Fifty!!!

I am pretty proud to say that I have lost 50 pounds. Yup, FIFTY.

Fifty pounds is about how much an average second grader weighs.

Or how much Paprika and Ginger weigh put together.

I still have more to lose, of course...about 30-40 more pounds until I am back to where I was before I got pregnant with Vivian and Annemarie.

This 50 pound loss has been quite a journey and I have learned so much.

I realized that one of the reasons I gained so much weight is that I have been using food to work through my grief, and as a way to avoid many of the emotions that I felt surrounding the loss of our twins and my subsequent pregnancy with Ginger. It was hard for me to imagine that Ginger would be born healthy and alive. Needless to say, I had a lot of anxiety when I was pregnant with her, and I ate to quell those overpowering emotions and fears.

A lot of the weight was pregnancy-related, of course...but coming off the end of three pregnancies in a row (the baby we miscarried, the twins, and then Ginger), I found myself at well over 200 pounds. I am 5'7" and shouldn't really weigh what a professional football player weighs.

Throughout the pregnancies, I ate good food. Nourishing food. But I ate a lot of it. I'm not saying I would change that necessarily, but after the long pregnancy party was over, I found myself unable to eat that way anymore and maintain any kind of health.

I am now at the weight I was when I got pregnant with Ginger. Now I just have to lose the weight I gained during the twins' pregnancy, and I will be back to square one.

For me, it's not really about the number on the scale. It's about feeling good, being able to be active, and having the energy to take care of two small children.

My methods? Slow and steady. Weight Watchers online. Whole foods. Movement.

Pretty boring, I guess. But so far it's working!

Without further ado, here are my "Before" and "Current" Photos:

Before (on July 12th, 2009 - one month after I had Ginger):



Current (December 13, 2009):

Farmer's Market!

The rain has stopped. Horray! Last night we ended up taking a little field trip to Petco so Paprika could get out of the house. She spent a long time looking at the exotic fish and the turtles and snakes.

This morning we woke up to blue skies, so we headed over to the Farmer's Market to stock up on produce. We got all kinds of stuff - yum!

Ginger was up all night long (pretty much)- she likes to be awake...she doesn't cry when she's up, she's happy...but she definitely isn't a fan of sleep these days. I thought for sure she'd fall asleep at the Farmer's Market, but nope! It was too exciting.



Paprika found a toy horse to ride outside one of the shops. Fun!



Ginger was riding in style in the Ergo. So sweet!

Rainy Days

We've had quite a bit of rain this past week, so we've been stuck indoors. There are a few indoor malls near us, but neither Mr. Mustard nor I want to brave them during Christmas holiday shopping time. So, we've been inside getting cozy and staying warm.

Paprika starts to go a little stir-crazy inside, but we've been keeping her busy with her blocks and playing with her dollhouse. Reading books, and playing dress-up are also at the top of the list.

We are back to our no-media (no tv, no dvds) policy with her, and that is working out really well. We had back-slided a lot on that when I was so sick with the flu. She had been watching a lot of Dora The Explorer dvds, and I started to notice big changes in her behavior. She would start repeating whole episodes (she has an incredible memory and can memorize whole movies on only the second or third vieiwing).

I would try to talk to her when we were out at the park or the playground, and she would answer me back with lines from Dora. It was really starting to frighten me. Even just an episode or two was having a big effect on her behavior. So, we are back to no-television, no-dvds, period. She's actually never watched TV except for Dancing With The Stars once or twice. She's never seen a television commercial, and I'd like to keep it that way. But, we were letting her watch kids' dvds, and it was starting to consume her. She wanted to watch the same thing over and over again, and didn't want to go outside, or play, or do anything else.

We may break that rule for special "family movie nights" - where we can all watch one special movie together. And, of course, I will still take her to see movies at the theater occasionally because that is something I remember with great fondness from my childhood, and it is more of a "special experience" as opposed to mindless TV.



I think Mr. Mustard and I are even more aware of the effects of television because he works in the industry, and I used to work in it, too. It is pretty astounding the effects that television can have on a person, especially a young child. Mr. Mustard and I watch almost no television, except for a few special "appointment television" shows after Paprika and Ginger are asleep. And we never watch commercials (that is what the mute button is for). Most of our television we watch online from the network websites or hulu.com because there are so many fewer commercials and we can watch what we want when we want to watch it.



So, that's one of the reasons why we go out so much with Paprika. Our house is teeny tiny, and so now with us all being inside we are all having a bit of cabin fever, and we are running out of things to do! Maybe it's time to get out the Play Doh. That's always good for a few hours.

Ginger is having fun with all her new toys and is most cozy indoors. She is entertained by Paprika, and by me and Mr. Mustard, and is happy just as long as we're around. She's a happy little baby!

Princess & The Frog!

Paprika and I had a little mother/daughter outing today to see The Princess & The Frog. It was wonderful! Paprika loved the movie. The main character is voiced by Anika Noni Rose- almost the same name as Paprika- nice coincidence!

By the time we left the theater, it was pouring down rain. We didn't have an umbrella (of course), so we had to run all the way across the outdoor mall in the rain. Paprika had a hood, but she didn't want to wear it (of course)! We were soaked by the time we got back to the car, but we were both laughing. It was fun.

I put Ginger down for a nap before we left, Mr. Mustard stayed home with her. Ginger was just waking up when we got home from the movie. Perfect!

Paprika has been playing dress-up ever since we got home, pretending she is Princess Tiana. She has even made her little stuffed frog into Prince Naveen.

Somehow I think we may be going to see this movie again...and again...and again.

Toys!

Ginger is all about the toys now. Last night, Paprika and I were looking through pictures of when Paprika was Ginger's age. Pictures like this:

Paprika at 5 1/2 months old:



I realized that we have wealth of toys just waiting for Ginger to discover - all of Paprika's baby toys. I brought them out, and Ginger has been having a wonderful time playing with them. Paprika's soft blocks, her first little crinkly doll. Ginger is loving all these toys! She played this little keyboard for about 15 minutes this morning. She was fascinated by it!

Paprika had a great time showing her the toys, as well as doing some of her own stuff, like beading necklaces with daddy. They make quite beautiful jewlery together!