As you can imagine- I've just been too tired or too busy so let me fill you in on what's been going on!
March 5th I went back to work. I was fine until after dropping her off, I closed the door and walked to my car. Then the tears starting to come! My heart really hurt- not that I feared for her safety or if she was happy- oh no this was purely selfish on my part- I just REALLY MISSED HER!
Being at work isn't too bad. It's much easier than taking care of a baby but I still miss her terribly. I have peppered the walls of my cubes with pictures of her. I'll be pulling out my hair because one of my customers is a complete idiot and then I look up and see her smiling face. It brings me sanity!
Isabelle started off in an in-home day care. I REALLY loved the woman and the other kids in the home all loved Isabelle. Isabelle LOVES little kids. Especially the 1-4yr old range. She's fascinated by them and what they can do. So dropping her off every day and knowing she was having lots of fun was huge. HOWEVER- this lil missy would NOT take her bottle. Every day the woman tried and only every once in a while was she able to get her to drink. Isabelle would eat baby food but no milk and no juice or water. So that stressed me out a lot. Being at work all day knowing she wasn't getting enough fluids really freaked me out. I would rush home to nurse her as much as I could before she went to bed. She had no problem nursing she just didn't want those bottles!!
Soon after going to daycare we were told that she was going to have to shut down. Yet another freak out moment for me. I don't know the details of why she had to shut down but it was something medical. So on one hand I felt for the woman and on the other hand I was freaking out about where to put Isabelle. I mean it took me months to find this lady and now I had a little over a week to find a new place.
We finally settled on a more corporate daycare/school facility that I NEVER would have looked at except for the fact that one of Jimmy's friends brought his son there. So we went to check it out and really liked the place. Very clean, very close to home and yet still worked with our commute to work and the teachers/administration were all wonderful. The women that watch Isabelle are super sweet and I know Isabelle already loves them. Isabelle is happy as can be playing all day with babies her own age. Watching the babies that are a few months older than her learn to crawl and walk really catches her eye. I can see the wheels turning in her head as she watches them. It's like I can see her trying to figure it out so she can do it herself!
The teachers at the new daycare have also had some luck with feeding her. Isabelle is still calling the shots but she will take down more fluids and each day it seems to get better and better. At first it was no bottle, then some bottle, then out of a straw, then out of a sippy cup, then straight from the rim of the cup, then back to the bottle and so forth and so on. She really likes keeping everyone on their toes!!
My favorite part of the day is picking her up. I peak in the little window and wait for her to see me. She'll kind of turn her head toward me, stop whatever she is doing and get the BIGGEST smile on her face. Melts my heart!
So daycare is going great. I of course would rather be a stay at home mom but until I win that Lottery this will just have to do.
Lately Isabelle is getting better and better at crawling. She's still in army crawl mode but every once in a while she'll push her belly off the floor and get on her hands and knees. When we are sitting in the bed if I put my arm out for her to pull up on, she'll pull herself up into a standing position. She LOVES to stand.
Recently she even started making more distinguishable sounds. Unfortunately it's not what I wanted to hear! I mean I carried her for over 9 months, over 27 hours in labor, spent over 6 months at home with her- day in and day out and what does she utter?!?!? DA DA
I mean come on!
;)
But it is pretty cute to hear and yesterday she added BA BA. So she'll say DA DA DA DA DA BA BA BA BA
I know MA MA is in there somewhere- I'll just have to keep working at it!
So that's what has been going on with Isabelle and me on a MON-FRI weekly basis
On March 16th Isabelle had her 7 month milestone
She's too cute - right?
On the weekends I try to do as much fun stuff with her as I can. I get so excited when I think of all the things I want to do with her. The aquarium, going to the park, the library for some story time, cabbage patch land, build a bear workshop and so much more. Having a kid is great but even better for me since I'm just a kid in a grown up body.
After she turned 7 months we had a photo shoot at the park. I HIGHLY recommend you check out this website www.amykatphotography.com
Amy takes GREAT pictures, she's patient and very sweet. Here's a cute shot she took of Isabelle in a bunny costume. It's funny- that's a real bunny and in another shot she stole his carrot!
March was such a warm month. It was perfect for outdoor activities. We went to the zoo and she loved it. I think she loved looking at all the kids more than the animals but she still loved it nonetheless. Here's a picture of her and Jimmy at the monkey exhibit
We also had a fun baby shower for baby to be Morgan Elise and her mama Nicole! There were lots of little girls at the shower and Isabelle just loved every minute of it. Nicole also got a great haul of gifts for her sweetie pie! I hosted the shower at my house but so many friends helped me throw it for Nicole. It was so nice to have so many people help me. I've done a LOT of showers before and this might be the first one that I actually let go and REALLY let people help me. It was such a relief to know I could go and feed Isabelle before the shower started and all my friends that helped throw the shower were out there taking care of everything. Here's a cute picture Michelle took
This weekend is Easter- I PROMISE I'll update the blog agian next week so you can see the cutie pie and her first Easter. Next year will be so much more fun. She'll be walking and able to look for the eggs and she'll have two new cousins! My sister Bridget is due to have a Girl at the beginning of this summer and my sister-in-law Megan is due to have a Girl at the end of this summer. Little Girls Everywhere!!
However I hate to say it- all these girls have a lot to live up to- this lil munchkin is the CUTEST in the world! Of course I'm a little biased ;)
We can't wait to take Isabelle to her first baseball game- We've already got her geared up and ready to go!
