Picture Perfect

Taken by Mrs. Heidi Squires :) Isn't she amazing?!?!?!

I'm embarrassed....

I can't believe I've let it go so long without updating the blog for everyone to see how Isabelle is doing. I'd say life has been busy, which it has, but that's really no excuse. So here are a few picture updates from the last few months.

Fear the Turtle

Tim headed off to Boston today with his dad to hear/see Matt play with the Boston Symphony. (Very cool!) As much as I know taking a baby to a concert is a bad idea, I was a little bummed not to go too. But today turned out to be a pretty nice day. The weather was gor-geous!!

Home with Daddy

Since Tim is home with Isabelle most of the time, I thought I'd share some of his musings about being a daddy as posted on facebook. (Maybe one of these days I'll actually get him to post something here...)

It's Fall!

The weather today was BEAUTIFUL!!!! We took a drive to the north/west part of Howard County to a wildlife and primate rescue. Why would we take such a trip on a day free of Marching Band when we could choose to do just about anything?? Well, here's why...

Here comes October

Well we've had just a little bit of rain to finish off September...our basement floor only got a little soaked when the drain outside the back door got clogged with dirt and leaves. What a mess...

Thursday picture

Just more proof that she's getting so big and she can sit up by herself :)

After school project

So I felt like I needed to take a little time to do something non-school/non-teaching related and for ME to keep me a little sane this week. All the school work I brought home will have to wait till after Isabelle is in bed tonight.

Rainy Monday

As I sit here in my portable at the elementary school listening to the raining POURING down and dreading that I'll have to go out in the rain again soon, and missing my little baby at daycare, I thought I'd post a picture I took on my cell phone the other day.

At last....

Well the last month has been quite busy to say the least. Being back to work and juggling the beginning of the year craziness, teaching lessons, coordinating babysitters....just trying to stay on top of everything right now. Updating the blog hasn't really made it onto my to do lists lately. But enough about me...

Isabelle is growing quite a lot and developing so much. She weighed in at almost 14 lbs at her last appointment 3 weeks ago so I'm sure she is above that by now. She's rolling over every time we set her down on her back and likes looking around. She likes to "read" while on her tummy too - too cute! She's pushing her self up with straight arms too - looks like she is doing the yoga pose Cobra. She's trying to get her knees up under but hasn't quite coordinated that with the straight arms yet. It's pretty amusing to watch her face plant as she tries to pull her knees up. She just started sitting up with her arms propping herself up. And after a visit from Tim's mom (who is a physical therapist) this weekend, she can sit up without supporting herself with her arms. She looks like such a big girl! She's also really fond of the "mmmmmm" sound - I guess this is normal??

Sorry no pictures to share this time...I've sort of forgotten to take any pictures lately since the time I get to spend with Isabelle I'm so wrapped up in just getting to spend time with her. There will be more pictures to share soon!

Maybe I'll have stay-at-home-dad Tim start blogging :)

And then we go south...

OK so the last few weeks have been a little hectic which is why I have yet to get around to posting anything about our trip south that we took IN JULY!!!

My new favorite blogs

For those who check the blog for photos and updates on Miss Isabelle, more will be coming but not today. Sorry!

I wanted to share two blogs that I recently happened on and have spent a fair amount of time perusing the last few days. If you are even a little crafty I think you'd enjoy checking them out! (Click on the buttons to go to the sites.)

I love love love Prudent Baby! So many fun ideas, now I just need to find free time to be crafty!

I'm so inspired by Tea Rose Home - makes me think I can repurpose clothes that were on their way to good will rather than buying new clothes!

I can't remember how I came across these (probably a link from another blog) but they have gotten by creative juices flowing again! I'm so eager to make all kinds of pretty things for sweet little Isabelle. So many easy sewing projects to make the cutest little dresses, headbands and so much more! I wish I had a few more weeks of summer to go through all the fabric that is currently being stored in Isabelle's closet, clothes I don't wear that could be repurposed and anything else fabric wise that could be cut up and made into something adorable for my little girl to wear.

I've been waiting all week to not have chores to do while she's napping so I could get my sewing machine out and try something! I didn't get my chance until today when she actually slept for 2 1/2 hours in the middle of the day!! (She's had a few "cranky pants" kinds of days lately which equates to short or non-existent naps.) First I repaired two pairs of Tim's cargo shorts (why do they always seem to have holes in them??) then did this to one of my tank tops. Pretty cute right??

I was inspired by Tea Rose Home to make and add some ruffles (by cutting up another shirt that doesn't quite fit so well since becoming a mommy) to a plain white tank, to make a much more adorable shirt. As an added bonus, that stain that I couldn't seem to get out is no longer an issue. Second bonus, I got to use my gathering foot for my sewing machine that I think I've only used once before and I can't even remember what for. I'm not really a ruffle kind of girl, but it was so easy and fun that I kind of want to add ruffles to all of my plain boring shirts now!

Oh, one more that I find really fun to just look at. New Dress A Day

I dream about being this talented in making clothes. Maybe someday... It's pretty fun, check it out!

Coming soon - pictures of Isabelle in all the adorable little ruffled dresses I'm going to make for her!! (Maybe not super soon since I go back to work next week - but soon enough!)

Get ready to be overwhelmed by cuteness

Just loaded all the pictures from our southern trip into iPhoto but have yet to sort them. So until I get around to doing all that, here's a couple cute pictures from the last few weeks.

Patio

Back in October we had an apple tree in our yard cut down to make space for a new patio. There was a patio already there but it was not well done and not very big. Our neighborhood is part of what used to be a large orchard, so there are some fruit trees remaining here and there. However, the one in our yard was dying and starting to rot in the middle. After the winter we had (60+ inches of snow!!), I'm very glad we had the tree taken down when we did. The tree company was supposed to come back and grind the stump but had to wait until the ground was dry enough. Well that day finally came on June 26...

Baptism

In between our summer travels, Isabelle was baptized on July 10 at St. Louis Church in Clarksville, MD by Fr. Bill Byrne (same priest who confirmed me and did our wedding mass). The baptism was in the Chapel, which was the second building for the church that was built in 1889. It's pretty small but made for a very intimate baptism with our family and friends standing around the baptismal font. Isabelle studied Fr. Bill's face through most of the baptism before falling asleep in my arms.

Isabelle wore the same christening gown that my grandfather (my mom's dad) wore in ~1914 (I can't remember the exact year...but it was a long time ago). My mom and her two sisters, my two cousins, my sister and I all wore it too. It was very special to have it. The bonnet was from Gran (Tim's mom) - I think Tim's sisters probably wore it. (My mommy brain is really showing here if you can't tell.) She also wore little booties that were mine.

Isabelle with her Godfather Matt (Tim's brother) and Godmother Erin (Matt's girlfriend who we hope will someday be a McKay too)

and with Godmother Katherine (my sister)

We were so blessed to have our entire families (and close friends)

there to celebrate with us.

Following the baptism, we had a nice reception at our house and got to use our new patio!

Stephanie's Wedding

Over the July 4th weekend we took another road trip to State College, PA for our friends Stephanie and Tony's wedding. (Stephanie and I went to UMD together.) We drove up Friday so we could spend some time walking around State College (I had never been). Our friends Sarah and Carlos were also there. We all walked around Penn State's campus for a while...

We had to go to the creamery to get some ice cream...yummy!! We saw signs for the 'Lion Shrine' which we keep following in anticipation of seeing something pretty cool. After quite a long walk we can upon a single lion statue (that wasn't even that large). Not quite as impressive as we had hoped....not much of a shrine in my opinion. Oh well...

Saturday we walked around downtown State College, had lunch at some place with outdoor seating and large TVs so we (read: Tim and Carlos) could watch whatever World Cup game was on that day.

The wedding that evening was beautiful! I didn't get any pictures in the church though. Isabelle slept through the entire ceremony, which had been her typical church routine up until then.

The reception was at the Nittany Lion Inn. Food was awesome and reception was a lot of fun. I'm a big fan of live bands at receptions! Isabelle got to dance with her daddy :) A couple pictures from the reception...

She had her own place card!

Sarah, Stephanie, Me, Isabelle

After two smallish road trips, and Isabelle doing just fine on both of them, we confirmed our plans for a week long road trip down south...

Updates....finally!

Wow, so I know it's been a while since the last real update on Miss Isabelle. We've taken several vacations and visited a lot of friends and family in the last month. And somehow, now it's August!! What!?!? The last month and a half will have to be broken into a few separate posts so I can add pictures of everything. So if you think you missed something, check the archives. I'll keep updating this week.

Cloth Diaper run down

So I've been meaning to post something for a while about how cloth diapering is going and our routine. So here it is for those interested...

Back in January I started thinking about whether cloth diapers was something I wanted to do and started looking into it online. I was very overwhelmed with all the different types available and so many brands and washing routines. Around that time, a local baby consignment shop close to us was offering a class in their store on cloth diapering. (Greenberries is the store - It's in Kings Contrivance shopping center if you live around here and want to check it out. It's great! They also have maternity clothes which is why I was there so much before Isabelle was born.) Tim was skeptical but I figured I'd go to the class (Tim had a rehearsal or something that night), learn as much as I could, maybe enough to convince both me and Tim that this was something we wanted to pursue. The class was run by two moms who cloth diapered all of their kids (they each had a couple). I left the store with a whole lot more knowledge and completely sold on the idea! It took a few weeks of discussing it and doing more research before Tim was onboard also. Now, I have to say, we are both pretty willing to talk to whomever about using cloth diapers!

We use 2 different kinds - Fuzzibunz which is a pocket diaper (we have 12 of these in 6 different colors) and Flip Diapers which is a diaper cover with inserts (we have 6 covers and 18 inserts).

They all are one size which means they adjust depending on the Isabelle's size - the diapers we have now will be the same ones she will where until she is potty trained.

I also use cloth wipes (instead of disposable wipes) that I made. Just bought some flannel in patterns I liked and my mom and I sewed over 40 wipes. I'm glad we have so many! We end up using them for wiping her face and I'm sure other messes as she gets older. We just keep a water spray bottle next to the changing table to wet the wipes as needed and a small spray bottle in the diaper bag.

We use wetbags to store the dirty diapers and wash them every other day (about). We have enough diapers for 2 days plus a few extra to get through washing. The wetbags get washed with the diapers. We currently use Seventh Generation detergent because there isn't anything in it that will mess up the diapers' absorbency. I add in some OxiClean every now and then to help freshen. Although laying them out in the sun is the best for getting rid of stains and any lingering smells.

You also can't use regular diaper rash cream with cloth because it makes them less absorbent. However, we've had very little problem. I did find a diaper rash ointment that you can use with cloth - Grandma El's.

I've also found a lot of blogs about cloth diapering which I've become a little addicted to reading.

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/

http://clothdiapers.blogspot.com/

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/

*This is an awesome one! She has videos reviewing just about every cloth diaper out there. I watched a bunch before deciding on what I wanted. I highly recommend checking this one out if you're interested!

The overall cost savings is what really convinced Tim. Definitely more of an upfront cost than disposables but we have all the diapers we'll need for Isabelle and any future children. (I'm sure we'll acquire a few more at some point, especially as they come out with new colors!) I do like that we can match her diapers to her outfits! They're so much cuter than disposables!!

I think I may have posted this picture before, but here's Isabelle on her first day in cloth diapers. I think she was 9 or 10 days old.

Boppy Tummy Time

Not the greatest quality because it's from my cell phone but finally got a video on here for everyone to see her moving around rather than only still pictures. Now to figure out how to get the videos off our camera onto here....

Father's Day

The day before Father's Day we went to the Nationals game with both our dads and Isabelle. The Nats lost but we had a good time!

"Little Slugger" onesie from Aunt Sarah and Aunt Laura

Out for a little after night walk on Father's Day

New Hampshire Family visits

Our New Hampshire family stopped by to meet Isabelle.

My Uncle Doug (or Gruncle - Great + Uncle) with Isabelle

My cousin Julia

My cousin Galena

My Aunt Andrea (or Grant - Great + Aunt) with the girls

Growing baby

Isabelle has apparently inherited my sensitive skin. When what I originally thought was baby ache started to get worse and seemed to be bothering her, I took her to see Dr. L (pediatrician). Not sure if it's eczema or contact dermatitis but baby lotion and cortizone seem to be helping. We've had little hand mitts on her so she doesn't grab her face. Poor baby...

But she now weighs 11 lbs 5 oz!!!

She loves her Daddy

Tim can really get her to smile :)

She had fun making faces at DoDa.

Baths

Turns out Isabelle does like baths!

She looks so content and relaxed in the little baby tub.

She's always so content after a bath.

And I LOVE hooded towels!!!

Smiles!!

Isabelle has started smiling (she's been smiling for a while) long enough for us to capture it! Every time she smiled and I reach for my camera or cell phone to take a picture, it was gone or my camera or phone didn't take the picture fast enough to get it. Well, finally we've been able to make her smile by saying things in silly voices and actually get a smile! I think she might have my smile :)

Such a happy baby!

Finally found a way to carry her around that both of us like. I first tried a sling carrier and she screamed every time I tried to put her in it (promptly returned to Amazon). Then I tried a Maya Wrap (ring sling) and she actually seems pretty content to be in it! (I was really excited to find one on Craigslist for less $.) When I put her in facing me, tummy-to-tummy, she falls asleep pretty quickly. The instruction video that came with it said that babies need to have good head control to be in the 'kangaroo hold'. 6 weeks old is a little earlier than the video suggested but she's been holding her head up so well and likes to look around so I decided to try it out and she loved it! It's so nice to be able to walk around and get things done when she wants to be held. I like being able to carry her around so I can talk to her while she checks out all the things around her. (I know the picture makes it look like the sling is chocking her - it wasn't. The top edge was loose enough so she could breathe normally.)

A few pictures

A few pictures from Tim's cell phone - 5/5/10 - 2 days old,

when we were still in the hospital.

I just love how cute she is propped up on the boppy!

Her cheeks are getting chubby!

I realized that no one ever takes pictures of ME with Isabelle!

So I took some myself :)

She seems like she's getting so big but she still looks so small!

Also from Tim's cell phone - love the squishy face!!

One Month Old!

I can't take credit for these (previous owner planted them) but they're so pretty! Spring was full of garden surprises - so many things we didn't know where there!

Tim built me a vegetable garden for Mother's Day! All my herbs and veggies in pots now have room to grow!

Let's see...what's new with Isabelle. She's now sleeping in the cradle ALL NIGHT (as opposed to on top on one of us). I think she must be going through a growth spurt because she's eating A LOT and nursing every 2 hours at night (a little exhausting for me.)

In just the last couple days she seems to be able to lock eyes with us and follow us with her eyes. So cute! She's been grabbing at things a lot more, mostly my shirt when she's nursing and she's found my hair a few times. I was thinking it was time for a haircut anyway.

She's met a few other baby friends in the last few weeks.

First was Emily (6 months old)

And most recently was Jack (3 months old)