This was taken on Sunday on the way to a brithday party! Guess she thought she'd have a snooze and save her energy for the party, lol. 

My weight loss goal

Went to WW this morning and down 1lb. That’s 3.5 lb in 4 weeks. Not bad I suppose.

The words ”Slow and steady wins the race” come to mind!

If I’m to be totally honest, then I need to make a decision, based on how I answer the following questions.

• Am I happy with my rate of progress? _{If so, then fine. I carry on as I am doing and can continue to have my little treats here and there, make 80% healthy choices & keep up with the current level of exercise.}

• Do I want to see faster / better results? If so, then I need to step it up a gear. Cut out the “lyte” bar of choc and low-fat crisps. Stick to the plan and increase my exercise.

So, which is it to be?????

Right now I can’t give an honest answer. I want to lose weight for the upcoming wedding, I want to lose weight for going back to work in January but I’m losing sight of the real reason I started and that was to get my body back in shape and be healthy, just in case we try for another baby some time in the next 18 months.

I’d like to be in the ‘bestest’, tip top shape my body can be in cause pg takes a lot out of me and following so closly to Lauren’s birth could just be so wrong for me.

See more progress on: Lose Weight and Get Healthy

Jabs & Sleep

Lauren got her second set of shots this morning.

So far, so good.

Why oh why, when there are at least 3 of them in the room, do they not take a leg each and do it at the same time? This would save on Lauren's pain and my anxiety!

I must admit, however, she didn't cry for long and I made sure to point out the person responsible for the discomfort. Her cards are marked as far as Lauren is concerned!

***


Night before last Caitlin had a nightmare. About a crocodile. Poor love was distraught, no more Peter Pan for her! It took nearly 3 hours before she fell asleep again.

This morning Lauren decided to try and wake at 4am but I was able to ssh her over until 6.30am.

I was still a bit pissed with this time but I had made a deal with God earlier, like at 4am, and asked that if she went back to sleep for at least another 2 hours, I promised to get up out of bed, take her down stairs and not complain. So it had to be done.

Of course, this was the morning Caitlin decided to have a lie in until 8am. First words out of her mouth when I went into wake her "There was no crocodile last night Mummy"

My girls are just out of sinc with each other!

This goal has to happen in 2006

I return to work in Jan’06 after 6 months maternity leave but due to high childcare costs, I have to pluck up the courage to apply to work from home some days or amend my hours.

See more progress on: work from home more often

My Nails

I just noticed the other day that the nails on my right hand are getting long. Well, when I say long I mean I have a little white bit on top and they are just about peeking over my finger tips. Go me !!!!!

So I thought that if I can achieve this on one hand without even trying, how hard is it to have a matching set.

My goal is to have long-ish natural nails for my friends wedding on 25 November and not having to resort to false ones.

To help this along I applied clear polish and tonight I will give myself a mini manicure.

(Disclaimer, I’ve already noticed that the baby finger nail is going to break soon and that’s got nothing to do with me. I’ve noticed a few sideways cracks in the nail!)

See more progress on: grow my nails

Update

I've been neglecting my blog recently so I should update, starting with the girls.

Lauren is doing great. We're nearly sleeping through again. For the most part she is. She gets a bit unsettled anywhere between 4 - 6 am but doesn't really waken up. I gently ssh her back to sleep by putting a hand on her chest or if I have to I'll lift her for a few minutes and put her back in her basket.

Speaking of her basket, I don't think she will get to Christmas in it! We may have to introduce the cot a bit earlier than planned as she is nearly the length of the moses basket.

Lauren is due her second set of shots on Thursday. I delayed getting them the other week cause she was out of sorts but I think we'll go for it on Thursday. Not looking forward to it, especially after last time and ending up in hospital.

Also, like her sister before her, Lauren is losing the hair at the sides of her head. Looks quite funny but we know it will look a lot worse before it gets better! Caitlin had a middle section about 2 - 3 inches long and was bald right the way round. We thought she was just beautiful but looking back at the pictures .... lol

Caitlin is doing well also. She just loves Playgroup and all her little friends. Her *best* friends are Lauren & Megan. Caitlin now says "My sister Lauren" or "My friend Lauren" when talking about either girl! She also started Girl's Brigade a few weeks back and goes one night a week for an hour. The first week she came home with a little pot which had soil & seeds in it. The second week she had made a little marshmallow & chocolate bun. Her group are called The Ladybirds, which she loves cause her sticker beside her coat hook in Playgroup is also a Ladybird!

She has come on in leaps & bounds in the last two months. She talks constantly. Non-stop. Tells me stories of her day, who has been good and who has been bad at Playgroup. She tells me about the books they read and sings the songs they learn with all the actions thrown in for good measure. She has now taken to saying Grace before meals (like they do in Playgroup) and last night explained what they have to do if there is a fire!

Her enthusiasm knows no bounds. She is growing up before my eyes, fast, very fast. I'm hanging on to her coat tails and trying to keep up but sometimes I get sad. My baby is turning into a big girl before I'm ready.

Caitlin's recent biggest achievement is coming of the dummy. It was her 3rd birthday on the 03 October and we saved the doll's house until she came home from Playgroup. We told her we had a very special surprise for Big Girls who are 3 and don't suck dummies. Well of course she decided this was her! She went out to the bin and her daddy lifted her up to throw her 2 dummies away. Then she got her present.

That night she cried & cried. I sat her on my knee on her bed and told her thing like ... she could do this. She was a big girl and she could go to sleep without a dummy. Mummy & Daddy were very proud of her and we knew it was hard but we also knew she could do it.She stopped crying and said "OK, Mummy, but I'm just very sad!" I got her new Jessie (Toy Story) doll and told Jessie to mind her tonight cause it was a big night for Caitlin, going to bed without dummies but mummy & daddy knew she could do it. She climbed into bed and that was that, she doesn't even steal Lauren's.

OK, last photo for a while!

This is my new favorite pic. Caitlin wanted a picture taken with her sister and her new birthday presents, I went to get the camera and came back and found this! I could have swore there was a baby in seat when I left the room, lol.

(Since I've found this 'hello' feature it makes posting them a lot easier.)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Princess xxxxx 

This is Lauren checking out her hands! They look good, don't ya think?! 

Hands

Lauren has found her hands!

I think she found them yesterday and she hasn't stopped looking at them since. I think she likes what she sees.

She had been batting toys for a while now but I knew these were involuntary actions but it is now cute to see her turn her hands over and over, opening & closing her fists, whilst watching in wonder at the sight before her!

A Big Week in the Life of Lauren

A monumental week for Lauren as she had her 1st spoon-fed!

“Spoon feed” being the key word here as she only managed a few morsels.

As the spoonful of Orange & Banana flavoured baby rice met her lips, her little eyes lit up. She knew it wasn’t milk and knew she was onto something.

Whilst she managed a little, most was pushed back out, spooned back in, pushed out & spooned back in etc. She has got the idea but it’s baby steps for now. I’m not worried about how much she eats only that she experiences the taste and enjoys the textures.

I must be mad to introduce this now cause my little angle is off her formula at the moment, dropping an ounce here & there through the day, which makes her hungry at night and means she is waking up again!

Generally bottle times have become a nightmare. Even though she is hungry and jumps on the teat, she pulls away after a few seconds and soaks herself, her bib and me in the process. She then jumps back on the teat again and so we repeat until she settles down.

Talk about feeling guilty for getting frustrated by her behaviour!

She would cry, I’d check her nappy, check when her next feed was due and then give lots of cuddles. But when she cries it means she is teething, has thrush and her damn mouth is sore and on fire!

“Mummy, wake up & listen”

Did I mention she is teething. Well she is ~ big style!

Blowing bubbles, eating her hands (and anything else that crosses the path of her mouth), bright red cheeks, dribbling and using up to 4 bibs a day!