again. Your 3-year old throws fits all the time. He wont behave that way forever. Doesnt always make the phases we are going through easier to manage, but it does help keep it in perspective. Weve gone through those phases before, we know to expect them and have the foresight to anticipate their arrival, and then we have the patience to let them ride. Ive found that because of this Im able to enjoy myself a lot more with our boys-- even with our 6-year old who goes through each stage first. Ive seen how quickly these rough infant and toddlers phases pass and it helps me focus on the good aspects of each phase instead of dwelling on the bad.

 

9. No mommy judgment.

 

Im sure youve seen these types of blogs posted before: "10 Signs Youre a Parent to 3 Kids" or "Things Moms of Four Kids Do." Yeah, if youve read those, you know we arent judging you. If your kid walks into my legs as hes looking the other way at the mall, I honestly dont mind. No need to apologize when you interrupt my shopping trip to ask what kind of stroller or baby carrier I have. Ive been there; I did my research when making baby purchases as well. Within reason, I understand when kids start getting too rough on the playground and I definitely understand temper tantrums. Ive been there. Weve done on demand schedules and strict schedules with our kids-- I get it. I get when you need to cancel last minute or when you are running late. Ive had "those kinda days" as well. It happens. I have spent hours crying in the bathroom too. I have laughed at the ridiculous things my kids have said. I have been embarrassed, under prepared, caught off guard, tired, exhausted, deflated, over joyed, fulfilled, content, heart broken, irritated, and more by motherhood. Ive held my baby for the first time and felt my heart run over. Ive watched my baby labor to breathe. Ive seen ultrasounds with no heartbeats. Ive carried flailing children out of stores and restaurants. Ive walked stolen merchandise back into shops. Ive repeated myself all day every day and still felt like I wasnt heard. Ive prayed from early in the morning to late at night and still felt like I wasnt enough or couldnt do it. So I get it. When you want to talk to me about how your one baby isnt napping or how hard you have it with your two children, and then apologize because "I must think you are ridiculous," I dont. I understand. Im looking to make the same "mommy connections" as you. I want friends just as bad as you do and I too want to be supported and feel like someone else "gets it."

 

10. Let it slide.

 

While Im sure we still make our lives more complicated than they need to be, we do have the experience to let some things go. We dont force toddlers to eat when it is pointless and we have the benefit of not stressing about it either. We dont get our panties in a knot over every cold. We expect a certain level of craziness everywhere we go, so toddlers banging spoons on tables or the occasional drink spilling doesnt stress us out. We put far more emphasis on growing independence than doing it perfect, such as having children dress themselves and actively participate in household chores. Weve {somewhat} learned that some behaviors are far better to ride out until they go away on their own instead of fussing and fighting over them. Ive also found that when Im talking to my mom about a discipline issue that Im struggling with and she says, "Oh, it will work out," Im able to let it go. My mom always tells me to pick my battles and were finding that we are better able to decipher which battles are worth picking and which battles are just a massive waste of energy for us.

 

All our babies

How have things changed for you the more children youve had? Do you have 4 kids? What would you add to this list?

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baby weight loss day 4 | INFERTILITY HOLIDAYS AND HANDLING FAMILY

baby weight loss day 4

Trying To Conceive Over 40 and The Holidays

I posted this article last year, and I wanted to post it again during this holiday season. Even though trying to conceive unsuccessfully for many years isnt the least bit funny, the title of the article made me laugh (Fa la la la la blah blah blah blah). Oh how I felt like a big Scrooge every Christmas (it seemed like every holiday season was right after a miscarriage or failed fertility treatment). Katie gives some good advice for dealing with the holidays:

SEE ALSO: HOW STRESS CAN AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO GET PREGNANT (getpregnantover40.com)

From the article:

 My heavily Catholic mother was fond of saying how “funny” it
was that she never wanted any children and had six, and I wanted them but
couldn’t seem to have any. She often repeated that my childlessness was
probably God’s way of telling me I wouldn’t be a good mother.
I had a great aunt who was going deaf who would pat my stomach and
holler, “Is anyone in there yet?” And then there are the idiotic bosses who,
after a few drinks, tell you to lighten up and offer to pinch hit for your
husband, ha, ha, ha.
 from: (www.mindbodyfertility.com)

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pregnancy weight loss shakes | The Book of You by Claire Kendal Review

pregnancy weight loss shakes

Are you looking for a sweet and romantic tale of lovers, lust and longing for Valentines? Erm, well you best be moving along.  This book is chilling, tense and absolutely terrifying.  My advice? Dont read this before going to bed.  I found I couldnt sleep.  Partly due to fear of what Id just read, and partly due to the fact I couldnt wait to keep on reading. 

The Book of You is the very chillingly debut novel of Claire Kendal.  It tells the story of Clarissa and her acquaintance Rafe, who is a stalker. You are quickly drawn into Clarissas world. Of never being left alone. Of constantly being frightened.  And before you know it, the author has cleverly made you too, look out for and fear the very disturbing Rafe on every page. Kendal tells at times the gruesome and harrowing, tale with ease and the novel takes you to a chilling and scary place.  

Intertwined with the story of Clarissa are the details of her ongoing jury service and her love of fairy tales.  Miraculously, these topics are woven seamlessly into the story and really reflect the turmoil that Clarissa is experiencing. Unlike alot of thriller books I have read, the truth behind this story with stalking at its heart really made parallels to reality, which to me, made the story all the more gripping and chilling. 

The ending certainly wasnt what I had expected.  But then I think the ending actually is very reflective of life.  And it cant be all fairy tales can it? This is an amazing debut novel and you wont be able to put it down to find out if anyone actually does live, happily ever after. 

I was sent The Book Of You by Claire Kendal to review by Mumsnet Bloggers.  The above review is my personal and honest opinion of the book. 

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pregnancy weight loss plateau | Insta Love

pregnancy weight loss plateau

Here are some little snippets of our last couple of weeks. :) 

Sam and I went to a masquerade party some friends of ours threw. It was so much fun making our masks. I used fake fall leaves, spray painted them and then arranged them for a fabulous fairy feel. 

Day with leaves falling like party confetti are my favorite. This day my boys took me for a breakfast date. I loved this day, it was so simple and perfect. 

We spend at least an hour outside every day exploring and playing in the leaves! The swing from when I was little now hangs from the tree in our front yard and Káel looks forward to the adventure of it every afternoon! My Gran gave it to me for Káels first birthday. 

His new favorite thing to do is help me sweep our back deck and our wooden floors. Its SOOOOOO cute you guys! In this pic he is wearing the AWESOME sweater his Norwegian Auntie Lotta got him in Norway. I love it!

My little Forest and I shared our first painting experience together. It was a dream! I have been wanting to do this before I even had kids. There was some magical about having paint splatters all over us. He was in heaven, and yes his masterpiece is hanging on my wall. ;)

Spontaneous girly nights are so wonderful. 

Road trip to Atlanta with my sister in law Beka required lots of gross junk food for me. I know, its disgusting, but I never eat this stuff except in moments like this. She bought me Feist tickets for an early birthday present, it was an amazing trip and so much fun. 

My first time to H&M. I ended up being obsessed with the kids section and the only thing I bought was a pair of the cutest high tops for Káel. hehe

We got filmed for a new Verizion phone commercial. It was pretty awesome. We saw several film guys and security guards as we were walking around. I stopped and asked what was going on and the next thing you know they swooped us off and had a camera in our face. Earlier in the day when we were getting a bite to eat we saw Brandi (Moesha) eating at a table across the room. ha! It was the day of stardom. ;) 

Feist was flawless! We were right smack dab in the front against the stage. I felt like a little kid. Her music takes me so many places. So fabulous! After the concert we headed to my sweet friend Ivelisses (Pretty Little Mustache) house for a slumber party! It was SOOOOO amazing and wonderful to get to see her and hang out a little! Love that girl so much! <3 It was a fabulous trip filled with so many wonderful moments, laughs and adventures! 

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what does weight loss during pregnancy mean | Comments

what does weight loss during pregnancy mean

Picture taken by TwinBug Photography at twinbugphotography@yahoo.com

It is inevitable to hear comments from strangers when going out with the kids. Some of them are well-meaning, "Youve got your hands full!" or "Wow! Are they twins?" Some of them do not make much sense, "Better you than me!" or "You need to find a hobby!" This past week I was going into the grocery store with the toddlers. They are happier riding in the double shopping cart that looks like a race car (nothing like grocery store cookies and steering wheels to keep them happy while I shop!). However, this meant getting them to walk into the store. And, of course, instead of walking, they were holding my hands with one hand and attempting to grab my legs with the other, all while wailing loudly. It was a slow, slow, slow process heading into the store. Eventually one of the toddlers won. I couldnt make it any further with two toddlers holding onto my legs while melting down in the parking lot, so I scooped one of them up and managed to get the other toddler to walk and scream-- but still walk. A woman walking out (wearing a gorgeous tunic top) says to the man candy walking next to her, "I always wanted twins... but now I dont!" And points in my direction. Thanks, lady. Im glad I cleared up your reproductive crisis!

Another comment I still get all the time-- the toddlers are now two-- is, "You looks so good for having twins-- and all boys!" I feel like this is supposed to be a compliment, but I also feel like I maybe dont look as good as the rest of population? That people without twins look better than me? That moms of girls dress cuter? That the amount of excess skin on my stomach is okay because I had twins? Im not sure. I like compliments though and so I insist on taking it as a compliment. I always say thank you, but walk away wishing I wasnt wearing capri pants and ballet flats with my hair in a ponytail.

I really think people are well-meaning. I truly, truly do. I dont think people are trying to come across as rudely as they do sometimes. I dont think people always think about what they are saying. I dont think they are always passing deep judgements on my life choices. And, I dont think their opinion matters regardless of whether they are or not.

Before I had twins, I was a military wife of a singleton. My husband was gone all the time. Our son was a breath holder. If you are a parent of a breath holder, you know how challenging that is. He started holding his breath at 6-weeks old during diaper changes and continued holding his breath until he was just over three. He passed out from breath holding and had 2 seizures due to breath holding episodes (all followed up with our doctor). I PCSd with him twice by myself. One of these times, I went to Target to get some groceries and things I needed for the house. He decides at the check out to throw a fit and start breath holding. Thankfully she was almost done ringing me up and I was able to pull my shopping cart to the side while he turned bluer and bluer. I was standing by the cart return and his little body was completely rigid-- almost in a circle with his feet approaching his head. I had a shopping cart loaded with groceries, toilet paper, hand soap, and bath towels, and this man walks over to tell me that back in his day, if a child acted like that, their mothers wouldnt stand around coddling them. My jaw dropped. Really? I had no clever reply, just an overwhelming feeling that he wouldnt have said that if he knew my situation.

And I hear countless comments about being a military family, from "You chose this" to "I dont think military families deserve any special treatment" and "I dont believe in war." The political comments I completely disregard. I am not getting into any political debates with people. How they feel is how they feel and if they want to let a military wife know that they feel her husbands ready and willing sacrifice for the very country they live in is vain, Lord help them. The comments about us receiving special treatment, I sometimes defend. I dont think people always realize what goes into being a military family. Most of the time I dont defend it, especially if it is more of a debate than an inquisitive statement. If they are my friends, in time they will see why places offer a military discount from the sacrifices we make daily. As for the "you chose this" statement, most of the time, this statement is made in love-- friends or family trying to get me to rally when Im struggling with one hiccup or another. I look at the intention not the statement. I dont know if anyone can fully understand every sacrifice they will have to make of any choices they make-- the choice to go to college, the choice to have children, the choice to take a chance and make friends with the new girl, the choice to fall in love with a sailor. Someone has to make the choice to be in the military. If no one made the choice, the choice would be taken from us and we would have a draft. I am thankful for our troops and the lives they have chosen to defend our freedom. I would make the choice to fall in love with my husband all over again any day-- military or not. I love the man, not the uniform, and I accept the many challenges of his job. (Okay, I do love the uniform-- makes me weak in the knees every time I see it on him!)

I dont think the answer is always people "minding their own business," though they really ought to refrain from making personal comments to strangers. I like talking to people. I get out of the house to have interactions with the outside world. That is why we sit at the park for hours and why I go to the mall or the childrens museum or hang out in our front yard. Overly personal remarks dont have to be answered. A worker at a fast food chain once asked me if it "hurt more" to have twins or a singleton; I reported her to the manager. People just trying to be friendly dont have to be given long periods of time to give me their family history, "Do twins run in your family? Twins run in mine. My aunt had twins, my sister had twins, my second cousins daughter had twins..." I smile and say, "Thats wonderful!" before moving on with the stroller Im pushing with one hand and the shopping cart Im dragging with the other. From my experience of actually trying to educate people on twinning, I can tell you they really dont care. People will ask if mine are identical or fraternal. I tell them identical and they say identical twins run in their family. Or that their husband is a fraternal twin and they are worried they will have twins. (Read my blog post "Identical or fraternal [updated].") When I start explaining, "Well, your husband being a fraternal twin wont affect your ovulation..." their eyes glass over. Really, they are just making small talk, filling the air with words, making a personal connection on their trip out to the store. I just smile now and say something nice. There is no reason to stay and chat unless I am also enjoying the conversation. Im usually out with three kids; I couldnt talk long anyways, standing still in an aisle at Target.

And, honestly, parents of multiples arent above these comments themselves. Im not above them. I told a mom of triplets that I knew a mom who had an older child and triplets, could she imagine how hard that would be? Doh! I asked two separate women if they had twins-- they were pushing double strollers with two kids about the same size in them-- and they said no. One was a nanny for two different families, one watched her daughter and her best friends daughter during the week. Ive asked many twin moms, "Oh, twins?" and they brush me off. I hear all sorts of misguided statements from moms of multiples that I end up chatting with. One mom told me that she just knew she would have twins because twins run on her husbands side of the family, disregarding that she just told me she did fertility treatments. Lots of multiple moms I bump into jump on the "whos who" game with my identical twins even after we were just talking about how we want our children to be treated as individuals, "I just dont know how you tell them apart! How do you tell them apart?" One mom followed me around the mall play area one time when my mom was visiting, "People always bother me when Im out with my triplets. I just want to tell them, They are triplets! Get over it! They just wont leave me alone. So they are twins? How old are they? How do you tell them apart?" My mom and I just stared at her.

Picture taken by TwinBug Photography at twinbugphotography@yahoo.com

Multiples are fascinating. They are adorable. It is so cute to see these two toddlers of mine who look so much alike hug each other, comfort each other, hit each other, fight with each other. It is so cute to see them imitate everything their big brother does, "Mom! I told them not to follow me!" They look like little ducks following after him. I love when the old ladies come over to ooh and ahh over them, telling me how well-behaved they are (we dont hear that so much now-- haha!) and how handsome they are (they may not be well-behaved, but they are cute). I get the fascination. Ive also had the experience of going out with a singleton. I know people just love talking to babies. People would stop me all the time when I was out with my oldest to tell me that he was the most beautiful baby girl they had ever seen (thank you, but he is a boy...). When we lived in Hawaii, we had countless tourists ask to take pictures of him-- seriously. For all I know, he is a celebrity in Japan. One baby is cute. Two babies are irresistible. Three babies... well, bring a jar with you and start asking people to pay for pictures with the kids. You might pay for their college. :)

Recently I went into a small sandwich shop with my three boys. I planted them at a table while I ordered our food and filled our drinks. I wrangled the toddlers into high chairs and kept a big supply of napkins close. A mom came in with her hubby and almost 3-year old son. She awkwardly held her son while she ordered and filled her drink, and picked him back up again when she went to the counter to get their food even though her husband was sitting at a table. She wiped down their table with Wet Ones, ripped up each bite her son was going to eat, held his drink for him every time he was thirsty, and barely touched her own food. She leans over and whispers loudly to her husband, "Omigosh! Can you even imagine having twins?" and points over at me. While I felt her level of hovering was a little intense for her son and I never reached that extent even when I just had one child, I get where she is coming from. I cant imagine doing what she was doing times two. I wanted to tell her, "Lady, I just dont do any of that." Most moms of multiples realize what is realistic and what is frivolous pretty quickly. There are many things you just cant do with multiples, with more than one child, or a life outside of the home. Motherhood is about balance. (Recommended reading: Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Art of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman.)

I read in a twin publication the other day that having twins isnt harder than having one child, just different. I agree, especially when comparing having your first baby-- motherhood is a transition and constant learning process-- or siblings-- the challenge of having children different ages. I think what these people are saying-- family, friends, and strangers-- is that parenting is hard. Parenting one child is hard and so, from their perspective, parenting twins is that much harder. In some ways, I agree there are things that are harder about having twins-- two newborn feeding schedules, two one-year olds learning to walk, two two-year olds refusing to get in their car seats, two three-year olds resisting potty training, two four-year olds entering preschool. In other ways, especially as they have become more mobile, having twins has been a blessing. While they may both be tearing apart my family room, they are entertaining each other. There was someone to do tummy time with and someone to talk to first thing in the morning when they wake up, giving me an extra minute to brew a cup of coffee. (Read this blog post by "A Beautiful Ruckus," written by a mother to quadruplets, called "5 Things I Dont Know as a Multiples Mom" for other benefits of having multiples.) I can tell you from experience, I have much more conflicts between the different age groups of my children than between the twins, for instance, the preschooler and a toddler compared to the two toddlers.

Some of the comments I hear make me laugh, some because I cant believe a stranger would say that to another stranger or because someone could really think because a second cousins wifes sister had twins their chance of having twins is somehow higher. Some comments irritate or frustrate me, mostly due to timing. If you see that I have twins and both of them are screaming while my four-year old is attempting to push our shopping cart into the parking lot, why would you think that is a good time to start up a conversation about whether my twins are "natural" or not? Some questions I am tired of, like how we tell them apart. It sounds silly, but I dont see why strangers need to know how we tell them apart-- it isnt like they are going to see us again-- and I dont want the boys hearing every time we go out, "How can you tell who is who?" as if they are a circus act. I dont mind people saying, "Wow! They must be identical?" or "They really are identical, arent they?" I just dont like when strangers start making a game of not being able to tell apart these two babies that they just met, "Seriously! Whats the trick? How do you tell them apart?" I also dont like when people wont go away. My husband and I went to the park the other day and this woman wouldnt let us be. She kept interrupting our conversation to ask twin questions when we were clearly talking to each other and hovered the entire time we were there. We eventually left because we couldnt shake her. (My favorite piece of advice from her: "People tell you it gets easier. Well, it gets so much harder that you will wish for the first year because it just goes downhill from there." Thank you, optimistic stranger!) I also will never understand hurtful and mean comments. I overheard someone loudly and angrily asking a woman to tell her clearly disabled daughter to stop yelling inside (I ran over as quick as I could to help the woman out). A man once told me to take my "poor children" home when both toddlers were throwing tantrums while we waited in line at the check out. But whatever the comments are-- silly, ill-timed, repetitive, or rude-- I dont take them to heart and I make a conscious effort to reply politely. I want my boys to grow up able to gracefully handle whatever situation they find themselves in.

Im taking the well-meaning comments as a pat on the back. Im proud of my husband and being a military wife. Im proud of my three beautiful boys. Im proud of these two toddlers that have been such a fun blessing in our lives. If strangers feel the need to "open mouth, insert foot" when I walk by with a preschooler and twin toddlers wearing matching patriotic t-shirts, I hope they walk away smiling because meeting my precious children brightened their day.

A blog post about parenting identical twins: "Identical brothers"

A blog post about moms supporting moms: "We are moms"

NOTE FOR OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY: I do not mind you asking who is who! :) I know my boys are identical. When I am talking about the "who is who" game, Im talking about the strangers-- people we dont know-- approaching us while Im out in public and getting down in the toddlers faces, looking back and forth, back and forth, before declaring, "Okay! I give up! Whats the trick? How do you tell them apart?" I absolutely do not mind when you, people we know, want me to identify who is who.

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end of pregnancy weight loss | Pregnancy Blog Week 25

end of pregnancy weight loss

Luckily, week 25 has been quite uneventful and Ive had no further catastrophes in pregnancy yoga! I must say, Ive felt much better knowing I dont have to go ever again! Ive felt OK in myself this week, but I still have days where I feel exhausted and then days when I have more energy.  

Ive had a niggling pain right under my ribs all week which gets worse whenever I eat, so thats pretty much all of the time! I think its either baby lying in a funny position, or as Ive read in a pregnancy book, it could be due to my ribs expanding which sounds pretty impressive!

Baby is now the size of a rutabaga if you are interested...which when I Google imaged a rutabaga, looks strangely similar to a swede! 

I was in need of some new maternity clothes, and Im applying the term need loosely here, as the dresses that I had been wearing are now too tight and uncomfortable, and there are only so many times I want to wear a maxi dress!  I popped into Warehouse and found some lovely tops in the sale.  Even though Warehouse dont have a maternity line, I find sizing up the tops works as they tend to be a really nice length and fit over my bump.  The top in the picture was £16 and I got it in a size 16.  I thought when it gets a bit cooler I can wear a chunky cardigan over the top.  

I popped into Topshop and tried a few things on in their maternity range, but I found a few of the dresses to be really short which was a bit disappointing.  I dont think they sometimes account for the amount of fabric it takes to cover the bump and this hitches alot of the hemlines up even more! I ended up buying a pair of Leigh maternity jeans which are super comfy.  

Dont be fooled by the photo above either.  Ive got sunglasses on because all my eye make-up had smudged as I had been running around the park after my daughter all afternoon.  I was exhausted and I think I might be starting with a cold too.  Minutes after this photo was taken, my hair was in a bun, Id taken my make-up off and got into my pjs.  Its glamour all the way here folks...and heres the proof!

Have a lovely weekend! 

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timeline of pregnancy weight loss | Money for nothing why you need TopCashback

timeline of pregnancy weight loss

I thought everyone knew about cash back sites and how they work, but after speaking to my Dad recently who was oblivious to these sites, I thought I would do a quick blog post about them, because they are amazing!!! Also I should put a little disclaimer, this is not a sponsored post...Im just sharing a site that I genuinely think is fantastic!  

First of all, when someone says you can earn money, you immediately think that you need to deliver 5,000 pamphlets, or make some sales calls.  But, earning cash on your online purchases is literally a way of retailers trying to get your business by offering cash back on purchases.  There are a few top cash back sites to choose from, but my favourite, and one that Ive used for several years now is TopCashback.

All you have to do is sign up to TopCashback and fill in a few of your details, and then you are all set.  So, lets say for instance you want to buy a new perfume from Boots. You log in to your TopCashback account, search for Boots in their retailer search box, and then the website automatically takes you to the Boots website where you purchase your perfume as you would normally do.  You dont pay any differently, you still use your Boots account. All that has happened is by clicking on TopCashback first, they have logged your visit, and then you get a small percentage when your order goes through. 

The current cash back on Boots fragrance is 5%, so if your perfume was £50, thats £2.50 youve earned. This money gets put into your account once the sale has been completed. You can then have the money put into your bank account. It really is that simple. 

Not all online shops are on the site, but its always worth checking. They have shops, insurance, travel, hotels. Last month, I earned £8 for booking a train and £40 for making a Hilton hotel booking.  Not bad simply for going through another website first.  There are always different deals on, so some weeks you can earn a higher percentage of cash back.  

Now its not hundreds of pounds that you earn each time, but it certainly adds up, and you are getting money for just buying what you were going to buy anyway.  Its such a good idea, and retailers benefit from these sites, because if they offer higher cash back than competitors, then you are more likely to order your purchases from them. 

Its really simple to use and the website is simple to understand.  And getting paid to do your shopping? What better bonus is there? 

Youre welcome :-) 

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post pregnancy weight loss breastfeeding | Moving Day

post pregnancy weight loss breastfeeding

How many times have you ever moved? Geeez Louise, this is exciting! I have moved a TON in my lifetime. So, Im no stranger to moving vans or packing tape. We were out at our new place until around 10 last night.  We were whipping out the mops, all purpose cleaner (the safe kind) and a yummy candle or two. Sam and I had so much fun! You know how old houses can smell, like your great-grandpas sock drawer or old coin collection? Yep, kinda stinky. So, we brightened it up a bit with some cleaning sunshine. Káel LOVED exploring and playing as we started to transform the place. 

We are about to go pick up the van this morning.  After that I will be dropping little boho boy off at at my dear friend Laurens house. That way, I can help move boxes and tie up some loose ends after all the big stuff has been loaded up. (We have some friends of ours who are coming over to help us.) Lauren has 2 boys, Oliver is 3 and Dashel is 1. They all love playing with each other so much so its like a play day for sweet boy! Thank you girl so SO much! <3  You can check out Laurens blog HERE.

I wanted to share some more instagram pics with you guys. The first two are of me and my boys right after we had a play session in a summer rain shower a couple days ago. Oh my goodness! It definitely went into my treasure chest of favorite memories. Káel loved it, squealing and giggling, as we acted all crazy together. We all 3 were totally drenched afterwards, but so happy! 

Ive got to go round up Forest boys diaper bag for the day and then go with Sam to pick up the moving van! BUTTERFLIES! See yall on the other side! :) Have a happy, peaceful day! 

Oh, by the way, thank you guys for being so sweet and flooding us with sweet comments yesterday. I had so much fun reading them :) Yall are the sweetest!

Rain soaked 

Yes, Baby Einstein once again. 

Meet "Puppy" Káels ultimate love, from Ikea. He sleeps with it ever night now and drags it through the house. He gets just as excited to see this as he does me. ;) 

We stopped for a treat at one of my all time fav restaurants, Pei Wei after taking the first wagon of things over to the new place, oh yum! I love fortune cookies and when I opened this, I decided to keep it and put it in my "sweet memories" box. 

The Forest boy playing in our new living room while we unload some dishes and clean.

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