Saturday, September 13, 2008

6 Months Old

Isabel got her first taste of solid food this morning...but here are a few pictures from yesterday before we get to the good stuff.

You might recall the hippo that Uncle Kevin sent to Isabel last fall. It was a 6mos & up toy, so I pulled it out a little early and let her play with it. I think she likes him :).





And now for the food. Although most people choose to to start their babies off on rice cereal, Geoffrey and I decided to do things a little differently. I had done quite a bit of research on the matter, and after talking to Doctor Grandpa, we decided that avocado is much tastier than rice cereal, and since it was a recommended first food, we made it THE first food. And I think you'll be able to tell from this video (click the link) and the pictures below, that it was well received. She didn't spit it out and licked the first spoonful clean, although much did wind up on her face. She at about 5 small spoonfuls before deciding she'd had enough. She had eaten her liquid breakfast about 1/2 an hour before the avocado, as this first month or two is more about getting her used to how one eats solid foods and the tastes, not so much eating for nutrition, as milk will remain the biggest source her nourishment.
















Thursday, September 11, 2008

Almost 6 months

On Saturday Isabel will be 6 months old. 6 months. That sounds so old...I mean, that is one half of a year. I really wish I could freeze time...

We've still been laying low, although our Saturdays will most likely involve VT football for the upcoming months.

Tech opened up by playing ECU, and although the Hokies didn't win, Isabel got her first tast of Hokie football and is ready for more. She will definitely be getting good use out of her VT onesie that Coelle got for her last fall.


Isabel with one of her favorite toys...a stuffed airplane of course! Taking after her Dad and his love of planes already.

Last Tuesday, Isabel started to "school" aka daycare. We call it school because I think it sounds more fun, and the center is actually run more like a school...they even have a PTA. After spending her Tuesdays and Thursdays at home with a sitter all summer, Isabel was looking forward to getting out of the house and making some new friends. She seems to like it and has been very happy each day when I pick her up. It was definitely much harder on me emotionally dropping her off somewhere versus just leaving the house in the morning with her in Geoffrey's care, but after 4 days I'm getting used to it.
Here she is on her first day of school, with her duck in tow.

All smiles...perhaps she was happy since she got to wear jeans with her onesie.
This Saturday also marks a very special occasion...the introduction of solid food. She did manage to sneak a bit of coleslaw dressing in at our neighborhood picnic this past weekend, when her hand landed smack in my plate and then immediately went into her mouth. Minus the coleslaw dressing, its been strictly mom milk until now. The spoons are ready to go, I've been reading up on making baby food and Isabel gave final approval on her booster seat. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures, and maybe even a video of the big event.
Finally, this picture is for Grandma Schaeffer. She requested that we capture a picture of both Isabel and Uncle Eric with their feet in their mouth. Isabel wasn't too interested in feet chewing for the picture, but you get the idea. Maybe we'll catch a better shot while watching the GT game this weekend.



Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Fun at the park

Not too much going on, just the way we like it. Isabel and I spent Saturday morning at Nottaway park with our mom/baby group and had a wonderful time. The weather was nice and cool and the babies seemed to enjoy the fresh air.



Isabel especially enjoyed the fresh air, and took a nice long nap on one of the blankets. Her little friend Ryan wasn't interested in napping, but interested in checking out the sleeping baby.



Isabel got to watch about 5 minutes of the women's gold medal volleyball match. She was quite intent on watching the big bright box!




Some random pictures of a very happy Isabel :)



And it seems that Isabel speaks pterodactyl, as can be heard in the video below.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Chipotle & Pugs

A couple weeks ago Isabel joined Uncle Kevin and Mommy at Chipotle. Although she was unable to enjoy the goodness of the burrito, she sported her Chipotle onesie and posed with Mommy's burrito. She also decided to have a minor blowout on Unc's couch. Luckily he didn't get mad and will allow her back...with the condition that she sit on a towel.


This past weekend Isabel really started discovering her tounge and realized she could poke it out. Its hard to capture, but I managed to get this picture.
We also moved Isabel into her "big girl" carseat, as it was just getting too heavy to carry her around in the infant carrier. She seems very happy in the new seat, which is good, as VA state law requires kids to stay in a carseat or booster seat until 8 years of age.
Isabel is perfecting her sitting up skills and can stay upright for longer periods of time. She definitely enjoys viewing the world and her toys from this new position.
And the pugs. I'm not sure if obsessed even describes Isabel's new love of the pugs. Sunday evening she could not keep her hands off of General. And when Dad decided she'd had enough pug time, she started to wimper, and when she was allowed to "pet" him she would become her happy self. On Monday she discovered that pugs have tails and General was again the lucky target. Both General and Gizmo are great with her, and when they've had enough they just jump away.



Wednesday, August 13, 2008

5 Months Old

Its hard to believe that our little one is turning into such a big girl! I can't believe that 5 months ago we were holding our tiny baby...and now she is so big.

Isabel really loves playing with her doorway jumper. Mommy loves it too as it is great entertainment while I cook dinner. I move the jumper to the doorway of the kitchen and tell Isabel what I am making, cutting etc and she jumps away.


Since I'm still working on getting some pictures from Carla & Jonathan's wedding, here is a picture of Isabel in the dress she wore. She wore this to church on Saturday as she chewed a giant drool mark into the first one I put on her. Silly Isabel.


This morning I went to check on Isabel and discovered her like this. Usually she is comlpetely on her stomach, so I found this pretty amusing and grabbed the camera. Although she woke up at the lovely hour of 4am, she did go back to sleep immediately after eating and didn't get up until almost 8.
Isabel LOVES bathtime, and especially loves getting toweled off post bath. Check out her crazy hair. People are always commenting on how much hair she has. None of it fell out and it has grown longer and gotten thicker. I think her first haircut is on the horizon, as her "bangs" almost reach her eyes.
MMm, feet. They are the first thing she goes for during diaper changes.

This past weekend I pulled out the Mega Saucer that Nicole is letting us borrow. Isabel just loved it and has a great time. Now I have 2 sources of entertainment for Isabel while cooking dinner.


Here's a video of our little frog (Geoffrey thinks she looks like a frog in this). Turn on the sound to hear some silly noises as well.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

1500 Miles in 9 Days

If you couldn't tell from the title, we haven't been bloggin as we've been traveling. See vacations part I, II & III for full details. We traveled just over 1500 milesi n 9 days and Isabel was quite happy to get back home to her own bed and not have to spend countless hours in her carseat.

This past Sunday, we did make a quick trip to Springfield, VA to visit with my old roommate Dave, who moved to Kentucky a few years ago. Here's a sweet shot of Isabel and Dave.


Monday Isabel and I headed to the cardiologist for what we hope is her last checkup. Her EKG looked normal and her heart sounded good. As a final precaution the doctor prescribed another 24 holter monitor. Isabel definitely put up a fight this go around and expressed her displeasure with the wires during the day and night. She was much happier Tuesday morning, as I think she had grown used to the wires. Here is our little bionic baby...quite a change from the baby seen here https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oeA-sGH5hxk01CE2lZMm9ua2mdUmKJJzRmM242DTgwmaUBXeFwnSebIIJKCkKNpBf4px0NXxsy4KI59NVbh21CDnlwqGCoFTlQ4jbfSZXuG9VUJzDEeVanW4D0fHgoZpRavHguGSATQm/s1600-h/Bionic+baby_2175+(Large).JPG



And with that its back to life as usual. I promised Isabel we wouldnt' be taking any major car trips for a long time...though I'm not sure she believes me. Isabel had just started sleeping through the night before we left for vacation and I'm hopeful that being back at home (and without wires attached) that she will come to learn and love sleeping through the night.


Monday, August 4, 2008