Robot Nursery

an adorable space themed nursery!
learn about all the details at buggieandjellybean.blogspot.com

Friday Weight Loss Check In

today is day 16 and not much has changed with my belly. i did lose 2.5 lbs in the past week (for a total of 16.5 lbs)! i now have 20.6 lbs left to lose. (i am eating between 1800-2200 calories/day plus a cheat day once in awhile!)

Six guidelines for safe dieting during lactation (from kellymom.com):

Wait until your baby is two months old before dieting
It’s best not to do anything consciously to lose weight until after the second month. This gives your body enough time to successfully establish a healthy milk supply that is less likely to be adversely affected if your caloric intake is restricted. Breastfeeding your baby, on average, burns 200-500 calories per day (above what you needed to maintain your pre-pregnancy weight) — so keep in mind that even without a weight loss program you are burning extra calories.

Breastfeed without restriction
Research tells us that both more frequent breastfeeding and breastfeeding longer than six months increases maternal weight loss.

Eat at least 1500-1800 calories per day
While nursing, you should not consume less than 1500-1800 calories per day, and most women should stay at the high end of this range. Some mothers will require much more than this, but studies show that going below this number may put supply at risk.

Keep weight loss at less than 1.5 pounds per week
Most moms can safely lose up to 1.5 pounds per week or 6 pounds per month after the second month and not affect milk supply or baby’s well being. One study has suggested that short-term weight loss of 2.2 pounds (1 kg) per week is not a problem (in this study, moms dieted for 11 days).

Decrease the calories gradually
A sudden drop in calories can reduce milk supply. Some moms notice this during an illness, although dehydration and/or medication use could also be a factor in reduced milk supply when mom is sick. It has been hypothesized that a sudden calorie decrease can cause mom’s body to go into “starvation mode” and cut nonessential resources such as milk production.

2 under 2

i’ve received a few emails asking how i am adapting to having 2 children 16.5 months apart.
so far so good…
i barely remember what life was like when i had only 1!
my daughter has very little interest in him yet. she does like to put her face close to his and say “hi!” she also tries to pat his head.
my son is asleep most of the time so it is pretty peaceful.

the 3 of us have made it to the grocery store (where i actually got a hug from a stranger because she thought it looked so difficult!)….but it really was not.
we also try and go on daily walks with our new stroller- LOVE it!

here are 2 pics from yesterday:
my daughter got a hold of the baby powder on the changing table (she thought it was sooo funny!)

and my son sleeping of course!

my new double stroller!

thanks to everyone for all the great advice on double strollers….i did a ton of research after this post and decided on the Baby Jogger City Mini Double!
i love it so far-
*very lightweight.
*so easy/smooth to push and turn (i can even push 1 handed!)
*folding it takes 2 seconds.
*large canopies to shade them from the sun.
*narrow enough to fit through a door.
*my son can lay flat in his seat while daughter is upright.
*…and both my children can see!

the only thing that is difficult is that there is not much room to store anything underneath… although it does have pockets on the back of each seat.

here is a pic from my iPhone on our walk yesterday:

Light Pink Baby Nursery

a beautiful nursery by emmmylizzzy. i think this is the perfect pink paint color! (Silk Sheets by Valspar)

Newborn Photography Tips

i know many of you are due any day now so i must share these photography tips that i learned on lilsugar.com (by Nancy Alcott)

* To get the adorable shots of your baby curled up, start early — really early. My very best posed shots are captured within the first week to 10 days of life. Brand new babies are accustomed to being knotted up in funny positions and the best poses are often when they’re curled up. If this is what you’re trying to capture, you’ll have a better success rate if they’ve not grown accustomed to a good, long stretch.

* Brand-new babies are best captured while they’re in deep sleep. Fill your little one’s belly beforehand and turn the heat up a few notches to ensure a deeper slumber. You want your newborn completely zonked to allow you to pose her without fear of accidentally stirring her from her sleep.

* Use natural light. Place your baby as close to a large natural light source as possible. Use a window or sliding glass door, which provides ample, indirect light to blanket your baby in the perfect, brilliant light.

* Automatic mode can help ensure a decent snapshot but to get the best photograph, choose “portrait” mode, or for the more adventurous types with more advanced cameras, “aperture” mode. Experimenting with these modes can create beautiful artistic effects by blurring out the background and drawing attention to your baby’s face.

* Bring your own blankie. Try posing your baby on blankets with interesting or chunky textures that have luxurious fabrics and weaves. This will add depth and dimension to your photo and frame your baby in a tranquil setting. If you want to shoot against a black backdrop, use black fleece, which absorbs the light, leaving just your sleeping baby as the focus.

Grey and Pink Nursery

an absolutely gorgeous nursery for a baby girl expected in late June! for more nursery photos visit the slideshow at kellyannstudio.blogspot.com. (for photography info visit kellyannstudio.com)

Sunday Afternoon

rexford=11 days old!