Avelyn is 3!

Happy Birthday Avelyn!

Isla's 6 Month Update

trying to play with your tongue

Isla Rose I cannot believe you are already 6 months! Time is going so fast. I feel like I just brought you home from the hospital!

You turned 6 months old today and right on schedule you are in your 6 month growth spurt. You slept 8 hours straight 2 nights ago and napped almost all day and then bam! last night you were up every hour for half the night and you haven't napped longer than 15 mins today. You are trying to kill me. Before your growth spurt you were averaging 2-3 wake-ups a night usually around 12am, 2 and 4. Sometimes you would skip one and I would get a few hours of sleep in a row. You now sleep on your tummy only and I still swaddle your lower half in the sleep sack. I think it just makes you feel extra secure.

You are really enjoy nursing and will stay on there until I pop you off. You nurse for hours. It's definitely showing in your size! You are a healthy 17 lbs (according to my super accurate method of weighing myself while holding you) and you wear 12 month clothes. There are still some 9 month clothes that fit but fewer and fewer every day. 

We started playing around with solids about 10 days ago. I gave you a couple bites of my sweet potato and you loved it! We tried that again a couple of times as well as banana and apple sauce. You are not a fan of apple sauce. You couldn't quite get a good grip on the banana to eat it but you had fun playing with it. We are doing Baby Led Weaning this time and no purees.

You are still a pretty happy baby (minus today since you have had 0 sleep) and your absolute favorite person is your big sister. She is now starting to play with you and enjoy your company too. It melts my heart to see her with you. Last night you were crying on our way home and she was singing song after song to you and telling you "Hold on baby Isla, we almost there!". It is the most perfect thing to see you two together.

My BBG Journey Part 1

So I wanted to talk to y'all about Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide (BBG). I sort of discovered her last year after Christmas. There was this huge movement of girls preparing to do it together starting January 5. I was halfway through my pregnancy with Isla so there was no way I could join in but I started following a bunch of the girls through Instagram so I could track their progress.

Fast forward to 4 weeks postpartum and I was feeling the baby blues pretty strongly. I was trying to wait to begin at the recommended 6 weeks pp but I felt like I would just start and listen to my body if I needed to back off or slow down.

To begin, I created a separate BBG Instagram account (@chrissytx.bbg) so I could track my progress with photos and keep up with all the awesome BBG girls on there. That way I didn't feel too self-conscious or clog up my personal newsfeed with exercise stuff that I knew most people wouldn't be interested in seeing. That IG account really helped to keep me motivated. You can find other girls who are beginning the program at the same time as you and commisserate. You can also see girls who have finished it and hear how they were able to stay on track.

The first IG post I did was my "start" photos or "week 0" as the bbg girls like to say. Those were pretty rough to put out there. I mean, I had just had a baby and my body was swollen and pale and bumpy in the wrong places. I threw it up there and anytime I needed an extra bit of motivation to do my workout that day, I remembered my before photos and decided I didn't want to stay there.

(Keep in mind there is 8 weeks between these because I did the 4 weeks of Pretraining before starting the Week 1)

Another awesome source of motivation for me was doing the program with my sister who lives in Hawaii. She and I did it together until almost the end when she had to quit due to an unhealed hernia. We would text each other a few times a week and give each other pep talks as needed. I know it seems a little overkill in the motivation department but bbg is so intense and difficult at first that most people quit by week 3!

BBG workouts are similar to crossfit. Most involve body weight exercises like burpees (my least favorite in the beginning). The week is set up with 3 resistance workouts (crossfit style) Legs & Cardio, Arms & Abs and Total Body and 2 LISS (low intensity steady state) Cardio which is fast walking. Kayla doesn't add in HIIT until Week 9.

The first workout nearly killed me. Actually that whole first week! I was starting with her PreTraining which sounds easy but had me seeing stars and feeling like I was going to throw up. I was also doing it in our garage in the middle of Texas Summer so there is that. I pushed through and committed that no matter what I was giving this my all! The rush of endorphins after that first workout was all I needed to keep me going!

After the first 2 weeks I could feel myself already getting stronger. Exercises that had me huffing and puffing were now just a really good burn. I was able to do more and faster. I was hooked! I was taking progress photos which helped because the scale was actually going up. Kayla designed her program so that you build muscle in the first few weeks. I knew this would probably happen because I had read about it on other girls bbg account pages. From week 0 to week 5 (9 weeks of bbg including the pretraining) I didn't lose a single pound, I gained 2 lbs. It was frustrating but I started noticing improvements in my progress pictures, that is why they are so important!

To be Continued...

Isla's 5 Month Update

5 Months!

Weight: 16 lbs 6 oz

Height: not sure...big!

(sorry my pictures are so awful! my camera on my phone is broken and takes blurry pics)

Isla went through the dreaded 4 month sleep regression right after she turned 4 months. Sadly we haven't returned to her 8-12 hr stints since. She wakes up twice a night usually around midnight and again around 5 am. She still sleeps better with the miracle swaddle but I just do it on her lower half. She has started rolling onto her tummy to sleep and prefers that position if she isn't in her swing.

We started a new schedule in this past month. Isla was no longer going to bed early and was getting overly tired and staying up until 9:30pm every night. She just refused to go to sleep. I've had to start waking her up from her afternoon nap. This has helped tremendously and we have a pretty comfortable routine now.

Daily Routine

7:30 am – Wake Up, (nurse)

8:00 am – Breakfast

8:30 am – Get Avelyn Dressed, Brush Teeth, Comb Hair 

9:00 am - (Mon, Wed) Take Avelyn to School

9:30 am – Isla's Morning Nap (nurse) – at least 1 hr

10:00 am – Craft Time or Outdoor Playtime with Avelyn (snack for her)

11:00 am – Go to YMCA (nurse either before or after workout)

1:30 pm – Outside/Physical Play

1:45 pm Lunch

2:00 – Nap for both girls (nurse)

4:30 Wake Up (snack for Avelyn and nurse)

5:00-5:30 TV Time or Ipad while I cook dinner

5:30 pm –  Dinner

6:00-6:30 Quiet Activities (Avelyn)  Isla's Bath and Bed Routine (nurse)

6:30 Bath Time for Avelyn

7:00 Bedtime Routine (Lotion, PJ's, Brush Teeth, Read Books, Sing Songs)

7:30 Bed/Lights Out

She is also teething so bad and drool is constant! Because of all her drool, she poops at least 5 times a day. I have never seen so much baby poop. I am ready for those teeth to hurry up and make their arrival! I actually took Isla to see her dr. because she had been so fussy and irritable I thought she may have an ear infection. Dr. Moore said it's just her teeth and to let her sleep in her swing for the next few nights if that is where she is more comfortable.

Isla is still a pretty happy, calm baby. She is happy being held and watching her big sister. She loves to splash in the tub! She puts everything in her mouth and we even let her gum a big piece of garlic bread last night.

We aren't quite mobile yet other than the rolling around. She sits up by herself for short spurts. She has started to try to army crawl but isn't quite there. 

Isla Rose, you are the sweetest little thing! I love you!

Isla's 3 & 4 Month Update!

Okay this is a legit excuse. . . My camera on my Iphone won't focus anymore. I think it was dropped a few too many times. It drives me crazy and makes me not want to take photos because they come out so blurry. I will upload the least blurry ones here.

Isla Rose is a growing girl! We went to her 4 month well-check and learned she is 15 lbs 4 oz (85%) and 25 3/4 inches long (95%). I think she had actually slowed her weight gain or lost a little that week because I had just had mastitis and lost alot of supply. 

Sadly, our lovely night of 8-12 hours of sleep are a distant memory. She hasn't slept through the night since turning 4 months. At first I chalked it up to her 4 month growth spurt and the dreaded 4 month sleep regression and I am still hoping it is the latter. Please end soon. I don't think Avelyn slept through the night again until she was over 2. Isla wakes up every 2-3 hours at night and sometimes nurses for 45 mins! I am one tired mama over here.

I sure wish I payed more attention to what the 4 month milestones are.... Brandon got her to laugh (when I wasn't home) and I have been trying. I get an *almost* laugh easily but I haven't gotten a full belly laugh. Maybe because we are both too tired. ;)

She rolls over and has great neck and head control. She grabs toys to put in her mouth and grabs with just one hand. She talks A LOT ..mostly a series of growls and coos. They are like music! 

She is still the sweetest thing and has such a calm and easy-going nature. I hope she is forgiving as well for the late posts and blurry pictures..Sorry Baby Isla!

Avelyn Kai 2.5

Trying to think back to when you turned 2 and now at 2 years and 7 months...wow. It feels like years. You are most definitely your own person.

 You LOVE to brush your teeth and wash your hands!

Your very favorite thing right now is your "Elsa Dress". Your friend Jade let you borrow it and I have been a googling nightmare trying to find you one of your own. Your Nana informed me that it was probably a nightgown and she was right. I found it right away after I realized that. You wear this dress to bed, to school, anywhere I let you. You don't want to take it off for baths and when it's in the wash (frequently) you cry until ask for it until it's all dry.

You love going to preschool. You get to do lots of paintings and you like to come home and paint mommy's hand and it put it on the paper just like they do at school.

You LOVE your gymnastics class. I watched you during your gym time and you were adorable! You listened to the teacher and did your stretching, you walked on the balance beam and did a perfect forward roll. You noticed I was there half-way through but you finished your class and did a great job!

You are quite the social butterfly! You talk to everyone and have a friend at any place we visit often. You are very possessive of toys and everything is "mine". If someone else is using something you want, you shout for them to "take turns". I love that you know what you want but it makes things a bit awkward with friends.

You are very polite and have the best manners. You say please (pretty pretty please), thank you, bless you. You love to be complimented on your pretty dress, your tiara, your drawings. I think your love language is words of affirmation. 

You are into everything these days and I have a hard time keeping up with you and baby Isla. You love to do your makeup and I let you use my clear powder and the brush. No lipstick is safe around you. I recently let you paint your own nails and you did a pretty good job!

You love animals. We took to to a drive-through safari and we saw so many animals. We saw an Ostrich, Zebras, lots of Goats, and my favorite was the Camel. We fed them and they put their heads in the car and scared us pretty bad!

You are such a performer!! You love to have an audience and will since and dance around the house all day. Your favorite song to sing is "Let it Go" from Frozen. You sing/shout it from the top of your lungs! I saw you watching the video on youtube and then you mimicked all of the same hand gestures that Elsa does in the movie. You love to twirl all around and are always asking me or Daddy to dance with you.

You recently had your 2.5 year well-check and look how big you are:

36 1/2 inches tall (75%) You finally dropped from the 90th
30 pounds (65%) which is the highest percentile you've been in since you were an infant.

You are such a sweet sister. If I forget to turn the music on when she is in her swing, you get your chair and climb up to do it for me. You sing to her in the car and kiss her when I'm not looking. If she is crying you always tell me and tell her. "Hold on baby Isla, Mommy is coming!" Oh yeah, and you like to call me Mommy now. You call Brandon "Daddy" but sometimes you call him Brandon and I just think it's hilarious!

Speaking of Daddy, you love it when he takes you swimming. Ever since it got warm out, he takes you almost every day! He is taking you to your first karate class when he gets home too! Daddy is the one who teaches you how to play fun games like Hide-N-Seek and takes you splashing in the puddles during a rainstorm.

You two have such a special bond and it's amazing to see it. Sometimes, y'all butt heads but I think that's just because you are so alike!

You will always be my first baby and I will probably see you in that light sometimes, but more and more everyday you are showing me who you are and what you think about everything. I love watching you learn and grow and see how much confidence you have! We love you so much!

Isla's 2 Month Update

Baby Isla had her 2 month well-check today which included her shots. I was so relieved getting her Hib vaccine which protects against Bacterial Meningitis (which causes brain damage). I am glad I didn't know everything about Bacterial Meningitis while we were in the hospital or I probably would have been more freaked out than I was. ANYWAYS...

Her pediatrician suggested I try using a reflux medication to see if it helps with Isla's vomiting. She projectile vomits 2-3x a day. It doesn't seem to bother her much and she just goes right back to eating. Other than causing mountains of laundry, it's also telling my body to make MORE milk and I already have an oversupply issue at the moment. I really hope this medication solves our problem. I think it's more just my forceful letdown that is causing her to throw up but I'm willing to try anything at this point. Right now I am pumping in the morning and sometimes in the middle of the night to give myself some relief. Isla doesn't take a bottle so I am stockpiling it and if she doesn't use it I will donate it to the local milk bank.

Isla's height is right at 23" which is the 75% although her dr and I both think she will end up petite like myself.

Her weight is 12 lbs 11 ounces which is the 90% for her age. Even though she throws up so much, my body thankfully makes plenty of milk for her and she is able to get those calories in.

I think Isla is ready to sleep through the night. On the nights that she doesn't throw up, she still wakes up to feed around 3 but just sort of grunts and snorts. If I don't take her out of the bassinet, she goes right back to sleep. I did that last night and she ended up sleeping from 10:30pm - 4:45am. I had to get up and pump around 3 but still! WAHOO! Once she is doing that consistently for a few nights, I will move her to her crib.

She is taking one long nap a day in her crib and seems to be fine with that. I use the Miracle Swaddle blanket for that nap and for her night sleeping. I also use a white noise app on my iphone that she loves. An added bonus is that I don't use my phone anytime she is sleeping and thats about 18-20 hrs a day. She sleeps ALOT! I asked her dr. if that was still normal for her age and she said that it is because Isla eats so much. She said that nursing is like running a marathon for infants and it wears them out. I will take it!

She had a period of what I recently learned is "Purple Crying". Basically, its like Colic but in the evening for a few hours. I think it was mainly due to being overstimulated by the day. The white noise app, swaddle and bath seemed to help a lot. Recently I've started doing Isla's bedtime before Avelyn's around 7:30. Avelyn helps me give her the bath and lotion and I put Isla to sleep in her crib. That also allows me to focus totally on Avelyn for her bedtime routine. Isla wakes up right when Avelyn goes to sleep at 9:00 and doesn't really go down for the night until 10:30.

I know this seems like tons of boring information but I really wanted to give Isla the same documentation that I did for Avelyn. :)

Isla is so easy to love and she is the happiest baby. She loves to be held but isn't too picky about who is holding her. She LOVES to hear her Daddy's voice and they already have such a sweet bond. She also let her Nana hold her all day on Saturday. She gives the best smiles and has started to Coo and make sweet baby noises. She is so precious and I LOVE having her! She doesn't mind long drives in the carseat but if she is hungry, she gets upset at the red lights. She loves the wind so I roll the windows down and have fans on in the house. She has the cutest rolls in her thighs and I just want to eat her cheeks. Her hair is getting longer and (fingers crossed) hasn't fallen out!!

That's it for now because I have to get my workout in before they both wake up! :)