Birthday Fun

Saturday, we met my mom and sister for lunch at the Olive Garden. They spoiled us with great presents (Josh's birthday is Feb. 6th) and spoiled the baby with TONS of attention!

We had cake, too!
Isaac put on quite the show. My family was so happy to see him full of smiles!
Grandma A especially coulnd't keep her eyes (or hands) off her little grandson. She enjoys being a baby hog, though. :)
My mom, Chrissy, and Isaac
Beckie & I
After a very big lunch, we headed over to the mall to meet up with my long-time friend, Jennifer and her husband Kevin. It was her first time meeting the baby and she just loved him (Who doesn't?). In fact, Jen carried him around all over the mall while he slept even though we had his stroller! LOL

We enjoyed a nice visit with them and are so excited to get together with them again soon! They are in the process of adopting a little girl named Isabella from Guatemala. Please keep them in your prayers because they've had a lot of obstacles so far with the process. We pray that soon their family will grow to three as well and that their daughter can be Isaac's playmate (or girlfriend... she IS very pretty!). :)

"Aunt" Stephanie & "Aunt" Jessica

Yesterday, two of my very good friends (from way back in the 7th grade!) got to meet Isaac for the first time!It was SO good visit with them because they live out of state and we hadn't seem them since last summer. Anyway, Steph and Jess really just paid attention to the baby, of course! Who wouldn't, though? ;) He was such a good boy as we carted him around the mall after we all enjoyed some yummy Chinese food for lunch. My friends took turns holding Isaac and telling him how cute he was all afternoon. :) Josh got to hang out with Steph's husband Mark while the girls hit all the baby clothing stores.

Laughs

**Sorry the video is not working! When I find some time (HA!), I'll use another website to post our videos. **
Just last week, Isaac started trying to find his little voice. Well, he had already been using his angry voice with his "Eh!" protests. But, he has now found his HAPPY voice and we are so excited! We encourage him whenever he tries to make sounds. He doesn't make very many coos or babbles quite yet. He makes what sounds like laughs and it's adorable because he smiles whenever he does it.

http://www.youtube.com/?v=Nb_UWawPPB0

In this video, you can hear him laugh at the end. Sorry the video is kind of long. I didn't want to mess with editing because I'm very tired after our big weekend. The angle is funny, too, because the baby was on my lap. You can listen to me baby talk and try and get him to laugh. Isaac's stuffy nose has gotten better, too... although you can tell we have a heavy breather on our hands while you watch the video. LOL Anyway... enjoy!

Big Weekend Plans

Tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday to me! :) We have lots of big plans for this weekend! Saturday, we are heading to Akron to meet up with my mom and sisters. We'll be going out to lunch and then do some shopping. My friend Jen and her husband will also be there because they live nearby. I'm very excited about that because we don't get to see eachother much and she hasn't met the baby yet! Isaac will get spoiled rotten with all of the attention!! Josh and I were joking about handing Isaac over to my mom and sisters and then walking away to lay down on a bench at the mall for a nap (Can you tell we are still a bit sleep deprived?). He said, "Do you think they would even notice?" LOL "Hey... where did Laura and Josh go? Hmm. Oh, well."

On Sunday, we are also going to meet up with friends! My good friends Steph and Jess will be in the area. So, we have plans to go out to lunch with them after church. Isaac will be meeting them for the first time, too! Whew... lots to do! I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time this birthday weekend. Take care!

Isaac's First Bath

Wednesday night, we gave Isaac his first bath! Up until then, he had been given sponge baths. Bathtime went VERY well! He didn't cry once... although he was a bit nervous at first. Enjoy the pics!

Wondering what in the world we're up to now... and trying to figure out if he likes it or not.
Smiles during bathtime instead of tears! Yeah!
After we washed his hair... he was getting cold and ready for it to be over!
Ahh, much better. All wrapped up and warm with mommy.

6 Weeks

Today, Isaac turns 6 weeks old!

At my friend's baby shower last weekend, I had to laugh. People just think he's older than he really is. I think part of the reason is because he was late and a big boy. But, the other reason is tht he is so alert when he's awake. The two questions I got multiple times on Saturday were: "How old is he?" followed by... "Wow, how big was he when he was born?"

Updates on our munchkin:

*Outgrowing some of his 0-3 month old clothes already! Of course, he has some 0-3 outfits that he hasn't grown into yet either. Every brand of clothing is different. For the record, I LOVE Old Navy's baby clothes for how well they wash up and how well they fit the baby.

*Arches back when he's really mad. He's really strong-willed!

*Has gained more control over his hands. He'll bat at toys, push my hands away when I'm trying to wipe his face, and suck on his fingers to self-sooth.

*Will be getting his first REAL bath tonight. Due to his doctor's suggestion, we've only been giving him sponge baths up until now so that his cord and circumcision could fully heal. So, tonight... we dunk (as Josh has been referring to it). We are hopeful that he'll enjoy it... look for pics soon!

Enjoy the new pictures!
It's been fun making new noises to see Isaac's reaction. He made this face when I was "clicking my tongue" today. Such a curious little boy!
It's so cool now that Isaac really looks at us. He's great at making eye contact when we talk, sing, and play with him.
Last Saturday, Isaac wore his first pair of shoes! Too cute!
What's that in the lefthand corner? None other than our dog Sophie Girl's big 'ole nose! Isaac has been really taking more interest in the dogs. He likes to watch them and never fusses when they sneak kisses.
The infamous "pouty lip" that Josh claims Isaac got from me. Whew! We had quite a fussy night last night. Thankfully, he's been a good napper today. :)

Chunky Monkey

Guess how much our (big) little guy weighs? ELEVEN POUNDS! Yep, that's right. Isaac was 8 lbs. 6 oz. at birth and is now 11 lbs. He will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. Ha, ha... as you can tell from the chubby cheek and hands picture below, we have a good eater on our hands!

In other news, Isaac's daytime naps have gotten longer and more frequent. However, he is only averaging 5-6 hours in a row in the evenings. Usually, I can convince him to go back to bed after eating for another hour or two. Most of the baby books say that this a prime growth spurt time. So, I'm assumming he will get better at sleeping through the night once he gets a little bit older.
This picture is just adorable... had to share it! :) Isn't his smile contagious?
Napping in his basinette
Isaac was a BIG hit at my friend's baby shower. He got "oohed" and "awwed" over, enjoyed flirting (smiling) at the ladies and being passed around. He even took a bottle from me while we were there! That's a first. The only other time I really tried, he looked me with a confused and really angry expression and refused to eat. LOL
Afterwards... napping on daddy.

Mommy Pics

Just a few pictures to share of me as a MOMMY (Wow...I look tired, but very happy!).

Activity Mat

Just a few days ago, Isaac decided that he likes his activity mat afterall (all of his prior experiences on it had resulted in us consoling a red-faced, crying little boy). Anyway, it's this Fisher Price floor mat with lots of bright colors and patterns. He smiles and bats at the animals and bounces along to the fun music. Now, he has his bouncey seat, swing, and floor mat to enjoy everyday (He sends a big "THANK YOU, GRANDMA!" to my mom for all the baby entertainment)!

A short video:
http://www.youtube.com/?v=umHfd139FOI

Have a Good Weekend!

Just a few new pictures to share this Friday of our little boy... the sleeping through the night thing is going okay. He's sleeping anywhere from 5-8 hours at a stretch and from what I hear from famliy, that's great! We just wish it were 8 hours every night. Hee, hee!

His new thing is being super cranky when Josh tries to give him a bottle in the evenings. So, we're going to try out some different bottles this weekend. Isaac and I are going to a friend's baby shower tomorrow. I'm looking forward to showing him off and of course, will put him a super cute outfit. :)

Our Cutie Pie

I have a few more minutes to spare... so, I thought I'd add some new pics to the blog, too. Isaac is napping is swing and the mutts are outside playing in the snow. Hope everyone is having a good day!

P.S. Isaac is 5 weeks old today!! What a big boy! :)

New Videos!

"Mr. Grumpy Pants"
http://www.youtube.com/?v=y_LQT6eY54s

The next two were taken yesterday. Isaac likes to "hang out" with me while I'm on the computer. He lays across my lap on a pillow (although sometimes that doesn't last long and my online time is cut very short, LOL). Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/?v=uoT-0--Fr6U
http://www.youtube.com/?v=1bDTPJft5kg

Yes!

Thank goodness... today has been an EXCELLENT day! I was hoping that after Isaac's miserable Monday, that we would both be able to survive today. Of course, it's only 2 in the afternoon. He has time. LOL Oh, wait... my neighbor said she may stop by to visit and then daddy will be home in a few hours. We're in the home stretch! :)

I got to eat both breakfast AND lunch at normal times... dinner is prepared and ready to throw in the oven! It's a miracle! Hee, hee! Also, I was able to get a little bit of housework done today and start catching up with my email and the blog. Isaac slept 8 hours last night (compared to barely 5 the night before). He's also been napping well today! Allejuia!

Hi

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Things have been pretty hectic around here. Even though Isaac has been somewhat following through with the whole sleeping through the night thing, our days have been VERY long. He's been extremely fussy and fighting naps... and on top of that, he's going through a growth spurt and wants to eat almost every hour that he's awake. Boy, does our little guy have a temper! He's started vocalizing his anger/frustration with noises in addition to his crying. His protests are loud, "Ehh's!" as he furrows his brow and his face reddens. Thankfully, Isaac is a happy, lovable baby as well because when he's having a bad morning/afternoon/night... watch out! Even the dogs go hide. LOL Enjoy the new pictures!









P.S. Yes, sometimes I find it funny to take pictures of my cranky kid... we have lots of smiley pics, too!