The Gardner Girls 2 month update

Eight weeks have quickly come and gone since the Friday evening birth of our little girls. I still can't believe God chose me to be their Mom and that I have TWO children! Life is currently amazing, sometimes stressful, and a little bit of craziness that I wouldn't trade for anything else in this world!

Liliana aka Lily aka Lily Bug

9 lbs 12 ounces 22 3/4 inches long

Lily is currently our little wide eyed child. She is full of life and doesn't want to miss a thing.

At 6 weeks old, she moved to size 1 diapers and out of newborn.

 (I may have teared up a bit!)

She also started eating 4 ounces at every feed due to this face...

 

Right at about 7 weeks, she started to wear size 0-3 month outfits and can fit into 3 month Carter outfits.

 

At 8 weeks, I could really notice her holding her head up really well and is starting to try and army crawl her way around...if she could only figure out how to get her arms moving at the same time! 

 

 

She likes looking around, staring at her sister, and burps like a champ. She has big blue eyes and blondish hair, that might have a slight reddish tint to it. She has loves her bath time, walks in the park with sister, and hanging out with her Dad. She recently discovered her love for music and will fall asleep in her swing.

Here's what Lily has been up to this month:

Snuggles with Dad

 

Busting out of her swaddle

Hanging in her new chair

Hanging out with Poppy, cousin Vaida, and her sister

She is going to love showing this picture to Maddie when she's older
 

 

Madelyn aka Maddie aka Maddie Rose

9 lbs 2 ounces 19.5 inches

 

Maddie is our quiet child (until she's hungry!) She is smaller in weight and length than her "older" sister and still acts very much like a newborn, which I'm 100% okay with :)

She looks a lot like her Poppy (my Dad) and loves when he comes over to visit and snuggle.

 

She is going to have dark olive skin, dark hair, and blue eyes.

 

 

She loves laying on her stomach and will lay/sleep on her Boppy for hours.

(supervised- of course!)

 

 

 

Maddie tends to let her sister steal the show. She is curious and will sit and stare while on her activity mat or in her Rock n' Play. Her feet and hands are always moving. She still dislikes diaper changes with a passion but loves bath time.

 Here's what Maddie has been up to this month:

Lounging on the couch

Great Grandpa comes every week.. and we love it!

1st time in her Bumbo chair

Sometimes I cry just so Daddy will hold me... even though I'm fine :)

Sleepy girl



Sister Time





First time in their big girl stroller



Ready for bed with sister

Activity mat time

Our 2 month photo shoot didn't go as planned.
Both girls were super sleepy and not happy campers!



 I may attempt new pictures soon... or just wait til next month :)
Thanks for reading their two month update! If you missed their 1 month update or my 6 week post partum update... check it out!
 

 

My 6 week postpartum update! :)

Postpartum with twins has been an up and down journey- much like pregnancy with twins! There were MANY things that I wasn't prepared for about being postpartum...some good, some bad, some you just don't talk about (which is why I wasn't prepared I guess! LOL)

Here's what surprised me

1. Going to the bathroom after childbirth would not only be an ordeal, it would be a good 10 minute process or so. There are sprays, foams, pads, and very large underwear. Thank goodness for amazing nurses at St. Vincent's Women's Hospital :)

2. My weight didn't dramatically go down upon returning home from the hospital. I was SO excited to jump on the scale after having the girls. After gaining about 40+ pounds over the 9 months, I was ready to see that number finally go down for a change instead of up. Three days after they were born I jumped on the scale to see a 2 pound weight loss... yes, 2 pounds. I birthed over 10 pounds of babies, not to mention two placentas and whatever else comes out. I soon realized this was due to the large amount of IV fluids that were being pushed through me during my 24+ hours of labor. Luckily, I saw this number drop over the next 2-3 weeks.

3. Speaking of water weight... holy cankles! I was very fortunate to not have much swelling in my pregnancy, so when I looked down at my ankles the morning after I gave birth, I couldn't believe my eyes. After lots of water and trying to keep my feet elevated, the swelling went away in about a week.

4. I would still looked pregnant...very pregnant. I knew that my stomach would not bounce back overnight, but I wasn't prepared for a lady at Target to ask me when I was due just three days after having the girls. It took everything I had not to burst into tears...or smack her.

6 days postpartum

5. I couldn't imagine my life without my girls. It's almost like they have always been here in many ways, even though they are only 6 weeks old. They suddenly became my whole world and it's amazing. 

 

Physical Update:

 

I'm still waiting to be cleared by my doctor to be able to exercise. I have an appointment today and I'm very anxious to get the go ahead to get back to my workouts. Since about 3 weeks postpartum, I have taken daily walks with the girls. I started out very slowly as I was still recovering and have gradually increased my speed and time. Barry and I also purchased new Fitbit's which make getting my 10,000 steps a day more fun...and competitive. I also may have snuck in a couple of pushups, lunges, squats, and some upper body band exercises in the past week.

 (shh, don't tell doc)

6 weeks postpartum

 As I've happily lost most of the baby weight very quickly, my stomach/back area is my main focus/ "problem" area. My uterus is still not back to its original size, which is kinda frustrating but understandable seeing how large I was a short 6 weeks ago!

 

Here's some progression pics:

 





2 weeks postpartum





1 month postpartum



1 month post partum to 5 weeks post partum- after starting my Advocare Nursing Mom's Challenge



How did I lose the weight?

 

As of 6 weeks post partum I am down 38 pounds with about 5 more to go and lots of toning up to do. I think breastfeeding/pumping has a lot to do with how quickly the weight came off. My doctor told me I would be burning an extra 1,000 calories a day just from breastfeeding the girls! (That's my kind of workout!) 

 I was also very aware of how much weight I was gaining during my pregnancy and how quickly, which in turn has made losing the weight much easier. While I was pregnant, I stuck to my clean eating regimen 70%-80% of the time while still allowing myself a sweet treat when I wanted it. My workouts were put to a halt at 10 weeks when I was experiencing some complications. Although I struggled at times with not being able to workout, I took the time to rest, swim (ok, more like float), and continue with simple upper body exercises with 3-5 pound weights and light resistance bands. I happily enjoyed eating extra calories my body (and babies) needed without the guilt.

Since I knew I wouldn't be working out like I had hoped, my diet was even more important in not gaining excess weight and especially now while I continue to try and lose the last of the weight before I can exercise.

 

Here's an example of my typical postpartum diet:

 

Breakfast

1/2 cup of plain oatmeal with honey, cinnamon, vanilla Muscle Gain protein, and blueberries (with or without a banana)

 

Whole wheat English muffin with natural peanut butter and blackberry jelly...if time and the girls allow :)

Mango strawberry spark

Advocare's Catalyst, Probiotic & Thermoplus

 

AM Snack

Pure Protein bar
1/2 cup cottage cheese

 

Lunch

6 ounces of lean protein with steamed veggies

-OR-

spinach salad with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, chicken, and feta cheese

light dressing

Greek yogurt cup

 

PM Snack

My second spark
Hummus and carrots

-OR-

Protein Smoothie
 

Dinner

1 cup brown rice

6 ounces pork loin

Occasional glass of red wine

 

Dessert

Strawberries with light cool whip

-OR-

ice cream

Plus
LOTS of water. I keep a glass filled up all day long and refill it as needed

 

My postpartum diet is a balancing act to determine how many calories I need to continue to lose weight while keeping my milk supply up while breastfeeding.

(feeding twins is no joke!)

I'm excited to step things up a notch and continue to see progress as I strive for my healthy and fit #mombod :)

 

20 week pregnancy update!

20 Week Bump Date

 

Thanks for the cute top Aunt Tammy and maternity jeans Aunt Kater! :)

 

My age: 29
 

How far along: 20 weeks
 

How big are the babies: The size of mango's. A week ago Baby A weighed 11 oz and Baby B was 10 oz. They are at least 6.5 inches in length.
 

Exercise/Activity Level: At 10 weeks, I was told I can no longer workout from my OB, therefore I've only been teaching 10 min quick fit classes at work 4 times a week along with a 30 minute yoga/stretching class. No cardio besides just walking at work.
 

Maternity clothes:  Mostly all my attire is maternity. At work I can still get away with my original workout pants/jackets, but on the weekends it's 90% maternity wear. All pants must be stretchy (leggings are my best friends!)
 

Stretch marks: None. (Fingers crossed it stays that way!)
 

Belly button: Trying to work it's way out.. It's kinda just disappeared!
 

Sleep: Sleep is going fairly well. For the first time this week, I think it was Baby A woke me up by kicking me in the side! I placed my hand there and felt it 3 more times before grabbing Barry's hand and placing it right where she was kicking. He felt it too! That was the first time he felt an actual kick and not just the "butterflies." Pretty awesome experience!
 

Best moment of the week:  This is the first week I can "interact" with the babies. I can feel their movements a lot more consistently. When I feel them kick, I can push back and they will kick again! It's amazing :)
 

Food cravings: The girls are definitely wanting sweets! Ice cream cones or Oreo McFlurries from McDonald's are their favorite. I will also settle for chocolate, but try to eat plain Greek yogurt with granola, cinnamon, and honey in the evenings... when the cravings strike. I'm not craving as many carbs or junk food as I was in the first trimester. Since exercise is only allowed to be minimal, I'm focusing on getting a lot of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, greek yogurt, etc.  

Food aversions: All my aversions are gone :)
 

Symptoms:

1. Dizziness: This happens if I'm teaching a class sometimes when I'm mixing in exercise with speaking loudly. I think I run out of air!
2. Pelvic pressure: After a long day at work, I can feel a lot of pressure, especially on my right side. Not sure if it's round ligament pain or what...
3. Out of breath: I'm easily winded which I'm not use to! After teaching a quick 10 minute "Quick Fit" I'm breathing harder and ready to rest. Same goes for walking long distances...just can't do it like I use to. These girls are getting bigger by the day and I'm getting slower by the day!

Movement: Tons of wiggling, butterfly movements, and a couple occasional kicks! I love feeling the girls dance around =)
 

Gender:  Two girls!
 

What I’m looking forward to:  We had two doctors appointments on Monday, January 19th. I think we will have an ultrasound and then head over to my regular doctor for my 2 week check up!
 

What I’m nervous about: Going on bed rest. I have an internal battle everyday between what I want to do and what I'm reading/being told to do. I've always wanted to have a super fit pregnancy- to be the girl jogging on the treadmill and lifting weights with her baby bump proudly out for all to see. Since week 10 of my pregnancy, this dream has no longer been a reality. I'm supposed to do "very light" activity and rest often with my feet up to avoid bed rest or preterm labor. My girls are my #1 priority right now, so as much as it kills me, I am sticking to doctor's orders.
  

What I miss: Being able to easily get out of bed or off the couch. I tend to feel and look like a turtle on my back which makes my husband laugh at least!
 

Next appointment: Monday, January 19th at 8am and 9:30am