We have a busy Spring and Summer. Visits to Florida, fun with friends.
Isabel and growing up so fast repeating every word we say and learning to use the potty.
She cracks me up every day. She is so smart and confident.
Hopefully, I will more pictures to post of our summer activities and the shananagins Isabel gets into.
This Christmas all I wanted to do was sit back and watch Christmas through the eyes of Isabel. She was elated about every present. Most importantly she was excited about all the love she received from family and friends.
Since everyone left on New Year's Day... she went through withdrawals and became a little bit of a challenge. Hopefully we will reestablish routine soon.
I am excited about this year with our family. I am hoping God will provide Andy with a job and both of us with strength and humbleness in dealing with a 2 year old (come February 11).
I am hoping my family can also visit for Isabel's birthday and I am already thinking about decorations and how my cousins (Michelle and Pattie) can help me prepare. I could never get through it without them.
Isabel is hopefully coming to the end of ear infections. She is already on her second round of antibiotics in 4 weeks and several sleepless nights for both of us.
She is repeating EVERYTHING. Her favorite thing to do is to boss everyone around... I think I have a challenge on my hand. She is my daughter in the she LOVES ACCESORIES (hats, necklaces, bracelets, SHOES). The most amusing thing she has done lately: She won't keep her pants on... we had to tell her repeatedly one night to put her pants on.
Well that's enough of rambling thoughts. Hope you have a great year!
"Happy Fall Ya'll" was what I saw on every fall craft at the Autumn Leaves Festival in Mt. Airy this past weekend. It was cute at first, but then became annoying. What was even more annoying was the heat on an Autumn DAY!!! What in the world? I am ready for the cool temps.
My dad and step-mom came to visit this past weekend and we had a great time eating, crafting, and they watched football... I fell asleep. Isabel loved hanging out with her Granddaddy and Gram. Thye gave her lots of hugs and kisses and read lots of books. She slept through the night peacefully.
Lately, she has been waking up in the middle of the night crying out. Some nights I am completely selfish and can't take it. But, I am at a loss as to what to do. I am trying out different solutions to encourage a peaceful night for her. Any ideas are welcome!
Since Isabel is so much of a highlight for us...I'll talk about her some more. She makes us laugh all the time. She repeats everything we say and she still LOVES to dance. We ask her to sing a song and she will start swaying her head back and forth and sing unidentifiable words. She is still extremely picky in what she eats, but I promise... I do try new things. Her favorite meal would be Bojangles Chicken and Mac & Cheese.
We have been to the fair this Fall with Andy's family and she had her first funnel cake (she liked it). She did not like Italian Ice, Strawberry Ice Cream, and she rarely eats potatoes/french fries. I am excited to begin developing Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions with her. Just talking about these 2 hoidays gets me excited.
Our plans for Halloween is to participate in Andy's sister's church's Fall Festival on October 13. My plan is for her to be a butterfly (we have the wings and more) or a punk/80s rocker (she has a cool RUN DMC shirt my sister got for her and silver tulle skirt.) The butterfly is first choice, but she may protest the wings that day!
Anyways... enough for now... Happy Fall Ya'll... HA!
Isabel is growing up so fast. She is "using her words," but still has her own language. She loves two things... maybe three: Music, Water, and Bojangles. She loves chicken! Put on a good song and Isabel will stomp her feet, flap her arms, and spin in circles. She is constatn entertainment. This past month we went to Badin Lake with Andy's family and Hanging Rock! She loved time in the pool and time wading in the water of the falls.
Once again her monumental check-up ended up in a postponement of shots due to an ear infection. She finally finished up her antibiotic and now she is scheduled for shots soon!
The one thing I reoccuringly say is that Isabel is a ham. She NEVER meets a stranger although big guys scare her at first. Once she warms up to you she will come and visit but never for long.
I can't wait for FALL and the holidays! Christmas will be a blast this year!
Isabel had her 1st birthday on Thursday, February 11. We had a party for her on Saturday and I was a bit worried since it snowed a few inches in our neck of the woods on Friday night. We had so much fun with friends and family. It really was the best day so far this year. Isabel did great and we were blessed with so many hugs, well wishes, fun books, exciting toys and beautiful clothes and comfy pjs. Isabel will always be cute thanks to family and friends!
She did great with her cake. A little embarrased when we sang to her, but once she got her hands on the cupcake she was uncertain as to what to do. SHe tasted it but then no more. She was done. Hopefully, those who took video will share with me.
She is such a cutie and so happy all the time. Even with the worst of earache she is smiling! God has truly blessed us with a child who is happy, full of personality, and knows what she wants. We are laerning to let her grow by letting her do thigns herself, but it is a hard lesson for us as much as it is for her. She wants to do it on her own and we want to do it for her. WIth God's strength and wisdom, he will show us how to do it, as well as help her learn and grow.
Thanks to all for making our life so full and for being such a godly testimony to us. We appreciate most of all your love and prayers that speak into our lives and makes us better friends, family, and parents.
It is absolutely beautiful here. The snow has covered the ground and I think we will be able to make a huge snow man this year! I am all ready to take Isabel outside for her first snow. I wish she could enjoy it as much as we can, but she has many more years. Every message we have received yesterday was friends calling to cancel all plans for the weekend. Disappointing, but then it is nice to cozy up by the fire in your pjs and eat all the sausage and cheese dip I was going to fix for a cancelled party. :)
So Isabel's "tricks" this month is pulling up and letting go with one hand. She is slowly moving away from conking her head, now it seems she steps forward and does a face-plant. We are trying to be good parents and help her shake it off and get back up. SHe has done so well. I think she will be walking before we know it.
This past month has been so busy and, sadly, Andy's grandmother passed away at the age of 90. She was the sweetest grandmother ever. She loved playing with her great-grandchildren. I hate that we are not able to spend the holidays with her from here on.
Christmas is low key for us this year. We are gearing up to visit family in Florida and watching Isabel eat wrapping paper.
Gotta go for now... Isabel just woke up.
I just want to say how thankful I am for my family and especially for Andy and Baby-bel. They really surprise me every day. Isabel is moving forward and starting to recognize when we are getting ready to take a picture. It is so cute. When she crawls she looks like Godzilla making one piunding movement after another. When we go to take her picture she sits up nice and straight and then relaxes when we are through.
She has two teeth on the bottom and we think her top ones will be coming in soon. She eats most baby food but loves apple strawbeery banana mix or peaches the best. At thanksgiving she tried mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, turkey and cranberry salad... of course the cranberries were her fav.
She has learned to throw fits and she will kick her legs and flail her arms and cry REAL loud. I am like, "All this because i put you down on the floor for 1 second?" It is true, she likes to stay attached to our hips or in the baby carrier walking around with us doing daily chores.
Life in our hosuehold always stays busy and entertaining. We can't wait for Christmas. Thankfully as of thanksgiving day. Every one was bought for. Now it is the month long of wrapping and cooking!
Happy Holidays and I hope God is blessing richly as He has us.
So Isabel's new trick is to get on all fours and rock. It won't be long before she is crawling. But, until then, she rolls all over the place. (check out my new video post for her rockin')
The leaves are changing and Isabel and oblivious. I wonder what she will think when it starts snowing. She defintely can feel the weather change because we bundle her up like we are packing her up to move and on't want her to break or shift in the move. Somehow, she stills manages to get her hands free!
She has the CUTEST knit hat that my friend Carol made her. I will take a picture of her in it soon and post it. It is blue and matches her eyes so well.
My family is coming again and we will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary while my sister and brother-in-law celebrate their 8th! We are going to a Japanese steakhouse and a concert without the kids! Yay! I have really been looking forward to that.
Gotta go for now. Have a great week!
My mom and Aunt Pattie came to visit last week and we had so much fun! It was great to spend time with them adn shop until we drop. Our favorite part was going to Maxie B's in Greensboro and getting a slice of cake. As usual, Isabel loved every minute of it.
Today, we took her to the Dixie Classic Fair along with Andy's mom and sister. Since she is so nosey... she LOVED IT! She also took a nice little nap while we were strolling around too! We went early in the day and ate our way through the fair. There was a minimal crwod and the weather was perfect. I loved looking at all the flowers. Isabel was fun to watch her staring down the chilckens and following the pigs around the track in the swift swine race. Good memories.
We are now looking forward to my mom and sister and her family coming to visit us at the end of October.
PS... no new tricks from Isabel. Just rolling over and doing her crunches trying to sit up on her own.
It has been a while since I have posted anything. The fall is always my busiest time of year at work. On top of that, we went to Florida at the beginning of august and then on August 22 my step-father passed away sending us back. In fact the last pictures we have of him are with Isabel and the last time he played golf (his favorite thing to do) was with Andy.
It is funny how when I have not seen people in a few weeks they ask if Isabel is doing any new tricks. After two months, yes she is! She has mastered the art of eating lots of oatmeal and lots of fruits and veggies. We have discovered that by far, peaches are her favorite. She is like a little bird. Before you can get a nother spoonful, she opens her mouth wanting more! We had to go today to stock up on more food because she east so much. She eats oatmeal and a fruit every morning and a veggie and a fruit every evening.
Besides eating, Isabel rolls all over the place. Her head is like a pivot point and her little body rolls a full 360 degrees. We walk away and come back and somehow she is the opposite direction. She is also doing crunches lifting her neck and head and thus her feet come up too because she wants to sit up. I know she will be doing it on her own soon.
I am loving the almost full nights of sleep. It is the hardest thing for me to get up in the mornings. I told Andy I would love one day where I could just sleep in. Instead I have to settle for naps here and there.
My favorite thing about Isabel is that she is THE BEST shopper! She never has thrown a fit or made going to store to store unbearable. She is also an excellent traveler. She did great on our first drive to Florida. The second trip we flew and she was PERFECT! I was so afraid we would have the screaming baby, but her bottle and paci saved the day!
A source of prayer is for God to send Andy a job. Also for my mother as she is still learning to grieve the loss of her husband. Pray for me to manage my time well and be more disciplined.
Lots of love!
The weekend was fun. We had breakfast on Friday with Andy's mom (Joyce), his sister (Cherlene), and the kids (Ethan & Abby). They came back to the house and played with Isabel and Ethan & Abby helped me fix chocolate chip cookies from scratch... yummy!
On Saturday we slept in and then got ready for the lake. We picked up ANdy's dad (Rick) on the way. It was a beautiful breezy day and we had the most fun relaxing on the blanket taking in all the fun on the water.
We made new friends with Misty and her two month old daughter (Lilly Bell). The girls were so cute together.
Uncle Jeff took us for a ride around the lake on teh boat and Isabel immediately fell asleep. We had her helmet off for a while and the whole boat ride her long locks were blowing in the wind.
We left just before the fireworks and Isabel was worn out. She did not bust a move out of her blanket at all the whole night. She layed solid until 6 am woo hoo!
This week we are looking forward to her Plastic surgery appointment where they will check how her head is doing in the helmet and make adjustments. We are hoping for a good report that she can get it off sooner.
Oh... Isbael is in full roll mode. She rolls her body over now when she is sleeping and she seems to like sleeping on her side. Hopefully I can sneeak a picture one night.
Keep praying for Andy to find a job. We are still waiting on the Lord to show us His ploans for our family.
Much Love and Happy 4th! Check out the new pcis in 4 month album!
This week was a busy week for Isabel. She had her 4 month check-up with a shot in each leg... ouch! She is now 25 inches long (50-75%), 12 lbs 8.2 oz (25-50%), and a little head 15.5 inches (<5%). She is really strong and scrappy! Oh.. we get to start her on rice cereal! I think she will go for it since she stares our food down when we eat (she is like her mother)!
On Wednesday she had her second physical therapy apt. I was mildly embarassed because she cried 90% of the time. At first she was fine and the therapist could she how much she had progressed. Then it went downhill. She was not able to work with Isabel because Scrappy-bel came out and resisted. The therapist gave up and pulled out a giant stuffed frog to show me how to do Isabel's stretches that she needs every day.
Ever since then she has been a drama queen. Yesterday she went to Ethan's pool party and did OK... it was just crazy hot. That pool, and encouragement from our doctor, lead us to by a pool for Bel from WalMart. They did not have a swimsuit in her size, but thank godness for the consignment shop just around the corner from our house. They had one her size from the Children's Place for $1.50! Too cute and just right!
After the pool party yesterday, we went to Andy's softball game and it was her first time at the fields. Again, really hot! But she was not happy unless she was up on my shoulder looking around. My friend Leah has dubbed her as nosey. She resists going to sleep because she wants to see whats going on. SO needless to say, I had an overtired child on my hand last night! Yikes.
Getting the pool today did not put her in a better mood either. I practiced my mom bribe skills by telling her that if she does not straighten up, she will not get to swim in the pool! Ha! Maybe one day that will work. The pool lasted for about 15 minutes and Andy worked about 30+ minutes getting the water in there and trying to take the chill off. We will have to try again tomorrow, maybe...
And if I have not said... she is finally sleeping through the night! Yippeee! (Cry it out worked!)
I know many people have different opinions on techniques to help assist your child in falling asleep. This weekend we started the Cry It Out method with Isabel. No worries... the nervous mom I am watched her on the monitor to make sure she was truly OK. She is almost on her way to healthy sleep! Last night she woke up once and cried for 20 minutes and again and cried for 10 minutes and then woke up at 5:30! All of this in her new crib in her own room! Yea!
Isabel also went to the nursery for the first time on Sunday and it was such a huge ministry to me. I felt like a big nerd. I did not know what to do really and even signed Isabel in writing my name under Child's Name. Church was wonderful and I felt I could truly focus and worship. When I picked her up they were so sweet. They had fed her, she had a nap, and they changed her diaper. They reassured me and said, "We Love Isabel." That made me feel like a proud mom.
Isabel also got to spend some quality time with her "Aunt" Leah. That was a huge blessing to me too. It is wonderful to have friends who love you and your child! Isabel did well for Leah too and that made me feel great. She is growing up to be a big girl!
If I haven't said, Isabel is talking more and more every day. I told Andy we have a talker on our hands. She tells us so many things that we can not yet understand. She has also been rolling to her left side some. So cute!
We start physical therapy on Wednesday for her torticollis. I will let you know later how it goes. At the end of the month she will have her four month checkup. Whew! Have I said that I need a nap! (Andy let me go to bed at 8:00 last night...I needed it!
The plagiocephaly helmet was fitted for Isabel yesterday! She has done amazingly well so far. A little frustrated at times, but nothing keeps her from eating, sleeping, and pooping. Right now she is even playing on her play mat... which now should be her official wrestling mat.
I have posted a few pictures in her 3 month album.
Pray that she will not have to wear it long and that we can get an appointment for her her physical therapy sooner than June 10!
It has been a while since I wrote an entry. The past several weeks have been a whirlwind!
Isabel was vaccinated and referred to a plastic surgeon. She has plagiocephaly (flattened head) that is a result of her torticollis (shortened muscle in the neck). The good thing is that she does not realize any of this! It is us who realizes she now has to wear a helmet that looks like she is on a girls wrestling team. It is us who are disappointed at her possible loss of beautiful hair due to the rubbing of the helmet. She is none the wiser. I hope she keeps her smiling and laughing demeanor!
I had my first Mother’s Day and I could not have asked for more. My family was in town and Isabel was dedicated. After her dedication I had about 21 people at the house for lunch. With all the excitement, it did not feel like Mother’s Day. I was celebrating Isabel and her dedication more than anything else. She was so cute! She had a handmade dress from Betsy Robinson and our Elevate pastor (and my boss), Will Toburen, did her dedication. It was so sweet.
While Megs and the boys were hear, we took her three months pictures and the kids were so cute. My mom was able to jump in to and make a beautiful memory with the kids.
I feel so blessed and am so proud of Isabel. I want to be the mom that when you ask for a picture, I whip out my photo album… I wish I was even more on it that it could be a creative memories album. But I basically have this online shutterfly album.
Keep Isabel and us in your prayers as we adjust to the helmet and Andy goes on job interviews
Finally, Isabel showed us she has the potential to sleep through the night. She slept 8.5 hours on Sunday night. I knew there would not be a repeat performance the next night and I am still waiting to see if she will do it again. Although she slept 8.5 hours straight, as a nervous new mom... I periodically stood over her crib to make sure she was still breathing.
This week has been so much fun because Isabel is talking back to us and smiling. It is so cute. I keep working with her to say, "I LOVE YOU DADDY." Andy and I swear in her own gurggles she said it, "Ah Uh OO AA." We were so proud.
She has also started to grow out of her newborn clothes and wear her 0-3 months clothes (Yea)! These are most of the clothes that were given to us and they are so adorable.
We can wait until May 7 when we will have family visit us again!
To add to Houdini-bel... above is how I found her this past weekend. One arm out of her onesie... this girl is good.
So today is Easter and Isabel and I both wore our new Easter dresses (it's a tradition). She did such a great job at her first day at church. She did not make a peep. Well, as the choir finished Our God Reigns, she rained in her britches! Which we are now using the diapers that were given to me from one of my showers. Everyone who attended wrote a saying. So each time we change her we get a special message, like "Daddy needs to change this one." (no doubt)
After church we spent the afternoon with Andy's sister, mom and the Stout family. It was so much fun. Of course, Isabel could not find any Easter eggs, but me and gommy found some for her.
This week is going to be first full week at work. Please keep me in your prayers as well as Andy who is taking care of her.
Oh. check out the picture section we have posted to new albums.
This morning I got up eaarly to start my first day back to work. Thankfully Isabel's schedule worked with mine and she did not throw me for any loops.
The day has been great with no tears and lots of reassurance that Andy is with her. Also, meeting them for lunch gave me something to look forward to. What a special time too. She is starting to respond to us and she gave me this big gummy smile while closing her eyes tight! I love it!
Last night, she cracked me up because, I swear, no matter how tight we swaddle her... her hands and arms magically come up and out of her blanket. I called her Houdini-bel.
Above is a picture of her with her friend Ella who was born 10 days before Bel.
I have concluded that burping Isabel is like getting ketchup out of a bottle. Am I missing some secret like "press the pickle." The girl will not burp sometimes, but she has mastered waking herself up when she passes gas! Woo... she is a gassy girl.
This morning she made me laugh. I wish I could have snapped a picture. She was so tickled that she smiled as big as can be and stuck out her tongue. I waited for a laugh... but no such luck. Only Andy has heard her belly laugh.
Oh, yesterday was monumental... she stayed awake for most of the day. She laid on the ottoman and watch golf (Andy is starting her early, since his efforts with me are wasted). She played on her mat. She sat in her bouncy seat. She watched the end of wonder pets and wow wow wubbzy all by herself unmonitored for about 20 minutes! We both thought she would surely sleep through the night, but she did her normal routine.
Although it is nasty outside, her smile has made my day already.
Yesterday we had full intention on going to church this morning, but at 7:00 this morning it was a no go. Not because of Isabel, but because of her parents relishing in this last week of being together all day long as a family. I know if Andy was working we I would be way more mobile. With Andy being home it has made me value him as a husband and now father. He is such a good dad and I am shocked every day at how patient he is with her and me. He works so hard to keep us both from having meltdowns.
The weather was beautiful today... so we went for a walk. Isabel was awake until the last 5 minutes. In fact, she was awake most of today. Hopefully, that means a good night's sleep for her (and us).
The boy scouts have a float with boys beating out the tune of joy to the world on lawn chairs in a trailer. Walking beside them are boys dress in indian garb dancing with bells on their boots. We get a kick out of watching they inspirational dancing!
