Nan’s 91st Birthday

*All photos on this blog post are copyright Shulamit Gehlfuss

I decided that Nans’ birthday would be the perfect time test out my ability to travel to San Antonio on my own with my three littles. We set out early (before 6am) and only had to make one stop about 40 minutes away from my parents house. Not bad for a three hour drive with three kiddos two and under! It also did wonders for my maternal confidence!

We enjoyed spending a few days visiting with my parents, my brother and Aunt Shula and were so happy to find Nan, who has experienced some serious health issues recently, in great spirits. She was all smiles when she spotted my boys. Nan has always lit up in the presence of small children and babies, as long as I can remember. When family would come and visit, it was all about the kids. And being one of “the kids” this always sat well with me. I am enjoying that aspect of her personality even more now that it is all about MY kids. She just loves these little boys so much. It makes her day/week/month when they are able to get over for a visit. We had a lovely morning visit with Nan on her birthday and Aunt Shula took some pictures of our visit. I had so wanted to get some of Nan with all three of my boys!

Elijah and Rory rocking the double stroller.

Patrick enjoyed his ride as well.

Elijah spots Nan!

Nan looking bright eyed at her visitors

Rory enjoyed Nan’s birthday beads.

My sweet Elijah holding Nan’s hand.

 

Patrick enjoyed some solo time on Nan’s lap

Nan and the three boys. I love this picture even though Nan blinked.

 

Elijah took Nan for a ride in her wheelchair.

Patrick and Rory both seem to prefer their hands to the pacifier at times.

Elijah is not so sure he wants to share his snack.

Elijah getting a good bye kiss from Nan

Rory kisses!

It is amazing. Nan used to seem so big to me when I was little. Now she seems so small. To be fair she IS smaller than she was but still. It is amazing how things change.

Patrick’s kisses

The night before there was a “Prom” for the residents. So on our way out I, of course, could not stand to miss the photo op. My handsome date is Patrick!

Mama Parish’s Meatloaf–Grain/Dairy Free

Chip has always loved my meatloaf. Since I have eliminated wheat from mine and Elijah’s diet for the most part, I have been trying to find a decent meatloaf recipe that falls in our dietary guidelines. I recently came across one that came close….but not quite. They always tasted like they were missing something. Then it occurred to me…….a secret ingredient. Gluten Free Pretzels instead of bread crumbs! So I gave it a try and you know what? DELICIOUS! So here is my new meatloaf recipe!

2 lbs ground beef

2 cups of mini pretzels
2 eggs
1 medium onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 tblsp onion powder
2 tblsp garlic powder
2 tblsp papri
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
optional–1/2 tsp ground mustard

Steps:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray an 8x8 pan with olive oil. ( I press the meat mixture into the 8x8 pan. If you don’t have that size, you can form a “loaf” and put in another size pan.
3.  Dice onions and mince garlic. Saute the onions in olive oil  until they are translucent and then add the garlic for a couple of minutes.  Do not burn the garlic!

4. Pulverize the pretzels in a food processor then mix with the eggs and seasonings in a large bowl.

5. Add the meat and the onion mixture. Be careful as onions will be hot. Mix everything together with your hands and then press into pan.

6. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes. A meat thermometer should show a temp of 165 degrees when temp is taken from the center of the meatloaf.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars–Gluten/Dairy Free

These are amazing! They taste like candy bars! A batch never lasts more than two days in our house!

• 1 cup natural nut butter….I like to use almond.
• 1/2 cup honey ….I use local….raw when I can find it
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries. Cherries are also really yummy.
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, if you prefer) I use dairy free.
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil over medium-low heat in the microwave for about a minute in a large microwave safe bowl.

Add chocolate chips and microwave for thirty second. Stir well.

Add in the oats, shredded coconut, nuts/raisins, and vanilla. Stir together until the chocolate is completely melted.

Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and cool in the fridge. If you’d like thicker bars, you can pour the mixture into a smaller pan.

When the mixture is hardened, cut into bars and eat. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Chocolate Refrigerator Oatmeal

I am always on the lookout for easy breakfasts. This healthy  chocolate oatmeal is super yummy, has lots of good stuff in it and you premake it so all you have to do is open the jar and enjoy!

1 cup Almond Milk, 1/2 cup almond milk yogurt or a mashed banana, 2 TBS cocoa powder, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 cup sweetner (honey, xylitol or whatever you prefer, 1 cup old fashioned oats, 1/4 cup protein powder

Combine in a bowl and mix with hand mixer. Put in mason jar overnight and enjoy!

Super yummy!

My "Moms Night Out" Day Out

It's has been a year and a half since I have been to the movies. The last movie I saw in the theater was Argo (awesome film!) in November 2012.....before that was right before I got pregnant with Elijah. I LOVE going to the movies but with my nausea during my first full term pregnancy followed by "mommyhood".....let's face it....there just hasn't been a whole lot of opportunity for it. It's something that I do miss....the whole movie experience.

Well yesterday, not only did I get to enjoy a fabulous movie....IN A THEATER.....it was a movie about the crazy thrill ride that is motherhood and I got to see if with the wonderful group of ladies that make up Time Out For Moms at our very own Spring Baptist Church. The church even provided childcare from 9-2 that day so we could enjoy our outing without having to rush!  My sweet friend Debra (who is expecting baby #2!) agreed to ride with me and wear one of my twins who got to enjoy their first movie since both are exclusively breastfed. If you are going to go to the movies with three month old twins....the best way to do it is a 10:49am showing, on a weekday...with a group of other moms. No one minded when my twins took 30 mins to get settled and were a bit cranky. There were dozens of loving arms willing to hold babies and help, though thankfully Patrick and Rory settled pretty early and  actually seemed to enjoy looking at the movie too. (And I am fine with that today by the way!) then they fell asleep. (Praise God!). 

The movie itself was incredible. It was funny, heartwarming and oh so true! I loved seeing so much I can related to. It seems all moms lose their mind at times, call their husbands asking (desperately) when they will be home to help. All moms feel "Do I deserve these precious children....can I handle this? Am I worthy" and in the same breath want to send their kids via UPS to Timbuktu. There were also some amazing reminders not to compare yourself to other moms, or to judge them. We are all just doing our best. Great message. Great movie. Great day. Thanks to Robin and Bambi for organizing it. Thanks to all the ladies for the fellowship had for loving me babies so much. Great way to start the summer!

My sweet boys on the way home. Elijah(in the very back) fell asleep and so did Patrick so I "got to" drive around for an hour. Just another day in Mommy's Paradise.

Thou Shalt Not Steal Thy Child's Joy.....

I recently finished reading (and will read again at least once) an AMAZING Christian parenting book called Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. This book really encompassed so much of what I hope to achieve both as a parent to my children as well as in my own journey of faith, love and devotion to Christ.  The basic concept of the book is to lead your children through example of God's Grace. This does not mean being a pushover and letting them get away with things. It also does not mean being militant and overly strict. It means that you lead by example and you have pure intentions as a foundation for you rules. In other words, it's not all about keeping up appearances.  The book is incredible and I highly recommend it, not only to parents but to anyone who wants a little more direction in their life..

One of the things that resonated with me in this book was where it discussed not taking away your child's joy. So often, children do things, say things, act a certain way, that isn't bad. In fact, it is not bad at all, no malicious intent....it's just, well, annoying. And sometimes the same thing that was fun one minute can be annoying the next. It is so temping to "reprimand" your child, or in my case, my child, when you are simply irritated because you are busy or in a hurry or something they are doing is just rubbing you the wrong way. Kimmel (and I) urge you to resist this.

My two year old, Elijah has such a big heart. He loves BIG! He has enthusiasm for everything he does. He is full of love and joy. And can he be annoying? Of course. But me cutting him short from a silly and harmless game he might be playing or questions he is asking can steal his joy. Sure, there may be instances when he doesn't give it a second thought. But then, you have that moment where you snap and say "Cut it out" or something along those lines and you see those big eyes get even bigger with the biggest hurt feelings you have ever seen. Now think. Were they really doing something wrong? Or did you. I don't know why this resonated with me so much but it is one of the lessons from the book that I have been able to really put into practice and I feel better about my parenting as a result. I think I did a pretty good job in this area anyway, but now I am so conscious of stealing his joy that it is the first thought that  pops in my head (normally) when that "cut it out" instinct kicks in. Now, don't get me wrong. First of all, I have LOTS of other areas that I need to work on. Parenting is definitely a journey, not a destination. And even with this particular aspect, there are days when I lack. And on those days, I apologize. Yup! I look my big baby boy in the eyes, tell him I am sorry then ask him if I can give him a hug. And he always forgives me. How amazing is that. He ALWAYS forgives me. There is totally another lesson in that. But I digress.

We are given such an amazing gift in the children we have in our lives. Not just our own, that call us Mama and Daddy but the ones that look up to us, that watch us, that bask in the glow of our approval and attention. It it takes one word, one look for that joy to come crashing down. So much power for one person (you, me) to have.

Rory & Patrick: Three Months Old!

The so called “Fourth Trimester” is officially over. My babies are three months old. It is amazing how slow three months can go by when you are waiting to get pregnant or even when you are actually pregnant (especially that first three months!) and then how quickly it goes by once your babies are actually here. Time flies when you are having fun…and busy….and overwhelmed….and did I say having fun? It has been a whirlwind three months and this last month especially with the celebration of Easter and Elijah’s birthday, the twins baby dedication, a visit from Papa John and Granny and just life in general. My boys (all three of them!) continue to grown, develop and thrive and make their Daddy and me so very proud to be their parents.
Rory: As of this morning Rory is just barely twelve pounds two ounces. He is in the 38th percentile for weight. I am not sure about length. As my mom has told me, the length of a baby is to hold them upside down. I may do that with her guidance when we go visit at the end of the month but for now we just assume his length is about average. He has such a cute little body. I just love the little baby rolls on his thighs. He’s not a fat baby by any means but he is “curvier” than his twin and I love enjoying their differences as much as their similarities. It’s just so cool have TWO babies!
Rory has been able to roll over on beds and couches (with supervision of course) for about a month but did it on the harder surface of the floor for the first time a couple of days ago! To me, that is when it really counts since there is no gravity to help. It was all his strength and maneuvering. I managed to get the second time he did it on video and he continued to roll over and over again. Yesterday he got about halfway from back to tummy but I think he prefers to be on his back and side so he didn’t complete that task. Rory is my social butterfly. He loves to be in the middle of the action and is quite content most of the time as long as he is being held or worn. He LOVES to be worn! He seems to have figured out that if he stays up when his brothers are napping/sleeping he gets all the attention because that is exactly what he does! He seems to require a lot less sleep then either of his brothers. His naps haven’t really fallen into a schedule and vary greatly on length but most of the time he is a pretty happy guy (though right now we are in the middle of a “wonder week” so there is a little extra crankiness). Rory loves taking baths with his Mama and would be content to stay in there and nurse, cuddle and swim for hours I think.
Because I juggle two babies, a toddler, a husband a dog and managing a house, it become necessary for me to actually put my babies down occasionally (a concept that was foreign to me with Elijah). Rory loves to hang out on the tummy time mat. He naps pretty well in the Rock N Play and occasionally the swing. The swing is great for awake time because there is a mirror and a mobile that he can look at. He also LOVES to sit in the bouncy when we eat dinner or if I am cooking something that splatters (which means I won’t wear him for safety reasons). He enjoys our walks and usually falls asleep while we are out.
Rory LOVES to talk! He is extremely vocal. He makes the sweetest baby noises and I just love “chatting” with him. He laughs all the time. One sure fire way to get giggles out of him is to sing “If You’re Happy And You Know It”. He seems to love music in general because whenever he is fussy or I can’t get to him right away, all I have to do is play some music for him and he becomes quiet so he can listen. He is definitely our child.
Patrick: Patrick has made it to double digits! Our tiny guy is now ten pounds and in the fifth percentile (he had been in the third). He eats very well, sleeps extremely well. He is just a petite baby. I just bask in the sweetness of his “littleness”. I love it. It is so much fun to have a tiny (and still healthy) baby. When  lying down next to Rory, Patrick appears to be about an inch shorter but as I said, I am not exactly sure about lengths.
Patrick is not a hug fan of tummy time. He can lift his head up a bit and he moves his feet around like a madman. He is always kicking kicking kicking. In fact, his legs are so strong, he has been standing while holding my fingers for over a month. It’s incredible…and funny to see such a skinny baby accomplish this but those legs are STRONG! He will hold on to my fingers and pull himself up to standing position. It’s surprising to anyone who sees him do it. Patrick is an observer. He is often quietly alert taking it all in. Due to his reflux,  he went through a really rough and cranky period but since I have been more strict about eliminating certain things from my diet, he seems to have I improved.  He still struggles with his reflux. I see my poor baby choking as his milk comes back up….or sometimes as he’s nursing and it just breaks my heart to see. But as I have said, he is our strong, brave boy and he does not let it get the best of him. Many times, he won’t even cry when it happens. He just catches his breath and I will give him his pacifier which seems to sooth his  esophagus spasms. One this about this baby, he can SLEEP! Seriously, I have no trouble getting this little boy down to nap. He naps in the nursery in the Rock N Play and he begins the night’s sleep in the Rock N Play. I move him to the bed with Rory and me when we go up. (I told you Rory was a night owl!). Patrick goes to bed around six or so and wakes up maybe twice to nurse before waking up around 6 in the morning. Then he will nurse and enjoy HIS “only child” time as we visit and I get ready for my day, then he is back down for another couple of hours! Patrick is a morning baby. He is nothing but smiles when we get up in the morning. His eyes just light up as we tiptoe out of the nursery (so we don’t wake Rory) and lay in the big bed and “talk”. Patrick talks the most in the morning. He really seems like he is trying to say something and he listens intently when I “respond” to him. Such a smart boy!
Both boys just love their big brother and Elijah is every the helper. He talks to them all the time. “Hey buddy”. “Here ya go buddy”. He loves to help replace rogue pacifiers and rock them when they are crying. He will push the Rock N Play over to me if I am nursing someone and the other starts crying. Such an amazing big brother. And the twins are really starting to get bright eyes when they see Elijah. They already adore him as he does them!

Tummy time for two!

So much joy in that face!

Such a happy boy.

Just hanging out

Such sweet eyes

He is always smiling!

I love putting them in their bumbos so they can “chat”

My little ham

My tiny guy

Wassup ladies…..

Rory doing his push ups

Thinking about rolling over

Such a cutie!

Happy boy!

Sweet Patrick. (He did not feel like cooperating as much today so there are less photos of him this time).

I just LOOOOVE that little face!

So serious

This picture is funny because Patrick looks so big.

Twinspiration!

Brothers

I just love my three boys!

My heart is full……

I see more resemblances every day......

Twin Postpartum Body: The Plan

I have to admit, I was unprepared for the “aftermath” that is my body right now. Yes, I find my body beautiful for what it did. I carried two babies full term and managed to gain the same amount of weight (40lbs) as I did with my singleton. (There will be lots of exact number in this post. I am using this post to make myself accountable for my goals so if numbers make you uncomfortable, you might want to skip this one). So, as I was saying, yes I do love my body for what it did. I am a rare unicorn that had two kinds of birth within the same hour (vaginal and true emergency caesarean). I love that I kept my babies safe in my womb and I am not ashamed of my current body. I will say that again so that perhaps I will believe it this time. I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THS POSTPARTUM BODY! I truly loved my naked pregnant body. It was amazing to me and beautiful….the hills and valleys that made up my baby bump were truly a marvel. And there is something so sweet about bulges that have babies beneath the surface. But what happens once those bulges deflate? You are left with what appears to be, well, a deflated balloon of a belly and while that is not the ideal, that doesn’t really bother me as much as the areas that are still, well, inflated. So while I love and appreciate my body and all it has done, I would like to fit into my whole wardrobe eventually so I decided that if this is even a possibility, I need to commit! Here are my stats for the whole cyber world to see. (all about being accountable for me).

Prepreg weight: 132lbs

Current weight: 138lbs

Goal weight: 130 (ambitious, yes but I was able to lose 10 extra pounds after Elijah so I am just aiming for two this time!)

So what is the actual plan? Well here it is!

1. Modified crunches (150/day working up to 300). I have a condition called Diastasis Recti which is separation of the stomach muscles. This is common in twin pregnancy and mine is pretty moderate but something I would like to go away eventually. You have to be careful with what abdominal and core exercises you do because many make it worse. My crunches are basically me laying down with my legs stretched out flat on the floor and curling my head to my chest then back down.

2. Squats (150/day working up to 300). This exercise has replaced kegals in the natural birth community and I am glad cause I HATE kegals! This is suppose to help strengthen the pelvic floor….very helpful when dealing with incontinence…another surprise this postpartum body. I never had this problem with Elijah but for some reason I am having a really hard time with this now and it is very frustrating. It seems to be worse when I get stressed or irritated like if I have to holler at Wrigley for going after Elijah’s food, I pee myself. Not fun. I am really hoping these squats pay off eventually but the good news is the benefit is twofold because they are also great for your legs!

3. Walks. I try to get out with the kids for 45 minute walks most days. This will get harder as it gets hotter but we do our best

4. Signing up for an end of summer 5K. This give me a goal. I will run a 5K by the end of the summer. I ran one once before and actually placed 3rd for my division. This time my goal is just to run it in under 30 minutes. Then maybe I will try a 10K (something I have NEVER done!). Chip has agreed to help me train for this and maybe do it with me so I am looking forward to lots of 20 minute runs in the evenings when Chip gets home from work.

Well, there you have it. I am always open to suggestion that would help meet this goals so if you have any, please feel free to share! To close, I am going to share my photos of where I am at right now as well as a fun one of where I started.

Love my pregnant body

I’ll check back in in about a month!