Lots of Visitors :)

The past week was a busy one for Isabel.

Last Wednesday, Isabel hosted her first play date. She and her friends Alec, Natalie and Sarah had a great time and so did their moms. She was a great hostess and even helped mommy bake a cake. (and by help I mean napping) Isabel is looking forward to meeting the rest of the babies from Mommy's mom's group.


On Thursday we headed out on our first power walk on the W&OD Trail (www.wodfriends.org). It was great to get out and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful weather. We walked about 3 miles and are looking forward to making it a daily ritual. Below is Isabel in her BOB Revolution jogging stroller. It is a very beefy stroller and even has shocks, which is very useful because the terrain is a bit bumping getting to the trail.

Friday Mommy spent most of the day preparing for the baptism and all the out of town guests. Dad did a great job of keeping Isabel entertained while Mommy made lots and lots of food.

On Saturday morning Grandma & Grandpa Buescher and Uncle Peter arrived at the house, followed shortly by Grandma and Grandpa Schaeffer and finally by Great Grandma and Grandpa Ruhl. Everyone enjoyed Isabel but I think it was a bit much for Isabel to take in, as she went into a 2+ hour non-stop crying spell right as we were all sitting down for dinner. Luckily the little one wore herself out and she was as happy as could be the next morning. So happy in fact that she discovered her thumb! She has been gumming on her hands for a while and all of a sudden her thumb got into her mouth and she was in heaven. Unfortunately she doesn't quite have the control yet to know how to get the thumb back in there. She keeps trying but doesn't realize she has to extend the thumb first. I'm sure its only a matter of time though before the thumb is constantly in her mouth.

After lunch Sunday we were all off to St. Mark Catholic Church in Vienna for Isabel's baptism. Isabel wore the baptismal gown that was first worn by Grandpa Schaeffer 64 years ago. Mommy and Uncles Kevin and Eric were also baptized in the gown. It was made by Isabel's Great Great Aunt Monica, who is a nun.

Isabel was pretty fussy when we got to the church and I wasn't sure how she would respond to the water. She didn't like being rocked back over the water and I thought for sure she was about to start screaming when the baptismal water hit her head. Her facial expression immediately changed to one of content and she was happy for the rest of the mass.

Isabel with the Buescher/Ruhl side of the family.

Isabel with the Schaeffer side of the family.

After the baptism we all returned home for some cake. Uncle Romes was having a really good time with his niece.
And finally, here is Kevin with his mini-me. Isabel happened to be wearing a onesie that was the same shade of lavendar as Uncle Kevin's shirt. We grabbed a pair of yellow pants that matched Kevin's pants and captured this funny picture. Who knew that Isabel would be such a trend setter with influencing her Uncle's style of dress.

It was a great weekend and Isabel is looking forward to seeing her Grandma and Grandpa Buescher again in 2 weeks when we travel to VA Beach for Beth and Clif's wedding.

"I Love the Springtime"

Since Mommy and Dad have been working on getting the house ready for all of my guests this weekend, I thought I would give blogging a try.

Here I am in my "I love the springtime" outfit. Mommy was really excited that the weather was warm enough for me to wear it.



Dad is always asking mommy to take my picture when I'm up on his shoulder. Here I am pondering what it is I should do for the day. First I think I'll eat, then I'll poop, eat some more and maybe take a nap if my parents are on their best behavior...

In addition to the "cartoon" airplane mobile that hangs above my crib, I also have this very cool mobile that my mommy and dad made. (well really mostly dad) I enjoy watching it when I am getting swaddled or dressed on my bed. It doesn't have a motor yet but dad is working on that.

In preparation of the spring game on the 19th, I wore my VT onesie. I'm looking forward to being able to fully participate in the game watching at Uncle Kevin and Eric's this fall. Last year I could only listen to the games as I was still in my mommy's belly.

On Saturday Uncle Romes and his girlfriend Kim came to visit us. Kim and I had some pretty deep conversations and she also taught me a thing or two about some of my baby reflexes (Kim is a physical therapist). After I had my dinner mommy, dad, Uncle Romes, Kim and I went out to eat at a mexican place for Uncle Romes' birthday. I behaved like an angel and slept the whole time, so hopefully I'll get to try another place soon.

Dad took a few pictures of mommy last night and she really really liked this one alot. I'm not sure what the big deal is, I'm just sleeping in it :).

Finally, some pictures from the outside of the house. There is a very pretty pink tree in the front yard that I can see from my bedroom. This is how it looks from across the street. We also have many tulips in bloom and the azaleas should be out shortly. I guess I really do love the springtime!


Here is dad's progress on the vegetable garden terrace. He is almost done! When he is finished they will have 48 linear feet of vegetable garden to play with. I'm looking forward to getting to try some of the veggies later this fall when I'm allowed to have more than just my "mom milk."
Ok, I better get off the computer before mommy and dad realize I can do more than eat, sleep and go to the bathroom!

4 weeks already?

Time sure is flying! Isabel turned 4 weeks old yesterday and is growing like a weed. She is already into most of her 3 month clothing, though definitely has some room to fill it out a bit.

We've finally started to see true signs that the cold weather is on its way out, as the temperature has turned warm and led to many walks. Mommy especially loves taking Isabel around in her BOB Revolution stroller. Its a jogging stroller (no jogging till 8 mos) and has shocks and can handle some pretty bumpy terrain.

Not only has Dad been extremely helpful with Isabel for his first 4 weeks off (he'll be off a total of 6 weeks), but he's also been doing lots of thing around the house. Last week he tackled the garage and completely cleaned and organized it. It looks so much bigger and there is plenty of room for my car and for him to do projects in his wood shop. Speaking of projects, Thursday he began to tackle the job of terracing our side yard so we can have a HUGE vegetable garden. It is well on its way and I think he'll have the terracing complete by the end of the weekend. The garden will be 2 tiers of vegetables with a third tier of ground cover and will run 24 feet in length. Not only will we get some great sun and veggies, this will also keep Geoffrey from having to cut the crass there, as the slope is pretty steep. Here are a few pictures of the work in progress. (Sorry Isabel, we can't devote the entire blog to you...)


And here are some Isabel pictures, in no particular order.

Mmm, I love chewing on my hand. Mommy, can't you see that I'm hungry! Speaking of feeding, we did successfully introduce Isabel to a bottle today. It was a bit sad seeing Dad getting to feed her, but I also knew it was important to get her used to the bottle before I return to part time work. It took her a few minutes to get the hang of it, as she definitely was confused as to what this hard rubber thing was in her mouth that dripped milk. Its hard to be a baby!

Isabel taking a nap on her dad's chest.



The girl with the crazy hair. As Megan said, I'm going to start having to put some mouse or gel in the hair so it will stay down and in place!


Isabel enjoying her tummy time routine with a nice head lift.

Sleep dancing. Isabel (like most newborns) does some pretty silly hand movements in her sleep. Obviously she is taking after dad and his love of silly dancing.

Isabel with her "unc", as Kevin has requested to be called "unc" instead of Uncle. I think this is just a plan so that he can claim that "unc" is her first word, since he makes noises that already sound close to it.

This weekend we'll (Geoffrey) be finishing up things around the house/yard, and getting ready for Isabel's baptism next weekend. She is looking forward to meeting her Grandma & Grandpa Buescher, Great Grandma and Grandpa Ruhl, and Uncle Peter, along with getting to see her Grandma and Grandpa Schaeffer again.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Meeting New Friends

After Grandma & Grandpa Schaeffer's visit Dad, Mommy and Isabel had some nice quiet days at home. We got out in the stroller a few times for a walk and just relaxed.


Dad also decided to start teaching Isabel about airplanes and read to Isabel about the history of air racing.

By the time the weekend came around Isabel was ready to meet some more friends. On Saturday, Martha (who lives on the Eastern Shore) and Kendall (from Richmond) drove to Vienna. We had a great time catching up and taking in lots of Isabel time.

Kendall and Isabel.

Martha & Isabel.

Saturday night we were joined for dinner by Justin, who interned at Orbital in the summer of 2004 and rented a room from Mommy. Justin brought Isabel some very cool Marachas that play music. Isabel is looking forward to using them when she can grab onto them.

Justin & Isabel.

Sunday afternoon Leslie dropped by for a meet and greet with Isabel. She even got to help give Isabel a bath.

We have officially begun tummy time now that Isabel's "stump" has fallen off. She does pretty well and seems to be developing good neck control. Gizmo isn't so sure what is so interesting about Isabel laying on the ground...

Isabel went to the pediatrician for a checkup yesterday and is now 21" long and a whopping 8 lbs 15 oz. She has gained 25 oz in 2 weeks, which made mommy happy as she now knows for sure that Isabel has been getting enough to eat :). Isabel is also starting to fit into some of her new clothing in the 0-3 month range and got to wear one of her pretty new outfits today.

Isabel does ask that you try to overlook her "diaper butt." Mommy and Dad have started her on cloth diapers and are using a product called Bum Genius 3.0. They are a little bulky now but once she puts on a few more pounds they shouldn't be any bulkier than a disposable diaper, and are definitely more eco-friendly (and wallet friendly).