June 10th is approaching fast...

June 10th is the day I go back to work. I woke up this past Tuesday and realized that two weeks from that day, I wouldn't be laying in bed at 8:30, getting ready to go and get Isabel. I would instead be at work. And although it made me a little sad, I think that returning to work with my part-time schedule will be good for me. I do miss the problem solving that I am constantly facing at work, and believe that part of my brain is craving some serious exercise. And I'm hopeful that the transition won't be too bad, as my wonderful parents are coming to visit for my first 2 weeks back to watch Isabel.

But enough of that...I still have 11 wonderful days left with our little baby and even after that I'll still get to spend most of my time with her :)

First, a picture that Grandma Buescher sent from her visit last week...

Dad is a pretty silly guy!

Geoffrey took last Friday off so we enjoyed a nice 4 day weekend together. Saturday evening I propped Isabel up in a chair while I prepared to swaddle her. She just looked too silly sitting there in the big chair that we had to snap a few pictures before continuing with the swaddle.

Mommy imitating Isabel

Uncles Kevin and Eric came over on Sunday afternoon for what seemed to be the most perfect day. We sat out on the sun porch and enjoyed the breeze and lack of humidity. Later on we fired up the grill and ended the evening around the fire pit with s'mores. Yummy. We decided that every Sunday should be grill day and hope to have a repeat this weekend. I really think that the Uncles just want to have an excuse to visit with their niece. It melts my heart to see them both with her, and to see them "fight" over who gets to hold and play with her.

And some things never change...like Geoffrey and Gizmo napping

Isabel continues to enjoy her activity mat and has really gotten the hang of the rings. She actively grabs and reaches for them, and is so delighted when she can swing it from side to side. It is so much fun to watch her smile and concentrate on those rings.

Since she enjoys the rings so much, I attached some to her swing. She had a ball with those and was extra excited when a few came loose...and straight to her mouth they went. I suppose that is better than her attempts at shoving her fist in her mouth. Hopefully in the next month or so that "darn thumb" will finally come free.







Here's hoping for another gorgeous spring weekend!

Where is Thumbkin?

Yes, I know, it has been a while. But hopefully the blogging will be picking up again, as Isabel is now fascinated with Ocean Wonders activity mat and loves staring at the purple octopus, mirror and grabbing on the rings. She is currently playing on the mat next to me and kicking her little feet and holding onto a ring attached to a turtle. We are also listening to some fun music...and although I don't plan on ever allowing a baby einstein DVD into my home, I must admit that baby Einstein has some great kid music. Anyways, before I start talking about how much I love children's music and get distracted by dancing away to "Do Your Ears Hang Low"...



So first, a little recap:



We celebrated Mother's Day the night before as Geoffrey had to leave for an out of town trip Mother's Day morning. Isabel and I had a fun week together but were both very happy when Dad returned 5 days later. During the week we went on a few walks and took lots of naps, as I didn't get near the sleep I was used to since my second half was missing :).



Isabel and I celebrated her 2 month birthday by heading to the pediatrician for her well baby appointment and first round of vaccines. Isabel was oh so excited to get 4 shots (2 in each leg) and the rotovirus vaccine in her mouth. She weighed in at 11 pounds 10 ounces and is 23 inches in length. She is a growing girl! No pictures of that, but I did get this shot of her "dancing" in her crib.

This past Saturday Isabel and I headed to Richmond for a girl's weekend, in honor of Carla and her upcoming wedding. We started the day at one of Mommy's favorite places from high school, Bottom's Up Pizza.

Next we headed to Carytown and All Fired Up to paint some pottery for Carla. Isabel did really well and I even did some painting with her in one arm.

A very exhausted Mommy and Isabel headed home Sunday morning. Grandma Buescher was up in DC attending a conference and spent the past 3 days with us. Unfortunately the pictures of her visit are on her camera, and will have to be posted at a later date.

And although Isabel still doesn't love tummy time, she is definitely getting better at it and gaining some good head control.

Monday Isabel really started getting into her activity mat. I set her down on the mat so I could finish icing Geoffrey's belated birthday cake and I turned around to see her holding onto a ring. Thank goodness I always keep a camera close by. She was as happy as could be just moving and staring at the little creatures hanging from above.

And finally, "Where is Thumbkin?" Isabel is still desparately searching for her thumb, and finally discovered it again this morning. She was quite pleased with herself and spent the rest of the day looking for the mysterious thumb.

We'll be sticking close to home for Memorial Day and hopefully will take a lot more pictures, and maybe even some outside if it ever decides to stop raining and warm up here!

Mini-Update

Isabel did a great job with the major updates but forgot a few things that some of you might be interested in knowing.

The most important is that we went back to the Cardiologist on April 29th and the doctor couldn't hear any extra beats during his exam and her EKG was normal. This is a good sign that the issue is going away as it should. We'll go back in August for a second holter monitor, and if all checks out he'll release her from his care. It'll be interesting to see how the next holter monitor goes, since she should be able to tug at the wires. Dad suggested we come up with a 24 hour body swaddle...

At the cardiologist they also weighed and measured her. She weighed in at 11 lbs even and measured 22 3/4 inches in length. That means in 6.5 weeks she had gained 3.5 lbs and grown 2.75 inches. I suppose she is well on her way to being tall like her Mommy and Dad. And at this rate we'll be upgrading from the infant carrier sooner rather than later and putting away all those 3 month clothes, some of which she has already outgrown.

Smiles, Wedding and the Zoo

To my loyal blog viewers. It appears that with the return of Dad to work Mommy doesn't have as much free-handed time. I'm not sure why this is, I mean who wouldn't want to hold me and cuddle with me all day long :). But, since she seems to be busier than usual and the request for more pictures has come in, I decided that I should take over today's blog post to get you all caught up in my busy life.

2 weekends ago I got to meet another relative of mine, cousin Vicki. We had a great time and mommy really enjoyed getting to see her as well.

The next day Mommy's big sister, Sarah, from her Pi Phi days came to join us for dinner, as she was in town for a conference. Sarah was pretty funny as she is one of my loyal blog fans and recognized many of the things in our home from the blog. She brought me a cool airplane stuffed toy that also makes a shaking noise and a fuzzy bunny. She also got to witness me refusing a bottle. I've been giving Mommy a hard time with that. Dad keeps trying to give me something that tastes like mom, but the delivery mechanism is all wrong. They didn't give up though as I had hoped and bought a few new bottles until they found one that I think I can tolerate...for now at least. Next week I very well could change my mind again.

I've been smiling a lot more and Mommy and Dad keep trying to take pictures to capture it. I am very good at turning my smile out when the silver and black cameras come out. They are pretty sneaky though and managed to catch a few shots of me showing off my toothless grin.

Last weekend we packed up the car and headed to VA Beach for Beth and Clif's wedding. I had a great time though wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. Mommy tells me that someday I'll feel differently about weddings. The ceremony was lovely and I enjoyed hearing it while studying the back of my eyelids.

Mommy put me in this silly dress that she had been oohing and aahing over since Sarah A. sent it when I was born. I wasn't as happy to wear it, as I prefer onesies. I did look pretty in it though :).

At the reception I got to meet Mrs. Army, Sarah's mom. We had a great time "talking" and I demonstrated for her my great lung capacity and range of sounds. She rocked and danced with me though until I eventually fell asleep. While I was getting to know Mrs. Army, Mommy and Dad got to enjoy their dinner. I slept through the remainder of the reception as I needed my energy to hang out with Grandma the next day. I am told I will be attending three more of these "weddings" this year. I guess that means more dresses are in store for me...


The morning after the wedding I was feeling great and got to spend some time with Grandma Buescher. I showed her my developing neck muscles and often lifted my head off of her comfy shoulder.

Eventually I was tired again, so I took a nap in her arms. If Mommy and Dad figure out a way for my crib to be as comfy, I might consider taking a nap elsewhere...

Monday I got to hang out with Mommy and her friend Kendall. We took my first metro ride and went to the National zoo. It was a beautiful day, not too hot and not too cold. We got to see pandas, elephants, monkeys, apes and of course, hippos. Her is a picture of the pygmy hippo who was done with his swim. I was a perfect angel and slept the whole time, only waking up to have my lunch. I'm looking forward to going back when I'm a bit older and can interact with the animals more.

With Dad back at work Mommy and I have been spending lots of quality time together. We've made a few trips to the mall and the grocery store and go walking almost every day. This weekend is Mother's Day, so I hope that Dad has something good planned. I've tried to tell him what I'd like to do for Mommy, but he doesn't seem to understand my language quite yet.

Happy Mother's day to my Mommy, Grandmas, Great Grandmas and all the other wonderful Mommies out there.