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November 27, 2011

A Letter to Isaac: 5 Months Old


My sweet Isaac,

In so many ways it's been an absolute blessing that I'm not working.  My love for you truly grows every day and I love spending every day with you and experiencing the world through your eyes.  You've grown so much and went up another size in clothes.  At five months old, you're now in 6-9 month clothing.  I also started the paperwork to get you a passport and believe it or not that prompted a great deal of discussion around your eye color.  There are days when your eyes are blue as the ocean and other days where they're brown but almost hazel like a tootsie pop.  As much as I would love for your eyes to remain blue like mine, I suspect they'll turn over the next several months to a wonderful hazel/brown like Papa.  Your hair is also starting to grow and it appears to have a very fine texture.  The color also changes depending on the lighting.  When the sun catches your face the strands of hair catch the light and shine a vibrant strawberry blonde and in the glow of the evening light it appears to have more of an auburn hue.  Papa and I both love watching you change and grow.

You experienced many new milestones this month beginning with the introduction of solid foods.  The first baby food on the list was squash.  Initially you didn't care too much for this but as a few days passed you started catching on to the concept.  I have to be honest the baby squash didn't look that appealing.  However you did like the sweet potatoes! Unfortunately, after three days they did cause you to have an unpleasant diaper rash.  No worries though.  We took a break from the potatoes and moved on to carrots with no problems.

Isaac, it is so entertaining to interact with you and help you discover the world around you.  It's an automatic response for you to put new things in your mouth!  It doesn't matter what it is, a new book, a plush toy, a blanket, your hands, and even your toes.  This month you discovered your feet and boy have you exerted a great deal of effort to reach your feet and wiggle around until your sweet little toes were in your mouth.  If you're sitting up, you bend over nose to toes and topple over.  If you're laying down and catch a glimpse of your feet, in the blink of an eye, you've pulled them into your mouth.  I've probably encouraged this with bright colored socks and pajamas that have bears, puppies or stripes on the toes. You absolutely love them!

You've also become a big helper too helping Mommy out during diaper changes. :)  As a result, you now have a special toy just for diaper change time.  Mr. Moon is your new friend and he keeps your hands busy and out of poopy messes so Mommy has less mess to clean up!

Isaac, you are a very sweet little boy and I'm proud to be your mother.  You're easily entertained with tummy time and getting stronger each day pushing yourself up and learning to sit up.  I love your cuddles, giggles and sweet little smiles.  You light up my life and melt my heart.  I can't wait to see what you discover in the next month.

Love you!

November 25, 2011

Isaac's First Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend with my parents in Alabama.  We left at noon and the ride over seemed to take forever.  Traffic is always heavy on holidays and by the time we made it to the other side of the city we were all hungry.  So, after being on the road for only an hour we stopped for lunch, which took another hour.  We stopped again after another hour and a half for potty breaks and caffeine refills.  It's a ritual at this point to stop in Anniston, AL for Starbucks.  Then, back on the road again to finish the drive.  I began to wonder if we would ever get there.  With about an hour left before arriving at our final destination Isaac started getting restless, and who could blame him.  At that point, I did what any good mother would do; climb in the backseat and provide a beverage service and entertainment.  :)

After Isaac was no longer distracted by an empty tummy he figured out how to reach his toes while he was still strapped into his car seat.  He was tickled by his accomplishment as he should be.  There is a lot of coordination required to play with toes!


During the weekend Isaac started helping out with his bottle even held the bottle himself for short periods of time.  

This was also the first Thanksgiving that I got out of potato duty for the first time!  Isaac was very clingy to me during the weekend.  He would go to grandma for a few minutes then cry.  Grandpa held him for a few minutes then he cried and looked for me.  There were even moments within the first 24 hours that he wouldn't even let Papa hold him.  Isaac simply wanted the comforts of momma and that was fine with me except when it came time for food or bio breaks.  By the afternoon of the second day he had adjusted and was much more comfortable.  He even joined us for Thanksgiving dinner from the comforts of his portable play pen.

I must say it was a weekend for a lot of reflection and there was a lot to be thankful for.  It's a simple reminder how life can change for the better in ways I could have never imagined six years ago.  The direction of my life took a pivotal change in 2005.  It was the first time I had ever spent Christmas with Dad, ever.  In a span of 5 years I experienced tremendous personal growth, grew closer to my family, traveled internationally, and made a very important decision to quit my job.  If I had not have changed jobs I wouldn't have met Frazer.   Last year was Frazer's first Thanksgiving with my family and I was thankful then.  This year, with Isaac is just icing on the cake.  So thankful to have a new family of my own.  So blessed to have such a wonderful husband who showcased his mashed potatoes last year and got me out of potato duty this year!  Who knows where we'll be in 5 years.  Where ever it is, I know it will be awesome!

Nap Time
Grandpa John and Isaac

November 14, 2011

Isaac's First Play Date


A friend of mine, Kali, is a full time nanny and she was able to help out in a pinch one afternoon when I had to go to the dentist to get a filling fixed.  Novocaine, dentistry drills and a dentist with hands in your mouth isn't the kind of situation I wanted to be in with an infant in tow.  So, Kali came to my rescue on short notice and we made a play date out of it!

Now, if you can believe, Parker is only two weeks older than Isaac and in this picture he makes Isaac look tiny.  When Isaac met Parker his face light up and he couldn't stop smiling.  It was super cute.  Isaac and I have spent a lot of time in front of the mirror and he loves to look at his reflection and touch the mirror.  In this case, it was a REAL baby that he could touch and from his reaction he thought that was super cool.    They had a good time hanging out with each other.  We'll definitely have to do it again!

November 8, 2011

Pumpkin Flavored Fingers


Thanks momma for making me fresh pumpkin yummies to eat.  The pumpkin sure does make my fingers taste better!


I'm covered in pumpkin papa! I'm saving some for later. ;)

November 5, 2011

Mr. Not So Happy Pants

For a day and a half Isaac had really not been feeling well and was super fussy, irritable, and restless. Nothing was providing comfort.  His temp was a little elevated and he was chewing on anything he could put in his mouth.  After trying several things I gave in, packed him up and headed to the pharmacy for some Children's / Infant Tylenol.


This was my first time buying medication over the counter for Isaac and of course the closest store was WalMart.  That was a fiasco. After standing in line forever to clarify something with the Pharmacist, the Pharmacist indicated I needed a different brand a asked a store clerk to grab  the correct item.  Apparently, it was the store clerks first day and was absolutely lost. So, we left and went to Walgreen's Pharmacy.  Success! After a small dose, a full tummy and a long nap, he was finally feeling much better.

November 4, 2011

Sweet Dreams

I absolutely struggle to contain myself from taking pictures of Isaac when he's sleeping.  It's the most precious of all moments to me and there is nothing better than when he snuggles up close and drifts off to dream land.


Frazer had to go out of town overnight so I didn't want him to miss out on being able to tuck little man in for the night or miss out on on being able to see Isaac sleeping.  Gotta love being able to send pictures via text messages.


He doesn't always like to go to sleep.  He's so afraid he might miss something and struggles to keep his eyes open but sleep eventually wins out.  This is how he fell asleep for his morning nap.  Not the most comfortable position for nap time but it seems to work for him......


My absolute favorite since holding him in my arms for the first time is having him sleep on my chest.  Isaac had a few meltdowns in the afternoon and he finally gave up the ghost during cuddle time and feel asleep on my chest.  He slept so long I was able to take a quick nap myself!  How can you not love that face! :)

November 2, 2011

Sitting Up is Hard Work


After Isaac's morning yummies he spent some time in his little seat that is designed to help him learn to sit up.  Isaac was very vocal about his experience and it was something I just had to capture.   

November 1, 2011

Who is that Baby in the Mirror?

Video: 

Should I Eat Baby Food or My Foot??


It's an amazing process to experience the simplest things in life through the eyes of a baby and there are no dull moments.  To such a small person with only four plus months of experience in life everything is new, fascinating and mesmerizing.

Thoughts from Isaac:
  Mommy, where are you taking me?
  What is this seat contraption you're putting me in?
  Hmm, I'm sitting up on my own and I can see all kinds of things.
  I don't know what they are but I see them.
  What is this thing you put around my neck and why is it there?
  Ooh, it's a bright color, I wonder what it tastes like??
  More of this slimy stuff, is this really food?
  These are kind of sweet, I guess it's not that bad but the texture sure is strange.
  Wonder if it tastes better if I put my fingers in my mouth.
  Oh wait, that thing at the bottom of my leg is moving, I wonder what that is?


  Sorry, momma, the food stuff will have to wait, I have to check out this thing that's wiggling.
  It seems to be attached to me.
  Oooooh, stripes.


  Hmmm, how I can get my hand, my foot and that food stuff in my mouth at the same time??

Clearly I couldn't help but take pictures to capture this moment of genuine curiosity.  So many things to explore and of course they must all be explored at the same time.  The contrasting stripes on his pajamas certainly provided a great deal of entertainment for him and why not combine entertainment with food? What ever works, right?  :)

Oh Boy....Baby Food...Yuk!

October 31, 2011 marked the first day of introducing solid foods to Isaac.  The pediatrician provided a list of foods and a rotation schedule to follow to start the introduction of foods and flavors.  We are to start with about a tablespoon of selected food after his morning bottle and stay the course until he likes it.  Once he likes it, then move to the next item on the list.  The first item becomes lunch and the second item becomes the new breakfast food.  Well, easier said than done!

First item on the list, Squash.  Now I have to be honest, this is the first time I've ever bought baby food and I know it's simply pureed but the squash looks gross.  I even had a small sample and it's nothing I would eat either, at least not without plenty of seasoning.  


Okay momma, what is this strange stuff you're putting in my mouth??  Num, num, num, num.





I'm not sure I like this stuff momma....

Feeding food to Isaac is pure entertainment.  With each bite he would scrunch his face and crinkle his nose.  He moved his tongue around trying to taste but had more fun pushing the food back out.  He's also very expressive and animated with his hands right now so in between bites his fingers go right in his mouth or he would grab the bib and put it in his mouth.  In a matter of seconds Isaac was quickly covered in squash and momma too.


My First Halloween



Isaac's first Halloween was probably boring by most peoples standards.  We figured he's really to small to go trick-or-treating and I really don't need the candy.  If there is a supply of chocolates around it would definitely be consumed.  So, instead Isaac was dressed up as Superman in his groovy Superman pajamas.  We got a cute 1st Halloween bib which he spit up on as soon as I put it on him.  To further the festivities, on Isaac's behalf of course, I made a couple of baby sized jack-o-lanterns and painted a pumpkin for him.  Frazer and I both had a great time looking at costumes but just couldn't bring ourselves to actually purchase one.  All of the options were adorable.  Next year will be a different story....