Marvel at the Gift

Children really are a treasure from the Lord! We are reminded each morning when we wake our little Bella Boo!

Just 7 1/2 months ago, Bella was not yet known to us whether she would be a little baby boy or a little baby girl whether she would look like Daddy or look like Mommy, if her eyes would be blue or green, lots of hair, no hair and so on. Now, looking back over the last almost 8 months, we are just amazed at the precious, sweet baby God had decided to entrust to us here on earth!

As we do our best to capture each moment, each new milestone, we marvel at the precious gift of life...our Isabella Rose.

Click here to play 7 Month Slideshow album:

(if you want to watch the videos embedded into the slideshow, click on the picture and it will take you to our picasa site)

Bella trying to eat some finger foods. She is getting better and better. Again, she is quite the loud little eater...or muncher should I say! She doesn't even need to have something actually MAKE her mouth to show her delight!


Click here to play Slideshow on my Toys, Bathes, and Flowers!

(if you want to watch the videos embedded into the slideshow, click on the picture and it will take you to our picasa site)

Lovin' our Little Bella

Okay, so DESPITE the fact that Isabella has decided for no apparent reason the past two nights to start waking us up several times throughout the night when she has been sleeping through the night since 7 weeks of age, we are still just LOVIN' our little Bella Boo!

Seriously, I am just CRAZY about this child! I am not going to make any disclaimers about me being her mom and having to say this or being bias or anything like that, but DANG....this little one is the happiest, sweetest, most lovable little GEM ever! I am so in love with her! There are so many things that just light up my face when I think about her. She has her Daddy's looks through and through, lots of Mommy's personality (the good qualities only I hope!), and a bit of determination and a slight stubbornness that make Chris and I just roll over laughing! We can sit and watch her jump in her jumpster, eat her carrots, sit upright in the middle of the floor playing, sleeping, it doesn't matter....all day long! She entertains us to no end and I KNOW lots of you mommies out there can say the same when you think of your own little kiddos! What fun!
My favorite thing probably is seeing her face when I go and pick her up from the sitter's after work, see her first thing in the morning, get her up from her nap, or watch her interact with her Daddy. All these things just MELT my heart!

I couldn't help but post a few new photos of our little darling for ya! This will make family happy too since I don't post as often as I used to! Enjoy for now!

I'm heading to bed....just in case Bella decides to make it THREE nights in a row...

Bella with her buddy, Lincoln. They had fun playing on the blanket together.

Bella hasn't really had to have a bottle too often expect once during the day when I am at work, but she is really trying to learn to hold it on her own. She usually does really well too! Perhaps if Mommy bought slightly smaller, thinner bottles, this chore wouldn't be so hard! Guess we're just trying to build up those muscles early to ward off the little men!

Mommy likes to put random hats on me while going through the store! Don't worry people...I don't have hair yet to pass on lice!

This is Bella with her Buddy, Kyndal. Bella had her first overnighter, slumber party with Kyndal at the end of February/beginning of March while Chris and I were at a resort here in Arizona. Our dear friend, Nicole, volunteered to give us the night free and take Bella for the night. As luck would have it, Chris and I ended up both getting sick that night and sounded oh so stuffy and congested, so even though we could have had a long nice evening out...we wound up in bed, falling asleep to a movie before 10!

Bonjour my fellow bloggers! J'mappelle Isabella! Cousin Hailey gave me this hand me down outfit and I just love it! Everyone at church thought I was so darn cute! The hat made the outfit for sure and every one called me Frenchie! No, Daddy, it wasn't for any other reason but that I had this hat on! Don't worry...although I do like to give open mouth kisses...its just that I don't know any better yet!

Bella LOVES to sing in the car when I have the radio on! I turned it off for a moment and she didn't say a word, but then I turned it on, reached back (while driving, so bear with the horrible shot), and captured her jabbery little self singing along!

And we'll leave you with this video of our VERY ENTHUSIASTIC EATER! Someone asked if she ate this enthusiastically all the time..and the answer to that is YES! She opens her mouth super wide and dive bombs to the spoon on every bite! ENJOY!

Suprising Hailey and Tasting Carrots

Been a bit since I've posted here...could be cause my sister coherced me into signing up for face book and its been too crazy to think about the blog! However, after being once again reprimended from a certain someone (you know how you are!) Here is an update from the past few weeks!

Bella and I flew out to Ohio for a quick weekend on some saved up miles I had that were going to expire and surprised my family for my little neice, Hailey's, first birthday! Traci and I did this for Travis' 1st birthday, but we weren't sure if we were going ot be able to pull it off for Hailey's, however, expiring airline miles came to the rescue! David (my brother) and sister-in-law Steph came and picked us up at the airport about 12:30am! Traci flew into Cleveland and Bella and I flew into Canton/Akron, so we had to wait a bit till our rides made it back from Cleveland to get us. We stayed at David and Steph's house that night (well, really morning since we didn't go to bed till almost 2!), had breakfast with them and then decided to go surprise Lori first!

When we got to her house, David and Steph took Bella to the front door in the box you see below with tissue paper surrounding her. They rang the door bell and then moved out of the way, so only Bella was there waiting. My brother-in-law, Andrew, peeked out the door and yelled for Lori to come get the door as he saw it was Bella. Lori peeked first and saw the box and thought the delivery guy had opened her package, as I told her to expect a present from Bella to Hailey to arrive Saturday morning. She didn't even realize it was a live baby inside until she opened the door and saw Bella smiling up at her (we are guessing that she was smiling cause that's what she does best, but with as cold as it was, she might have been just been in a frozen shock!). Traci and I then came around the corner driving the car. Having bought mom and dad a web cam for Christmas and then buying all the kids one so they can all see us in AZ and TN, we had Lori go up, call my folks by webcam, and have Bella sitting on her lap! Dad was the closest to the camera, so he saw Lori first. In classic Dad fashion, he goes, "Um, so what are you guys up to? (Lori inserted a comment here about her arms being full and dad continued) "Hum, well that looks like Bella on your lap." Mom came flying up to the camera of course to say hi and within just a short time later they were over at Lori's..go figure!

Aside from Hailey being sick on her first Tinkerbell Birthday party, the weekend was wonderful! Bella saw her first snow (although it was only a light flurry for the most part and nothing really stuck) and she got ample time once again with Mammaw, Pawpaw, Aunts and Uncles, and of course her favorite two cousins!

Click on picture to view web album

Hailey's Party

Last week, we decided to start Bella on some veggies. Having a plethora of carrots in the frig, we decided this would be the first one. I need not say another word about the first experience...the video tells all!

I do enjoy my carrots now...just took me a bit to get use to them!

6 Months Old and growing like a weed...

Bella had her 6 month appointment today and loved every minute of it...well, almost every moment! She didn't like being poked very much, but other than that, she was pretty darn happy!

Here are her measurements for the latest check-up:
Height: 26 1/2 inches (75%)
Weight: 15 lbs 7 oz (25-50%)
HC: 16 1/2 inches (25-50%)

We have NO CLUE how Bella managed to jump to the 75th % in height with us as parents, but we decided to let her enjoy this moment while it lasts....because, sorry to break it to ya Baby Girl...height is not our families' friend!

My Favorite Doc, Dr. Kanagal!

Here are some other photos from the week that I just couldn't help but post! Enjoy!

Bella thinks she is really hot stuff when Daddy puts her in the Baby Bjourn. She can barely contain her excitement sometimes and just kicks and kicks, and wiggles, and smiles!

She loves falling asleep on Daddy while he watches some TV.

And she loves cuddling with mommy in a sling while mommy works!

"Daddy, you hurt my Heart"

Okay, so Bella can't talk yet, but if she could, she'd say something like the header above when Daddy scared her last week. It was so sad, but the facial expressions and the little whimpers are so precious we just had to post them!

Chris was lying on the couch with his knees bent up for Bella to lay against. He raised his head and scared her with some sound he made. She didn't really cry a ton, but she did keep giving him this face over and over. I had time to get it on camera and video, so you can get the idea of how long she kept it up for! It was rather heart-breaking...although we must admit...we couldn't contain our laughter at the little lower lip and the sniffle sounds (Listen closely)!

Click on picture below to play video

First Cereal

What's up, Everybody?! Bella here! Just rocking out on some tummy time! Still haven't really rolled over much more than a few times here and there, but that's because I am taking my time for mommy. Once I get going, I'll be a crazy, rollin' machine...and mommy likes me in this stationary stage! There will be plenty of years of chasing after me, and that I am sure of!

Here is Daddy, Mommy, and me in Tennessee running a booth for a conference we went to for Daddy's work. I played with Aunt Traci in the hotel room, but Mommy and Daddy hung out here most of the time! I think I got the better end of the deal!

This was a favorite shot of me at Christmas time that Mommy never got around to posting. I was watching Daddy making Gingerbread house dough! No, I didn't sit up on the counter the whole time (so don't turn anyone into CPS!) It was just for the photo and Mommy was with in arm's reach away!

Mommy probably told you about her work arrangment where I get to go to a sitter's house for Child care 3 days a week in the morning time. Here I am with my favorite babysitter, Coley, and my buddy, Baylor. Baylor is just over a year old and likes to come up and kiss my forehead alot and cries if I cry! He is very emphatetic! Coley reads to me and plays with me alot. She is really really great! I hope Mommy stays with her for a long time! (The shot below was how Mommy found us last week when she arrived!)

I heard a rumor that people think I'm such a quiet baby, but I want to assure you that I am not! I jabber alot when Mommy is working. I sometimes keep this chattering going for an hour until Mommy finally puts a "cork" (aka. pacifier) in my mouth for some peace and quiet!

Mommy took this video of me when I wake up because she thinks I am so darn adorable and funny! I smile alot when I see her face after my 3 hour afternoon nap! Actually, this one below was after a 3 1/2 hour nap! (And you people, think I keep mommy too occupied all the time....Nope!)

Here I am eating my first rice cereal! At first I was not quite sure what to think, but I knew I should be pretty excited about it because of the smiles and laughs on Mommy's and Daddy's faces! I got the hang of it later on and I even showed off for the camera Mommy had in my face, while Daddy fed me!

Mommy thought I was making sounds like Bob did in the movie "What about Bob?" when he was eating the corn on the cob. I moaned and groaned alot about the wonderful new favors I was encountering! Mommy was making me laugh with her faces while Daddy continued to TRY and keep my attention with the food. Don't tell Mommy, but I think Daddy probably wished Mommy wasn't in the room when he was trying to feed me. She is my greatest distraction...but I don't mind, and I DID manage to eat my whole milked down Tablespoon of cereal after 20+ minutes! (Not sure it took that long, but it felt like it!)

Few more pics from my first meal for ya!

First Illness

Bella caught her first nasty bug....sickness bug I am talking about! When in Tennessee for Chris' work conference January 3-8th, Bella started getting really hoarse, raspy and stuffed up. She started coughing pretty bad, had a fever, sneezed alot, and just sounded all together congested. She also was a bit more fussy then usual...or I guess I should say she was fussy at all...normally she never is, so we knew this was out of HER ordinary!

My sister was watching her up in the hotel room for us while at the conference and she told me that she stood in the bathroom with the shower running hot water to force a little steam/heat through Bella's airways to help clear it up/out. Unfortunately, her little body was already exposed!

Thankfully, she was still pretty happy and did not cause too much of a fuss, but her little hoarse cry and voice was quite heartbreaking to listen to...so very very sad for this mommy!

With some medical advice from qualified individuals, we decided to forego a doctor's appointment try and let her ride it out as we figured it was just a virus and the docs would have just told us to do the same things we were already doing. Her fever did break, however, along with the horrible coughing spells, sneezing, runny nose/drainage she had going on, she started wheezing a bit on that following Saturday. I called a triage nurse to tell of the situation and all that had been going on and that the wheezing was something new and causing me to be a bit concerned. I didn't want to be the new, first time mom that took her child in at the slightest sniffle, but the wheezing mixed with the horrible, horrible coughing spells was definitely justification for a phone call! So, at 6:00pm that Saturday (10th), we took Bella to an urgent care facility designed specifically for pediatrics.

We were the only ones there, so we walked right in to get started. Bella's saturation levels were only at 93%, which is not that great and basically means...baby can't breath real well! They started her on a breathing treatment of albuterol to clear the airway and see how she would react and if the levels would come up. PRaise the Lord, they did! They came up to 98% after just a few minutes on the machine and stayed consistent. That saved us to an overnight trip to the hospital! WAHOO! The doc called Bella the "Happy Wheezer" because even through it all and the first treatment, she just sat there on Daddy's lap smiling underneath her mask at anyone that came into the room! It was pretty dang cute!

She was diagnosed with bronculitis which is pretty much what bronchitis is for adults, but affects a smaller breathing tree in the lungs for babies. Working hand in hand with that was a left ear infection she got as well. We were given Amoxicilian for the ear infection, and our insurance bought us a new breathing machine that we got to take home and use on Bella for the next week every 4 hours!!! Can you tell how excited we were?!?! :)

Anywho, that was our life for the past week and a half. We tried to start prolonging the breathing treatments as recommended since her wheezing had gone away...or so we thought, but when we went in last Tuesday to our docs, she confirmed that sure, the external wheezing went away, but she was still wheezing internally. BOO! So anywho, we had to move the treatments back to every 4 hours. Chris was a REAL trooper pulling most of the middle of the night treatments at 1am and 5am since I came down with it all too. When I started feeling better, we began swapping back and forth on those treatments until Monday when we ran out of the prescription. DARN! :) Seriously, though, Bella is doing very very well. She hasn't even coughed since last Wednesday and sounds back to her normal self. Bella would normally sleep right through the nighttime treatments even though we had to pick her up and hold her pretty upright. She lost not a wink of sleep that time, but Daddy and I sure did!

I take her into the docs yesterday for a follow-up to the follow-up. I was anticipating a full recovery and that's what I got! Looking forward to longer nights of sleep in the near future for parents!! :)

Here is a sad little picture of her with her mask and treatment going! For the most part she would just sit there on your lap calmly until it finished, but there were a few times when she would cry alot and not want the mask on and would pull at it...but who could blame her?!?

Bella would hold the mask in place herself sometimes! Daddy wanted me to make sure I got it on camera!

Couldn't leave you with a sad little picture of her breathing treatment! A smiley little baby is always better!