Eating Real

I've been wanting to get our family to eat more healthy foods for a while, but I wasn't really truly invested in it until now, when I'm finding I have more time to do things.

I've learned more and more about processed foods, what they can do to you, and how bad they really are. We have decided that to cut out all processed foods from our diet. This isn't an easy thing to do, but it's doable with some extra work.

Making the change to eating real foods is starting small with our family, since I am not able to invest 100% yet.

For at least the last 6 weeks, I haven't bought ANY cereal. We stay more full after breakfast because unlike cereal, the food we've had for breakfast fills us up! I have to admit, it's hard to make breakfast every morning, but it's so much better! We eat oatmeal with cinnamon & bananas, scrambled eggs or whole wheat pancakes or waffles most mornings. I love that Ellie is taking to eating good food in the morning much better. She stays more full and is less cranky if we eat a good fulfilling breakfast.

Another change I've made is to use Whole Wheat flour MOST of the time. It's delicious, and Ellie actually eats the waffles and pancakes BETTER than when I would make them with white flour. Weird!

So far, I've made our own granola, bread, muffins and waffles & pancakes. I will start making bread on a regular basis soon, I hope! I'm hoping to make hummus regularly, too! I know in the long run we'll be healthier, happier and feeling a heck of a lot better without food that makes you feel sluggish and gross!

I'm getting most of my recipes from 100daysoffood.com and they are awesome! 

I am excited about this change, and also excited that soon it will be prime season for amazing fruits and veggies at the farmer's market! I'll have to share some pics and recipes soon.

Cameron & Kyle: 3 months old

January's over (thank goodness) and that means Cameron and Kyle are one month older!

Cameron:

• LOVES it when mommy sings the itsy bitsy spider to him and does the hand motions
• still pukes buckets, but is happier about it than he used to be
• he's wearing size 1 diapers, size 0-3 month clothes and is still a little squirt
• he's no longer taking Prevacid, OR Zantac! Woohoo! He's not too bad without them, either!
• He's starting to "talk" and coo so much and he LOVES it when we talk to him or make faces at him
• He takes about 3 naps a day, and wakes up once at night to eat.
• On a good night he sleeps from about 9-2 or 3, then again until 6 or 7.
• He nurses about every 3 hours during the day, and once at night. He's a guzzler, and I have to stop him every 5 or so minutes so he can burp, otherwise everything he just ate comes right back up!
• Tummy time is not his favorite, but we try to have him do it anyway.
• He LOVES sitting in the bumbo!
• He also loves playing in the bouncy seat and watching the bubbles and lights move.
• He generally loves to suck on a binky and takes the gumdrop or nuk kind
• He likes being held, but only in certain ways, and he's not super cuddly
• Being outside is probably his favorite thing ever.

Kyle:

• is such a little smiler! He will smile and coo at you all. day. long! We love it!
• He hates tummy time. Like REALLY hates it. Working on that...
• He's a little chunker, and he's growing out of some 0-3 month clothes, but still fits in a lot. He wears size 2 diapers.
• He likes to nurse more often than Cameron during the day, and sometimes eats every 2 hours, however he sleeps MUCH longer at night, like usually from 9-4 or 5, then again until 7 or 8.
• He also takes 3 naps a day.
• He talks a lot and loves to look at everything and anything
• He follows us when we walk across the room and gets SUPER sad if we walk by him and don't pick him up.
• He's a little softie and gets his feelings hurt easily
• He has super sensitive skin, and we've found we can only use a really expensive organic baby wash on him.
• he HATES binkies, but sometimes when he just won't go to sleep I can force one on him and it gives him that extra push to get to his sleepy place

Updates:

• Now that it's two weeks later, C man is sleeping longer at night!!
• Kyle takes a latex Nuk binky selectively
• Kyle can roll from front to back
• Tummy time is better for both boys
• Cameron does better with pumped milk since it doesn't drown him
• They both love the jumper
• Cameron loves to be outside
• Kyle doesn't fit in 0-3 much at all anymore

I'll update more with pictures soon!!

And probably more things I remember!

Ellie's Room 90% finished

I finally took some good pictures of Ellie's room! I love how it turned out, and I just need a headboard, dust ruffle and a bean bag chair for the corner, then we'll be set! Possibly thinking of making a cute bunting to go on the wall somewhere, but not 100% sure, yet!

 I picked up the white frame at Hobby Lobby on our girl's day, and I LOVE it. Also, I LOOOVE that picture of Ellie. She was (and still is) such a little cutie!

 The dresser that I refinished last summer. Not perfect, and I learned a LOT if I ever decide to do one again.

I had these wall stickers for her nursery when we lived in Utah, but they were so trashed after being on 3 different bedroom walls! I found them at Hobby Lobby! Woohoo! I love that I found them again because I love the little touch the add to her room.

I'm considering dying the blackout curtains a dark brown, but I'm not sure how the fabric will take it so that project is on hold for now.

Her quilt is so cute, and while it is FAR from perfect, I am glad I took the project head on and decided I could try it. It took way longer than a quilt should take, ha ha, but it's done and that's all that matters!

I think Ellie's room is probably the most decorated/cutest room in the house. Someday I'll get to furnishing and decorating the rest of our house...

Going Private

My blog has been getting weird traffic lately from weird countries that I don't know anybody from, or know of anyone visiting, so I have decided to make it private to keep my kiddos and our family safe from weirdos! So, if you'd like an invite to the blog, please leave a comment with your email and I will add you to the list!

I'll be making it private on 2/16/13 (Next Saturday) so please get me your emails before then!

Thanks!

Ellie's 2nd birthday: part 2

On the day before Ellie's birthday, we took her out to breakfast to Cracker Barrel. She had a ton of fun & loved looking at everything in the store!

The morning of her birthday, I made pancakes, and I made a Mickey Mouse shaped pancake for her. She LOVED it!

 

We had some fun and played with her during the day, but it was a pretty typical day.

We had Mexican casserole for dinner, which is her favorite meal, and she ate a TON of it, like always.

I made her a boiled black cake, and we FaceTimed with Grandma & Grandpa Timothy so they could help sing Happy Birthday to her.


 

She loved the attention and only wanted the ice cream (just like last year!!) until her hands got way too cold for it!



We had a great low key day and had a lot of fun with our sweet little girl! Happy Birthday, Ellie! We sure love you!

Breastfeeding twins

I wanted to take some time and write my feelings and thoughts for myself so I can remember this time in my life. These are my experiences, and I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad or be preachy. This is about me and my thoughts and opinions.

Breastfeeding Ellie was easy. It really was. Sure it was painful at first, and sometimes I felt like I didn't know what I was doing. Yes, I got mastitis 3 times, because of oversupply issues, but once that passed, it was a breeze. I rarely dealt with supply issues, and she was easy to nurse anywhere. I had a happy nursing relationship with her and we nursed until 13 months. It was a little of me and her deciding to be done when we stopped.

Because of my success with Ellie and the positive experience it was, I knew I really wanted to breastfeed my twins. I prayed almost every day of my pregnancy that I would be able to do it. I wanted to do it for many reasons, just like I wanted to with Ellie, almost even more-so than with Ellie. I knew that it was what they needed most, if they came early, which they did, and I really wanted to have the bond with them that I had with Ellie. Reading about nursing twins was terrifying and intimidating. Everything I read talked about how long it would take, how you need to feed them at the same time, how much you're stuck on the couch, pumping to build supply, supplementing, keeping your supply up, and how the first 6 weeks is (pardon my french) pure hell.

Despite all this scary stuff, I made the decision that I would still try, because I really wanted to give them the benefits of breast milk. I told myself I could make it to the first 6 weeks, and if I made it that long, I'd make it to 2 months, and if I made it that long, 12 weeks, and so on.

The day they were born, I was nervous. I was afraid they wouldn't know how to eat because they were coming early. Thankfully there was an amazing lactation consultant at the hospital that helped me out. I needed it. I needed to know it was possible and that I had support. Those first 4 days in the hospital were hard. We went through some problems at first, having to supplement extra pumped milk, because they were getting too tired from breastfeeding, but it worked out.

The first 6 weeks of their lives really are kind of a blur as far as how I even survived. It was hard. It was just as they all said it would be. I was tired beyond exhausted. I never knew exhaustion like this. Like ever. Wow. Thinking about it makes me feel ill, because I felt sick a lot from the exhaustion. But things got better. They were gaining weight at an awesome rate, feeding every 2-3 hours and I was so thankful that I was having the opportunity to do exactly what I wanted to do. Since the birth experience didn't go as I wanted it to, it meant a lot that I was breastfeeding them.

When I think about how amazing it is that I have been able to breastfeed my boys, I am humbled, and in awe of the human body. I mean, it's so amazing that my body can make enough food for two growing babies. I love breastfeeding. I love the bond I have with my boys, and the good happy hormones it releases to make me happy. I love that I can give them the very best thing for them and help them grow!

I hope that I can continue to breastfeed my sweet boys, but I am also realistic in my thinking, knowing that at any moment, things can get too stressful, and I will need to quit so I am not feeling overloaded and crazy. But for now, I'm going to keep my hopes up and try to make it another month, then another, then another then hopefully well past 12 months. 

I'm thankful every day that things are going so well, that it's feeling like second nature to feed the boys and that I'm not having any issues. I have a great support group of other twin moms and good friends who are supportive and helpful when it comes to breastfeeding. So if someone happens upon this and is wondering if it's possible to breastfeed twins, know that it totally is if you are willing to find what works for you and make it work for you and your family. It is so rewarding to have two sweet babies look up at you and smile when you're feeding them! It hasn't been easy, but it's so worth it! Here's to more happy breastfeeding months ahead!

Girl's day out

This mama needed a break from having babies attached to me at every moment of the day, so on David's day off last Friday (2/1/13) Ellie and I had a girl's day out!

David was sweet enough to make me some scrambled eggs & toast for breakfast and bring it to me in bed. :) What a happy start to a fun day!

First up, we went to OP Nails and Ellie got her fingers and toes painted, while I got a lovely pedicure. It had been about 11 months since I last had one, so it was LONG overdue!

Ellie didn't like holding still, and the poor guy kept saying, "Hold still, Ellie. No, Ellie, like this" ha ha!

Pink fingernails!

Ah, cute toes and feeling rejuvenated!

After that, we headed to Kingsport and ate at Panera. Ellie loved her Mac & Cheese, and we each got a Valentine's cookie to enjoy after lunch. MMM. Panera is one of my favorite places to eat! I especially LOVE their Broccoli Cheddar soup!

After we ate lunch, we headed to Hobby Lobby, where I was hoping to find some cute glass bins for the laundry room, but they didn't have quite what I was looking for, so we bought an adorable white frame, and some wall stickers for Ellie's room.

We headed home after shopping because we were both tired, and the babies were getting hungry and I didn't have another bottle for them. Ellie fell asleep on the way home, like I hoped, and we had a good rest of the day.

It was a much needed break, and I am so thankful that my sweet husband stayed home with our boys so I could get out and have some freedom!

I should have taken a picture of us while we were doing other things, but I only got pictures of our feet and Ellie during our pedicures.

I'm looking forward to the next girl's day I have with my little sweetheart! She loves the attention, and needs the one-on-one time, since she doesn't get it at home as much since the babies are so needy.

Ellie's 2nd birthday: part 1

We celebrated Ellie's birthday while we were at the guest house in Oneida, and we had a lot of fun with everybody.

Ellie is really into Minnie Mouse, so we let her wear her Halloween costume, which is a Minnie Mouse dress, and she loved it. We let her open presents & she got so many fun things from her cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents & mommy & daddy. 

We sang to her and had cake and ice cream, and she had a GREAT time!!

Here are some pictures of her birthday party in Oneida:

Grandpa Grigsby, Grandma Grigsby & Ellie

 Having so much fun opening presents!

Precious moments 2 year figurine

Brave coloring book

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

 Lego Duplo set

 Maggie and Ellie playing

I had planned to do a cute cake & maybe cupcakes, but we left Oneida early for a few reasons, so Ellie's aunt was nice enough to pick up a cake and balloons from Wal-Mart and we celebrated anyway!

It was a great day, and Ellie loved being the center of attention, maybe even a little too much! I'll have to come back and add the video later, when I get it uploaded. She was hilarious to watch!