Oh For Goodness Sake!

I haven't posted in almost two months!!! I can't believe that... I've just been so crazy with school lately that I don't even have time to think. Not too much excitement has been going on here. Tzipora had her first birthday just a few days after my last post. She's still not standing on her own (which obviously means she's not walking yet), but there's still time for that. She is saying a few words, though. Her first word was "hi," and she says it all the time now. It's so adorable! She also says "yeah" in response to basically any question. Every once in a blue moon she'll say "beep" in response to you saying "beep" at her, along with the requisite beeping of her nose. She also says "uh oh," and she does it pretty frequently as she's always throwing things around and "uh oh" it's now on the floor. :-) Those are the only four words she has...no "mama" or "dada" yet. *sigh* But compared to what the twins were saying at almost 14 months she's verbose (to take a word from my father).

The twins are cute as ever. They're going to be three in just under a month, which is unbelievable. I actually have to plan a party between now and then, and I don't know what on earth I'm going to do about that. They are completely obsessed with Blue's Clues - I think Chana wants to marry Steve. They also love Harry Potter - not so much the movies or the books, which they've had little, if any, exposure to yet. Rather, they are HUGE fans of A Very Potter Musical. If you love Harry Potter, then you need to watch this. You will FOR SURE love it. It's "Totally Awesome."

Somehow the twins have now gotten over their overwhelming fear of the bath and they actually enjoy it! In the past few weeks there have even been days where they've scammed TWO baths out of us in one day by getting Brittany (the nanny) to give them one during the day and then getting Shmuel to give them one at night (without him knowing they got one earlier). Silly kiddos... Now if they can only convince Tzipora that they're fun we'll be all set. She screams bloody murder if you even say the word bath in her general direction. My children are unreal...

I've started taking my Metformin again in the hopes that it will help me with my appetite, which is unreal without it. And the next time I get pregnant, I'm going to stay on it for my whole pregnancy. See, I've noticed that my first trimester is usually just great in terms of the amount of hunger I feel, but as soon as I stop the Metformin at the beginning of 2nd trimester my hunger is OUT OF FLIPPING CONTROL and I eat everything in sight, then I gain 50 lbs and feel like a cow by the time I give birth. Then of course I need to lose all of that extra weight. I'm still about 15lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight (which is about 30lbs more than I should weigh anyway). Now that I'm on the lowest dose of Metformin (500mg QD) I've already noticed that my appetite is more like that of a normal human being rather than the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal. (Fifty points if you know the reference!) Unfortunately I'm still a bit hungrier than most people would be - it's very difficult for me to go more than 2 hours without eating something, but I also tend to eat very small bits at a time - maybe 100 to 250 calories at a time. So it could be normal, I guess. But anyway I can't tolerate more than the lowest dose or it makes me viciously nauseated, so I have an appointment with my Gyn at the end of this week to see if he'll give me an extended release version of Metformin which might settle better in my stomach and allow me to take my prescribed dose (500mg BID aka 1000mg). But so far so good. Since I restarted the Metformin at the beginning of January I already lost the 15 lbs I gained while I was off of it from July until then. I'll update my weight loss ticker weekly at the top right of this page so you can keep track...and keep your fingers crossed that I can get this weight off!!! No more babies until I can at least get back to my pre-pregnancy weight - which shouldn't be difficult as it's only 15lbs and I have no TTC plans for at least 6 months. But it would be even better if I could lose 30 or even 40! Because I'm so short my ideal body weight is about 110 lbs, so that's only 45 more pounds to go. But I'll be happy anywhere under 125, honestly (but not under 100!!) If I can weigh less than my best friend (yeah, that's you Melanie), then I will jump for joy. If I can weigh less than my hubby, then I will kiss the ground. :-D

Ok, I have a test in school tomorrow that I'm slacking off studying for, so I'd better get back to it. If you guys are still reading my blog, please comment so I know you haven't forgotten about me!!!!

Incommunicado

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been super busy. The diet isn't going so well...I still can't seem to get out of my plateau.

In other news, the twins are being as adorable as ever. Chana was trying to imitate me saying "mama," but she could only get out "mmm" lol. They're still learning how to eat, and still they're having trouble swallowing. They make gagging faces/noises that scare the ever-living you-know-what out of you. You think they're choking, but about 2 seconds later they get it down and smile at you as if nothing happened. Then they go right back to playing with their food. It is SO nerve-wracking, and I wish they'd just learn how to swallow properly already!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is coming up next week. It will be the 4-year anniversary of meeting my husband. Wow...I can't believe it's been that long! We're hopefully going to be going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner, and hopefully Shifra and the twins will be able to join us as well. It'll be a really great time! What do you all have planned for Thanksgiving?

I Puffy <3 Metformin

I really do... I big, fat puffy heart Metformin. I ate myself silly last weekend. Thursday dinner at my mom's, Shabbos dinner at the Simon's, Shabbos lunch at the Simon's, Grandpa Irv's party on Saturday night, and my mom's open house on Sunday. I stuffed myself...I munched cookies, I drank soda, I ate whatever the heck I wanted. And guess what...I gained 1 lb and then promptly lost it + more. FLOATING MEGA PUFFY HEARTS!!!! :-) And now that I'm home, I'm not hungry all of the time. Heck, last night I was reminded of being pregnant when I was nauseous around dinner time. It made me smile, and I knew the Metformin was doing its job. <3 <3 <3

Check out the ticker on the right...it's at the lowest it's been so far...

Back on the Met

Yep, I'm back on Metformin. That's on purpose and no we're not trying to get pregnant again (yet). My cycles have been messed up since they came back post-partum. It's been driving me bonkers. The other thing driving me bonkers is my appetite. There were days I would just be hungry all day. No matter what I ate I was still hungry. I remember the first time I was on Metformin (when that was the *only* fertility drug I was on) I was so NOT hungry that I could barely eat the required food to actually take the pill. Therefore, taking the drug can not only make my cycles bearable but it will also help my appetite be normal again. Seriously I've been hungry as if I were still pregnant (which I'm not at all), and my weight loss has plateaued. No good...I'm still way higher than a good normal weight for my height. I've been on the Metformin for 3 days and already I've noticed a better appetite--meaning it's normal, and I don't think about food all day long. And right now I'm on the lowest dose, which is 1/3 of what my dose will probably become. I'm happy now. I'm not starving, I'm eating normally, and hopefully I'll finally be able to get down to my happy weight. On top of that I shouldn't have 40+ day cycles anymore! Woooo!

Weight Loss...

I woke up to this:



Not sure if you can see it so well, but it says 140.8. Then in trying to get a good photo of the numbers, I had to weigh myself like 10 times. The first 3 or 4 times it was exactly the same, but then the silly digital scale went down to 131 and I was like "ummmm no?" and then it went to 132 and then 135 and then 139 and then up to 141 and then back down to 140.8. It was quite funny. Digital scales are whack. :-)

Whoops!

I haven't posted in a while. It's almost time for the next episode of Biggest Loser (tomorrow). lol I gained a bit of weight over the weekend because of Rosh Hashana, but I didn't do *too* badly considering how much I ate plus desserts. mmmmm dessert... Anyway, I figured it's a Jewish holiday and I'm supposed to be happy and eat well. So I did. :-) Now I just have to get on the Wii Fit and lose it again. And make sure I don't do too badly during Sukkos... But if Dovid keeps trying to eat me, I may not have to lose any weight at all...he'll just eat it all off of me. lol He's being very clingy...always wanting me to hold him and not wanting to sit in a seat and just play. He's trying to grab my shirt and eat that too. Maybe he's just hungry? Well I'll go feed him then.

Biggest Loser

I am sooooooo happy that the newest season of The Biggest Loser has started!!! It's the only TV show I watch (aside from restarting my addiction to Days of our Lives). It's such a feel-good show, and I love watching all of the contestants lose tons of weight and become healthy. I also like it because it makes me feel better about myself and my weight loss. If you've noticed, I am one pound...that's it, just one pound away from my pre-pregnancy weight. Unfortunately I still have a crazy floppy belly with tons of extra skin, but I hope it will get somewhat better once I'm down to my ideal weight. I asked my hubby if my tummy used to look like that before I got pregnant, because I just plain forgot what it looked like. He said that it's extra skin was from the twins, and that my tummy wasn't as floppy before, which is what I thought. I just hope that it does start to look better once I'm closer to my ideal weight... *sigh* The things we women do to have children, including giving up our whole bodies, are just incredible.

Keep watching the weight ticker so you can see when I get past my pre-pregnancy weight and start to knock off more pounds. My next goal, once I get past 141, is to be less than I weighed at my first OB appointment. I had lost five pounds in first trimester, so I believe I weighed 136 at my first appointment with the doc. If I can weigh less than that when I go to see her for my yearly gyn appointment (Oct 8), I'll be ecstatic. At least I'll be *really* close.

If You Look To Your Right...

You will see that my weight ticker has gone to 29.9 BMI. For those who are unfamiliar with BMI, it's a measure of body fat based on your height and weight. Here are the different BMI categories:

Underweight = <18.5
Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
Overweight = 25-29.9
Obesity = >30

Now you probably understand why 29.9 is such a big deal. Doctors everywhere will tell you that being obese means you are at a much greater risk for nearly every disease known to mankind. It's scary! So, now that I'm back in the overweight category, it's not *so* bad. (Doctors still don't like people to be overweight, but it's much better than being obese.) Of course, my goal is to be in the normal weight category, but that will come in time. My next milestone will be to cross my pre-pregnancy weight (141). Should only be a few more weeks!!!

Body Measurements

Just for the fun of it (and because I can't sleep) I decided to take my body measurements. On my Isagenix plan, I took measurements on my first day but then decided I didn't want to measure again until the end of my first 30 days. Well, I changed my mind. So, after 3 weeks of being on my diet...I have lost approx 8 lbs. and 17 in. around my body. Most significantly, 1.25 in. off my waist, 2 in. off my bust, 2 in. off my chest, 3.5 in. off my abdomen and 1 in. off my hips. Not bad, eh? Anyone out there looking to lose weight, I HIGHLY recommend Isagenix. Click here to find out more. They're also having a body challenge contest, which you can find out more about here. Seriously, this is the best thing you can do for yourself if you're struggling to lose weight.

Losing Weight

is really, really hard! I seriously haven't lost any weight since right after I lost all the water following delivery. I'm so hungry, and I can't stop snacking! And I'm even choosing healthy snacks like nuts and celery. I'm trying a new thing called "Isagenix," which I found out about from a fellow blogger. So far I'm not so good at keeping to the plan, because I'm so ravenously hungry all the time. What I wouldn't give to be back on Metformin when I could barely bring myself to eat once a day, let alone all the time. *sigh* I hate this.

New Diet

I'm starting a diet. I have so much weight to lose (20 babies pounds and 20-40 from pre-babies) and breastfeeding is not dropping the weight off like *everyone* says it will. Obviously I'm going to be doing this safely...I'm not stupid. The diet is called Start Fresh and it's a kosher diet!! Wooo! They even sell kosher diet food (crazy expensive). They give you recipes, including traditional ones for Shabbos and tell you what kinds of things you can and should be eating to help lose the weight the right way. I'm quite excited to get started even though it will mean I actually have to cook--ICK! I hate cooking with a passion. I'd rather be doing nearly anything else.

I'm also job searching. I need to find a position that will pay me enough to pay for a Nanny and actually bring home a "profit" after taxes. We have to pay the bills and this is the only way I know how. Obviously my main search is within Citizens Bank (where I already work), but I don't know if they have any appropriate positions for me to come into. I'm looking to be an executive administrative assistant, so if anyone has any ideas, let me know!

My Decision

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and suggestions in my last post! I decided to go ahead and "do it." Hopefully my OB won't find out... hehe :-)

Sorry for the lack of posts, but life around here is nuts. I barely have time to check my email or do anything else, so blog posts get put way down on the priority list. :-(

The twins are doing very well, but I'm terrified for the day when there's no one here for me to call to when both are screaming at once or I need extra help. Yikes! They're both gaining weight well, and the fenugreek that I'm taking seems to be helping my milk supply. My biggest issue is generally with the evening feedings when I've been feeding them almost non-stop all day long. By that point, there's no milk left and my nipples start to itch from being nibbled on so much. On the days when they feed less often during the day, then I don't generally have that problem. I also can't wean them off of the nipple shields. My son has such a strong suck that I can only nurse him for a minute or two before the pain is too much for me. He has trouble with the latch--he gets on fine and then tries to slide down the nipple so he doesn't have as much in his mouth. OUUUUCH! My daughter flat out refuses to suck at all if I'm not wearing the nipple shield. She'll pull off and then start crying. *sigh*

I splurged and bought a Wii Fit the other day. I'm really looking forward to working out with it, becuase this belly bulge has got to go! I'm about 60 lbs over my ideal weight, even though I don't look it. I'm going to put a weight loss ticker on my blog so you guys will keep me honest. :-) And, in case you were wondering, I am 4' 10.5" tall, so 100 lbs IS my ideal weight...