Newborn

Isaac's newborn photo shoot is available online here.
Click on "Isaac Newborn"
Password: beckyblake

We love our photographer. Not only does she takes great photos, but she's also super nice, and so easy to work with! One thing about taking pictures though, it's always so hard to choose which ones to order! I wish I could just have all of the images, but that would be one pricey photo bill! :) If you don't feel like looking through the whole thing, here are some of our favorites:

Introducing

Our newest nephew {and Isaac's new cousin/BFF}:

August William
11/13/2008
8 lb 12 oz
21.5 in


Some other shots from the day, including new big sis Jessi practicing her sister skills on Isaac, Dad {the old pro} and his grandsons, and the new BFF's close-up {it's amazing how much bigger Isaac is than August, and it has only been a month!}:

That's so manly

I have the sling, and Blake has the Snugli. Isaac is also a fan - hence that fist pump!

In 24 hours...

I should have a new niece or nephew, and Isaac will have a new cousin!!! :) Lola's water broke this evening. HOORAY! I know she won't read this, but I'm wishing her a nice, quick, and easy labor.

Here is Isaac meeting Auntie Lola, and his cousin Jessica on his birthday {sorry it's a little out of focus, but you get the idea}:

PS: Funny thing is, I messaged Lola today telling her to "go into labor already." I guess little Pufferbelly was listening! LOL :)

How embarassing

This is a corner of our kitchen counter - dedicated to bills, magazines, cards, newspapers, and anything else we feel like propping over there. It needs help. As you can see, we attempted an IKEA wood organizer, but it only worked for a week. Part of the problem can be attributed to the fact that we get so much mail and don't take the time to go through it right away, so it starts to pile up and then we think it's appropriate to store other things on the pile {like those batteries, that lotion, and do I spy ipod headphones?!}. Any ideas for helping me out? Do I get a bigger organizer that we can put on the wall? I really want my counter space back, and at the rate we're going, I'm going to end up relinquishing my whole kitchen to mail! :)

Intelligent conversation

In 30 seconds, this video showcases hiccups, smiles, and Isaac's ever-expanding vocabulary. It sure sounds like he's having a pretty intelligent conversation with those animals on his bouncy seat! :)

Wrapped around his finger

One look at this adorable face and my heart melts {even though he is screaming his head off as I write this}. :)


PS - I love the smile, but he's so close to the camera that his face looks ginormous!

Bow tie

I'm really liking this bow tie for no particular reason. It's dorky, but cool. Ben, you should buy this for your play. It's better than those silk pajamas you need anyhow. :)


P.S. The online search for cheap silk PJ's for Ben is what led me to discover this cool find.

Freeze!

So...Blake and I need more freezer room. The little freezer on our side-by-side fridge model is just not cutting it, especially now that I've had to arrange for storage of frozen milk. The question is, do we want a chest freezer model or an upright model? Any ideas?

One month

Our little "Bubs" is one month old today and growing up so fast. How quickly time flies. I sure think he's a cutie though! :)

Daddy is my hero

Isaac loves his chiropractic adjustments. They make him feel so good that he goes right to sleep. Love that sticker. Thanks Daddy!

Do Not Disturb

Isaac is doing so well! This is his first time sleeping in the sling...and look, no soothie!


I've also ordered this baby carrier for his awake and happy periods when he doesn't want his swing, bouncy chair, or anything else but to be next to me {not as stylish as the sling, but I'm all for anything that makes my life easier!}. Hopefully it'll allow me to get some more things done around the house, and all without breaking my back {or my pocketbook!}. :) If he doesn't like it, I won't feel bad...I only spent $20. :)

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN! :)

Read the sticker

Dressed in his most patriotic outfit, our chubby-cheeked little man went with us to the polls. Did you cast your vote today?

PS: Lola, do you recognize the onesie?

Making progress

Remember how sad I was about Isaac's disdain for the sling I so desperately wanted him to love?

Well, we're making progress. I've been attempting to put him in it a few times a week {or whenever I find time}, and today, he happily spent two periods of about 20 minutes in it! WOO! Hopefully he'll grow to love it. My fingers are crossed. :)

Doesn't he look cozy? {Please excuse the off-center shots...it's hard to take a centered picture with a sling on!!}

Update

An update on Blake's dad --

He is doing better. He has been having speech and physical therapy, can feel tingling in his left leg, and had his food upgraded to pureed items vs. his strictly applesauce diet yesterday.

He will be in the hospital for 1-2 more weeks and then will be transferred to a stroke victims care facility. We aren't sure how long he will be there at this time. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this time. They mean the world to us!

Tagged

My first ever experience being tagged in the world of blogging (thanks Janelle).

Here goes nothing....seven random facts about me:

1. I really enjoy being a mommy. Sometimes I feel like a bad mom when Isaac is crying and I can't do anything to console him, and I get frustrated. But then he'll smile and coo a couple of hours later, and all is forgotten.

2. I generally hide stress really well from other people, which sometimes allows it to overwhelm me. Some of my big stresses right now: my organist submitted her final resignation for 11/20, which means my maternity leave ends 12 days early; the situation with Blake's dad; worry over being alone with Isaac all weekend while Blake is at a seminar.

3. Lately, I am addicted to Oreo fluff. I make a batch, and it lasts Blake and me about a week. So bad for you, but soooo delicious.

4. Thanks to maternity leave, I've been watching too many talk shows - Dr. Phil, The Doctors, Oprah.....

5. I want to go on Wheel of Fortune. I'm pretty sure I'd win. I'm awesome at solving those puzzles! :)

6. When out in public, I get really embarrassed when Isaac starts crying. Sure, I probably look calm, but inside, I'm freaking out!

7. My hands are currently super dry and cracking from all the hand-washing, despite my best efforts to lotion as often as possible....I just don't want to get my little man sick!

Trick or treat!

Isaac's first Halloween...he didn't get any treats, but he sure likes to play tricks!

Prayers

Blake's dad, Jerry, had a stroke on Tuesday that has progressively gotten worse. He can no longer move the left side of his body. We have been at the hospital and don't know when he will be released. Please keep him in your prayers. We are hoping for the best, but we also know that this will be a long road for all of us.


PS: Many thanks to my mom for stepping in and watching Isaac at the last minute. Poor kid has been sooooo fussy. I suspect a mild case of baby reflux. :(

New wardrobe help

I've been wearing my small selection of maternity clothes for long enough, that I can't remember my previous wardrobe. I was also sort of attached to my maternity clothes - cute and cheap. My fall/winter wardrobe is pretty sad {and I can't even find half of it...maybe I good-willed a bunch of it when I went on my crazy nesting spree?}, so I want to spruce it up a bit. It seems when I'm out shopping these days, I make a bee-line to the baby clothes section...It seems I couldn't care less about my own style...I'm just distracted! If you are bored, please do some online shopping for me and send me links to any cute things that I can consider purchasing. Mostly, I'm looking for tops and preferably any shirt/sweater/cardigan set-type things that make for discreet breastfeeding and a stylish mommy! :) Thanks in advance for your help!

nine pounder

Yes, Isaac is 9.5 lbs today, and 22 inches long. I guess the good news is that he is still smaller than my littlest brother, Ben, when he was born (9lbs 11.5 oz)!!


Aqua Globe Update: I recommend them {click here to order yours!}! Just a couple problems: you need to keep an eye on when the bulb goes empty. My plant was in such bad shape, that the bulb was empty after 3 days {though looked super healthy during that time}. The plant started to wilt again, and that's when we noticed it needed a refill. Also, some soil got into the tube part of the aqua globe, so I had to find a thin stick to poke it down into the bulb and then flushed it out with water. After figuring all that out, we're back in business! :)

Photo album

Some photos since Thursday. He's growing up so fast! Isaac is 18 days old today and is going to church for the first time. Check him out, all ready to go {and actually sleeping!} in the last picture:

Cheater

Everyone knows that I'm not a green thumb, and with the arrival of little Isaac, I've become even worse about taking care of the plants! Aqua Globes to the rescue {my first ever purchase of something I'd seen on TV}! I ordered them awhile ago as a present for my mom {they took FOREVER to arrive}, and Blake and I decided to keep one of them. I hadn't used it until today....hopefully it will revive this poor wilting plant....it looks pretty though, doesn't it? :)

Two weeks

Our little man is 2 weeks old today. I think I'm getting better at figuring him out:

1. He farts....a lot
2. He cluster feeds in the late morning/early afternoon, and then eats every 2 hours. He's been having one 4-hour sleep stretch for the past 4 nights (usually from about 9:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.), followed by a couple 3 hour stretches before "waking."
3. When he starts to get hungry, he throws his arms around {Daddy thinks he is gearing up for being a future QB}.
4. He gets more adorable every day!
5. When doing a diaper change, I must always consider him armed and dangerous! {I've never been peed on more in my life!}
6. He hates tummy time {but is already super strong!}
7. Slowly, but surely, he's adjusting to being naked {not screaming at every diaper change and throwing a fit at every bath}
8. He loooves having his hair washed!
9. His bouncy seat can keep him awake and happy for almost a half hour!
10. He hates pacifiers {but loves to suck!}....in a last ditch act of desperation, we attempted giving him a Soothie...it made him even more mad!
11. Still looks like Daddy!
12. His favorite book is "What Does Baby See?" from Begin Smart Books {Thanks Deb!}
13. We love him more and more every day. How can you not?

Attitude

Isaac hates the sling. WAAAAAHHHH!!! I'm so sad. I wanted him to love the sling. He hates being swaddled and cooped up {which completely explains the ridiculous acrobats when he was in-utero}. Sophie sat better in the sling than Isaac does {see here}.

And, if you're interested, Blake and my maternity session is online {click here}. View at your own risk. ;-) You will need to click on "Becky Maternity" and enter password: bubs

10 days ago

I looked like this:


Now, I look like this.....crazy....I miss my pregnant belly:

Lately...

...My life and schedule revolves around feeding and taking care of this little guy. But really, how can I resist this cute little face?

PS: Did I forget to mention taking tons of pictures???? :)
PPS: I can't believe he is already 8 days old!

58 seconds

Of pure innocence {tiny smile included at the end!}. I'm so tired, but I could watch him all day!

New arrival

Our precious little Bubs has finally arrived:

Isaac Francis
October 7, 2008
6:35 a.m.
7 lb. 14 oz.
21.5 inches

Mother, Father, and Baby are doing fine. We love him to pieces!

Pumpkin Fest

Today is Bubs' due date, and obviously the little one has opted not to make an appearance {yet}. So, Blake and I rounded up my mom and hung out at a local pumpkin festival. Actually, the only reason I really wanted to go is because I've been dying for a piece of pumpkin pie. The advertisements said there would be plenty, but alas, when we arrived, pumpkin pie was nowhere to be found! Overall, it was pretty lame and more of a fall festival for kids, but I guess it was something to do, and it kept my mind off of the bun still baking in this oven. And, I did see a pretty cool pumpkin hat that could've been fun to wear around for a day or two. :)

My LOL of the day

I posted about this first here, but as I find myself waiting anxiously for labor, I was chuckling about this. I only remembered it after I just told Blake we were "gonna have a baby." Yes, this is STILL funny! LOL. :)

A family of talent

My Aunt, Doris, is an artist creating landscape and quilting artwork from fabric. She recently launched a website {here} to showcase her artwork and other things that she offers. I might try one of her kits sometime. It looks cool and like something I could handle in all of my non-artist glory. Just a little sample of what she does:

Guilty Pleasure

I kind of want to join this club......any other blog addicts want to spend what I would consider a silly amount of $$ just to see what sorts of things Jordan sends? Maybe Blake can get me an early Christmas present? Or, this can be Bubs' very first gift to mommy?

I think your belly is bigger than mine

The ladies over at A Fleeting Moment have done it again! I have not seen all of the photos from this particular session, but they did send me some as part of a sneak peek. I can't wait to see the rest! {Refresher: I also did a model maternity shoot for them. You can see my blog about it here, and the slide show from that blog, here.} Check out a few of my faves from the sneak preview:

Sooooo cute!

I've always loved the style of the 1930's - 1940's. In fact, I would probably call it a small obsession. Today, I am picturing myself in this dress {too bad it's already sold, and from a shop in Des Moines, IA!} with my hair up like this.

Nice grab!

Yeah, I'm pretty happy that football is back. :)

Patience is not a virtue

....when you're waiting for labor. Anyone else anxious too?

I hope I get more good progression news at my appointment on Wednesday! :) The ladies at my office, and Blake's office have already started a pool including:

Boy or Girl?
Date of Birth?
Weight at Birth?

The earliest guess for date of birth is Sept. 24.....I'll rejoice if she is right! :)

If you want to start a blog pool, here are the facts from my last appointment:
About 2 cm dilated
75% effaced
Baby is head down and fully engaged

I had some pretty decent contraction action last week, so that's why I'm hoping for some more progress at my next appointment! :) Hooray!

P.S. I hope all of you are as excited about the Heroes season premiere as I am! :)