Ride 'em Cow...er...Dogboy!

Daddy has always dreamed of having kids to ride on Holly.

Holly has incredible patience.

Izzy needs a saddle but Daddy will do.

What's this green stuff?

Memorial Day Weekend in Maine

Isabel had her first trip up to Maine to visit Daddy's family this past weekend. The ride up was uneventful and we got to Maine within 3 hrs. We had a quick pit stop at Quaker Ridge to give Izzy lunch so she could be full and happy when she saw Grandma and Grandpa Pearson. The sky was clear enough to actually see Mt. Washington.

Uncle Michael and Aunt Joy made a surprise visit bringing Cousin Adrienne. It was even more of a surprise since they live 13 hrs away in Maryland. So all three cousins got to spend some time together and we got to have a big family picture. Olivia was pretty good with the babies. It's hard to believe she's only 3 1/2 yrs. old. She's so tall! So is Adrienne. She's only 14 months and is in 18-24 months clothes. Izzy definitely gets her diminutiveness from the Horning side of the family.

The sun shone all weekend but the mosquitoes were out in full force. Mommy was able to take Izzy for a short walk around the yard with the carrier net covering them. Otherwise, we spent most of our time inside safe behind screened windows. Livvie was busy and "died" many bugs that broke into the house.

Izzy did amazingly well, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed and house. Fortunately we thought to pack her mobile so when she had enough of big family life, she could spend some quiet time with her "friends." She had a few cranky moments when she wanted to eat non-stop but she did get some happy time with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma and Livvie were good at keeping her happy while we had to pack the car to go.

The trip home Monday was not so great. A camper fire in Saco caused traffic to stop for 1.5 hrs. Fortunately it was completely stopped and not rolling so Izzy got to have a meal and diaper change. The trip home took 6 hrs since we had to stop for a pee break and then for another feeding. It was a crash course for Mommy in feeding and diapering in weird situations. Izzy didn't complain and got lots of sleep in the car. Such a good little kiddo :)

Sitting with Grandpa


Grandma must taste good after baking muffins


Grandma's lap is a popular spot to sit


What's it say on Uncle Mike's shirt?


Auntie Kim hasn't discovered Izzy's spit up yet


Izzy inspects Grandma's flowers


Adrienne entertains us with Jazz Hands while waiting for the family photo


The gang's all here!


Livvie and Uncle Kris have some fun


Adrienne sits still for a quick photo with Izzy


Okay, no more pictures

3 Months Old!

Izzy is now a quarter of a year old. One whole season. Sometimes it seems like she's been here forever and others it seems like yesterday she was only a dream.

Isabel has accomplished much in these few months. Yet she has much more to learn and she's eager to do so. Though tummy time is still a trial, her neck has gotten much stronger and we no longer need to hold her head unless she's very sleepy or very excited. She's picked up a habit of headbutting me in the face and/or chest when in those states. Izzy is starting to protest being in a prone position unless she's eating. So Daddy got her a Bumbo so she can sit up on her own. She still loves her bouncy seat though now we need to be careful to strap her in. We caught her half-out earlier this week. That could not have been comfortable.

Overall, Izzy continues to be a very happy camper. This week she's woken up just in time to see me off to work. Always with a smile and maybe a couple laughs when I rub her belly. Then she has a nice long chat with her mobile friends after I go. She's been good for Daddy during the day unless of course he needs to be on a conference call. Usually she takes a nap around lunch time so she is in top form for when I get home from work. Of course, by then, I just want a nap. Happily, summer break is right around the corner.

Izzy has decided that her bedtime should be around 8pm, so we've been trying our best to have her ready by then. Sometimes though she's passed out by 7:30 and has been put down in her day clothes. She's become quite active in her crib, doing 180's (and supposedly a full 360), so we've purchased a few lightweight sleep sacks. She seems to enjoy having her legs together though it hasn't hindered her rotations at all.

Izzy has become quite talkative and has added some new sounds to her repertoire this month. Lots of ahh's and gurgly coo's. And a weird elephant sound when she's stretching in her crib. She's trying to learn how to click her tongue and stick her tongue out on purpose. Of course, Mommy's a bad influence but razzberries are guaranteed to make the kiddo laugh. Oh yeah, she's learned to do that, too :) She's also learned to yell a "Hey!" type noise when she wants us to look her way.

Izzy likes:

Being outside and watching the new leaves

Sitting upright

Razzberries

Baths

People talking and making faces

The Monkey on her car mirror (and everywhere else)

Chandeliers

Wind chimes

Her mobile friends

Izzy dislikes:

Gas

Being cradled while awake

Wet diapers

4-6 o'clock

Staying up past her bedtime

Milestones:

Holds her head up

Does leg lifts and mini-crunches

Laughs
Says ahh, uhr, and eh

Grabs fingers and hair

Sits propped up

Looks at herself in the mirror
(though probably doesn't realize it's her yet)

What an interesting...

Oh, hey! Didn't see you there...

Is this better?

Hello!

Mini Milestones

Izzy did a couple cool things this week that we would consider milestones.
First, she's gotten too big for newborn sizes and so is now in size 3 months (or 0-3 months depending). So now she can finally wear all those clothes we got her before she was born not realizing she was going to be such a peanut. The Pj's are a little baggy but she can move her toes again.



Second Izzy took a bath and upon getting out to dry, did NOT cry :)

Wet...


Dry!


And the third is she's been practicing lifting her head up during tummy time. Daddy caught her on film and then also caught her falling forward since her head is heavier than her lower body.

Up!



Down!

Happy Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day, Daddy and Izzy took Mommy out to breakfast. She got to eat a yummy veggie omelet while Izzy got to flirt with the waitresses. Then we all went out to visit Great Gramma Hogan and a bunch of great aunts and uncles. Izzy was a bit of a cranky pants during the visit though she had been all smiles all morning long. Fortunately it was a beautiful day outside so we all got to spend the afternoon out on Gram's deck.

Mommy and Izzy on Mother's Day morning.


Goin' to Great Gramma's


Great Aunt Carla and Miss Izzy Lou


Great Gramma tries to soothe a cranky Izzy


Daddy's turn


A slightly happier Izzy


Great Aunt Maggie gets to hold Miss Izzy


Mommy's turn


Cousin Kyla gets home from work just in time.


Gazing upon Izzy's cuteness before she goes (who can resist!)

Back to Work

Today is Mommy's second day back at work. This week has been okay with easy-going classes and well-placed preps. Mommy is dreading next week though. 5 whole days from little Miss Izzy Lou. Meanwhile, Izzy's been spending quality time with Daddy. She hasn't been too cranky. We think she's growing since her feedings have become more frequent. She's also been sleeping well at night averaging 6-7 hrs. (*knock on wood*) Here are some pictures of Izzy this past week that Mommy brought with her to work to keep her company.

Goin' Bowlin'

Izzy stopped by the bowling alley Friday to hang out with some friends at Special Olympics. The sound of the lanes must have been familiar to her since Mommy bowled until 2 months before Izzy was born. Izzy fell asleep before long.

Isabel Louise meets another Louise


Sandy is very happy to hold baby Izzy


Andy practices for his own son due this June.

Rough Night

Izzy had a rough night last night. She had been so good about going down and sleeping but I guess that had to come to an end (hope not!) or the vaccines finally caught up with her. She finally went down for a real sleep at 5am and she was in a pretty good mood when she woke up. She must have been pretty busy because we found her turned around in her crib. Maybe she wanted to get a better view of her mobile :) Right now she's having a snooze with Daddy while Mommy is making French toast for breakfast.

Two Month Check-up

Isabel met with the doctor today and was declared a bright penny. She now weighs in at 7 lb 14 oz and is 20.25" long. So she's gained 1.25 lb and one whole inch. She's following her own growth curve since her body measures below even the 5th percentile line on the chart. Izzy's head is solidly in the 50th however.

Izzy also got three vaccines today for meningitis and hepatitis B. That was not fun but the doctor gave her some Tylenol to take at home. Thus far Izzy's awake and happy even though the doc said she'd sleep all afternoon. She also warned us to expect a long cranky night. We'll see how that goes.

[Edit 5/2/08 4:00pm: Izzy slept until 4:30am and then until 8:30am after breakfast. what a good sleeper. yay tylenol!]

Busy Izzy Lou

Yesterday was quite a busy day with a few outings. First Izzy and Mommy went out for lunch with Felicity, her Mom Jess, and her Aunt Rebecca. Felicity was a little jealous of the new kid on the scene but all was well once food arrived and Izzy of course fell asleep. It's just as well since she doesn't have to know she missed cookies and ice cream. Shhhh! (yum) then the girls went over to Babies R Us to help Jess return/buy some baby gates and to buy Izzy diapers. Mommy decided to upgrade Izzy to size 1 though they're a bit big on her. Today at the doctor's we finally find out how big Izzy has gotten.

Later that afternoon, Izzy aka Tilde Umlaut went to visit Aunt Nuance in the hospital to help ease her boredom. Izzy got a lovely head massage and a cozy nap in her arms. It was a popular time to visit though and Izzy got to hang out with a slew of people including Aunt Quish who even offered to babysit. Izzy used her charms well :)♫ Invited♫