Look Whooo Is 4 Months Old (Updates have been added!!)

My sweet baby is 4 months old! She has learned so much between last month and this month, and has developed so many new skills! It's so much fun to watch her learn and grow! She continues to be the happiest baby ever, just with a couple of exceptions this week. We've had very fussy moments - not days, moments. I took her to the pediatrician yesterday because we were concerned about her - she's not eating as well, she's curling up when eating sometimes like she's in pain, she's definitely not sleeping well (though she still sleeps well at night - if she's going to pick a time to not sleep well, I'd much rather her daytime naps give us problems than the nighttime). We don't know if she's devleoped reflux (can they develop it later in life??), is having some tummy/gas issues, is trying to cut some teeth, or what, but either way, I want to find out the problem so that we can figure out a solution. I hate seeing her upset and not knowing how to fix it.

Anyways, onto the fun stuff:

Length: Her 4-month well-visit is on Tuesday, and I'll update then (Update: 24 inches/50th %ile)

Weight: 13.6 lbs/50th %ile (she was measured when we went to the pediatrician) (Update: she dropped down to 13.3 lbs - still 50th %ile when we went for her well-check, so if you've been hearing Michel and I stress about Audrey's food intake, this is why. Luckily, it seems to be resolving itself now - about 2 weeks after it all started)

Head Circumference: see length :) (Update: 15 3/4 inches - 25th %ile)

Sleep: She continues to sleep through the night!!! I feed her at 8, put her down at 9, and she sleeps until 8am! Normally, she takes 3 naps that are each an hour and a half-ish, and still has a late evening nap that I'm trying to cut out. Every time I plan on cutting it out, she falls asleep! You would think that means that she doesn't need it, but then her other naps are only like an hour-ish long, so I'm trying to re-vamp our schedule

Eating: It's all over the charts! Sometimes she'll eat 6 oz., sometimes she'll only eat 3! She's chunked up nicely since her 2-month well-visit - gaining 3.4 lbs, and going from the 25th %ile to the 50th in weight, so I'm not too worried about how much she eats.

Clothes: All 0-3 months, but some of her onesies are getting very snug in the length. I see us moving up to 3-6 months in the next couple of weeks, I'm sure. She's also in a size 2 diaper all the time.

New Achievements this Month:
12/21/13: Mommy and Daddy watched her roll over from her back to her tummy for the first time (this isn't the first time she's done it because there were times I got her up from a nap, or nighttime sleep and she was on her tummy though I put her on her back. This was just the first time others witnessed it.
1/3/14: Audrey laughed her first, true, big girl laugh! Before today, it was her smiling while making a "huhhhhh" sound, but today it was a continuous big girl chuckle! So precious! Yes, Mommy cried :)
1/11/14: (since I'm late on posting this anyways) She activated a musical lion for the first time, intentionally. It hangs above her on her bouncy seat and she grabbed on to the string and pulled, rather than just hitting at it with her hands
- She explores her daddy's face with her hands all the time. We think she likes the texture because his face is much rougher/scratchier than Mommy's face (unless he shaved that day).
- Can hold her bottle with her own two hands (though I don't let her, but if I have to scratch an itch or get a drink, it's nice that she usually hangs on to it for me)
- Gives "kisses"! After me or Michel kiss her, she will put her open mouth onto our cheek. I don't really know if it's a "kiss", but she does only do it after we've kissed her, so I do think she's understanding that we do it to her, and then she wants to do it to us. I don't know...maybe I'm trying to make her too advanced :)
- Is really starting to understand how to manipulate her hands to hold desired objects and put those objects in her mouth intentionally (pretty much everything goes in her mouth right away!)
- She has gained some AWESOME neck control! This girl is being evaluated for physical therapy because of her torticollis in a couple of weeks, and after seeing all of her improvements with all of the exercises we did with her, I don't know if she'll qualify (which would be great!)

Things she likes:
1. Talking! This still remains true :)
2. Swinging - she loves talking to her "swing friends" as I call them. Sometimes they seem to make her angry as her tone of voice reflects that :)
3. Car rides - she will either talk to her toys hanging above her carseat the whole time, "sing" to the radio (I swear she can match her tone to the music she hears, and she DEFINITELY didn't inherit that trait from me or Daddy - if she turns out to be a good singer), or she will sleep most of the ride
4. People - anyone who talks to her, whether she knows them or not, is guaranteed to get a big, precious, gummy smile from her!
5. Being tickled by Daddy - still guaranteed to get a laugh
6. Sucking her thumb
7. Sleeping on her tummy - I still put her on her back, but 90% of the time, she rolls over almost immediately
8. Her bouncy seat

Things she doesn't like:
1. Men with facial hair (she had to get used to my dad the first couple times she saw him at Christmas, and she has seen him on a fairly regular basis since she was born!) - she cried when he would first hold her though :(
2. The Wheels on the Bus - also made her cry
3. Being in a carseat while Mommy's eating lunch also makes her cry. I had lunch with a friend today, and she cried when I put her in the sling. As soon as I took her out, she was happy as could be! She didn't even cry when I left the table (she was with my friend) to go to the bathroom. She just wanted to be out where she could see what was going on, and interact with everyone. 

I just love this lil' stinker!!!

Shapin' Up and Slimmin' Down!

I only went down 0.4 lbs this week, but a loss is still a loss. Considering how much I run/walk, I was hoping to see more than that. Oh well!

I have a few things I want to highlight that I'm proud of myself for doing:
1. Trying to run/walk 70 miles in the month of January when I don't have access to a treadmill, or a gym was craziness on my part. I'm still trying to get it done, though! Rain and cold weather has been my disadvantage this week. I got creative and walked Wal-Mart for about 40 minutes (pretty sure the employees thought I was nuts because I was just walking with a baby stroller and obviously wasn't buying anything). Yesterday I walked for about an hour at Stonebriar. It's bigger than Wal-Mart, so I could walk way faster, and nobody was paying attention to the crazy lady walking with the baby stroller :)
2. Last Sunday, Michel and I went to Texas Roadhouse to eat lunch after church, and I didn't have ANY rolls! Do you know how much I love their rolls with the sweet butter?? Mmmm.... :)
3. I remembered that the Wylie Rec Center will let you pay $8 for a day pass, so I went there on Thursday while Michel was home to stay with Audrey and ran over 4 miles on a treadmill!
4. Though it's only been 11 days, I'm still way proud of the fact I haven't had a morsel of junk food, yet I don't feel like I've deprived myself in any way. I have Weight Watcher candy, and Skinny Cow candy, as well as fat-free, sugar-free pudding to help me out when/if my sweet tooth hits, but mainly I've just been saving them as my weekend indulgence :)

Shapin' Up and Slimmin' Down!

I weighed in today, and I lost a full pound!! Woo-hoo! That's amazing, considering from last Saturday through today, I've consumed almost an entire 1-lb slice and share Snickers bar (apparently I don't share well, haha!), half a bag of M&Ms (the big bag - not the single portion size...see? I don't share well), I've eaten at Whataburger twice, and we ordered a pizza on New Year's Eve. Wow...I feel like a huge cow after seeing all that I've eaten! Since Wednesday, I have stopped eating junk food, and gone running everyday. Let's see what happens next Saturday when I continue on with my healthy habits!

Monthly Measurements

I forgot to post yesterday with all of the craziness of un-decorating for Christmas (boo!). I did measure myself. In fact, I started adding measurements for my calf, bicep, and chest to see some inches (hopefully) falling off!

So here's where I stand:

Waist: -1 inch (since December)
Hips: - 1/2 inch
Thigh: stayed the same (really?? these thigh measurements are not budging, and this is where I gained quite a bit :(

Here's my comparison pictures:

I feel like the side view is where the loss is the most noticeable. I'm going to keep on going, though, until I get the results I'm looking for!

If anybody has any great healthy recipes I should try, let me know. Definitely let me know if you know any great workouts to tone those thighs - both inner and outer!

January 2014 Goals

In case you're wondering about my January goals, I thought I'd explain them a little bit better.

Personal goal: Do not eat any junk food
It's my own, realistic, version of a "cleanse", but one that I can stick to. If/when we go out to eat, I'll choose healthy options: chicken, steak, fajitas eating meat only (maybe ONE tortilla, at most), skipping the free chips, rolls, whatever. If I'm craving junk food, I'll make a healthy swap at home (i.e. hamburger craving = grilling one at home using lean ground beef, a whole-wheat bun/bread, light mayo, light cheese). 

Fitness goal: Run/walk 70 miles
This averages out to running/walking 3 miles a day, 5 days a week, plus fitting in 5 extra miles somewhere. I'll be getting up at 5 a.m. most days to do this before Michel goes to work. On days that he's working, I'll to wait until he comes home, or if he won't be home until late, I'll have to take Audrey with me and just walk 3 miles that day (our jogging stroller is for independent sitters, so for now I have to continue to use our regular stroller that her infant seat fits in).

Spiritual goal: Spend 10 minutes per day EVERYDAY in some type of personal quiet time
I am horrible at being in the "all or nothing" mindset. I either feel like I need to spend half an hour in quiet time, or if I don't have that time, I do nothing at all. Ten minutes a day is totally attainable, and something I need to do. It's very important to me that Audrey grow up knowing the importance of God in our family.

I really am looking forward to changing my life, one day at a time :)

Goals for 2014

 

I decided to do something a bit different for my New Year's resolutions this year.  I decided this year I was going to make a resolution for each month! This way, I already have them planned out, so I know at the start of each new month, I have new goals to strive for. I'll post the full list now, and then each month I'll give an explanation of them (if they need one). Also, each month I will be completing a personal goal, a fitness goal, and a spiritual goal. I'm actually really looking forward to this! This is designed to be challenging, yet attainable, and hopefully make me a little better in my personal life, physical life, and most definitely in my spiritual life.

January:

Personal: Do not eat any junk food!

Fitness: Run/walk a total of 70 miles this month

Spiritual: Spend 10 minutes per day EVERYDAY in some type of quiet time (reading the Bible, praying, etc.)

February:

Personal: Continue refraining from any junk food until 2/26/14 (my 30th birthday)

Fitness: Do this entire workout once a week, every week

Spiritual: Read through an entire book of the Bible, and do a study on it

March:

Personal: Complete one Pinterest project (a craft - not a recipe)

Fitness: Complete the 500-calorie-torching treadmill workout that I pinned

Spiritual: Do a study of a woman of the Bible who I don't know much about

April:

Personal: Do an Audrey-centered, new activity once every week (I have a couple things pinned already, and plan on pinning more)

Fitness: Do cardio twice a day, three days a week, every week (hopefully this means I can run by myself in the morning and take Audrey on a nice, long walk in the afternoon and we can enjoy some beautiful weather

Spiritual: Do an in-depth study on the book of Revelations

May:

Personal goal: Plan a fun, family outing

Fitness: Follow the 30-day Paleo challenge, diet and exercise plan found here

Spiritual: Continue the study of Revelation

June:

Personal: Read a new book by a new author

Fitness: Do 100 push-ups once a week, every week ("real" push-ups or "girly" ones)

Spiritual: Invite someone to church/share God's word with someone/both

July:

Personal: Do an act of service for Michel that will make his life a bit easier one day a week, every week (i.e. take out the trash, clean the litter box, etc.)

Fitness: Do 100 walking lunges, holding Audrey (if she'll let me!) 3x a week, every week

Spiritual: Do a daily devotional

August:

Personal: Make sure Audrey's baby book is up to date

Fitness: Do 100 burpees/squat thrusts, once a day, three days a week, every week

Spiritual: Memorize 5 new Scripture verses that have significant meaning to me

September:

Personal: Throw Audrey the most fun, awesome, special first birthday party ever on a budget! I'm thinking Pinterest....

Fitness: Do the "Want a Brazilian Butt?" workout (pinned on Pinterest) 3x a week, every week

Spiritual: Do a study focusing on becoming a better/more God-centered mom (in honor of Audrey's birthday)

October:

Personal: Do something special for Michel in honor of our anniversary

Fitness: Add 10 minutes to every workout I do - even if that means waking up 10 minutes earlier!

Spiritual: Do a study focusing on becoming a better/more God-centered wife (in honor of our anniversary)

November:

Personal: Do a fun, Pinterest-inspired, Thanksgiving-something with Audrey

Fitness: Do 100 REAL push-ups - just once the whole month, but they all have to be done at the same time!

Spiritual: Do a book study on one of the Old Testament books that I'm not that familiar with

December:

Personal: Bake cookies/prepare some kind of treat to give to all of our neighbors in an effort to get to know them better

Fitness: Run the White Rock half marathon!!

Spiritual: See my "personal" goal for the month - whatever I pass out to the neighbors will have a Scripture/real meaning for the season with it!

What are your goals for 2014???

I can't believe it's been a year already!!

On January 1, 2013, I was expecting a "visitor." Think...the kind of visitor you expect every month when you're a woman :)

I knew that it could still possibly be too early to test, but I decided to give it a shot. One year ago today, I got the best, most surprising, most terrifying, most wonderful news in the entire world:

However, like in true first-time mom fashion (or maybe it's just me), one test was not validation enough, so just to be sure....

...I took, not one, but two extra pregnancy tests! I think it finally sunk in when two pregnancy tests confirmed that I was, in fact, pregnant!



One year later, this is the result of that positive pregnancy test:

OK, so this picture is from Christmas Eve, so it's a week shy of being a true year from the positive pregnancy test, but i just really love this picture of all 3 of us :)

I love my sweet family of three, and Audrey is just such a blessing on our lives! Seriously, when I got that positive pregnancy test, I had no idea how much she would change our lives in the best, possible way! I got the best news of my life on January 1, 2013 :)