It was a Merry Christmas!

This weekend has been a wonderful time for our family. Jeff had Christmas Eve off, so we did a little last minute shopping and then some stuff around the house. We were wrapping the last couple of presents after midnight Christmas morning. That made us think of our parents doing the same thing when we were little kids. What a wonderful connection we felt to them at that moment. We miss them all.

Christmas morning was much more fun for Isabella this year. We had breakfast together and then opened presents. Well, Isabella opened the presents. She opened every present, didn't even much care what the present was until they were all opened. haha. She was like a whirlwind, running all over playing with the wrapping paper. She was such a delight to behold...a stark contrast to last year when she was terrified of all the presents. Riley slept through all of it. He is like his daddy and sister: he can sleep through pretty much anything.

After Isabella took a rest with her new Winnie the Pooh movies (thanks, Uncle Travis), we headed over to Grandma's for more presents, stockings, and dinner. Isabella tried ham this year! She wasn't thrilled with it, but she ate it. My brother and my godmother got me a new chandelier for our dining room. We've had the stock one that came with the house since we moved in, and I hate it! It's tacky. haha. The new one is beautiful.

After Isabella went to bed, Travis, Jeff and I watched a movie. Yesterday was just a wonderful family bonding day. It was heart warming. It felt so nice to spend time together. Usually we are all doing our own thing.

I hope everyone had a wonderful, happy Christmas.

All About Riley

I just realized I never updated about our new little man. Silly me.

On Thursday, November 18th, we headed to the hospital for my scheduled c-section. Upon arrival, we discovered my blood pressure was sky high. Everything went a bit downhill from there. They put me on magnesium. I threw up during the c-section. I got to see Riley for two minutes...and then not again until he was six hours old. I had to spend the night in recovery; Riley had to stay upstairs because he was having some respiratory issues. My blood pressure kept going down and then back up.

The next day, we got to go upstairs, but my blood pressure was still high. They put me on more drugs; it stayed high. My dr diagnosed it as pregnancy-induced hypertension. She let me go home, but I had to stay on the meds. We're not almost a month later, and I am still having blood pressure issues. It's a good thing the little man is cute.

Riley's respiratory issues cleared up by the next day.

Here's the really important info: Riley is perfection. He was 6 pounds, 9.2 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Almost three ounces smaller and .5 inches longer than his big sister. At almost a month, he is 8 pounds and 21.25 inches. Our little Herculeas.

He sleeps well, he eats well, he hardly cries. He is a lover. His big sister thinks he's awesome.

He's an amazing gift to us.

One More Week

Our little ( or maybe not so little) Riley will be here next Thursday. Where did the time go?? It seems like just yesterday that I got my positive. And now here we are, 38 weeks tomorrow, one week away from being the parents of a precocious toddler AND a brand new baby. What a year this has been!

Everything is ready to go. I don't know if I am ready now, though. lol. Suddenly, I am nervous, like a first time parent once again. Mostly, I'm nervous about the c-section. I think once I am up and moving around, everything will feel much better.

I want to see his face so badly. I wonder if he will look like me, or if our second child will look as much like his daddy as his sister does. One of them has to look like me, right? haha.

End of September

My baby girl is 20 months old today, and 7 weeks from tomorrow we will be having her little brother. Time is flying by! Isabella is such an amazing child. Every day it seems like she learns something new. Even better, ever time she says a new word to Jeff, his face just lights up. Today, it was "bubbles." They were playing in the backyard with her bubbles and she kept saying bubbles. It was adorable.

I had a dr appointment yesterday. The past two weeks haven't been easy. My blood pressure was way up and I was put on somewhat modified bedrest, or "couchrest." Not easy to do with a toddler and a need for clean. haha. Thankfully, yesterday my blood pressure was back to normal BUT my dr wants me to take it easy for the next 7 weeks so she doesn't have to put me on bedrest. Her exact words? "Relinquish control to Jeff. He won't do it your way, but at least you won't be telling him what to do from bed." It's a little scary how well she knows me.

Other than the blood pressure, Riley is doing fabulous. Using my inside as a kickball/punching bag. He moves around a lot more than Isabella ever did, and it is amazing. I hope he doesn't come out hyper, though. :) I am so anxious for him to be here and to see his little face. We have a growth check ultrasound sometime in the next two weeks, so at least we get to see him again before he makes his big debut.

I'm off to finish dinner before Jeff and Isabella get back from their walk. <3

28 Weeks

Wow, I am 28 weeks already! Going to the dr every two weeks now. Hopefully we can schedule the c-section at my next appointment.

We'll be having him the week before Thanksgiving, so there's roughly 10.5 weeks until he is here! Goodness gracious. I am excited and nervous. I can't wait to see his cute little face!

We're trying to prepare Isabella (as best we can) by asking her where the baby is (she will kiss my belly) and telling her what a big girl she is. Apparently it is sinking in! Last week, she and I were in Riley's room and she kept picking up stuff. I would say "No, honey, that's for Riley." We did this for several minutes and then when I would say "No," she would say "Ry Ry?" And now every time we walk past his door, she says "Ry Ry." It is absolutely adorable! I love my baby girl

16 more weeks!

There's only 16 more weeks until my due date, which means a little less than 15 weeks until Riley makes his appearance. I feel like there is so much to do still! I want to be organized and decorated so that it can be done. Maybe we'll make some headway this weekend. :)

He is kicking me more and more. It's a lot stronger than Isabella ever kicked. We'll see how much bigger than her he will end up being. Hopefully, not too much bigger.

I met my friend's 1.5 week old baby earlier in the week and it made me want Riley here even more! I am so excited. Excited to hold him, excited to experience all the newness again, excite to see Isabella's reaction to her baby brother. Excited all around.

xoxo

It's August!

Time is flying by much quicker than I anticipated. The first week of August is almost over. I am getting more and more excited to meet baby Riley.

Isabella's 18 month appointment was today. She weighs a whopping 21 pounds! She's my tiny toddler terror. LOL

Hopefully by the end of August, we will have the nursery all done. After that, it's time to repaint Isabella's room. Then we will have two pretty rooms. 3.5 more months and Riley will be here. I can't wait!

It's a BOY!!!!

Found out last week that we're having a baby boy!! Riley is super healthy and most definitely a boy lol. He might be a big boy, too, as he's measuring 4 days big. His heartrate is awesome and he is kicking me like crazy. I'll be 22 weeks tomorrow and he is already kicking so hard that Jeff got to feel a kick the other night. Isabella didn't kick that hard until almost the end. Maybe we have a little soccer player on our hands.

Isabella doesn't understand she is getting a brother, but she knows there is a baby in mommy's tummy. If asked "Isabella, where is the baby?" she will lift up my shirt, pat and then kiss my belly. Smart girl!

We are so excited to be having a boy!

R.I.P. Granny

I found out yesterday (through Facebook, no less) that my dad's mom passed away yesterday morning. I can't believe I found out through FB!

She had been having heart problems for some time and nobody decided to tell my brother or myself. This family is messed up.

I wasn't always close to her, but she was still my grandmother. I'm really glad that Isabella got to meet her last year (not that she will remember since she was only 4 months old). We have some pictures of them together, at least.

She will be missed

16 Weeks!

Time is flying by! I am 16 weeks pregnant today. It still feels like yesterday that the digital test read "pregnant." I hope it continues to fly by this quickly. That way, it will be November before I know it!

We fine out July 7th if this baby is a boy or a girl. Think pink pink pink pink. LOL

When I ask Isabella where the baby is, she will now point to my stomach and then kiss my belly bump. It is sooo cute! I hope she is as excited when the baby gets here. :)

Baby, baby, baby

Just one baby, actually. That's right, Isabella is going to be a big sister right around Thanksgiving! We're very excited. And Isabella is super smart: when I ask her where the baby is, she will pat and kiss my stomach. LOL

Now that the first trimester is over, I am feeling much better. Less nausea, a tiny bit more energy. Energy comes in handy when dealing with a 16 month old with the energy of fifty of me. Haha.

5.5 weeks until we find out girl/boy. Jeff wants a boy; I want another girl. We will see.

I'm feeling this baby already, and I have popped out already. The joys of having already had a baby. The other night, the baby headbutted me in the ribs. It was awesome!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommas! I hope everyone had a wonderful day and did something fun.

I had a GREAT Mother's Day, thanks to my awesome husband. He told me to sleep in this morning (which I couldn't do by more than 15 minutes---so I read in bed for a while lol). He gave me a sweet card from himself and one from Isabella. Then he made me eggs and bacon.. Super yummy! After the Bella-bug took a nap, we went for a drive and had lunch. Isabella actually ate her lunch, which was a nice present to Mommy. When we got home, both Isabella and Mommy took a nap (Isabella's was much longer than Mommy's lol). When she got up, Jeff took her to the store with him and brought back an ice cream cake. Yummy! He made steak for dinner. If anyone has ever had Jeff's steak, you know how amazing it is. He also cleaned up the kitchen. I got to relax all day, which was the best present ever.

Love you, honey!

First Official Playdate

We had our first playdate today for our little neighborhood playgroup. I think it was a raging success. There were five kids other than Isabella, ranging in age from 5 years to 6 weeks. LOL. Isabella slept through half of it (longest nap EVER) but woke up in time to play for a little while. It was nice to get together with other mommies and have adult conversation while the kids played. Most of the conversation revolved around babies, lol.

Other than that, a pretty tame day. It's almost time for Isabella's bath and then an early bedtime due to non napping this afternoon. **Sigh**

15 months

Isabella turned 15 months yesterday. We had her check up today. She is "growing beautifully," according to her pediatrician.

She weighs 19 pounds 13 ounces, is 31 inches tall and her head circumference is 18 inches. She moved up to the 9th percentile from the 7th and she grew 2 inches in 3 months! Holy cow! I think she's going to be tall like Daddy.

She is starting to walk backwards. She follows directions beautifully. When one of us says "Let's go brush our teeth," she heads down the hallway to the bathroom. She is starting to help us brush her teeth.

She can say mama, dada, hi, yes, this, anana (banana), kitty, and baby. She shakes her head "no" like a pro. LOL.

She got two shots today and took them like a champ. Mommy hugs made the tears go away pretty quickly. Then we went shopping with Grandma and to lunch.

She's getting so grown up. She doesn't look like a baby at all anymore.

Now if she would just grow some more hair! LOL

A Little Catch Up

As March closed out, we had a very nice visit with my cousin and her two girls. Isabella has a blast playing with the girls (9 and almost 6). She loves chasing after people a little bigger than her. And now that she can walk, she is all over the place!

Our Easter was very nice. We went to a toddler Easter egg hunt across the street at our friends' house. Their little boy helped Isabella, who wasn't all that interested in the hunt. She did have fun helping Daddy die eggs, though. On Easter, we went to a church service in the park with my godmother, brother, and our friends, the Venables (with their brand new baby girl). Isabella loves running around the park (but not the slide or swings). We had excellent steak for dinner.

So far, April has brought an almost running toddler with attitude. Isabella's favorite thing is to shake her head no, whether she means no or not. She just likes to shake her head. Haha. I think that's my fault. When I used to tell her "no," I would always shake my head so she knew what I meant. She caught on quickly.

She is still a momma's girl, but is warming up to Daddy (especially if he leaves without saying good bye--bad Daddy!).

April is sure to bring even better things. :)

Saturday at the Park

Jeff worked on the 4th bedroom this morning, and then we decided to take a break since it was such a beautiful day today. In the mid 70s with a nice breeze. We decided a picnic at the park would be a great idea.

We took a picnic lunch, a blanket, and a ball. Isabella had a blast pushing the ball around. She seemed a little wierded out at first by the feel of the grass on her feet, but soon she was rubbing her feet all over the grass! LOL. She was having a great time...until we tried to put her down the slide again. Even with Jeff holding onto her, she just wasn't having any of it. She wouldn't even let her feet go in the baby swing. As soon as Jeff started moving her toward the swing, she freaked out. Swinging on the big swing with Daddy went a little better. We'll keep trying on the swing and slide.

I can't wait until we have grass in our own backyard so we don't have to go down to the park. :)

Rainy Monday

I love rainy days, especially two rainy days in a row. But they make me want to curl up on the couch under a blanket and watch cheesy ScyFy movies all day. Oh wait, that's what we did yesterday afternoon. LOL

Isabella is napping, and I am online, taking a short break after cleaning up the kitchen. Usually, we go for a walk after breakfast, but not today. :(

So what to do with the rest of the day? Maybe clean up our bedroom a little. Put away Isabella's laundry. Exciting, right? Haha

I'm hoping Isabella will walk some more. She took a lot of steps alone last night. She did, however, refuse to do it whenever Jeff was in the room. Poor Jeff. Little stinker.

Baby Steps

In the past week, Isabella has taken three steps!!! All by herself. :)

She also stands all by herself, pretty much all the time now. She'll be kneeling or squatting, and TADA, just stands up. She's always so proud of herself.

So many new accomplishments in the past week: baby steps, standing all the time, eating with a fork, learning how to get on her car and then pushing it herself, pushing the car herself to walk across the room, she said "Mine" at the grocery store last night, the list goes on and on.

I am so proud of her!

Standing!

When she wants to, Isabella can stand on her own now! She's been doing it more and more often, and for longer periods of time. Last night, she was bopping up and down as well!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY 1st Birthday, Isabella!

What a wirlwind two days! Isabella turned ONE yesterday. I have no idea where that first year went. It seems like just yesterday, I was holding her in my arms for the first time. LOL. And now she is a constantly babbling, almost walking TODDLER.

Yesterday, we had her one year check up (yea, happy birthday to her. haha). She now weighs 18 pounds and is 29 inches tall. We saw a new doctor yesterday and LOVE her. Finally, we saw a doctor who doesn't harp on Isabella being smaller. This is what she said "Isabella is on her own growth curve, and she is gaining weight. As long as she continues to gain wait on HER (emphasis mine) curve, then I will not worry." YES YES YES. Finally.

Then, we went to the mall to walk around and have lunch with my friend, Mandy. It was nice to have a girls' day on Isabella's birthday.

Today was her party. SOOOOO much work went into her party. We had fifteen guests, which included Isabella's little (boy)friend from across the street and two other little friends. There was good appetizers, lots of balloons, tons of presents, and lots of pictures taken of Isabella and her cake (which she dug into). The bath that followed didn't make Isabella very fond of Daddy, though. Haha. I believe there was cake in her hair, eyelashes, up her nose, and of course all over her hands and face.

It was a good time. We have great friends who are like family. They all love Isabella and she is always excited to see all of them.

Happy birthday, my darling. Mommy and Daddy love you!

One Year Ago

One year ago tonight, I was a nervous wreck thinking about my c-section the next day. I knew our lives were about to change for the better, but I had no idea how much more complete I would feel once I was a mommy.

I was so nervous about the c-section. I had never had surgery before. I didn't think I would sleep at all, and Isabella was kicking me so much that I felt like she was trying to keep me awake. Haha.

More than anything, though, I was so anxious and excited to finally be able to put a face on the baby girl I had been dreaming about for months.

A year ago tomorrow my whole world changed. :)

Back to Square One

After two weeks of trying to get her to go without it, we've given Isabella back the binky. I say "we" but it was really my decision. If it end up backfiring, I will take full responsibility for it. I know I made the right decision for NOW because two seconds after I gave it to her, she was sound asleep. And she took a 3 hour nap. :)

She has the bottles back, too. She refused to drink ANYTHING out of a sippy cup. Three wet diapers between yesterday and today. Honestly, if she will drink milk out of the bottle and water/juice out of the cup, I'll keep the bottles for a little while longer. I want them gone by the summer, but we'll deal with that later.

My happy baby was back today! She was so excited to get the bottles back! She was practically jumping up and down.

We're transitioning into one nap a day, so I am hoping this helps.

Two more days and she will be ONE

What Happened to My Mellow Girl?!

I don't know if it is teething, or a growth spurt, or not having bottles anymore, or getting ready to go down to one nap...but Isabella is all over the place. For the past few days, she hasn't wanted to take her afternoon nap. Today, she fought the morning nap for a long time before finally passing out.

She seems to be doing well with not having bottles anymore, but I worry that she isn't drinking enough. We have her one year appointment on Friday (that's probably not the best birthday present, lol) so I have a ton of questions for her dr.

In the meantime, I need to figure out a way to handle a cranky, clingy, mercurial child.

I Hate Colds

I've had a cold since Wednesday. I hate being sick. I have no energy or motivation to do a darn thing. Which means there will be more to do when I am feeling 100%.

I feel like I have a ton of stuff to do, with everyday ordinary cleaning and then preparing for Isabella's birthday party. I am overwhelmed

I HATE Teething!!!! (And so does Isabella)

You would think after getting 8 teeth in our little girl's mouth, we'd know how to handle teething. The only problem with that is Isabella is different with every tooth. The first four teeth she got in resulted in no teething. Then it all went downhill. She is apparently making up for lost time with all other teeth.

Right now is the worst time of teething we have had. She just got in her last incisor. She has been getting in her first molars for about two months now. The other day, I could actually see them, and her cuspids, in her gums. They are all very close to the surface.

Last night and tonight, she had to be rocked to sleep! That's the first time in eleven months we've had to do that! Last night it took me about twenty minutes to get her to sleep; it took Jeff almost an hour tonight. I don't want rocking her to sleep to become a habit. We worked hard to get her to sleep through the night, and I am annoyed with teething for ruining that!!!!!

My usually happy, good natured baby is a clingy, cranky, inconsolable mess. Poor baby!!!

TEETHING GO AWAY AND LEAVE MY BABY ALONE!!!! LOL

2010, Day 1

Happy New Year!

We had friends over last night for New Year's Eve. We ate a lot of appetizers, watched a movie, and played a hilarious game. Toasted beer and spiked cider at midnight. Bye bye, 2009.

This year is starting out very well. I spent the day with Jeff and Isabella, just the three of us. We had sushi for lunch and did a little shopping at Target. After dinner at my godmother's house, we put Isabella to bed and have just been hanging out watching tv this evening.

I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I am vowing to make 2010 better than 2009. That's going to be hard since 2009 brought us Isabella, but I'm going to try!

28 days from today, Isabella will be ONE YEAR OLD! Goodness. Where did the time go?!