Monday, November 26, 2012

Isaac's First Year

Firsts

First Day Home: November 23, 2011

First Doctor's Visit: November 25, 2011

First Trip to Scottsboro: November 25, 2011

First Sponge Bath: November 26, 2011

First Sink Bath: November 28, 2011

First Church Trip: November 30, 2011

First Smile: Two Weeks Old

First Time in Church Nursery: December 25, 2011

First Trip to Nashville: December 26, 2011

First Trip to Birmingham: January 1, 2012

First Time to Sleep Through the Night: February 9, 2012

First Time to Play with Toys: February 18, 2012

First Time Laughing: Two Months Old

First Solid Food: Gerber's Rice Cereal March 21, 2012

First Time to Sit Alone: March 16, 2012

First Beach Trip: May 4, 2012

First Time To Sit Himself Up: June 22, 2012

First Belly Crawl: June 19, 2012

First Consonants: June 26, 2012

First Time to Crawl: June 28, 2012

First Time to Pull Up: June 30, 2012

First Tooth: July 12, 2012

First Time Walking: October 1, 2012

First Time Putting An Object into a Canister: November 12, 2012

Statistics

Birth: 20.5 Inches and 8lb 2oz

Two Weeks: 221/8 Inches and 9lb 5oz

Two Months: 23 Inches and 13lb 2oz

Four Months: 26 Inches and 14lb 14.5oz

Six Months: 27.5 Inches and 17lb 1oz

Nine Months: 19lb

Eating

Isaac is a very good eater. He eats almost anything he is given. He eats lots of Gerber raviolis, macaroni and cheese with vegetables, cheese quesadillas, guacamole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, saltine crackers, Gerber crunchies, bananas, cheerios, yogurt, and Gerber fruit squeezes. 

At 4 months, Isaac started drinking apple juice. He loved apple juice until he began at 11.5 months drinking whole milk mixed with some chocolate milk.

Sleeping

Unfortunately, sleeping is our biggest issue. Isaac usually wakes up once during the night to drink a bottle of milk. He also really struggles sleeping in his crib. He will sleep in his crib for maybe 3-4 hours but will wake up and want to get in bed with us. Isaac sleeps in our bed a whole lot. Isaac still takes two naps a day for the most part; a morning nap and an afternoon nap.

Playing

Isaac is great at playing. He loves to play by himself. He loves his Pat the Bunny book, his board books, his blocks, his little people animals from his Noah's Ark, his nubby ball, drums, xylophones, shakers, puzzle pieces, and rubber ducks. His favorite thing to do is explore, he loves to observe his surroundings. He likes to try and climb.

Temperment

Isaac has a pretty good temperment. He definitely can have toddler moments. He has thrown some slight temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way, but he is pretty easy to calm down. He is very generous with his smiles and definitely shows a love of life and of people. He's never had a long crying spell.

Out and About

Isaac goes every where. He goes to church twice a week, he goes to school choir practices, and community choir practices. Isaac has been to orchestra rehearsals and all sorts of concerts. Isaac goes out to eat regularly and goes to the Little Gym and Gymboree occasionally. Isaac is definitely a baby about the town.

Learning

We are trying our best to teach Isaac what to do rather than what not to do and punish him. We teach Isaac to keep our books on the shelf and that the trash stays in the trash can. He does a pretty good job of listening to us. He definitely understands but sometimes wants to do what he wants to do. When times like this arise, we distract him by showing something else. When he wants to touch a cord or something dangerous we say 'no' and 'dangerous'. Isaac is definitely doing a good job of going off of furniture or stairs 'feet first'. We like to encourage Isaac to explore his surroundings and learn by doing. 






Thursday, November 22, 2012

30 Days of Thankfulness

Contemplating November and all for which I am thankful.

1. My Faith. I am thankful for the foundation my parents' provided me as a child and blessed that as an adult, cultivating my relationship with God is still a priority. I pray that Noah and I will be able to provide Isaac with this same foundation.

2. My parents. I am thankful not only for two people I love, who support us and care for us, but two people who are my closest and best friends with whom I can talk for hours on end. I am thankful for their love and support for Isaac as well.

3. My husband. I am thankful for someone for whom I am so proud, who I respect, and love more than anything. I am so blessed to be married to someone so giving, understanding, and hardworking. 

4. My son. I am so thankful God has blessed us with Isaac. Not only have I loved being a mother, but as he grows older and I learn more and more about his own unique personality, I see that I love this little man he is becoming.

5. My family. I am thankful for such a close family who loves spending time together. I am so thankful for the love they have for Isaac as well. 

6. Noah's family. I am thankful for loving and accepting in-laws who have been kind to me for these past twelve years.

7. Our home. I am thankful to not only have a heated or cooled roof over our heads, but also because we have been blessed to be able to make it feel like us and turn it into a place of comfort and joy. 

8. Noah's job. I am so thankful that Noah has found a profession and a place of work that he absolutely loves. I am so proud of all he has done and know that he has great things ahead of him.

9. Our church. I am thankful that we have a loving church family who cares for us. I am thankful we have a place to go at least twice a week where we feel invested and a sense of belonging. 

10. The harp. I am thankful for the ability to still get to play and that I am still hired for  harp gigs. I am thankful for the extra money it brings in that allows us a few extra luxuries in life like getting Isaac's professional pictures.

11. Autumn. I am thankful that every year the leaves turn beautiful colors and as I drive through our neighborhood, I always stare in awe at how beautiful and quaint it all seems.

12. My students. I am thankful for children that I absolutely love. I am thankful for their excitement and questions.

13. Dinner and Coffee with Friends. I am thankful that I occasionally get to get together with friends and make new memories and cherish the old ones.

14. Special Events. I am thankful that I have fun events always on the horizon. I love filling in my calendar with all sorts activities.

15. Netflix. I am thankful that Noah and I can enjoy watching our favorite television programs before bed for $8 a month instead of $150 that cable would cost.

16. Cameras and Pictures. I am thankful that I have the ability to take and store tons and tons of pictures, which is my passion. I am thankful that I can look through them all everyday.

17. Lattes. I am thankful for my morning pick-me-up that my husband makes for me on weekdays and that we buy from Starbucks on weekends.

18. NPR. I am thankful I don't rely on Fox News or the Huffington Post for my information on the country and world. 

19. Transportation. I am thankful that Noah and I have two vehicles capable of getting us to work, harp gigs, and everywhere, and that we can travel with a baby and a harp. 

20. Ms. Laura and Miss Marcia's. I am thankful for the loving childcare Isaac has. I am thankful that during the school day he is not only well taken care of but encouraged to play, explore, and learn.

21. Mrs. McQueen. I am thankful for a Grandmommy for Isaac who cares for him and loves him.

22. Emily and Rush. I am thankful for our friendship, their love for Isaac, and our time together.

23. Boy Clothes. I am thankful for the many and cute outfits we are given and we can get for Isaac.

24. Music. I am thankful for my love of music. I am thankful that Isaac already shows that he loves music too. I am thankful that we have the ability to provide so many musical opportunities for Isaac and for ourselves as well.

25. Time. I am thankful for the precious little time we have. I pray to cherish every moment we have together and pray that we have many, many more moments.

26. Hope. I am thankful that everyone is my family has not only a job, but a career. I am thankful that we all strive to do our best, and that no matter what the future or the economy may bring that we will hopefully have the opportunity to provide for ourselves and each other. 

27. Health. I am thankful that we are all in good health. I am thankful we do not have high medical bills and that we lead active and full lives. 

28. My mom. I am thankful for such a strong mentor and good example. I am blessed to be her apprentice and to learn from her both as a teacher and mother. I am thankful for her guidance in all things related to child development. 

29. Noah. Though I already said I was thankful for a loving husband, I am also just thankful for Noah. We have been best friends since ninth grade. I'm completely dependent on this relationship.

30. The future. I look forward to seeing what is next.


I thank the Lord for all he has provided. Thank You for watching over us, for protecting us. Thank You for your love.