Look Who's 2 Months Old!

THIS GUY!!

Two months have flown by and we have a loved every minute of it. Owen is becoming so expressive and we love that he now interacts with us. Talking with his little baby sounds just lights up the room and his smile is contagious.

On Monday, we went for his two month appointment and is all reports are good. He braved three shots and came out like a champ. Now for the stats:

Weight: 12lbs, 14oz (63rd%)
Height: 24in (89th%)
Head: 15.5in (58th%)

Back on November 2nd, we celebrated Owen's Baptism. There were 13 total babies being baptized so the whole sacrament was a little chaotic, but he is officially part of God's family and we had a wonderful get together after at Godmother Kortney's house. Here are some pictures from the evening (thanks, Kerri!):

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and in 2 1/2 short weeks I will be back working full time. It is weird as it is the first time I feel like my maternity leave is "ending" as the other two went into the summer so everyone was heading back. I don't think I am quite ready, but I have started to think about my classes and mentally making plans so I am getting there. Knowing I love what I do, I will be ready, and I am looking forward to seeing and catching up with my "school kids," having more interesting things to talk about other than eating and pooping habits (of my kids, not me), and reconnecting with the fabulous people I work with. 

7 Months, 8 Months, er, 8 1/2 Months

So it has almost been 2 months, but what can we say...it was a busy two months. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year...crazy, hectic, fun!

At 7 months, Aubrey wasn't doing too much. The biggest change in her life was that we were moving her from baby food to mostly table food. Everything was still mashed or "magic bulleted" but her pallet was being introduced to variety of different foods. And, lucky for us, she really enjoyed everything we would give her and continues that trend. She is a fabulous eater and now only eats table food (well, every now and then she may have some baby food as we are trying to use it up). She takes three bottles during the day, but is losing interest. She will only take the full 6 ounces at night and even then it can be hit or miss. She takes the other two bottles in the sippee cup when eating then I move it into the bottle if she wants more. Love, loves, loves the sippee and has started to drink formula or water with it herself.

Shock and surprise, we got a little behind on taking the monthly photos and since Aubrey was in a good mood this night we decided to quick take them; however, she would get made if we changed her again so here she is a little over a week after November 23rd in her pj's (which are 12month, by the way) in front of our Christmas tree.

 On the movement front, she is such a laid-back little one that we thought she would just be super content sitting where she was and never look to move or crawl. Which was the case until she turned 8 months. Almost exactly to the day, Aubrey was fine just sitting with the toy that was given to her and had no interest to move. However, on the 22nd of December, we finally started to see her interest in moving around on her own start. She would go from sitting to her tummy. From then on Aubrey has been looking for ways to move, move, move. She is not a certified crawler yet, but she sure can get around a room.

Aubrey goes in spurts when she "talks." Lots of times it is still just the screaming bit and the goo-goo-gaa-gaa back of the throat sounds, but she has started to make actual sounds using her lips and tongue. No sound-object recognition, but so far I have heard four distinct sounds. Ma-ma-ma was the first sound, then ba-ba-ba, and most recently I have heard da-da-da and pa-pa-pa.

A little over a week ago, Barbie, my mom, and I felt a tooth in her mouth then later when Butter got home it seemed to disappear...darn disappearing teeth! During this week, we could tell she was uncomfortable, wanting to chew more, and drooling more. Only one night, though, was rough for her. And by "rough" for Aubrey I mean up for about 45 minutes to an hour around midnight. Eventually, we gave her some Tylenol and she was sound asleep for the rest of the night. On Friday, January 11th, she officially cut her first tooth and it has stayed. Her upper left tooth has started to come through...I was under the assumption that the bottoms always come in first, but I guess not. It seems though that Aubrey will probably be getting a few more soon. Still just a chewing and drooling machine!

Aubrey's 8 month photo shoot again a little over a week after turning 8 months this time though in a 24month onsie...not sure what I was on, but thought I grabbed a 12month, but didn't realize it until it was on and like I said Aubrey does not like to change so we left it.

Big sissy Isabel does so well with Aubrey. We will see how long that lasts because Aubrey has now discovered Isabel's hair and loves to reach for it and pull on it. So far Isabel nicely tells her, "No, no, no Aubrey," in a gentle teaching voice. We are enjoying the sisterly-love, but Isabel is deciding to give mom and dad, and Barbie a run. Stubborn, mischievous Isabel has reared her head! She pooped her pants twice this week at Barbie's because she wanted to wear "her" pull-ups (mind you she has been potty trained for over 10 months), she is back in the height chair at Barbie's because she wants to run around during eating time, and has to use a sippee because when she is done pours her milk out on the tray or floor. At home, dinner is a constant battle, and when she has to sit in a time-out, she sings, laughs, and tries to tell knock-knock jokes. Oh goodness, she can be challenge...albeit, often a hilarious challenge!  We had a good weekend so here's hoping for more of that in the coming weeks.

Some of the girls favorites right now are:
Activities
Isabel: dance, being a helper, tubby-time
Aubrey: snuggling and trying to crawl, tubby-time, playing "so big"...just today she started mimicking the hands in the air and then did it on her own! So fun!

Food
Isabel: cottage cheese, yogurt, toast, mini corn dogs and pizza
Aubrey: toast, peas, blueberries, and pizza (as long as she can eat it herself, she loves it)

Snacks
Isabel: Cuties, fishies, and anything she deems as a nummy
Aubrey: baby mum-mums (rice-based wafers)

Toys
Isabel: kitchen toys, make-up (hers and mine!), blocks (I think she just likes to dump them out), and balls
Aubrey: balls, stacking rings

Books
Isabel: Ten Apples Up on Top; Night, Night Little Pookie, Dora Books, and Elmo Books
Aubrey: any book we allow her to hold and chew...so right books don't really get to be on her radar that often

Entertainment
Isabel: books, coloring, Boots (as in Dora's best friend), Team Umizoomi, her tablet, and our iPad
Aubrey: walker, remote, iPad/phone, Dora (yes, she will watch it with Isabel)

Top (l to r): Aubs and Izzy watching Dora and Isabel playing in the bathtub; Second Row: At the pumpkin patch; Third Row (l to r): Aubs on Halloween wearing Elias' Waldo glasses and Isabel excited to be baking with frosting on her nose; Fourth Row: Christmas Eve 2012

6 Months

Wow! 6 months seems like a milestone and should be celebrated! We may not have had a big ole party, but Aubrey got her first tastes of nummies thanks to her nanas and papas. Nana B introduced her to ice cream, and she loved it; while celebrating Papa Mousel's birthday she got a taste of frosty, which she gobbled up as well.

When looking at her stats it might seem that all we feed her is nummies, but no she is just a healthy, growing little girl.

Height:  27 3/4 in. (97th%)
Weight: 18lbs (82nd%)
Head: 17 1/4in (82nd%)

Daddy got to bring Aubrey to her wellness check this time around, and he said she was a champ. Taking 4 shots including the flu shot, which we will have to go back in a month for the booster. Barbie said she did fabulously at daycare after the appointment as well. Other than a lingering, slight fever that night, Aubrey seemed to take her check-up in stride.

A couple developments this month include:

*Sitting up completely on her own for long periods of time. She will reach and play sitting up. If she falls over it is normally forward because she is reaching for something. Because she sits up so well, she very rarely is on her tummy so no crawling positions or moving of the like.

*She is now eating "num-nums," the wafer like food that dissolves easily. She can feed those to herself and really seems to like it.

*Aubrey is now sleeping in her crib without the swaddler. Most times we find her snuggled up at the top of her crib on her tummy.

*No teeth, but has shown signs that they are moving around in there. She battled a pretty bad diaper rash for most of the month. The only thing that seemed to alleviate some of the redness was the Dreft bath, even though she was slathered up with Desitin, Triple Paste, or Butte Paste the entire month!!

*Continues to love her excersaucer, the birdies that hang in her infant carrier, and the pacifier as her favorite things to play with.

*Lights up when anyone walks in the room, but she especially loves her big sissy!

Aubs and Izzy...BFFs!

5 Months

Our little Aubrey bird is is ever growing and changing. She simply delights us when we are least expecting it...like when we are so wrapped up in our busy schedule and we look over at her and she staring at us with her big bright smile.

Lately, we have been working on sitting up on our own. Some days she can sit and balance herself like she has been doing it forever and other days she wibbles and wobbles and flops right over. I guess we need to do a little more rigorous strength training routine!

Since she is rolling over in all directions, we have known we needed to stop swaddling her at night. Tough transition! Removing the swaddle did not work in the crib, so right now Aubrey is back in the cradle without the swaddle and doing better. Soon we will move her back to the crib without the swaddle and hope it goes a little smoother.

Of course we have an abundance of toys for Aubrey to play with, but just as many parents find out the best toys are not toys at all. Aubrey's favorite "toy" right now is her pacifier. She chews on it, gets her thumb stuck in it, sucks on it the opposite direction, and soon enough will find it the right way. She also loves sitting in the excersaucer if mama or dada are in the room. Yep, she does not like it if we leave her in the room alone, if she notices. Sometimes she is just too busy playing.

Aubrey has loved the transition to spoon food. Just like Isabel, Aubrey was so interested in what we were putting in our mouths that when it came time for her chance she literally gobbled it up. Right now, Aubrey eats three meals and four 6oz bottles in a day. It has been really nice as she no longer takes a bottle at home before Barbie's because most mornings she would futz around and not finish her bottle...she just wasn't waking up hungry. Being on a "big girl" eating schedule has been super nice for home and daycare. Foods she is eating are: rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, green beans, peas, corn, bananas, apples, and peaches.

Aubrey is talking in spurts, which is very similar to Isabel. She will be super chatty for a while then won't say much for quite sometime. She mostly makes squawking type sounds and will get really loud. And of course, she felt like her voice needed to be heard loud and clear during the homily at Aidan's Baptism Mass...maybe it had something to do with nature of the sermon. Since our blog is not a political forum, we will just gloss over that one.  

Lastly, Aubrey loves Isabel and Isabel loves Aubrey. It is the sweetest of sweet exchanges to watch them smile, giggle, talk, and just generally interact with each other! Love, love, love.

4 Months...and Change

August 23rd has come and gone, yeah, yeah, it has been a couple weeks, but who is counting!  Our little Aubrey continues to be an unbelievably good baby, although our daycare provider may argue with that.  Apparently, Aubrey is testing Barb a bit to say the least.  She has been nothing but an angel for us and continues to be the happy go lucky, sleeping champ that she has been since she came home with us.

Along with her 4 month birthday Aubrey also had a checkup with the Dr.  Her current stats are as follows: weight: 15 lbs 9 oz (84%), length 26 1/4" (97%!), and her head is dwarfing Isabel's at 16 1/2" (72%).

Some new changes for Aubrey include moving to her crib in her own room, rolling over from back to front, giggling audibly, and spending more time in her "car" and exersaucer.  It is amazing that she is four months old already, but she is getting to that really fun age when babies are more mobile and expressive.

 

Isabel/Aubrey

First full day at Barbie's

3 Months (okay, maybe not exactly)

As Aubrey continues to grow and thrive, so does the time time fly by. July has come and gone and before we know it we will all be back into the swing of life as a two parent working household. Not sure what the "swing" will be like, but I am sure busy will be an understatement.

At three months, Aubrey loves to smile and had been working on her voice more and more. Love it! She loves to stand and has made the transition into her walker. Acting like a little big shot, she scoots around the kitchen with huge smiles. Looking to her left is still her preferred direction and you could really start to tell from her head, so she has been spending more time on her tummy and the walked, which has seemed to help. It is a little difficult to keep her on her tummy fro too long, though, as Aubrey loves to grab at things hanging in front of her. For the most part, she is a good traveler, but gets pretty impatient if it is time to eat and we are in the car or when she has to wait for her sister to get settled into her seat.

We weighed her around her 3 months and she was 14lbs, 4oz. She has definitely filled out and enjoys eating. Aubrey got a little change to her diet as mama struggled with some breastfeeding issues so she as been bottle-feeding for a few weeks with mostly breast milk and topped off with formula. It was definitely a harder transition for mama to make than Aubrey. As it often goes with strictly pumping, my milk supply has dipped so by the time I go back to work, Aubrey more than likely be on formula full time.

Overnight sleeping is awesome! Aubrey will go down anytime between 8-9:30pm and wake once between 4-5am which I just need to prompt her back to sleep then she will sleep until 7:30-8:30am...or until big sister decides to get her up! Napping is getting longer and longer, but for the most part she is still a cat napper. I need to be more routine with where she naps and then she should start napping a little longer.

Last week, Aubrey spent her first days at Barbie's, much to Isabel's chagrin. When I told Isabel Aubrey was going to daycare with her, I promptly got, "No, my Barbie, mom. My Barbie." Oh Isabel! She has been really been giving us a run for our money lately. Life as a toddler, I guess, can be pretty dramatic. Or maybe it is just a big sister thing.

Radio Silence

Someday we will get back to updating this blog on a regular basis.  I guess I should take most of the blame on that one, since Kati has been the primary contributor as of late.

In case you blinked and missed it, our Aubrey has turned 2 months old already.  How can that possibly be?  We continue to be blessed with the most content, easy going baby in the world.  She eats, sleeps and plays like a champ.  We couldn't ask for anything better!

At her 2 month doctor's appointment, Aubrey tipped the scales at 11 lbs, 14 oz (76%), 23 3/4" long (92%) and her head is far outpacing big sister Isabel's checking in the 67 percentile.

A few of the other milestones that 2 months has brought include rolling over from tummy to back and sitting up in her bumbo chair.

And now for the pictures:

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

What up!

I'm done now!

This new chair is killer!

Think we are sisters?

A Lifetime of Catching Up...

Oh my goodness, where does the time go?! Aubrey is already 7 weeks old! It does not seem like yesterday we were in the hospital, but it is hard to believe how big she already is and how much she has changed our family. I have a lifetime of catching up to do...

Aubrey is a fabulous eater and sleeper. Almost instantly she was on a pretty predicable schedule of eat, play, sleep then repeat three hours later. She has slept through the night basically since the day we brought her home. Granted we have had a few nights when she wanted to eat every three hours or her tummy was bothering her, but no absolutely sleepness nights have happened, yet. Laid back and very much unlike her older sister, Aubrey rarely cries and when she does cry it is for one of four reasons: she is hungry, has a dirty pants, tired, or just wants to be picked up and cuddled. Crying is not Aubrey's only form of communication, though. She is a grunter. I never thought some grunting throughout the night would keep me up or wake me up, but her little grunts can do it.

Just like Isabel, Aubrey loves to smile especially in the morning. Smiles and giggles from my children have to be one my greatest joys as a parent. No matter how tired, exhausted, or frustrated I may be a smile and giggle can turn my mood or melt my heart...which is fabulous unless you are trying to discipline a certain two year old who refuses to listen and do what has been asked!

Aubrey definitely knows voices and has started to react to familiar sounds whether that is looking or smiling or scowling. She definitely favors looking to her left so I have been trying to turn her head when she is lying on her back...don't want a flat head baby! Speaking of flat head, I have to continue to build more and more tummy time in to our day; on the whole she does not mind being on her tummy and it is fun to watch her look up and try to roll over. She is getting stronger every day by holding her head up when she is on her tummy or being held, and she scoots with her legs if she is on her tummy on a smooth surface. Another little fun change: I am even starting to hear some quiet, little coos come from her every so often. Just today my mom stopped by and she asked Aubrey if she was going to talk to her then sure enough out came some coos...baby talk is so precious! 

Aubrey has been very busy in her first 7 weeks of life. Here are some highlights:

At 11 days, Aubrey had her first wellness check. I might have bit off more than I could chew on that day as I scheduled both Aubrey's newborn and Isabel's two year check at the same time. Almost an hour and half later, we emerged out of the exam room...luckily my mom was able to rearrange her schedule to come help out.

Aubrey's Stats:

Weight: 8lbs, 1oz (47%)

Length: 21in (80%)

Head: 14 1/4in (61%)

At two weeks, Aubrey made her first trip to the cabin. It was one of the ickiest weekends up there as far as I can remember so we hung out inside most of the time. She traveled up and back fabulously so hopefully that travel demeanor lasts.

At three weeks, Aubrey was Baptized at St. Mary's Catholic Church after the 5:15pm Mass with Fr. Wittman presiding. Aubrey slept throughout the entire Mass, but when it came to the actual baptism she woke up and cried through most of it. It was very nice, though, as everyone was able to get close. Father invited everyone around so they did not just stand in the pews. Just like birthday parties, it was an exhausting day as everyone came over for dinner before mass and then again after for cake. But what a wonderful day it was to celebrate Aubrey's welcome into God's family.

At one month, we had her monthly photo shoot. However, we timed it horribly as the pictures below will show. She was was ready for her last feeding of the day so not just hungry, but tired too. Such an amateur parenting move on our part...we will try to do better!

At five weeks, Aubrey went on her first boat cruise. Our friends, Theresa and Scott, along with Theresa's parents hosted a fabulous gathering of our college friends on their boat. We cruised the St. Crouix all day and had an awesome time with amazing people. Aubrey loved being on the water and hardly made a peep...thanks to Theresa's mom for keeping Aubrey company so Butter and I could visit with our friends!

At seven weeks, Aubrey made her first trip down to Iowa to see where her daddy grew up. It is a little longer drive than up to the cabin, but Aubrey again traveled like a champ. I did have to pull out the bottle about 20 minutes out from Nana and Papa Mousel's as she was getting hungry, but it worked perfectly to feed her in the car seat then burp her when we got there. Aubrey got to meet Great Grandma and Grandpa Roder, Nana and Papa's friends, Jerry and Linda, and Uncle Tag and Aunt Joanie during her trip. Aubrey was her laid back self the whole trip and slept incredibly well as she enjoyed her time in Iowa.

Aubrey has also made a few trips to mommy's school (the first at 9 days old for Maddie's birthday Mass), and then to her first birthday party, which was Maddie's 10th birthday. She has been to Turtle's for lunch and dinner (a few times), many trips to Target and Sam's Club, visited Nana at her school twice, had two play dates with Simon, went on a walk with cousin Jojo, met Barbie (on the way home from the hospital) and many of the kids at daycare, and has received so many hugs and kisses from everyone (especially Isabel and cousin Ethan).

Aubrey has been very busy and she doesn't seem to be ready to slow down any time soon as the next trip to the cabin is this week and then we have to hit up Valleyfair soon...ah, summer is here and Aubrey is ready!!

12 Month Photos

We are still trying to catch up on recent events. Some day we will catch up, but at least we will get these posted before Isabel turns 13 months!




Some of Isabel's favorite new activities include: climbing up on anything and everything (end tables, ottomans, chairs etc.), crawling up steps-no matter how steep, Burley rides- even though the winter refuses to end, drunken sailor walks (we are up to a consistent 4-5 steps and standing confidently by herself without leaning on anything) and devouring desserts. I think all the birthday cake may have gotten her addicted!

Isabel's Free Solo of the Direct Route- Mt Mousel from Butter on Vimeo.

11 Months

So we have a little catching up to do. The Mousel household has had a very busy month or so and that includes Isabel. Eleven months came upon us very quickly even though (or I guess we could say because) we had no "official" day to mark the milestone.



Isabel seems to be a sponge right now...soaking up everything we do with her and trying things out on her own. She finally says mama on a regular basis instead of just when she is upset or crying. Becoming more and more verbal, Isabel loves to say papa, dada, mama, and ba-ba. We are working on associating sounds with certain people and things. We are starting to hear "uh-oh" or just "uh" when she drops things. Isabel loves to growl, but I am not sure who/what is associated with that! Oh, and she has seemed to have found her tongue as she is making buzzing noises producing a lot of saliva.

Physically, she's trying all sorts of things. When we clap for her, she loves to clap, too. When daddy dropped her off at daycare a couple weeks ago, she even waved bye-bye to him. Since then she has been waving here and there and everywhere (sometimes not at the actual bye-bye time, though). Isabel loves to pull herself up on anything and walk along whatever she has pulled herself up on especially the couches, ottoman and the fireplace hearth at Barbie's. If she is not going to walk along the furniture, Isabel loves to turn around and lean against looking out at everybody...she thought she was pretty hot stuff when she first started doing that one. She has great control bending over or reaching down to pick up stuff from the standing position. Recently, she has been getting more and more daring as she is starting to let go and balance on her own. I would say she can balance for about 5 seconds when she lets go of something on her own. Walking is just around the corner!


Isabel is still a great eater; a true sign of her not feeling well, however, is her lack of appetite. After the pneumonia, it seemed like Isabel picked up a bug that lasted in her system a little longer than we had hoped. She ran a fever for three days so daddy, papa, and mama took turns being home with her. It took over a week to finally rid the virus of Isabel's system, but she is back now! Isabel is eating like herself again, taking one long nap (and maybe a cat nap here or there), playing like a mad woman (by herself and with others), and smiling and laughing all the time.



When playing, she is starting to show more mature interactions with toys like her dolly: feeding, hugs, and kisses. She loves to give hugs and "kisses" to mama and daddy, too. Open-mouthed, saliva, and teeth kisses on our cheeks, but we will take them!

When I mention Isabel is a great eater, I mean it, and to the point where we have to be watching what she is putting in her mouth at all times. Her pinchers (thumb and pointer finger) are always looking to pick things up. What does she do when she picks it up? It goes into her mouth, of course (as does everything!). We have been bitten quite a many times fishing out whatever goody has found its way into her mouth. No new teeth have come in for awhile, she still only has six, but knows how to use those six very well! I almost forgot...we gave her a spoon recently and she loved using it! It shouldn't come as a surprise, though, as the girl loves to feed herself. Often when we give her something straight into her mouth, she pulls it out looks at it then either smashes it or puts it back in.



Busy little Isabel!

10 Months

It felt very weird to place the 10 month sticker on Isabel's onsie for this photo shoot. Time is flying by and I have a sinking feeling it is not going to slow down any time soon. I guess the best we can do is hold onto our little Bellaroo and enjoy the ride.





Butter and I must admit that the camera was somewhat in hibernation the month of January, but that doesn't mean we weren't savoring our time with Isabel. I guess before we knew it ten months was upon us. Isabel was busy working particularly on her balance this month. Pulling herself up on just about anything, Isabel is quite daring as she is constantly trying to stand all by herself. She has not been all too successful...her record being 3 seconds...but that has not stopped her from continuing to try again. As she stands, Isabel has figured out that if she leans against something both hands are free to play and grab stuff. When she sees something on the couch, for example, she will pull herself up and then walk along the furniture to get to what she wants (normally her blanket, a toy, or her rag).

Speaking of her rag, which are the burp cloths that Kerri and Josie made her, as soon as she picks it up, like clockwork, the thumb goes in her mouth, if only for a second. As hard as breaking her of the thumb-sucking habit might be, we still think it's so darn cute.

The thumb is not the only thing that goes in Isabel's mouth, anything and everything finds a way there, but lately she has come to enjoy small pieces of anything on the floor. We have to keep many eyes on her. Of the things she is supposed to put in her mouth, Isabel is still eating anything we give her, and we have officially stopped giving her any form of baby food. Her favorites lately are string cheese, crackers, and peas.

Random notes: We are still working on patty-cake, peek-a-boo, and "so big." As much as she enjoys watching other people play these games with her, she is not ready to play back. All in good time I guess. Isabel is definitely not ready for her first haircut, but her hair seems to have gotten a lot longer this month. We have also been expecting more teeth, but so far she still just has 6 (her bottom two and top four). Isabel plays very well all by herself, but also loves to cuddle and fall asleep. Isabel's new favorite room to explore is the bathroom and can get there very fast...she is a speed crawler. Luckily, she hasn't made it into the bathroom for very long without mom or dad right on her heels. However, she did manage that feat at daycare and ended up pulling a small table over on her. Live and learn...the beauty of growing up.



So a small dilemma for eleven months...February 30 doesn't exist! Hmmm...

9 Months

Isabel is now nine months and as fun as ever! She continues to grow and develop new little talents each day. We love watching her explore the world around her and test her limits.




A couple big changes we have seen this month are pulling herself up, controlling her sitting from the standing position, attempting to stand minus support, and hanging out playing on her knees (she does a bounce when she sits on her knees that is too cute). Once Isabel figured out how to pull herself up we just watched her as she tested her balance. At the beginning of the month, she wibbled and wobbled like a drunken sailor, but now she stands confidently often with one arm holding on to something for support. She has even attempted to stand without holding onto anything...her current record is 2 seconds. :)

Besides moving and shaking, Isabel has been busy growing...teeth, that is! All four top teeth have cut through over the course of the month. With those teeth, she is still busy eating everything we give her. Her newest foods include yogurt and cottage cheese. She also loved Auntie Amy's raspberry cheesecake on Christmas.

Nine months also brought a wellness check-up from the doctor. Isabel is doing great and has been given the okay to eat anything and everything except real honey. So we have been giving her milk with her meals in addition to formula a few times a day (morning, night, and usually one more around mid- to late morning).

Her current stats for 9 months are:
Weight: 20lbs 2oz (75%)
Length: 28.5in (80%)
Head: 17in (25%)

We were thinking that this would be a shot-free visit, but Isabel had to get a flu booster. Handling it like a champ would be an understatement, Isabel did not cry, fuss, or even make a peep. We were all very impressed!

So one more 9 month update...if you did not notice it in the pictures above go back up and look closer. Did you see it? Yep, Isabel got her ears pierced!! Godmother Kerri wanted to give Isabel something extra special for Christmas (besides the super cute leg warmers Isabel is sporting in the photos above), and so on Thursday, December 30th we headed out to get her ears pierced. Isabel was a little more upset with these "shots" than the ones at the doctor's office, but the pain did not seem to last long (very little a bottle can't cure), plus she had lots of support with Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Kerri, cousin Josie, cousin Elias, Grandma Brenda, and Papa Arlen there cheering her on. Mommy and Daddy were surprised that she sat still and let Auntie Kerri hold her arms and head in place. After all was said and done, Daddy commented that he wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but she does look awfully cute with little silver balls in her ears. I agree!