Living in Finland

A Texas Christmas - 2009

2010-02-17T22:35:00.030+02:00

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

This Christmas it definitely was the most wonderful time, it was so magical!
It really was!!!

Not only was I going home to Texas after 2 years with my husband Greg but I was also in tow with Isabel!
I was also able to take advantage of my maternity leave and stayed a little over 5 weeks. How awesome was that! I am so glad it was 5 weeks long as I got sick for over 2 weeks, stupid Mountain Cedar! I won't complain too much about being sick because the rest of the time was so truly awesome.

My Mom's house is not the biggest house and so I was a little worried about all of us being cramped up in the living room. But when I got there my mom had a little surprise for me, that she had built on a beautiful game room!

This really opened up the house and drew in all the men as it has a huge flat-screen TV, regulation pool table and bar.

The house was decked out in every way, inside and out! Lights all over the house, 4 light Christmas trees outside, and inside the house looked like Santa had a party in there (as my brother put it).

Isabel was a little bit afraid of Randy and Byron, both with their facial hair but she quickly warmed up to everyone.

Isabel didn't want for anything as my mom and Randy had gotten a safety seat for the car, high-chair,

bath tub,
2 baby beds,

3 baby swings,

a jumperoo,

a walker and tons of toys!!

Diapers, wipes, baby food and more were also waiting for us and all of this added to the excitement.

Greg and I didn't have to worry about anything other than stepping off the plane and that was GREAT!

Thank you Mom! Thank you Randy.

My brother Byron

was staying at my Mom's place too and so he could keep Greg company and challenge him to many games of pool.

With this many people at my mom's place I was never in want of a babysitter, once Isabel felt comfortable letting someone else besides Mommy hold her!

I was really looking forward to some sun and warmth as last time I went home in December it was in the 60's and 70's the whole 2 weeks.

Unfortunately the cold and snow seemed to follow me from Finland!! December 23rd it was 70 degrees outside and sunny, yet it snowed on Christmas a couple of days later. I couldn't believe we had a white Christmas. Everyone wants one (well except me) and we got one! I didn't really mind as this is Texas and as they say "If you don't like the weather in Texas just wait 5 minutes....it'll change!"
White Christmas

My Mom and Randy decided to have lap band surgery and were on a liquid diet, gasp! After a lot of pouting my mom decided to go ahead and do a big Christmas dinner.
Turkey, Cornbread Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Honeyed Sweet Potatoes, green beans, Pea Salad, Fruit Salad, Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie. YUM YUM YUM!!!!

THANK YOU MOM!!

After stuffing ourselves we decided to open gifts and we had a blast.
My brother Byron was really thoughtful and got us several wonderful gifts.
He got Greg and I a digital photo frame that plays videos too! I was wanting one but Greg said to hold off for awhile....but thanks to my brother I don't have to wait! :-p

Bryon also got an electric thermometer that gives a baby's temperature in a matter of seconds. He also got her some cute little bibs and a pink warm winter jacket.
Along with a pop up book, it is so cute and is one of my favorites Horton Hears a Who. ahhh thanks Bryon, you rocked Christmas this year!

Greg is also a thoughtful present giver and usually gives awesome gifts!

He didn't let my brother down, as Byron wanted some slippers to wear around the house and Greg got him some pretty cool slippers!

Don't you think so?!

Everyone that saw them loved them, including Bryon.

My present, Sock Monkey In The Box was great. My Dad loves to tell the story of how I was so afraid of my first Jack In The Box and laughs and laughs when he thinks back to me as a child.

Greg surprised me with some accessories for my camera. A bounce flash, a zoom lense and a camera stand with a remote control! Here I am putting the remote to test as I took these pictures myself! Pretty Cool!

Of course, Isabel made out like a bandit with tons of toys

and we even Texasified her up with a hat and matching boots!

BUT Isabel's favorite present was.....PAPER! She couldn't get enough of it and loved loved playing with it more than her toys!

Of course we had our cute little Santa all dressed up and everyone wanted their picture taken with Santa.

It really was a magical and wonderful day!
Lucky us, we got to have another shot with my dad over at Memo's and again at Mom's place.

"Yeah!"

All the fun and excitement tired out this little gal

but she sure did enjoy being home in Texas just like me!!

GrandPa

2010-02-16T14:01:00.048+02:00

Hello Grand Pa!

We sure do miss you!!!

My Dad (a.k.a Grand Pa) made it pretty easy for me when I came home this past Christmas.

My Dad lives in Houston and unfortunately the rest of my family and friends live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

I am sure my Dad wanted to show Isabel off to his friends

but he never complained or pressured me to go down to Houston which is a long drive, about 5 hours one way.

Yet, he didn't seem to mind the drive and just jumped in his car and came up to visit us about 5 different times.

Thank you Dad for taking it easy on me!!

My Dad is great because he will do any boring thing I ask!
So, I usually ask him to go shopping with me.

Poor Dad, he always gets dragged from one mall to the next, but this time we didn't venture too far (except for the mall in Hurst....such a let down) and we just went to the local shops in Burleson.

Like Walmart!
I love Walmart!!

I think we went to Walmart about 9 times in 2 weeks and each time I would find something else I needed that I didn't know I was needing :-)

Dad even went to Ulta with me, which is a store that only sells makeup.
Yep, he looked interestingly on as I told him about this color and that color and eye base, eye shadow, and lip stick versus lip gloss; and he really seemed to be paying attention.

We also went to Barnes and Noble several times but I think my dad actually enjoyed this, as we were looking for books for Isabel. Dad has sent Isabel loads of books and her favorite one is
"GOODNIGHT, Baby".

Where Isabel can choose cardboard cutouts of animal pieces to fit the appropriate animal 'bed' for each page; to slip the chick into the nest, the lamb into the hay, and the baby into the bed. It is a precious little book and we all enjoy it!

On one particular visit, Dad found a great little book called "Little Lamb" with a finger puppet as part of the book. Too cute!!

Besides having shopping in common, my dad and I like to eat Mexican food! I definitely got my FasTaco fix with my dad, as we had it for lunch and dinner on the same night for a couple of nights in a row.

Another great thing about my Dad coming down and staying at Memo's house, was I could also visit my Memo at the same time. See, we needed a place to hang out and so my Memo said Dad could stay and Dad didn't mind hanging out at Memo's either!

That was really nice as I was able to share Isabel with Memo several times too.

Isabel really seemed to enjoy my Memo's attention too.
Side note....Memo said "All babies are cute, but Andrea little Isabel is real pretty" and the real pretty was said with such a southern accent that it was doubly sweet.

An added plus about going to Memo's was my cousin Leslie

and my Aunt Polly (Mom #2)

were able to come and the men were able to play golf.

Another side note ....Mom #2, did a lot of VERY SWEET things for Isabel. She brought up a bed, high chair that we could use at Memo's and lots of clothes for Isabel (thank you Denea for all the clothes too).
Thanks Mom #2. This is a pretty big deal as Mom #2 has MS and yet she will drive over an hour to my Memo's twice for a visit and several times to bring all the baby items. I am very blessed to have Mom #2, so thank you very much Polly!

Christmas was double fun, or should I say triple as not only did we celebrate it at Memo's house a few days BEFORE Christmas...

BUT Mom and Dad actually got along so well, that we had it at my Mom's too! Granted it was a couple of days after Christmas but I still dressed Isabel up in her Santa outfit and it was a little more cheerful at Mom's as there were Christmas ornaments and a Christmas tree to help reset the mood.

Grand Pa got Isabel a cute little present called the Learning Puppy, that sings songs and helps her learn body parts and colors too. It seemed to be a hit with Isabel and she still lights up when she hears the puppy sing.

A few days after Christmas I was not feeling too well, as I had gotten sick. Randy told me that if I didn't want to pack up and go to Memo's that my Dad was more than welcome to come to their house. Dad said that was great for him too and before I knew it we decided to do Christmas again!

"not again??!!"

Yes, again little Isabel. Or should I say little Santa.

Dad with Santa

Isabel loves the sound of paper and my dad really enjoyed egging her on. Didn't bother me as he cleaned up the mess several times (as you can see my dad is picking up the paper over and over so Isabel can throw it on the ground)
She had so much fun with something so simple.

All of this traveling and excitement really tired out Isabel but she found comfort in her Grand Pa's arms ...ahh so sweet!

Tired Baby

We love and miss you Grand Pa! Thank you for all the visits, Mexican food and love.

Byron

2010-02-04T23:00:00.020+02:00

Hei little Bro!
I sure do miss you!!!

I am sure Isabel misses you too!

Because

Isabel loves Byron!!!!

and I think Isabel was a hit with Byron too

After all, how many gals have music composed for them???

hehhee...Byron made fun of the songs I made up for Isabel, "The Isabel Song"
"Isabel has 2 eyes, 1 eye....2 eyes. Isabel has 2 feet, 1 foot....2 feet"
and thought it was fun to come up with the notes on the guitar.

It might be a silly song but Isabel really lights up when she hears her name and that song!

My brother might not change a diaper and runs away as soon as he know one is about to be changed...but he loved feeding Isabel!

Also when the weather got COLD!

Side note to Texas "um, hello Texas weather what are you doing getting down in the 20's and becoming a White Christmas just because we decided to come from Finland?!" end of side note

Anyway, Byron couldn't stand the thought of Isabel being cold and so he got her a warm and cozy outfit for Christmas when he found out I didn't bring one with me. Thanks little Bro!

Byron also got her some wonderful bibs!
Ones that say "I'm all that", "Girls are just better" and "Don't make me call Grandma"

not only do they have cute sayings on them, they really work and work well!

They say it takes a village to help raise a child and I don't think they are too off with that statement as it was great rest for mom because when I got tired there were 3 other people around to help.
Byron seemed to enjoy the bedtime routine and helped out with the bed time ritual of reading to Isabel right before she went to sleep. I am not sure who is having more fun but it looks like it might be Byron :-)

I love you little Bro and I know I am not the only one missing you!

Ants in the Pants

2010-02-04T21:30:00.004+02:00

Isabel really got excited after a couple of bites of food that Byron gave her and we captured her craziness on video.

You might want to turn down your volume as Isabel has really found her voice in this video clip and she can even compete with my brother's low loud voice and my moms!

Boot Scootin' Boogie

2010-02-03T22:14:00.024+02:00

"Heel, toe, dosey doe come on baby let's go boot scootin!"

Did I tell you lately that my cousin Leslie is the best!?
Well, if I didn't, she is!

Love this little country outfit on Isabel!

Leslie helped find a place that sells cowboy boots for babies!
Now Isabel looks like a gal from Texas with her hat and boots.

Leslie also got her a beautiful James Avery charm bracelet with a cowboy hat charm. So adorable!
Thank you Leslie!!!

Leslie, threw me another one of her famous New Year's Eve parties and it was fabulous!

My cousin can cook! She showered us in some wonderful tidbits and once again she out did herself!
BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Parker House rolls,
Fingerling Stuffed Potatoes,
Prosciutto, Basil, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates,
Artichoke-Spinach Dip,
.....and tons more!
YUM!

We had to bring little Isabel to the party, as there was no one that could keep her that night, but Leslie and her sweet hubby, James, didn't seem to mind.

We had Isabel decked out in her country and western hat and country dress, all complete with pearl-snap buttons

"Oh, Cadilac black jack, baby meet me outback, we're gonna boogie"

"Oh get down, turn around go to town boot scootin' boogie"

Speaking of boogie, Isabel was full of beans and Greg caught our little bundle of energy on video below.

Isabel is on the blue jean quilt my grandmother, Memo, made. She made one for all of her grandchildren and Leslie is being kind and letting Isabel roll around and slobber on hers.

My friend Jan and her finance, Mark, came as well.
Jan made her famous queso that has everything in it but the kitchen sink.
It was very decadent and it was very yummy.

Also, my cousin, Damon, showed up but we forgot to inform him that we had the little one with us and wouldn't be staying up to bring in the New Year.

Poor Damon! But he didn't seem to mind and waved good-bye to us as he poured himself a 17th cup of coffee. Damon says he is wired differently (no pun intended) and coffee actually calms him down.

Around 11:00 pm, Greg, Isabel and I headed to our hotel that was near and brought in the New Year together there.

A little boring, I know, but safer than being out on the streets after midnight!

Isabel surprised us by not only bringing in the New Year with us but also standing on her own! It was a real treat and we were lucky enough to catch on Greg's phone!

The next day we headed back to Leslie's place, so the men could play golf and the women could do some shopping!

Where ever I wanted to go, Leslie would take me.

First stop at the local Starbucks for a Gingerbread Latte and Leslie introduced me to some Tazo Green Tea Nonfat Soymilk Latte ,it was very yummy!

The next stop was the mall, and not the TownEast Mall that was close, no Leslie took me to Northpark mall.
I think we went into every store there.

It was also a lot of fun to show off Isabel because complete strangers would come by to say how pretty they though Isabel was. Of course I was showing off Isabel, as I had her dressed in her tutu that Tamera got her.

I was pretty restrained as I only stocked up on makeup that you can only get in Dallas and only at high end places like Nordstrom or Neimens. Not sure what to do as I love my Trish McEvoy!

After some damage to the credit card we headed back to Leslie's and enjoyed some take-out Tex-Mex. yummmm I can taste it now! Yummy chicken enchiladas, queso, guacamole and corn tortillas. I NEED TO BE BACK THERE AND NOW! SO HUNGRY

James had fun with Isabel and helped keep her entertained as mommy chowed down.

Thanks James!

Thank you Leslie for helping me bring a little Texas to Isabel.

I wish I was back there now running around with you drinking Tazo Green Tea Nonfat Soymilk Lattes (whew, what a mouth full), shopping for makeup and eating your delicious meals!

Of course a stop at Houston's for their Evil Jungle Noodle Thai Salad wouldn't hurt either.

I love you!!

and miss you!!

love
andrea

Swing Time

2010-01-29T13:05:00.007+02:00

My friend Tamera had a party for me on Wednesday, the week I was leaving.
Thank you Tamera!!!!
It was a lot of fun to see Tamera of course and my girl friends and catch up. It was on a work night but that didn't stop my friends from coming over, and it put a big smile on my face to see them all. My friend Jennifer even came with her 8 week old baby girl! That Jennifer is always on the go! I need some energy from her.

Tamera had ALL kinds of food and goodies! About every 10 minutes or so she was pulling out another pan of this or that, it was great and it was yummy!

She went to a lot of trouble and I really had a blast, even though I was SICK!
Yes sick!
I got sick pretty much after we arrived, the day before Christmas Eve!!
I was sad, as I was planning on having people over for a Christmas Eve party but felt too bad to do anything. Then the week I was leaving I got sick again!! Allergies everyone kept telling me from some stupid mountain cedar!
I now officially hate mountain cedar!

Anyway, my Dad had driven up from Houston (I think his 4th visit if not more!) and was good enough to accompany me to Tamera's and face a house full of women talking about women stuff.
Poor Dad, but he didn't seem to mind....or maybe it was good for him to be in a house surrounded by beautiful women, hmmm....

Dad entertained Isabel on Tamera's swing in her backyard. It was rather cute as when he placed Isabel in the swing she put her hands up high and looked like a seasoned swing pro.

Here is a little video too.

We all had a blast at Tamera's party, so thank you again Tamera for hosting and doing all the work you did! Thank you Dad for coming with me and entertaining Isabel some. Thank you Staci, Jennifer, Trinette, and Kristi for coming over.

It was a grand night and I hope it won't be another 2 years before I see you all again!

Cocklaphobia

2010-01-28T22:36:00.007+02:00

Cock..la..what the ??
Cocklaphobia is the fear of hats and I think Isabel might have that issue as she bawls every time we put a hat on her. Of course she whined every time we would kiss her too and now she is used to all the slober and loves to give wet kisses back now...but that will be a different blog.

This one is about how Isabel loved my brother, Byron, and would giggle each time he was near hoping he would pick her up and love on her.

But one day he came home with a hat on and Isabel didn't like it one bit!

I will probably get in trouble once Greg sees this video but it was something I had to capture on video. It was a one time occurrence as my brother would never wear a hat in front of her again. I asked him to try it on to see if she was still scared of the hat but he refused.
Byron is a good uncle and I am a naughty mother with a cute video :-)

Jumperoo

2010-01-28T21:30:00.005+02:00

What is a Jumperoo, you ask?
Well, I didn't know either as we live in Finland and they don't have such things here, but my aunt Polly told me about it and how all kids love them.

A Jumperoo is a weird looking contraption,
a kind of bouncer, that you can put anywhere (no door frame needed) and it plays music and makes all kinds of noise when children jump up and down in it. It is suppose to teach them cause and effect and gives moms a break from entertaining a baby all day long.

I thought I would give it a try, as it was easy to put together and free since my cousin Caleb loaned it to me.

At first Isabel didn't know what to do with it, but it wasn't long and she started to move her feet some in a River Dance kind of fashion....which cracked us all up!

By the end of our stay she had it figured out a little better and would get pretty excited when jumping up and down in the jumperoo. She would jump and jump all day long. Well, all day as long as someone was watching her and clapping her on.

She loved it so much I was hoping to come home and hopefully find it in Finland or at least a place that would mail it to you. BUT BAH! you cannot find a jumperoo her... they have never heard of a jumperoo and you cannot get one mailed here either as I have looked and asked around :-(
BAH!
oh well, she got to enjoy it when she was home in America. Got to love America and all the baby contraptions they have.

Orange Crush

2010-01-28T20:30:00.006+02:00

Isabel LOVES oranges!

The first time I gave her an orange, she made a horrible face but she came back for more and so we discovered her love of oranges.

Each time she bites into the orange she makes that same face but each time she gums the poor orange to death and sucks down all the juice.

Applesauce

2009-12-14T10:23:00.004+02:00

Hooray!

Isabel is loving potato, sweet potato, avocado and applesauce.

She opens her mouth wide and gobbles it up, yum yum

Here she is eating her applesauce. I love watching her eat applesauce as it is a little tart and she makes such a funny face eating it.

She also wants to feed herself already, as she loves the Winnie the Pooh spoon that her Vovo gave her. Unfortunately when I let her feed herself she promptly pushed the spoon way back in her mouth and gagged so I don't let her feed herself now.

You must brag on her as she is eating very well.

Now on to the Vegemite
just kidding!

hugs
andrea

Looking Back

2009-12-11T09:57:00.055+02:00

Time flies so quickly!

Just 3 years ago, Greg and I were in Hawaii and became husband and wife on December 11th!

Just 6 months ago on June 11th at 8:45 a.m. Greg and I became parents and Isabel Amelie entered the world!

Thinking back, I wouldn't mind being in Hawaii right now!

Ah, the wedding, of course!

the water

the sand

the mild heat

the resort

the beautiful sunsets

the waterfall that left a scar on Greg's leg

and the dolphins!

Of course, I would like to be surrounded by my family and friends again because that was what made it that much more wonderful.

Today I was reading Psalm 145, it is about God's love and generosity and how because of this generosity we are delighted to thank and praise Him.

Psalm 145:1-3, 21
"I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom."

"My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever."

After reading Psalm 145, I was moved to praise Him and thank Him in this blog!
A Thankful Prayer

Dear God,

Where do I begin, as I have a long list of things to be thankful for
and I'm not too sure where I should start?

I would like to thank you for such a wonderful husband.

You placed him in my life at the right time and you have given me
a loyal, loving husband who makes me laugh at least once a day.

What man would pose with a koala and take his partner all over Australia searching for more Koalas, even though he is allergic to anything that moves besides humans?

That is right God, the perfect partner for me, the one you gave me.

I love learning more about him, myself and growing together each day.

So thank you God for Greg.

Lord, you also blessed me with fertility and a wonderful, healthy baby girl.

In 2008, when I had surgery and was told that I might not be able to have a normal pregnancy, or that I could have a late term miscarriage or preterm baby, I was scared.

God, You calmed my fears and sounded me with people who prayed for me and you put me in the hands of good caring nurses and doctors that took great care of me and Isabel.

Not only did my pregnancy go smoothly, but I also delivered a perfectly healthy baby.

What a tiny perfect baby you blessed me with!

What a proud Daddy you made that day.

Praise you God and thank you!

I will share some pictures of Isabel when she was first born.

Our little bundle of joy.

This picture always cracked me up because it looks like she is sideways and off kilter, but don't worry she wasn't.

Here they are checking her vitals. I remember that when she was born I didn't really hear her cry!
I was worried but she got a 9 out of 10 on the Apgar Score, so I guess nothing was wrong....she was just a quiet baby (like her Dad... not Mom), taking it all in.

So sweet! I can just see her now, so tiny and lovely to smell.

Not sure where she got all this jet black hair from, but she had lots of it. I think it made her look a little older than she really was when she didn't have a hat on.

We left the hospital after 4 days and I couldn't wait to get her back to our place, ready to start our family.

Thank you God for your many blessings, and praise you for your many blessings in my life.

Excitable

2009-12-10T13:10:00.011+02:00

My Dad's nickname for Isabel is "The Wiggler" and boy he hit the nail on the head with that nickname. Recently when I go to change Isabel at night she starts to kick wildly with her legs and starts breathing heavily. It probably won't be too funny when she can actually pack a good kick or two in the gut but right now it cracks me up to see those little legs wiggling crazily, her face looks a little wild and to hear the noises that come out of her mouth.

She sure seems proud of herself when she catches me laughing at her.

Return of the Miserable Face

2009-12-03T21:34:00.010+02:00

"Mom, please pick me up. I don't really feel like tummy time right now"

'Sniff, sniff'. "um hello, can't you hear me. I said up now!"

"I'm working up a good fit for you. Can't you hear the tears fall?"

"Ok, maybe if I give Mom one more good miserable face and pout she will pick me up and forget about this stupid tummy time. Here we go, hope she is looking"

...clothes provided by Kathie Smith

Fashionista

2009-12-03T15:33:00.032+02:00

Thanks to my VERY generous friends back home, I am able to dress Isabel in style!

Not only is Isabel stylish but she stands out, as in Finland there isn't much to choose from in fashion and EVERYONE has the EXACT same thing. So boring!

It is good in a way as you don't have to worry about expensive clothes and keeping up with that one girl that is always stylish....cough, Tamera, cough.

BUT Isabel is special and I don't want her to look like EVERY other kid here in Finland.

Thanks to my family and friends I don't have to worry about Isabel looking humdrum and boring.

Here is one of the cute outfits that my friend Kathie Smith sent me. I have known Kathie for a long time from when I used to work at Eckerd Drugs with her. She is a good friend and my sister in Christ.
She sent me the biggest box full of all kinds of goodies for Isabel. Pretty much if you see a bib on Isabel, it is a bib that Kathie sent us. She also sent this beautiful little hoodie outfit with the ears on the hat. Too cute!

Isabel is also modeling the cute toy that Kathie also sent along.

If you know Tamera then you know cute and stylish go hand in hand when talking about her. Well, she also went a little crazy and sent me a BUNCH of CUTE outfits too.

Isabel is styling with this Winnie the Poo ensemble. Including Winnie hoodie, glittery rainbow shirt and blue jeans (with purple bows on the end of the legs). I am a sucker for Winnie the Poo and have a huge collection of Winnies from when I was younger....I think I have 15 in my collection.

Here is another outfit that Tamera got her. A darling little number, a striped fleece hoodie and fleece pink pants. This keeps her nice and toasty on a cool morning in the house.

Thanks to Tamera, Isabel is in the latest hoodie fashion.

The next little ditty is from my cousin Leslie's friend Cristen. I have never met Cristen but she reads my blog when my cousin ~~brags~~ talks to her about Isabel.
I opened a package in my cousin's handwriting and was blown away from the generosity of someone I have never met!!
Isabel is a very fancy uptown girl in this little maroon Macy's outfit. Well she would be fancy if she can keep those feet out of her mouth!

Thank you Cristen!

I hope Tamera doesn't mind me using one of her pictures but it is too cute not to use.

See I am really lucky because everything that I put on Isabel is pretty much accepted right now. She is all smiles and I can take pictures and brag about how sweet my friends and family are for getting us such cute and sweet things. BUT the day will come when I get a face like this

and I might not be sure what I can say to the person who bought it for us. "Um..thanks for the outfit Isabel ~~loves~~, ~~likes~~, ~~tolerates~~, ??? it."

What do you say???
Not looking forward to that situation.

The final outfit is from Tamera too. The outfit came with a matching shirt but unfortunately we had a boo boo earlier this morning and I wasn't able to rescue the shirt for this picture.

Isabel now can show off her legs with the tutu that Tamera got her.

Don't mess with her tutu.

Standing Proud

2009-12-03T12:26:00.011+02:00

Isabel loves to stand.
She will go from laying down to standing up and usually likes to stay standing up for as long as possible.

Here we have captured Daddy helping her stand on video.

I love her little duck outfit that daddy got her when he was in the US back in September. Too cute with the little duck face for feet!

ok turn your head sideways.....and watch Mommy's turn.

Hungry Little Muffin

2009-12-01T22:12:00.015+02:00

Isabel seems to love rice cereal!!
Which I am not too thrilled about, as here in Finland the rice cereal is not fortified with iron or any other vitamins....but hey, it's a start.

Daddy is the one feeding Isabel. Just wanted to clarify, in case you thought those were my hairy arms!

Below I am giving Isabel her bottle as Greg captures it on video, and teases me about the sign language I am trying to teach Isabel.

Usually she likes to hold her own bottle. She is growing up too quickly!

Just Having Fun

2009-11-26T23:32:00.007+02:00

This time around she was more interested in putting objects into her mouth instead of giggling but it was still cute!

Baby's First Food

2009-11-26T12:47:00.017+02:00

I read that avocado makes a great first food for baby due to its texture and creaminess as well as its high nutrient content.

Avocados are often called one of nature's perfect foods because they are said to contain everything a person needs to survive.

I also read that avocado is a wonderful "good fat" food for baby's brain and physical development, and to try an avocado as baby's first food instead of refined cereals.

The Finnish mid-wives might turn up their noses at avocado and press me to feed her boring potato, but something natural that I only need to cut open and scoop out to give to Isabel sounds good to me. Plus what she doesn't eat we will gladly chop up and put in a salad, YUM!.

So here we go....

Toe Sandwiches

2009-11-26T12:23:00.004+02:00

Mommy loves to eat Toe Sandwiches every day, which I guess inspired Isabel to try one to see what all the fuss is about.

Not sure she likes them as much as me, but I catch her every now and again trying to put one in her mouth.

Here she goes....

Wants to try heel first...."hmmm not very tasty"

"Oh, here are these toes I keep hearing Mom talk about"

Caught on video, toe munching fest

Paris, France - 2nd Time Around

2009-11-15T14:10:00.032+02:00

The first time I went to Paris I was a little bit nervous. Not only did I not know ANY French BUT the US was doing the whole silly 'Freedom Fries' thing and I wasn't sure how I would be treated.
When Greg and I first got to Paris in 2005, we were looking around for our hotel on a huge street map. Within 5 minutes a lady came walking up and asked us in French and then quickly in English if we needed help finding our hotel. She pointed us in the right direction (right across the street....yeah we were blind) and every French person we came across was just as friendly and nice!

Same thing the second time around. On the train from Versailles to Paris, Greg was busy putting my suitcase, backpack and his on the train. I had Isabel in the pram and was trying to maneuver how to lift the pram up on the platform, so we could get on. A young kid helped me on and did it with a smile. At our stop, a group of men noticed we might need help and offered to help us. They helped by picking up ALL of our luggage and that started the second trip to Paris off with a bang.
Here are some pictures of us back in 2005...just a couple of kids in love :-)

This time around Greg had to work all day long and so that left Isabel and I to make our way through the city streets without my trusty navigator. I was a little nervous about taking her out in Paris by myself but I decided to head to the Eiffel Tower (as I could see it above all the buildings) and make my way along the Seine.

It was a gorgeous cool and sunny day and I couldn't wait to see Paris again.

It was too long of a walk before we made it to the Eiffel Tower.

I could not get Isabel and the Eiffel Tower in the same shot but I got one of her looking up at it....close enough, right? :-)

Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, we were lucky enough to be there as the ol' tower celebrates its 120th birthday.

To mark the occasion the tower displays a light show for twelve minutes, four times a night(it will do this until December 31st). We were able to catch this show the last night we were there.

After getting to the Eiffel Tower, Isabel was getting hungry and it was a little too cool to open up my jacket and feed her outside, so I scouted out a place that would be nice to have a little snack for both of us.

I was in luck as not too far away was a cute little place that offered dessert, or at least that is what caught my eye. I asked the waitress what she would recommend, the chocolate cake or apple pie? She said chocolate cake and boy was I glad that she recommended that because it wasn't just an ordinary piece of cake it was a cake that had melted chocolate in the middle. YUMMY!

Here Isabel is a little surprised to see her mom licking the plate clean.

After we were both fueled up we headed out along the Seine.

Both Mommy and Isabel were really enjoying being outside in the sun.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is a little video clip of Isabel (be sure to push the play button)

I noticed a building that had the French flag on it and thought it would be a good background for a picture....so we would know Isabel was in France.

This gave me an idea of getting Isabel in shots of famous French structures.

Greg laughed when he saw the photos and said Isabel looked like the garden gnome that made its way around famous sites in the movie Amelie, which is rather fitting since Isabel's middle name is Amelie.

Some she was awake for and some of it she wasn't

Here we are at the Louvre Museum.

Some girl came up and was sweet talking Isabel, the French way with their 'ooh la la' and 'coco coco' noises.

Isabel really seemed to like this.

Next it was on to Notre Dame, a beautiful Gothic cathedral.

I believe I read that construction began in 1163 and it wasn't completed until 1345.

Facade, showing the Portal of the Virgin, Portal of the Last Judgment and Portal of St-Anne.

Last time I saw Notre Dame it was at night.

Just about any medieval Gothic cathedral can seem spooky, but a lavish cathedral like Notre Dame can truly make you tremble. It's supposed to, with all those snarling gargoyles perched on rooftops and ledges.

The only downside about Notre Dame at night is that it is closed so we didn't see the inside.

This time I decided it would be nice to see what the inside looked like and so Isabel and I got in line. Thankfully the line moved fast as it was free entrance.
Beautiful stain glass everywhere you looked.

After a viewing inside the sun started to set and I needed to go meet Greg for an early dinner.

I actually found a taxi pretty quickly and we stuffed the pram inside and jumped in to go meet Daddy on the other side of town.

Here is a shot of Daddy looking rather snazzy and sharped dressed.
You can see the Eiffel Tower in the background as the light show was about to start.

As we were walking we found a restaurant that seemed pretty nice and was close to the hotel.

As we walked in I noticed the name of the restaurant was Andrea!

Pretty cool to end our last night in Paris there.

Isabel says goodbye for now or should I say au revoir!

Versailes, France - 2nd Family Trip

2009-11-15T13:20:00.043+02:00

Our 2nd family trip was to Versailes & Paris in October.

By now I was dressing Isabel up in this get-up

So when Greg even mentioned the first few letters...Pa, for Paris
My ears quickly perked up and I was pleading 'PLEASE DEAR!'
'HONEY, SWEETIE PIE...PLEASE!'

Greg knows I love Paris, and he knew he would score extra points for taking me on this work trip.
That was the first place we went to when Greg and I were first dating. Greg invited me to his friend's wedding in Finland and when Greg found out that I had not really been to any place other than the states around Texas, much less out of the country. He thought it might be good to see a little bit more than just Finland and decided I needed to see Paris and London on the way to Helsinki.

Thank goodness he checked with me to make sure that I had a passport, because I didn't and it didn't even occur to me that I was going to need one. My rationale..."I am an American, don't they let us into any place we want??" After all we didn't need a passport for Mexico or Canada. HA! so sad. But my how things have changed, as here I am living in Helsinki and making a second trip to Paris.

Greg is not a big fan of Paris (not sure why) so he wanted to check out another city and suggested Versailles. Versailles has the Palace of Versailles, where Kings lived, including King Louis XVI until the French Revolution... you know Marie-Antoinette, "off with her head!"

Sounded good to me and it was a great choice. I was a little nervous about the plane flight because of what happened last time we flew but Isabel was in good spirits and it was all smiles from Isabel and the happy passengers (glad that there wasn't a screaming baby on board)

We stayed at a beautiful hotel called
the Trianon Palace Waldorf Astoria, which was a hop, skip and a jump from the royal grounds.

Here Greg and Isabel are modeling outside the Trianon.

The hotel/palace was really pretty and so were the grounds.

I loved the different colors of the trees and you could really tell autumn was in the air.

Greg loved playing around with Isabel outside, I guess the crisp air and bright colors made Greg fun loving and playful, like the mules my grandmother Memo always talks about when the air in Texas starts to get a little cooler.

After a play in the leaves and trees we decided to head out and about.

Here we are on the street that ran right next to our hotel. LOVED the tree shapes and color, very pristine.

Even though it was a bit chilly, Greg decided to wear the carrier and went without a coat! brr!

Isabel was all bundled up and was kept warm by her Daddy.

The walk into town was really nice.
I loved how clean the city was.
So manicured, so cute and chic.

On Saturday morning the market was open.

I don't know enough French to get me around the market so I just kept quiet but enjoyed people and food watching.

The first time around in France I didn't eat much food, as Greg and I were first dating (back then I also packed a huge suitcase including 8 pairs of black shoes) BUT this time I packed 1 pair of black shoes and took advantage of the pastry situation.

See I can't drink the wine I want, so to make up for it I told myself I deserved several pastries a day and boy was I was excited to eat some pastries!
It looks like Greg was too!

Oh the pastries! Not only were the pastry shops adorable, they would wrap up these delicious treats in a very fancy box. I guess this lessened the blow of spending 5 bucks on a single treat.

BUT OH! I didn't mind the cost at all because these pastries were très bon!
I got something that was creamed filled with powdered sugar on top.

As you can see in the image below, I was wearing Isabel. Well, by the end of my treat the poor little girl had powdered sugar all over her!

Greg got an eclair and it was very yummy too. He is very lucky I let him eat some of his eclair.

We thought about viewing the Palace but the line was LONG and we had a baby that needed a feed and a change. So back to the hotel we went.

Speaking of feeding. If you had told me in 2005, before I met Greg, that I would be in France before the age of 40 I wouldn't have believed you. And if you told me that I would be back in France 4 years later with a baby and would be breastfeeding in public, I would have told you to 'Get Out!' and pushed you like Elaine on Seinfeld!

But here I am breastfeeding Isabel in the carrier as we walked the streets of Versailles....pretty crazy for me! The carrier hid most of what was going on, just looked like a baby sleeping.

We went back to the Hotel around dusk and enjoyed the atmosphere of the hotel. It really was a nice hotel, inside and out. Here are some shots of the interior.

I got some fruity champagne drink (mostly realfruit juice it seemed) and Greg held Isabel so I could relax and enjoy! Thank you sweet hubby!

The next day Greg had a phone conference call, so I decided to go see the royal grounds with Isabel.
Here we are about to say goodbye to Greg and head out.

I went out of our hotel and turned right and not a very long walk later, I arrived at the Petit Trianon, which is a small chateau located on the royal grounds and was Marie Antoinette's sanctuary, a place for her to get away from it all.

It took me awhile to figure out what was different with this pool table. Ok, I confess I knew something was different but didn't realize it was missing pockets until Greg said something.

I guess this is a billiards table...sounds like an even more boring game without the pockets if you ask me.

Not too far away was the Grand Trianon, which I guess was where the king could get away from it all to relax. Pretty nice place to relax.

The grounds were so beautiful.

In this picture below, you can see the palace in the background.

It really was a big and fancy looking palace. I wished we had the time to actually go in, but with long lines and a baby it was a little hard to make it happen.

Here Greg is out front of the palace with Isabel asleep in the pram.

After a walk around the palace, we had to catch the train to go Paris!

Au Revoir, Versailles

Bonjour, Paris!

Stuttgart, Germany - 1st Family Vacation

2009-11-09T11:17:00.027+02:00

Stuttgart, Germany home of Mercedes-Benz & Porsche.

In September, Greg had a work trip to the US and then had to go on to Germany for another 4 days of meetings.
Daddy figured that he would miss little Isabel and so he asked Mommy to join him in the last leg of his trip, which was Stuttgart Germany.

Let's see....get Isabel dressed up like this

or go to Germany where it was warmer...hmm... Sign me up for Germany!!!

It took me 2 days to pack for a 4 day trip that was a 2 hour plane flight away! I was very nervous about what to pack, what not to pack but I still ended up with a huge suitcase!

Oh well, we didn't lack for anything except diapers which I almost didn't pack enough of. Try finding an open store on a Sunday in Germany, you can't!

Even though I was really nervous all went well at the airport flying over to Germany. Unfortunately, the aircraft was small and I had to check my stroller/pram in with my luggage.

This meant I had to juggle my winter wardrobe, my carry on, my nursing pillow and a baby that couldn't hold her head up! Luckily I had a sling that allowed me to put Isabel in. Unluckily I had not done this before and Isabel wasn't really happy about being squished in the sling. Also the sling goes around 1 part of your body and puts it off kilter and so my back was pretty sore the next day.

When we arrived in Germany a nice man helped me with getting my luggage off the conveyor belt. He said he had a pregnant wife at home that was just about to pop! (not sure if he used those exact words hehehe) . Great first experience of the people in Germany!

I kept waiting for my pram to come on the conveyor belt, so I could put Isabel in it and take a load of my back BUT the airline LOST the pram!!!
So I now had my BIG suitcase, carry on, nursing pillow, and a squirmy Isabel who didn't like the sling.
Luckily Greg's seminar was close to the airport and he was able to meet up with me and help with Isabel. Here we are on the train going from the airport to our hotel.

Notice the cute Miffy shirt Isabel is wearing.

I didn't know who Miffy was until our Dutch friend, Patrick, came for a visit after Isabel was born. He brought over a Miffy shirt and said Miffy (which English speakers know her as) is really Nijntje, which comes from Dutch toddler's pronunciation of the word "konijntje", meaning "little rabbit" . I had Patrick pronounce this word several times and I still have a hard time saying it.
Anyway Nijntje/Miffy is a cute little rabbit created by the Dutch artist Dick Bruna and is all the rage over here kind of like hello kitty....well at least over here she is all the rage, and more cute than that stupid Elmo!

I promise myself I will never buy an Elmo toy or introduce Elmo to Isabel. Not so sure why that stupid Sesame Street character is so irritating and so popular, Grover and Cookie Monster have it totally over Elmo.

ok back to the trip.... When we arrived a storm front had come through and made the temperatures go from the upper 70's to the lower 60's, but hey that is what the temps are for a Finnish summer, so it was actually summer weather here :-)

Greg took me to a beer garden to sit outside under the stars and have some nice fried German food (not so different from the fried foods back in Texas) and a treat of a German wheat beer.

Isabel was asleep in the sling and we sat there talking for awhile and it was really nice. As I sat under the dark sky something dawned on me. I noticed something that I have NEVER experienced in Finland. It was night outside and I had on a short-sleeved shirt and wasn't in need of a thermal or sweater. The temperature was perfect, not too hot not too cold.. perfect weather for drinking and eating outside.

For some reason when that sun goes down in Finland it is SOOO cold but not in Germany! Made the wheat beer extra sweet.

Greg had to work most of the days that we were there, so that left Isabel and I to make it on our own during the day. Luckily our hotel room was pretty big and a great shopping area was not too far to walk to.

The next day the pram came and I put a little hat on Isabel and off we went.

I was excited to do some shopping.

Stuttgart had something called the Köingstrasse, or shopping mile. Alright! Stores and shops for a whole mile, can't wait!!

Unlike Finland which is great for Moms and their strollers, Stuttgart was wheelchair and stroller unfriendly!
This really surprised me but kept Greg's wallet pretty safe, as I couldn't go into most shops. grr! I would walk in and bam, tons of steps going up! Most shops were like this and there wasn't a ramp or elevator in site.

Another new experience was breastfeeding.
To brag a little about Finland (which I never seem to do) ...is that in Finland you can breastfeed anywhere and you NEVER get looks much less someone that looks at you with disgust or a look that tells you, you are doing something naughty. In Finland you can usually find a room in any department store or mall, that is clean and is dedicated to breastfeeding or of course you can do it any PLACE, any TIME and any WHERE you want. No one thinks anything of it and no one looks twice at you.
Most of my friends that breastfeed back home in Texas, have to go to their HOT cars sitting outside, or find some bathroom to breastfeed and let's face it, most bathrooms are pretty nasty.

Now that I am breastfeeding I can really appreciate the openness of the Finnish culture that boobs with a baby attached is not really a big deal (it is a baby eating after all!)

In fact boobs are just another part of the body here, not a big deal at all. The Finns had a real hard time understanding the whole Janet Jackson debacle as "it was just a breast, like an ear....another part of the body", HA!

Well, just because I now live Finland doesn't mean that years of being boob repressed in Texas hasn't consumed me and made me paranoid.
So up until this trip I had only done breastfeeding at home or at the doctor's office.

Well, when you are on a plane and your baby is hungry, guess what? You have to feed her on the plane.
And if you are traveling from the airport to your hotel on a train and your baby is hungry, guess what again....you have to feed her on the train.
When it came to restaurants Greg and I were able to find restaurants that had seats out of the main walk way, but by the time I had left I was pretty used to ...gasp! breastfeeding in public!

The next day it was a little bit cooler but Greg had most of the afternoon off, so we decided to head out to the shopping area.

It was a really nice area with lots of boutiques, art galleries, and gift shops all nestled among the area's beautiful, old buildings and lots of trees.

Greg loves carrying Isabel and I think she always looks so adorable peaking over his shoulder Anyway, this left me pram free and I could check out the stores for some clothes! yea!

Near the main shopping strip was "das Neue Schloss", The New Castle is a building which is more of a palace. From 1746 to 1797 and from 1805 to 1807, it served as a residence of the kings of Württemberg.

After a long day of walking and shopping we went back to the hotel room for a break. I took this opportunity to have a soak in the hot tub and have Greg watch Isabel for a bit. When I came back to the room I saw two couch potatoes. Greg said Isabel was crying unless she could see the TV!

too funny here is a video of it

It was a nice and easy first trip with Isabel only being 3 months old!

The flight over was a breeze but going back was a little bit of a nightmare! Our flight was cancelled and Greg HAD to be back for a global meeting the next day. I think you have all heard about the flight back where it was late at night, we had checked through twice and Isabel was just worn out! She had a diaper leakage accident on the plane just as it was about to descend and her poor little ears couldn't handle the change in altitude and she screamed!

Ear piercing, nerve grating, made me sweat kind of screaming which lasted for the next 30 minutes.
Both Greg and I tried to help her calm down but nothing would work!
In case you forgot what her screaming sounds like I can remind you :-)
Thankfully she doesn't do that often but when she does you don't forget it!

Over all an easy place to visit for Isabel's first trip out of Finland.

Thanks Greg!

Tears of Joy?

2009-11-02T22:28:00.003+02:00

Not all toys bring smiles to children as this this video will show you

Poor Isabel!

Scared by the song 'The Wheels on the Bus go round and round'

I've Got The Joy

2009-10-23T22:28:00.005+03:00

...joy, joy, joy down in my heart
where?
down in my heart.

If you have ever been to vacation bible school then this song is stuck in your head!

I loved this song as a kid because there is a part in the song when you can yell and jump up! Is that not every kid's dream come true?? To be able to yell and jump and not only do your parent not frown at you for doing so, but they smile and clap because you are singing about Jesus.

Well, the part where you jump up is really about the devil sitting on a tack, "ouch!"

I put Isabel on my knee, bounce her up and down and sing this song to her.

I love how her mouth gets big and wide, her smile is huge! It cracks me up and puts a big smile on my face too.

It looks like Isabel loves this song and I can't wait for her to sing along with me, yell and jump up as I look on with a big smile and clap because she is singing about Jesus. I might even jump up and yell with her too :-)

For those of you that don't know the song I will get Greg to get a video of me singing this song to Isabel and post it so you can sing along and jump up and down too.

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart (Where?)

Down in my heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy

Down in my heart (Where?)

Down in my heart to stay

And I'm so happy

So very happy

I've got the love of Jesus in my heart (down in my heart)

And I'm so happy

So very happy

I've got the love of Jesus in my heart

And if the Devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack.
OUCH
Sit on a tack.
OUCH
Sit on a tack.
And if the Devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack
Sit on a tack today.

Subsequent lyrics include:

I've got the wonderful love of my Blessed Redeemer way down in the depths of my heart...

I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart...

Blessings to you all.

Finger Lickin' Good

2009-10-09T17:30:00.005+03:00

......or sould I say thumb sucking good :-)

Looks like someone found her thumb today.

1st Giggle, Caught on Camera!

2009-10-07T22:03:00.005+03:00

I was sitting by the computer this morning, looking at recipes and I heard some giggling going on.
It kind of took me by surprise and when I looked in Isabel's living room crib....well sure enough that was her laughing and giggling!
I ran upstairs to get the camera and made it back in time to get the rest on camera.

I make all kind of noises, gurgles, and faces, to get a laugh but nothing....nada.
oh, I hope she keeps on doing it, as it made me laugh out loud too!

Sweet Baby

2009-10-06T10:17:00.011+03:00

I am definitely not a morning person but I have started to become one, as it is always great to wake up to such a smiley sweet baby.

I love talking to her in the mornings, as she is all smiles.

I love her little gummy smiles and will be sad when they are replaced by little teeth.

Isabel is so sweet and loves to flirt with us. Below she is acting rather flirty and shy.

Pretty darn cute if you ask me :-)

Edible Baby Parts

2009-10-05T23:13:00.022+03:00

I don't want to become obnoxious or brag but I think Isabel is a real cutie pie.

Sometimes Isabel is so cute I just want to eat her up! Kind of like she is doing to her little stuffed animal friend here below.

She has such squishy little body parts and they are just too darn cute not to pass up with tons of kisses. I am always eying those little tootsies and try to have at least 1 toe sandwich a day.

She also has juicy thighs, which have actually gotten bigger and juicer since this video was taken several weeks ago. This little chunky thigh definitely calls for some nibbling.

In this video I think she is a little tired of me telling her that her thigh is chunky and she is telling me 'whatever' with her facial expressions :-)

Isabel is so cute and edible and she even likes to munch on herself.

Here she is enjoying a nibble on her own arm

In the below video, Isabel is enjoying munching on her hands.

And below she is enjoying something....not sure what ...maybe her hands again??

Whatever it is, it has her worked up into a gurgling frenzy in the beginning.

Tummy Time

2009-09-29T22:19:00.018+03:00

Back to sleep, front to play.

That is the new baby advice for parents of my generation, where the babies sleep on their backs and you then put them on their tummies to play.

I read that because they spend a lot more time sleeping than playing that our generation of babies will reach their milestones a little bit later than we did when we were kids. So not to worry if your baby crawls or walks a bit later than you did.

They call this front to play time, Tummy Time.

Well, Tummy Time usually consists of a face plant on the play mat and Isabel crying because well...it sucks face planting!

I talked to a lot of mothers and they said that their babies hated Tummy Time too and didn't do it and their kids turned out just fine.

So I am not too worried about x number of hours a day for Tummy Time but still try to encourage Isabel to spend some time on her tummy.

Isabel hated Tummy Time so much though, so I looked for ideas out there on how to get your child interested in Tummy Time without tramatizing them too much in the process or turning them into a pug nosed dog because of too much face planting.

One suggestion was to lay down on your back and put the baby on your tummy, tummy to tummy and talk to your baby as this was going on.

Isabel didn't freak out as much when I started putting her on my tummy and it was a lot more fun for me as she didn't cry and we could talk and we could look at each other. So this video clip shows the intitial stages of tummy-to-tummy time.

Little by little she is starting to get used to the idea of being on her tummy and seems to actually like it.

Daddy wanted to get in on the action too.

With a little encouragement of praise and smiles she started enjoying more and more Tummy Time.

She is almost a seasoned pro at this Tummy Time

I know as soon as she starts crawling I will be in trouble but watching her get better and better on her stomach really is cute.

Huggable

2009-09-29T09:27:00.019+03:00

Isabel is very huggable, which is a good thing because she loves to be held.... or is it mommy likes to hold Isabel??

Either way it is a win-win situation as I enjoy snuggling her throughout the day. She usually likes to see the world and prefers the snuggling in the outward position as you can see below.

If you are wondering what that funny pink thing is that is on her head, it's supposed to be an ear warmer....but it keeps moving up on her head. Oh well...

Now don't try to kiss her or she will squirm and push you away.

Isabel might not like kisses but she loves attention and if you don't give her any, she gets a little peeved. I crack up when I see that lower lip pout out.

In this video clip she is working on looking pitiful and wants someone to respond. I try to let her fuss some but eventually pick her up....but not before I give her tons of kisses. She might squirm but she is getting kisses!

And if I don't respond quick enough....

Well, we all know what happens

Actually we don't see the face above too often. She is actually a really sweet baby and here are some video clips of her laying around on her mommy. I sure am enjoying these special times, and soaking up every last snuggle.

Fun Time with Isabel

2009-09-28T23:05:00.011+03:00

Isabel loves to bounce on daddy's knee like she's riding a bucking bronco (I knew she was a Texas gal at heart), although this is pretty tame as daddy is a little afraid after a previous time that ended badly.

Greg was bouncing Isabel on his knee and she was giggling and squeeling with delight. I decided to get it on camera and by the time I got back she was upset. Thing is, Greg and I weren't sure if she was happy or not until it was too late.

Poor Greg...he thought she was still having loads of fun.

Here mommy is having fun with Isabel. (sorry if it looks a little weird as i had to rotate the video using some application because it was sideways...not sure how that happened but i was able to right it) Greg and I stayed up late one night watching "1 hit wonders of the 80's" and the next morning I still had the songs in my head and thought it would be fun to dance with Isabel to 'Walking on Sunshine', by Katrina And The Waves.

Look at those fat cheeks, don't you want to kiss them!

Who Could Resist?

2009-09-28T18:19:00.017+03:00

Daddy loves to come home and love on Isabel and do some computer time. He tries to get some computer time in or do both at the same time but Isabel usually wins out and dad has to leave the computer alone. After all, who could resist such a cute little girl.

Here we are in our hotel room in Stuttgart, Germany. I went to the spa to enjoy the hot tub while Greg watched Isabel. When I got back I found her captivated by the TV. It's a good thing that Sex and the City is over with as it looks like I have to monitor the programs that I am watching.

Here Isabel is dressed up in an outfit that Tamera got her. A cute poodle shirt with matching socks. I just love her little smile and wiggle she works up in this video.

In this one she is covered up with the cute blanket that my cousin Denea sent over. Isabel is just too too with her matching clothes and pink blanet.

Finally at the end of filming Isabel was letting me know that enough was enough and she was hungry!

Workin' Up A Fit

2009-08-29T13:33:00.008+03:00

Uh Oh, someone isn't happy!

Oh No, here comes what Daddy calls 'The Miserable Face'.
See that lower lip all sticking out so miserably.

If we don't act soon after The Miserable Face comes, then it goes from this face to crying in a nanosecond. Greg says she gets this from me as I can go from sweetheart to a witch in a nanosecond. Greg calls this 'Instant Rage'.
Now all Instant Rage is, is a look I give Greg that let's him know that he has crossed the line and I am upset.

Instant Rage Caught On Tape!

Don't feel too sorry for Greg as this look can be diffused rather quickly when Greg calls me on it and says "Oh no, here comes Instant Rage."

So here is Isabel's Instant Rage.

Hehehe, well I am glad she got something from me as everyone quickly tells me that she looks like the spiting image of Greg.

Sometimes she will stop and give us another miserable looking face to see if we care and are we paying attention.

Don't worry she doesn't cry too long without one of us feeling sorry for her and picking up this pitiful little girl. After all, who wants to be stuck in a pram looking at boring material!

Disclaimer: No babies were hurt during the making of this film.
:-)

We Miss The Daddy!

2009-08-29T12:21:00.010+03:00

The Daddy is traveling this week and I know he is missing his special little girl, so I thought I would do a little post for him.

Here Daddy is greeting her after a hard day's night....notice the Texas cuff links. Yeah.... Daddy loves Texas too.

The Daddy hasn't broken out the guitar since he and I dated. He lured me in with his musical talents but this guitar hasn't seen light of day since he lived as a bachelor above State & Thomas Restaurant in Uptown. ahhh the good ol' days in Dallas Texas. They sure were great fun days living in Uptown, but we didn't have our little stinker then!

Daddy loves to calm this noisy one with his love of music and mommy can cook dinner and relax because Daddy is here and is making Isabel happy!

Above is a video clip of Isabel and Daddy.

Well Daddy you have some great big smiles waiting for you when we meet you in Stuttgart, Germany. Yea, our first family vacation. Thank you Daddy!

Isn't She Lovely

2009-08-14T16:57:00.010+03:00

Here are some more for the Grandparents.

So far she isn't much of a cuddler as she will fuss when we kiss her. This doesn't stop me from covering her with kisses though. It doesn't deter Greg either, as he is kissing her and she fusses some. I love her little face around 14 seconds into the video. All of a sudden her eyes get big and her mouth is round and cute....it makes me laugh.

Here she is hanging out in her bed waiting for mommy to come and get her. She was just too cute and I had to get it on camera.

Isabel was having a great time on her play mat, just talking and talking to herself.

Isabel has had a little bit of a hard week and here her daddy is calming her down with some music and his singing.

This morning

Isabel's Song
Greg made up the first couple of lines to this song and I just added to it. I usually get a big smile when I sing this song but unfortunately did not get one when I tried to capture it on video.

Look Who's Talking

2009-08-06T18:18:00.005+03:00

Ok, well it might not be words yet but it is a change from only cries that all newborns seem to communicate with for the first few weeks.

I still catch a smile or two each day and now the cooing has started and I think it is just too cute!

My sweet friends back home in Texas, went together and bought me the swing you see in these clips. I was having a difficult time with being able to take a shower, make a little lunch or even go to the bathroom without Isabel crying. My friend Tamera said "girl, get a swing. It saved me!" Well, she was right! This wonderful device will soothe Isabel while I grab a bite to eat or take a quick shower, it is wonderful and I love being able to use the bathroom in peace and not have to worry about a screaming baby. So thank you Tamera, Amber, Staci, Jennifer, Summer,
Sandi, Doris and Kristi!
See all smiles

Small smiles

Big Smiles

The Vovo Hold

2009-08-06T12:28:00.018+03:00

Isabel and I were having a bit of a hard time for about 5 weeks, up to the time before Greg's parents came.

She would cry and cry from 6 pm to 9 pm or later, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong!
Mom said it seemed like Isabel was crying in pain and she probably was, as she would nurse forever and wasn't being burped correctly.
I tried and tried to give Isabel a pacifier (dummy) so my breasts would have a little bit of a break, but she wouldn't hear of it and would promptly spit the pacifier out as soon as I put it in her mouth.
I had 4 or 5 of them and each one was quickly rejected, followed by a cry for more boob!

It seemed like she wanted to constantly nurse from 6 until bedtime (10 to 12 at night) and we both were wearing out. Especially Isabel who's poor little tummy was so full of milk and air because I wasn't burping her correctly (nothing was coming out).

Well, right around the time I finally got Isabel to take a pacifier (hooray), grandmother Vovo came into the scene and helped Isabel work out some of that gas she was building up from her late night feeding frenzy. Poor Isabel!

Vovo would then ease Isabel down for the night by putting her in the Vovo Hold and they would stay like this for hours.

It was wonderful!

I could actually do something at night besides constantly breastfeed and Isabel wouldn't scream in pain because she was burped correctly and was calmed down by the magical powers of the Vovo Hold.

Vovo loved working her magical powers and would stop making dinner to calm down a restless baby.

Almost, Grandfather Papaya but you don't have down the correct Vovo Hold technique.

You have to put Isabel on her stomach and hold tight. It also helps if you have the sweet scent of the Vovo as well.

See the calm baby below, Thank you Vovo!

Thank you Papaya too!

Mommy, working the Vovo Hold!

The Vovo Hold saved Isabel's little tummy and the visit from Vovo and Papaya saved me as well!

We all had a wonderful time and when they left I felt more like a mommy than one crazed big breast!

Ain't She Sweet - Updated 8/4

2009-07-30T19:11:00.007+03:00

Where's The Food?

Request or Complaint?

A Sound or Two

Bath Time

Captured - First Smile & My Heart

2009-07-23T22:01:00.008+03:00

The little smiles I have been getting lately are great, no they are wonderful. They keep me going when I am dead tired and it is 3:00 in the morning and she looks up at me with this cute little look in her eye and then a quick fleeting smile is presented. But I got a big one the other day and was lucky enough to captured it on film. yea!

She wasn't passing gas either, just a great big smile because she wants some milk.

Melted my heart.

Film for The Grandparents

2009-07-23T21:30:00.014+03:00

There are so many film clips that people want to see of Isabel squirming and looking into the camera. But I am sure her Grandfather, in Houston, and her Grandmother, in Burleson, will never get tired of them. So this is for ya'll and gives you others a break from seeing the same thing over and over.

Now, Dad(Grandfather) and Mom(Grandmother), as you watch these clips think of the name you would like to be called.

Greg's parents want to go by Grandma Vovo (a sweet cookie in Australia) and Grandfather Papaya (Poor Greg's Dad didn't come up with this, his children decided so he might want to be called something different).

I was thinking Meme for Mother (so we would have a Memo and now a Grandma Meme) but of course you can come up with whatever you would like. Dad, I have no idea for you yet...maybe something about ships or is there a fruit you would like to be named after :-)

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Blue too :-)

Crying

2009-07-23T18:37:00.012+03:00

When I did my quick post of Isabel The Movie (Angry Baby, Hungry Baby, Car Ride Baby); Greg said they all had something in common, that Isabel was always crying. True, but they do sound like different types of cries :-)

My Mom asked if Isabel did more than just cry. Hey Mom! hmmm...guess not.

No, really Isabel is great and is starting to coo and gurgle now and every so often I will see a cute little smile, which makes all these sleepless nights a little bit better. It gives you warm fuzzies and your heart melts when they start making eye contact with you and oh to see a little smile is so wonderful.

I just woke Isabel up and she was making cute little gurgles and not crying! So I thought I would try to get it on camera. Unfortunately hunger got the best of her and I missed the opportunity but I still think the little cry is really cute.

I take it from this last video she was a little fed up with all the filming and wanted to get down to the business of eating.

Isabel The Movie

2009-07-05T18:26:00.014+03:00

Hungry Baby

Happy Baby

Angry Baby

Morning Baby

Sneezy Baby

Car Ride Baby