Big Things Poppin!

So much has been going on these days!
Isabelle is sitting up but not quite on her own yet. If she reaches forward for a toy she tends to topple over and if she leans one way or the other she topples over.  I have to keep an eye on her but she does pretty well and it's nice because she can entertain herself longer
Here are some shots of her sitting up

We also climbed to the top of Stone Mountain with Aunt Bridget and Aunt Carolyn. I strapped her on me, huffed and puffed a bit but we finally made it to the top!  Here's proof!  All the way to the top!

Some of my girlfriends, who have little girls, are trying to put their hair in ponytails so I attempted the same thing. Isabelle isn't quite ready for it but I got some hair in a little itty-bitty pony tail holder! I think she looks like a little mini sumo wrestler!

Isabelle is also starting to eat rice cereal. Most of it is ending up on her face, her bib, the high chair and my face when she sneezes! I know it's going to take some time for her to get used to it and if there is one thing this mama has- it's patience!

The newest thing she does (and I mean she did it for the first time last night or early this morning) is rolling over from back to belly. I've seen her roll over from belly to back but back to belly is a new thing! She woke me up this morning about 530 and I went to look at her monitor only to see her on her tummy in the corner of the crib! I TOTALLY wasn't expecting that so I rushed to her room. I changed her and fed her but she was wide awake (which was weird because normally she falls asleep while I'm feeding her). So I put her on her back in the crib and by the time I got back to my room and looked at her monitor she had rolled back over onto her tummy. Check out my picture from her monitor

I sat and watched the monitor trying to see her breathe. I saw her back go up and down but it wasn't good enough for me- so I went back to her room to feel her back. Of course she was fine but I just had to check! I even woke Jimmy up! I said "LOOK-LOOK! She rolled over!"

He took one look and rolled back over to sleep. It must me nice to be a man! Eventually I drifted back to sleep for about an hour and then she woke me up again when it was really time to wake up. She was happy as can be- this is how I found her.  Not only had she rolled over from back to belly she also turned directions- when I put her to bed her head was where her feet are in this picture!  Look at that cute lil bottom!

I LOVE BEING A MOM AND I LOVE THIS GIRL!!

Trouble with a Breastfed baby taking a bottle- you're not alone

Okay just so you know before reading this- it's about me breast feeding.  Some people get freaked out about this subject- so I'm just giving you fair warning.
First of all I have to say that I think it's freaking amazing what a little baby knows to do as soon as they are out in this big bad world.  I mean there she was swimming around inside me for almost a year, getting her food from this chord attached to her belly button and then before she knows it- it's time to come out!  When she pops out they place her on my chest and she just immediately goes for mother's milk.  No one told her what to do or guided her head in the right direction, she just went for it!  Seriously if you sit down and think about it, it's just amazing.  At least it is to me.
I had no problem with feeding her.  The lactation nurse came in for a session and said "well I'm not sure why I'm hear, you seem to have it"  It's always been really easy when it comes to feeding her but I'm fully aware that some women have trouble with this, some find it painful and some just don't want to do it.  To that I say it is up to each mother to make that decision for their baby and themselves and it's no ones business.  I pass no judgement on women who choose to not breastfeed or only breastfeed for a short time.  What I think is funny is that I don't care what other mom's do but I have had my fair share of eye's rolled and comments about the fact that I would like to try to breast feed her as long as possible and not use formula.
With that being said, I also like to have a social life and if you're a mom you know that's hard when someone needs you to eat every 2-3 hours, even later on at every 4-5 hours.  So from the get go I started pumping so that I could go to Braves Games, Georgia Games, weddings, birthday parties, wedding showers etc...  Isabelle was such a good little girl and would easily take the bottle of pumped milk from her babysitters.  I never had to worry about her when I was away.  It was great!
Then about 2 - 2 and 1/2 months in, she started fussing more and more when people gave her a bottle.  Soon she was screaming bloody murder at even the sight of the bottle.  The only thing I can think, is that in October UGA had a lot of away games so I was staying home a lot and not giving her the bottle.  Whatever it was she was just NOT having that bottle nonsense!  I sent out an alert to all my mom friends looking for advice.
Try freshly pumped milk, did that- didn't work.
Try a different nipple type, did that- didn't work.
Try a different bottle- ummm I now have pretty much every type of bottle that target/kroger/babies R us/publix sells- tried all of those- didn't work.
Try sitting her up when you feed her, did that- didn't work.
Try having someone else feed her and leave the house, did that- didn't work.
Try sweetening the nipple with clear caro syrup, did that- didn't work.
Try heating the nipple, did that- didn't work.
I mean seriously ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that was told to me or that I read, I tried.  If you would have told me to stand under the full moon naked, singing dixie and holding her to feed her, I would have!  Some said maybe she just doesn't want your milk anymore.  That was funny because as soon as I came home and put her in my arms she went straight for my jugs!  She knew it was mommy and she wanted mommy/baby feeding time!
Slowly I started reading from blogs online that other mothers were experiencing this too.  Some friends started having the same problem too.  Hearing this actually made me feel better.  It made me feel like I wasn't alone.  That this wasn't something I was doing wrong- it was just a phase that some babies go through and I was just going to have to deal with it.
We never gave up, in fact I'm still working at it.  But slowly she's starting to take the bottle.  Yesterday she actually finished a whole bottle!
So now for about 3 months she's needed me to feed her but hopefully soon she will be good with taking a bottle from someone else.  The important thing is that I don't give up.
I plan to go back to work in a month and I will still pump but I needed to know she would be ok taking mother's milk from a bottle when I wasn't there to feed her.  If she continues the way she's progressing now, I don't think I will have to worry.
So today's blog is for you moms out there that are at your wits end.  Mom's out there that are rushing home from a dinner with friends so your baby can eat, or scheduling hair or nail appointments in between feedings- I have news for you... It gets better!  You aren't alone, you aren't doing something wrong, you do not have a weirdo baby.  Your baby just loves that feeding time with mommy.  They love snuggling against you and getting that vital nutrition, they love that bond you two share and they love looking up at you.  So if you need to vent- come to me!  I'm here for you.
I can say that so far what is working with us is having her in a chair or sitting up.  That does work however two months ago, that didn't work for us.  She's coming out of the phase and getting older so that's why I think it works now.  When breastfeeding it's a snuggling time so if you put them in the same position when trying to give a bottle they might get upset that they aren't getting it directly from you.  So try feeding them sitting up.  If you don't have a high chair yet, try the swing and adjust it so they are sitting up as much as they can.  That's what we've been using as we wait for her high chair to arrive.
Her thrust reflex is slowly disappearing and she's going to be on rice cereal next month which should also help with the bottle.
I let her play with the bottle, I give her just the top to play with, suck on like a pacifier- let her know it's not so scary.  Sometimes I put a little bit of something sweet that's clear (NOT honey) to make her suck at it and then I slowly tilt it back.
These are just some things that have worked for me.  And out of all the MANY bottles the playtex drop-ins are working so far for us.  The others might work too now as she seems to be ending this phase but I don't want to play with what is working now so I've kept using the drop-ins
I love breast feeding her.  Don't get me wrong- it can be frustrating when you want to do things and you are stuck at the mercy of the boob and baby.  But it's one of my favorite things with her right now.  I love knowing that I'm giving her nourishment.  I love looking down at the those big beautiful eyes, I love when her little hand wrap around my fingers and I love her little humming noise she makes when eating.  Feeding is our special time- something just the two of us share.  Again- just amazing what the human body is capable of!
So to all of you mommies out there that are going through this or mommies-to-be that might experience this- You aren't alone!

5 Months Old!

Who has a cute lil thumb and turned 5 months old today???  This Kid!

5 months old today- I can't believe how fast the time is flying by and how fast she's growing.  

When I put her on her tummy she tries to scoot and kicks her feet up in the air.  The other day she moved herself 45 degrees as she tried to turn around.  

She tries to sit up if you put her in her nap nanny chair and even if you prop some pillows up behind her while snuggling in the bed she still tries to sit all the way up on her own.  She can sit up on her own for a few moments and then starts wiggling and topples over.  

From time to time she will roll over, sometimes on her own and sometimes with a little help.  

She loves it when we hold her so she can stand up, I have a feeling she's going to be taking off once she starts walking.  Her baby Einstein play seat is a favorite of hers and she is getting better and better with play.  She's starting to press the keys on the baby piano and make the parrot spin. 

 Her baby talk is increasing and sounds so cute and girly.  I love it when she quietly whispers, sometimes it almost sounds like singing.  She's starting to slowly mimic us- I'm trying every day for a "MA-MA"

I love her cute lil laugh and I love that I can make her laugh!

The best thing that she is doing now, the thing that totally melts my heart is when she snuggles her lil head in my chest, finding her own lil nook - simply wonderful!  She can't hug or kiss me yet, so this is the best!

5 months old today!

4 Months in 15 minutes

Wow- so SOMEONE was a slacker on the ole' blog!  Yep that was me- sorry folks. 
Crazy thing, having a kid takes up a LOT of your time! 
Now there are some moms that can keep this up. I know you are out there- I know you are the one that not only manages to take a shower every day and make it out of the house, you also can keep up with a Blog after your kid gets past 1 month old.  But obviously it's not this chick.  Isabelle is the most wonderful thing in my world but she takes up a lot of my time and when she's napping or in bed for the night, true- I could have been keeping up with my Blog but instead I chose to either (a) sleep too or (b) sit around and do nothing.
Please accept my apologies and I will try to be better about keeping up with the blog.
So let's catch yall up on what's been going on since the last post!
Ok so Isabelle had her 2nd, 3rd and 4th month milestones

It's crazy how fast time flies when you are in love!

Mommy and Daddy both had their 31st birthdays!  I like to refer to mine as the 29 and 24 month birthday- but whatever.

We also had our first time in the Bumbo!  These days I can't get her to sit in it for too long- she's constantly trying to pop herself out of it!  God bless those chunky thighs for keeping her in the seat!

Isabelle had her first round of shots at her 2 month visit.  I HATED it.  First of all the nurse that came in to give the shots was not my usual sweet nurse and was very blase about it all and didn't prep me for what was about to happen.  I freak out when I get a shot so watching my lil lovely get one was a nightmare!  After she gave her the shot she looked at me and in a tone I did NOT like said "You can pick her up to soothe her"
Well HELLO! Of course I would have done that on my own but I didn't know she was done and so that just made me feel like a bad mom and then when I went to pack her up to leave she said very matter of fact "you can wait till she calms down to leave"  Ok nurse, you win the award for making me feel like a bad mom- thanks!  I'm new to this lady- cut me some slack!

October saw Isabelle experiencing her first Halloween.  Such a cutie pie

Such a cute lil lamb chop!

She also got to hang out with some new friends!  Anna's sweet son Reid, Susan's new lil girl Allison, and Leigh's sweetie pie Avery.

And of course the football season had her in the cutest outfits!

Her first Thanksgiving was like any other day for her except she got to see all her relatives and even got to skype with her Uncle Rory while he was in Australia!

Then before we knew it, it was Christmas!  She got some awesome toys, met Santa several times and even got to see the Pink Pig!

 Baby Einstein and her Belle doll

 Fun in her bouncy seat

My lil Miss Claus, the cutest smile ever during her very first Christmas!

Northlake Mall JC Penny's Photo Shoot!

Perimeter Mall Santa and Santa Nick!

Michelle, Jackson and Bailey met up with us at Lenox Mall and we all went on the pink pig.  Grandpa came to see us ride the Pink Pig too! 

Our next fun adventure was a family photo shoot! You only can get so long with a lil one and we know she has the cutest smile but she loves eating those hands! 

On New Year's Day I sat her down for some tummy time and the next thing I knew she had rolled over on her own!  It was exciting and scary all at once!  Here is a picture I took of her right before she rolled over

Now it's January and my anxiety is at an all time high because I know the day is fast approaching when I have to go back to work.  

I know, I know, I know- quit your whining Mel- you are lucky enough to be home with her for this long! Trust me, I know I'm lucky but still I LOVE being home with her.  I love our morning snuggles and playtime, I love the morning nap and afternoon walks, I love our rocking chair time while I read various stories to her and I love our bath time.  I know I will still get to have these times but I love that I get to have them whenever I want each day.  Trust me there are days where I wish I could freeze time so I could finish an email, surf the web, do laundry or other chores, take a shower or whatever without interruption but after I get the frustration out of my system I realize how wonderful my time with her is.  

I wish I was lucky enough to be a stay at home mom. While I'm still waiting to win the lottery I've also decided that a random benefactor who leaves me millions is also acceptable for my plans to stay at home.

Here are some shots from yesterday when we were hanging out on the porch enjoying the mild weather and checking out all the sounds from outside.  She's so stinking cute- it's ridic

I'll try to do a better job of updating my blog- I know how much you all love to hear from me!  ;)

Have a great week!

One Month!

Isabelle was one month old on Friday!

It's crazy how much she's grown in just a month.  Some days it feels like just yesterday she entered my world and some days it feels like she's been here forever.  I know one thing to be true it means one less month before I have to go back to work- BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
I'm still hoping to win the lottery so I can just stay at home with her- I'll let you know how that turns out
;)

I'm feeling better too.  I'll have to be honest- after I had her I thought "Why the #$*%& would anyone ever have another kid!?!?!"
I'm still not sure how my grandmothers did it 10 and 14 times or how my mom did it 5 times!  A friend told me that each day it would get better but you don't believe it when you are living in the pain right then and there.  But just like she promised- sure enough each day DID get better and by the next week I thought I could do this again.  So no worries Dear Isabelle- I'll get you a little brother and/or sister one day

She's holding her head up really well these days.  I'll put her on my chest and lean back on the couch and she pushes herself up.  It's crazy how much she looks like Jimmy especially when she's looking up at me from that angle.

At her one month appointment we found that she's grown 3/4 of an inch and she's gained almost 2 pounds.  She's weighing in at 10lbs 4 ounces and is 22 and 1/4 inches long.  Doctor said she looks great and in a month she'll get her shots.  Hopefully she's more brave than momma when it comes to shots!

We got a sneak peak of her newborn pictures and we are anxiously awaiting the rest- here's a peak for you too http://www.myfotographa.com/Blog/?p=1313

She loves to sleep- she's like her mom.  I am someone that needs at least 8 hours every night and if I don't get it- I'm really cranky.  Plus I don't drink anything caffeinated- no coffee, no coca-cola, no energy drinks- nada.  I sometimes have green tea but let's not kid ourselves- it's not like there's a heck of a lot in there! So only getting a few hours at a time has been hard for me but whenever I can grab a nap- I do!  Luckily she's getting better and better and sleeping long periods at night- some nights she sleeps for 5 hours straight!  She smiles and giggles and even though I know it's from gas- I love it.  We play as much as a one month old can play and she loves it when I sing to her.  Some of her favorite tunes seem to Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, Somewhere over the rainbow, Baby Mine from Dumbo and a lullaby I used to sing to Nick when he was a little guy.  It's nice having someone that doesn't mind if I don't hit every note! 

Each day I love her a little more than I loved her the day before- it's crazy how your love grows each day.  You think you couldn't possibly love them anymore and then you do!  I'm surprised I haven't chapped her skin from kissing her a million times- those soft, chubby cheeks are too hard to resist!

She's had many visitors and we welcome more- it's a lot of fun showing her off to everyone!

So we made it through month one and we can't wait to see what else is in store for us!