perfect day

Sometimes we have these amazing picture perfect days that remind us why we have made the choices that we have made. One of these days was on Tuesday when we took a family trip to the zoo. Andy had the day off of work and the boys were off from school, so we made a day of it. We drove the hour+ to the zoo in Columbia while Isabel napped in the car and the boys watched a movie. The day was beautiful; sunny and fall-like (or football game weather, as I like to call it) and everyone in the family was excited. The boys were obsessed with doing it all. We saw the trainers feeding the sea lions, we watched the lion cubs playing, we fed the giraffes , we saw penguins and more cool birds than I could ever name. Other than a minor scuffle over the map (which was quickly alleviated by obtaining a second map), the boys were well behaved. Isabel was absolutely content to be pushed around in the stroller and watch her brothers run around.
My friends in different situations sometimes comment that they can't imagine having three little kids, but this what we wanted. I often miss our friends and family in the North, but I absolutely love the weather here. Andy sometimes wonders if he should have pursued something more entrepreneurial than banking, but his job has afforded us a lifestyle that we love.
Devin's favorite part of the day was seeing the elephants, Alex's was the tigers, and I am pretty confident that Andy's was seeing the penguins. My favorite part was spending the beautiful day outside with my family. I can't imagine anything better.

big girl!

It's official. Isabel is a big girl. Well, let me clarify... she is still a baby but she has made huge strides this week. First of all, she can officially feed herself. Granted, at least half of what we put on her tray lands on the floor, but the other half goes in her mouth, and that makes her a very happy little girl. Second, she is mobile. She can get anywhere she wants to go within about a six foot radius, although how she gets there resembles more of an inchworm than a proper crawl. Third, she can push herself up to a seated position. It's pretty wild to walk into her room to get her out of the crib and see her sitting there looking for you. I think we will need to lower the crib mattress again.
But here is the biggest news - Izzy finally cut a tooth! It's not visible yet, but I felt it today. She seems to be in a fair amount of pain, so I hope she'll get a bunch of teeth now and just get through it all at once. My baby is getting big!

laundry boy

I have a cold. It knocked me down hard on Sunday and I am still losing the fight. So taking care of two little ones (Dev is at school) seems like a daunting task today. However Alex has been wonderful. In fact, Alex decided that he was running low on underwear (he has three pairs), so he proceeded to empty all the hampers for me. That means that Alex threw all the clothes out of the hampers (in his room, Devin's room and my room) onto the stairs and played in them until he eventually got them all down to the first floor. Then he loaded the clothes onto his blanket and dragged them into the laundry room for me. I love that he took this chore on all by himself, and figured out a way to get it done. Now if I could only teach him how to work the washer...

I ran!

I know it's not really that monumental to most people, since men and women have been running since the dawn of time and all... but I ran yesterday for the first time since July 5th when I broke my ankle during a run.
My physical therapy folks advised that I should start slow by alternating walking and jogging on the treadmill and eventually build up to the three or so miles I was running before the break (then I can go back to running outside, which is the ultimate goal). So I ran a quarter mile or more at a time, and made it almost a mile and a half before Isabel decided she was done in child watch. The best part is that I had NO PAIN afterward. I was good about icing my ankle that afternoon, but I didn't even need to take motrin or anything! Yippieeeee!
I am so excited.

i love face book

OK, I have a new addiction. It's Face Book, or FB for those in the know. I was hesitant to join at first, because between my email, texting and blogging, I just felt like I didn't need another method to contact people (and another place where I could fall behind on messages...). But it is just the easiest way to connect with friends. Not only have I reconnected with many many people from my past, but I also find it easier to stay close to the people that I miss. I think the coolest example is this: Annie (in MA) posted something vague about "John's surprise" and it sparked a lot of curiosity. When she finally posted what the surprise was, Joanne (in Vegas) commented on it, as did Andy (in my home...) and other friends. Normally I would have missed out on what Joanne had to say, and trust me that is something you don't want to miss! So in a way FB gives people in disparate places a method to easily communicate. You can write a proper message to someone, or just dash off a quick note. You can easily comment on what other people post, be it a picture, a comment, a status update. Also, uploading pictures to FB is a breeze. It's incredibly fast. Don't get me wrong, I can post pictures here, but it takes a while. I have far more pictures posted there (tempted yet?).
Plus, I am one of those people who likes to play mindless games on the laptop when I am relaxing in front of the TV. FB has provided a whole new category of games for me to attempt.

Enough of my singing the praises. If you don't have a FB account, get one. And send me a "friend" request. You won't regret it.

Isabel update

Now Isabel has a full blown cold in addition to everything else. You know how it is, snot running down her face, nose completely congested so she has to breathe through her mouth. That poses a real issue when she tries to do things like nurse or drink a bottle or suck on a binki.

So Isabel is totally snotty, has ear infections, hives, diarrhea and a bonus of diaper rash. Should be a fun weekend. Poor baby!

best laid plans

It's pretty amazing how quickly things can change. I woke to rain this morning and quickly decided that Isabel and I would have a mellow day at home while the boys were at school. I figured that we'd get lots of play time and I could knock a few thing off my ever-growing "to do" list while Izzy napped. But then I noticed the nasty bumpy rash on Izzy's tummy and legs...
She has been on amoxicillin for her ears since the 9th, but I thought any reaction to the antibiotics would have surfaced within days. Plus she had been on amoxicillin for her previous ear infection without any issues. So I thought it might be chicken pox (side note: Devin contracted chicken pox when he was two despite being vaccinated a year before. I completely mistook the spots for mosquito bites, since he only had about ten of them. Then I felt like a complete moron when I brought him to the doctor thinking he had a flu when he clearly had chicken pox).
But Isabel is indeed allergic to penicillin (amoxicillin being a form of penicillin) and the hives were our proof. She's on benadryl for the itchy hives (it will take a few days for the amoxicillin to get out of her system) and will start a new type of antibiotic tomorrow because her ears haven't cleared yet. In fact, the doc suggested that we keep her pumped full of motrin and tylenol for her ear pain and recommended probiotics for the accompanying loose bowels that the variety of antibiotics will bring. So Isabel has ear infections, hives and diarrhea with a bonus of diaper rash. We are pumping this little one full of so many meds it's crazy. Poor little baby!
I am hopeful that I can tackle a couple things on my list this weekend. We will see...

Isabel's wave

I came down from upstairs and Isabel was playing on the floor with Andy. When she saw me her face just absolutely lit up and she started waving to me! First it was a full arm wave and then she alternated that with a simple hand wave (think squishing fingers through playdough) . This continued for a couple minutes. Can my little princess be communicating already?

I did it!

I managed to pull off an Andy Blake quality meal for Andy's birthday. I made a yummy salad of greens with strawberries, slivered almonds and gorgonzola, marinated filet mignon (Andy grilled it for me) with horseradish sauce and cheesy jalapeno grits. We finished it off with a Triple Chocolate Cheesecake that was soooo rich! All of the recipes were provided by Andy (courtesy of Bobby Flay and Cooking Light), so I knew he's like them... but more importantly I executed. It wasn't easy though. Andy makes it look easy, but it's really not. At least it's not easy for me.
Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!

wonderful weekend

We had the best weekend. Bill and Belinda came to town for Isabel's baptism (they are her godparents) and it was really great. We all enjoyed their company; whether Bill and Andy were drinking beers and talking politics (and not agreeing, of course) or Alex was dancing with Aunt Belinda, or Devin was reading to Aunt Belinda, or both boys were 'sumo-wrestling' Uncle Billy... it was great. I wished their kids could have joined us, but I think it was wonderful to have them to ourselves too. It really gave my boys and Isabel time to get to know them better (since when the cousins are around the aunts and uncles don't stand a chance!) and it gave us some time to talk and catch up once my little ones were in bed. I miss having them around.
Isabel's baptism was great. She was really good in church and look adorable, of course (pictures to follow!). Afterward we had a really nice party with our friends, and I was so glad that our so many people were willing and able to join us. When the boys were baptized in Massachusetts, we always had our "chosen family" of friends (whom we have known for a long time) around us. Given that we have not been here all that long, I was glad that we had good friends to celebrate with us.
Devin started school today at St. Matthews. He was excited about going, but tired from the busy weekend. I really hope that everything goes well!

triumph of Achilles

My ankle was feeling really good. I had started back with yoga and was planning to start easing my way into running (first run/walk on the treadmill and build up slowly). I was still doing PT every day, but only going in once per week. In fact, I was feeling so good that I decided to wear heels to church last week (I have been wearing gym shoes or flip flops since I got the boot off). Clearly I wasn't ready, and the next day my Achilles started hurting. Not a constant pain, but a fierce twinge that would nearly make me stumble. This was new; my Achilles had been fine throughout the whole break, the boot and the PT.
I gave it a week of continued PT and some exercise, and nothing seemed to help. Ugh!! So I called my therapist and he suggested that I ease up on the ankle. Stretch, ice and rest. I am so frustrated! It has been almost three months since I broke the ankle and I am so ready to get back to a normal workout routine. I truly believe that I am a kinder person and a more patient mom (and genuinely more pleasant) when I work out regularly.

I know I need to give it time, but my patience is wearing thin. =(

the answer?

I think it's almost a little spooky. Understand, I had thought countless times about writing a post about how comfortable I felt in the Catholic church again, and how that feeling surprised me. I'm not sure what compelled me to finally write the post, maybe the homily on Sunday about gratitude? or maybe I just finally had the time to put those thoughts into words. Regardless... we got a call today letting us know that they have a kindergarten spot for Devin at St. Matthews. Was that some sort of godly response to my post? Did I pass some kind of test of devotion? Or is it just some unexplainable coincidence?

Whatever is it, we are thrilled!

finding my religion

A couple months after we moved to Charlotte we joined the Catholic church. In New England we were members of the Congregational Church, which is Christian but much more liberal than the Catholic church (female pastors, married pastors, accepting of homosexuals, etc). This was a good fit for our family, and we were genuinely happy there. When we came to Charlotte, we realized that there are far fewer Congregationalist parishes here, and we found many more fundamentalist groups. Since I grew up Catholic, joining St. Matt's is not a great leap for me. However, Andy was raised Eastern Orthodox and his exposure to Catholicism came in grammar school when he attended Immaculate Heart of Mary and was forced to sit in the very last pew during school masses because he was a heathen (although I don't think they ever actually called him that). I would be lying (and good Catholics don't lie) if I didn't mention that initially we joined the church because St. Matt's has a great school and we were skeptical about the quality of the public education offered.
Given his experience, Andy was understandably dubious about joining the church, but agreed to do so because he values his children's education. And then the rules began... in order to protect against people doing exactly what we were (joining the church for the school) you had to be parishioners in good standing for three months to get priority acceptance to St. Matthews. In order to prove that you were active parishioners you had to go to church every week. It makes sense for the church to do that; I understand it. Now we were committed. I started going to church weekly with one or both of the boys, and even Andy joined us sometimes. I sang the familiar songs and listened to the familiar readings and responded all the times I was supposed to respond, and something interesting happened. I really liked it. I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. Now I understand that twelve years of Catholic schooling (and countless Sunday masses from the time I was a baby) can certainly contribute to the comfort I felt, but I felt it. I felt it more than I ever did at the other churches we attended.
But we did not get Devin into St. Matthew's for kindergarten; he is on the wait list. Things did not go according to our plan, and we are frustrated about that. It is especially frustrating for Andy who still does not feel accepted into the church and sometimes doesn't see an upside to our joining. But I do. This morning at church the boys brought to the altar the pennies (and quarters and dimes and nickels) that they have been saving over the last three months for "kids who don't have a house". Devin sang "Alleluia" and Alex made the sign of the cross (backwards, and with his left hand). They were quiet and respectful during mass and I was able to listen to the homily about being thankful for what you have regardless of what others may have. That seems to be a theme in my life lately - being thankful. I do not take for granted the wonderful man I married or the three beautiful kids that we have together. I am so grateful for our lifestyle; the fact that I can stay home to care for our kids, that we have a beautiful home and enough of what we need to be comfortable.
Today at church Alex thanked God that my leg was getting better and Devin thanked God for green trees. And then I thanked God for them.

Devin meets Devin

Last night we met Devin Hester, who signed our Devin's Tshirt. The boys also met Tom Thayer (for you old school Bears fans), who kindly gave them each a piece of candy. Leave it to my kids to mooch food from the football hall-of-famer.

All about Alex

Alex is a trip. At three years old he already has such a big personality and he's just funny. Tonight at dinner he was eating mango (which he told his teacher is his favorite food) when he suddenly said, "That's what I'm talking about..." - complete with the head nod. It was hilarious.
He is finally out of pull-ups, even at night! Alex is so proud of himself and really feels like a big boy. The other morning (after he successfully made it through the night keeping his very last pull-up dry) I was changing Isabel on the floor in the family room while Alex was getting dressed there too. I went to put Izzy's clothes in the laundry room hamper and came back to find her laying on her tummy with Alex's pull-up on her head like a crown (after all she is the princess, right). After I scolded Alex and told him to remove the pull-up from her head, I immediately called Andy to laugh about his latest escapade. At least the pull-up was dry.
Alex is a very determined little guy, which is a blessing and a curse. I love that he is able to button his own clothes and write his name and actually shoot a basket on the real hoop outside, but that means that we have to always leave extra time getting ready in the morning so that Alex can do every little task on his own (it's a good thing we are up before dawn for Devin's school after all!). And when Alex struggles to complete a task that he thinks he should have mastered, he gets so incredibly frustrated. I think it is amazing that he is already writing his name, but today when he made his 'e' backwards he scribbled out the entire thing.
Alex is still always singing, and his latest favorites are the Hokey Pokey or the love song from High School Musical ("What I've Been Looking For" for those of you in the know). He picks up on music so quickly that Andy and I have to be careful about what we play around him. The other day I caught him singing a couple verses of "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison (courtesy of Guitar Hero, of course). Somehow I don't think that would go over well with the preschool staff. =)

all better

I saw my ortho yesterday and I am very happy to say that I am no longer in his care. My ankle break is completely healed and everything looks great. He anticipates that it will be a couple months before I am feeling completely normal, since I am still healing the ankle sprain, but the break looks fine. Now it's just PT to get my strength and balance back. Woohooooo!!!!
I am psyched.

into the swing of things

I'm not really sure about this school thing. People think that parents love school since it means that their kids are out of the house (and happy about it!) for hours on end, but so far school has been kind of a pain for me (and after all, it's all about me, right?). See, Devin has to be out of the house by 6:45 am to get to school on time. 6:45 AM!!!! Those who know Devin well know that he is like me in the morning, which means that he is in a total fog in the morning. While he has been doing well with his 6:00 am wake up call, he's not quite the same sweet kid in the afternoons that I am used to. I know he's tired, we all are. So, since school has started our morning starts an hour earlier than it did before, which just hurts. Now factor in also that Alex and Isabel take afternoon naps and you would think that I have little reason to complain. However, this summer I was lucky enough to get their naps to coincide most days, and Devin would have a "quiet time" while they were napping, thus buying me about an hour most days to relax or catch up on email, write in my blog, etc. Now, when I am able to get the two little ones down for a nap, I have to go out to meet Devin's bus. Since Devin starts school before dawn, he eats lunch at 10:30 am (seriously) so he's typically starving when he gets off the bus. So Devin eats a snack and by the time he's done Alex is awake.
Now the boys do go to bed a little earlier, but Isabel is not following their lead. So in total since school started I get up an hour earlier, lose my break in the middle of the day and my evening is equally long. How is the fourteen to fifteen hour day better than the summer?
I'm sure that the routine will improve once I get into the swing of things more and can figure out how to get some down time during the day. Otherwise I'll be counting the days until summer vacation more than the boys!

baby bling

Isabel is five months old now, and to celebrate her fifth month birthday we gave each other gifts. Isabel has given her parents the gift of sleep. I almost hate to mention it because I don't want to jinx myself, but Isabel has been sleeping ten to twelve hours a night without needing too much help from Andy or I for almost a week (with one very painful exception the night before Devin started school). Yippiieeee!
And we gave Izzy the gift of pierced ears. While she was not thrilled with them at the time of piercing... I am confident that she will grow to love her "pretty ears" as much as her cousin Kaley did as a little girl.

She is just so cute. I know I sound like Devin (who constantly gushes about his little sister), but Isabel is such a happy, smiley baby that you can't help but be taken with her.

This photo was taken minutes after Isabel woke up in the morning. It's hard to be grumpy in the morning when you wake up to such a big smile. I love it!!

growing up

Devin had his first day of school yesterday. It was an early morning, made more so my Isabel's hour long binki issues the night before, but he left the house with a huge smile on his face and looking adorable in his little uniform. He loved school. He came home singing new songs and telling me all about the rules (and about the girl who went on yellow her first day!) and asking if he could buy his lunch in the cafeteria. So school was great. The bus ride home was not. Devin's bus driver resembles a defensive lineman and when he yelled at the noisy kids at the back of the bus to sit down, he made quite an impression on the little kindergartner in the front row. Add to that new situation the fact that Dev was tired and hungry and I think a little overwhelmed by his first day, and we have the recipe for tears. Luckily he held it together until he got off the bus, but he told me that he was scared of his bus driver. We agreed to try the bus another couple times and if it doesn't work we will figure something else out. He told me that when school was over he just wanted me. That of course just pulled on the heart strings, but given that both Isabel and Alex were napping while I was waiting for the bus to come... he just might need to take one for the team. I am hopeful that after a couple times he will get more comfortable.


Earlier today I asked Andy to water my flowers. I didn't ask Devin to do it because we were headed out shortly and I knew if he watered the plants he would wind up soaking wet. A few minutes later I looked out the window to see Andy spraying both boys with the hose... best laid plans, right? So Andy walked over to talk to the neighbor and a minute later I saw Devin sneaking up behind him with a bucket of water. I couldn't see the actual attack, but later when Andy entire back side was dripping wet, I knew Devin was successful. now all three Blake boys needed to change clothes before we left, but I had to laugh - Devin is learning the art of payback. Between that and school, my little man is getting all grown up!!

the sweetest thing

I got the boot off my ankle and started PT on Monday - truly a momentous day in the Blake household. The therapist warned me that I would experience good days and bad days over the coming weeks (as far as strength and flexibility are concerned) and said that I have to be very careful not to overdo it. The good news is that when she evaluated me, she said that my flexibility was already much better than she had expected based on my break. So I have been diligent about my exercises (and about elevation and ice), and I am slowly building my strength. I've even tried swimming a couple laps at the pool. It will be a long road back but I'm so excited to be at this point!
On Monday morning when I was getting ready to go to PT, Alex came into my bathroom and noticed that I wasn't wearing my boot. When I told him that the doctor said I didn't need to wear it anymore he got so excited that he ran up to me and hugged me saying, "Thank you Mommy!" I'm not sure if he is truly grateful that this impediment to his "normal" is finally gone, or if he just recognizes that this is a pretty significant thing for our family and doesn't have the words to express his excitement, but it was the sweetest thing. I love that little man.

heinously overdue photos

I apologize that it has been ages since I have posted photos to my blog. I hope these are worth the wait.

The 4th of July parade.

The best part was climbing on the fire truck and getting sprayed by the fire hose at the end.

Life on the couch with a broken ankle.

Izzy the Builder.

I love that naked little bum. Nothing says summer like eating a snack in my birthday suit!!
Isabel loves her grandma. The Blake family.

ankle update

We are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I get out of the boot in three days. Three days!! I am so excited. Andy keeps warning me that it will not be the pure bliss (and full functionality) that I envision, but I am excited nonetheless. When I got off the crutches and started walking on the boot I limped along for a couple days until I was able to sustain weight on my leg. I know that I will be sore and hobbling for a couple days, but I am hopeful that with physical therapy and persistence I will rebound quickly.
Our summer is slowly coming to an end. Devin starts Kindergarten next week. They stagger the kids start dates so each day 5-8 kids come in for a full school day and once all the kids have done that they bring everyone in together. So, he will go Friday the 22nd, and won't be back until the following Friday the 29th. I'm a little excited about the extra week, since I am kind of sad about him going to school five full days. My little man is growing up!
Isabel slept eleven hours the other night. Wooooooohooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is not consistent yet, but she is really starting to stretch out her overnight feedings. I am ecstatic.

BTW - this is officially my 100th post. Can you believe it?

crutch-free

I am officially crutch free. I have a couple weeks left in the boot and then I start physical therapy. My ankle flexibility is non-existent and I'm pretty sore, but I am so glad to be off the crutches! Actually, I think we are all thrilled. The boys are ready for Mom to be back at full force, and Andy is excited to have some help at night. We're finally getting closer to normal.

my sweet baby girl

O.k.
So she is making us a little crazy with the eating at night thing. I realize that we may have been spoiled by Devin and Alex, who slept eight hours straight by about three months old. But we are all very ready for Isabel to sleep through the night and she is instead getting up every three to four hours! Ugh!
But I still absolutely adore this little baby girl. We had her four month check up yesterday and she is getting big. She is 25 inches long and 13 lbs 11 oz. She is still pretty long and skinny, but the doctor said that she is doing great. Now if we could just get her to sleep...

pros and cons

There are a few good things that have come from my ankle break. For one, being in a cast and unable to walk has really lifted the pressure that I was feeling about getting back in shape after having Izzy. Now when I go to the pool, I really don't feel self-conscious about the extra baby weight at all (granted, I'm not in a bathing suit anyway since I can't swim). We live in an area where there are a lot of very fit 'soccer moms', which can be a little disheartening post-partum. Now I'm not really all that worried about it because there is nothing I can do.
Also, it has forced the boys to really step up and help me. Devin can now get most of his breakfast on his own (he needs help with the milk for his cereal) and Alex will hear me coming down the stairs and call out, "Mommy do you need help?". Then he will come over and carry my crutches down for me. They have always had 'jobs' to do, like take out the recycling, put away clean silverware, clean up their toys, but this has taken things to a new level.
The biggest down side of breaking my ankle isn't really the injury (although I am a little concerned about my skinny little peg leg, and about my lack of ankle flexibility) but the impact that is has on Andy. Isabel has been getting up to feed twice each night for the last couple weeks. That means that Andy has to either feed her or bring her to me and then put her back to bed once I'm done feeding and changing her. Plus, he needs to get up every time she loses her binki and needs help. For that reason alone I hope that I am able to get off the crutches at my appointment next week - so I can carry Isabel and let Andy get a decent night's sleep for a change.

thank goodness for Mom

My mom is such an amazing help. I don't know how we would have made it through Andy being out of town without her. The first day Devin spiked a fever and that night he threw up. It was actually kind of funny. At 3:00 am he came running down the hall crying and throwing up into a bucket. When he got to my bed (because I can't get around very well with the broken ankle) he handed me the bucket and said that his tummy didn't feel good (which I had clearly guessed already). Once we got his face wiped and my mom cleaned out the bucket, he was sitting on the floor waiting for me to get him some Motrin and he started singing, "Everybody dance now...". There was one more vomiting episode in the morning, but by the afternoon he was eating like crazy and playing basketball. However, the second vomiting episode coincided closely with me nursing Isabel and Alex splitting his lip. I needed three sets of hands and two functioning legs to manage it. Thank goodness I had Mom here. Then later Alex whacked himself in the eye with a hard plastic bat, so he looks like a boxer, or like social services should be called on his parents. Andy is back and my Dad is here too, so we have a better ratio going for the next few days. The kids are all loving the extra attention and affection from Grandma and Grandpa, and I think my parents are enjoying the little ones (especially that smiley little Isabel!).

Izzy's weight class

Andy and I are convinced that Isabel is trying to "make weight" like a boxer or a wrestler. She's trying to go from lightweight to heavyweight in a short amount of time, and eating like a machine to achieve this. The last couple days she has been eating every other hour during the day, and every three or four hours at night. This comes after she gave us a little taste of what life could be like by sleeping nine hours one night. What a tease! Needless to say, Andy is thrilled about the increase in nighttime feedings, since he has to either feed Izzy or bring her to me every time (and has to get up to give her the binki countless time each night after his crazy long day of working and taking care of the kids and the house). Her full cheeks and chubby legs sure are cute though. =)

we're getting by

Everyone is asking how we are doing, so I thought I'd post a quick update. All things considered we are doing really well. I am able to get around more now that my pain has significantly subsided and I am getting much better on crutches. Andy is unbelievably busy taking care of breakfast and dinner every day, doing laundry, bathing everyone (much as he is nervous bathing the little slippery baby, he thinks he's a better candidate for the job than I), cleaning up the kitchen, putting the kids to bed and carrying Isabel anywhere that she needs to go. Oh, and he's working full time too. The boys are both being very helpful, but their help is sometimes terrifying. Today Devin got a band-aid from the bathroom cabinet for Alex. When I went to the bathroom a little later I discovered that he reached the band-aid by climbing on a stool that he put on top of the toilet. While I have to give him props for his ingenuity, I clearly have to review with him which items are acceptable for climbing.
The person most enjoying my lack of mobility is Isabel. She loves hanging out on the couch with Mom. She even takes all her naps on the couch, since I can't carry her while I'm on crutches. Any guilt that I was feeling about her getting shuttled around to all the boys things and spending too much time in her car seat is long gone, since she is getting more time with me than I ever thought my third child could get. I think we are both enjoying that though.
I am extremely grateful to my friends who have been absolutely wonderful about helping us. We have friends who are driving my kids to camp and swim lessons, bringing us dinner, inviting the boys over to play, picking up groceries for us, and even coming over to help me get Izzy into the car when I need to go somewhere. While Andy and I both feel bad about being so needy, we recognize that we truly cannot manage on our own right now. Even though we have babysitters coming daily to help with lunch and things around the house, we still rely heavily on our friends, and we feel so lucky to have made some wonderful friends in such a short amount of time.
We are calling in reinforcements this weekend though - Grandma is coming! Andy has to travel next week, so my Mom moved her trip up (she and Dad were planning to come later in the week) and has extended her stay until I am (hopefully!) off crutches. I hope that she is able to give Andy a little breather, since he has been pulled in a lot of directions lately and he definitely needs (and deserves) some down time. I know that I'm not the only one counting the days until I go to the ortho again.

four weeks

Sometimes four weeks seems like it passes so quickly, and other times it feels like an eternity. I wonder how fast the next four weeks will go by, since I need to stay off my ankle the whole time. The doctor put me in a boot (that I can remove only to shower) and told me to use my crutches and don't put any weight on my leg for four weeks. Then I will get to wear the boot for two more weeks when I can start walking on that foot. So I will spend the remainder of the summer in a hot, sweaty boot, hobbling on crutches for most of the time.
As my mom put it, I guess it was time for me to slow down.

unbelievable

Maybe I tempted fate, or jinxed myself. See, I mentioned that we had an easy July ahead of us, with no vacations, no big house projects, no real plans other than my parent's visit later this month... but July will be anything but easy now. Yesterday (in an attempt to return to a normal fitness routine and get in shape again) I went for a run. I was less than half a mile from the house when I fell. My foot came down on an uneven part of the pavement (where the street meets the curb) and my ankle twisted and I went down hard. I limped about a block before I waved down a passing car and asked for a ride home (thank goodness we are in a friendly neighborhood!). Within half an hour the outside of my ankle was the size of a tennis ball. We waited a couple hours (but followed the ice/elevation/motrin protocol) before going to the ER. So a couple Xrays later we found out that I broke it. To be specific, I have a hairline fracture of the fibula. They immobilized my leg, gave me pain meds and crutches, and told me to stay off of it until I can get in to see an Ortho (hopefully Monday!). The ER doc thinks that I will either be in a walking cast or a boot for a few weeks. I just know that taking care of two kids and an infant while on crutches seems impossible. At this point I am not a whole lot of help with anyone other than Isabel, and that is because she is very content to hang out on the couch with me. Andy has been wonderful and our friends and neighbors have been very helpful. However, this will be a challenging week.

amazing photos of my boys

The last morning of our trip I grabbed my boys and my camera and headed down to the beach. The result was a series of the most amazing pictures of Devin and Alex. Some of the pictures are just cute, and some of them really show the close, fun-loving relationship that these little guys share. Here are my favorites.

three months old

Isabel is three months old.
I know that she is still a little baby, but this feels so big to me. When Devin was three months old I went back to work, which was difficult for me. The only thing that kept me sane was knowing that our friend Kristen was taking wonderful care of him.















I am really enjoying Isabel as a little baby. I guess it's because I know that she is my last baby, but I am in no hurry for her to grow up. That being said, I love the stage that she is in right now. When she sees me or Andy or the boys she absolutely lights up. Like Alex, she smiles with her whole face, and she just gurgles and laughs; it's adorable.



I can't decide which of my babies is cutest in this picture. They all seem to have a little something sweet about them.

vacation photos

We had a wonderful time on vacation. The boys went from the beach to the pool to mini-golfing and back to the beach. It was pretty much a kid's paradise. I think the adults enjoyed themselves too. After working much of Father's Day, Andy decided to leave his Blackberry at the condo when we went to the beach (woohoo!). He also played a little golf, but not as much as I would have thought. Aunt Jo read two books and I managed to watch a couple movies and go for a few runs. But we mostly hung out on the beach playing in the water with our two little fish. Izzy was such an easy-going baby. She chilled in the tent on the beach with us every day with few complaints. She's such a sweet girl.

In this picture the kids are all hanging out in Alex's bed in the morning. Devin and Alex shared a room and loved climbing into a bed together to watch TV in the morning.







Some pictures of us playing on the beach.













This picture provides a glimpse of the gear required to take care of three small kids on the beach. We have a tent for Izzy, but both boys are napping in the tent in this shot.
















Beach front dining. There's nothing finer...

Happy Birthday Devin!!

Can you believe that I have a five year old now? Seriously. Five years old.

Devin loved being at the beach for his birthday and asked if we could spend his birthday at the beach every year. Wouldn't that be nice. Happy birthday Devin! And Happy Father's Day to Andy too. The last time Andy shared Father's Day with Devin's birthday was the day that Dev was born... and what a life changing day that was. Happy birthday you big five year old boy! I love you.

I miss my friends!

We had a wonderful visit with Annie and Loretta. It was so great to spend time together and to catch up. I loved introducing Isabel to her 'Aunt Mo' and I really enjoyed spending time with Annie for a few days (it felt too short!). Of course we have stayed in touch via phone and email, but there is nothing like spending time together. The only thing our weekend was missing was John (and Caroline, of course). We are really looking forward to seeing them in August.
The boys talked about Loretta for days after she left, and Devin wanted to call her to make sure that she knew we are coming to in August "so she won't miss us so much." How cute is that? Even Andy commented numerous times that it was a great visit and that he misses the Tarnuzzers a lot. It is hard to be far away from such good friends.

This week was mayhem. Between getting ready for our beach vacation and having contractors working on the kitchen for days, things have been a little crazy. The kitchen looks great though. We still have some cleaning to do (since every cabinet gets nasty when counter tops are being replaced) and the dust is still settling from them cutting the island wall and the granite for the cook top, but I am quite pleased with our updates. We have some detail work to do, like re-grouting the line between the counter tops and the back splash and touch-up painting, but that will happen later. July shouldn't be too busy for us, so we will probably tackle those projects then. Aunt Jo arrives tonight (fingers crossed, since she has already been delayed) and we head to the beach tomorrow. We are all excited. The boys already have their back packs in the car and have been 'helping' Andy and I get ready since this afternoon. They can't wait. I am hopeful that there will be some R&R for us this week, although juggling three kids on the beach may not allow for that. =)

Summer is here!!

The boys finished school two weeks ago and our summer season is fully underway, complete with hot the weather and with me taking on three kids for the next three months. So far we have been doing great, but I have had a lot of help. Last week Andy's family visited and the boys were thrilled to have the extra attention. Andy and I even managed a date night too! This week has been all about the pool (especially since the temperature has been in the high 80's and 90's) and getting ready for Annie and Loretta to visit (on Friday - can't wait!). Next week our kitchen work will commence. We are replacing our counter tops with granite, changing the island configuration, adding a hood and running a gas line for a new gas cook top. The following week we are going to the beach (woohoo!) and the week after that the boys go to day camp at their preschool. After that the Shaffer's (Phil, Karen & Samantha) will visit us right before the 4th of July. This will be a very busy month; it's a good busy though, with all kinds of fun things happening.
Today we are planning to take the boys to a triple-A baseball game (Pawtucket Red Sox vs. Charlotte Knights), weather permitting. The game is at 7:15, so I hope it won't be too crazy hot by then. We'll see. This morning we are headed to the gym for a Mommy yoga class (the boys will go to childcare, but this class is one of three weekly pre/post natal classes offered at our gym where the instructor makes modifications for growing bellies and babies are welcome to stay in the gym near Mom while she works out. How cool is that?). After my workout I will likely take the kids to the outdoor water park at the gym for an hour or so. They love it! It has a shallow area with some little slides and a huge spray area that both boys can use, and then there is a lap pool with two sets of water slides that Devin can use.
Isabel and I mostly hang out in the shade, but I have put her little feet in the water a couple times. Izzy is doing great and sleeping a full six hours at a time most nights. We are nowhere near having a predictable schedule yet, which makes for some difficult planning sometimes (like yesterday morning when I wanted to swim before Andy went to work. Our neighborhood pool opens at six am for adults only lap time and I planned to get my first swim in after nursing Izzy, but she slept until after seven!), but she is great.
I now have Alex in my lap while I type, Devin is standing next to me with a book ready for "story-time" and Izzy is starting to stir in her crib. My time is officially up!

not such a big girl

Isabel had her two month check up (already she's two months old!) and she is doing great! She is 10lbs 5oz and 23.25 inches. She no longer looks like a newborn at all, and everyone comments on how long she is (75th percentile... not bad). Since I am in no hurry for this baby to grow up, I am a little sad that she's already getting so big. But I am absolutely thrilled that she is healthy, of course. When I got home I checked the boys' growth stats, and realized that she is not that big compared to her brothers. When Alex was two months old he was the exact same length as Izzy, but he was two and a half pounds heavier (many of you remember those amazing rolls in his thighs, I'm sure) and at two months Devin was 3/4 of an inch longer (24 inches) but he was three and a half pounds heavier. So she's not such a big girl after all. =)

Speaking of big girls, today is Loretta's third birthday! Happy Birthday Retta!!! Devin and Alex wanted to call her this morning to sing, but I knew Loretta would be at daycare and then I completely forgot to call this evening. The boys will be anxious and excited to call tomorrow, so I hope the Tarnuzzers are ready for an early morning phone call complete with some enthusiastic singing! We love Loretta in this house.

anniversaries

This is a week of anniversaries for us. First was our wedding anniversary (our seventh). Sometimes I can't believe all that Andy and I have done, been through and accomplished in a mere seven years. We're on our third house, third child, third job for me (if you count staying home as a job - which I certainly do!) and third job for Andy (which is an accomplishment in itself, since he was changing jobs far more frequently before our wedding). With the multitude of things that need to happen and people who need something from us in our daily lives I think we sometimes lose our focus on the love that brought us to this place, and I am glad for a chance to regain that focus. Plus we get a date night, and I'm always happy for a reason to spend some additional quality time (i.e. kid-free time!) with Andy. =)
The second anniversary that we recognize this week was the third anniversary of Brianna's death. My sister and my family in Illinois maintained their tradition of sending off notes to Brianna on helium balloons. Annie and John maintained the tradition that we started of participating in the 5k road race to benefit Children's Hospital in Boston. And I think I have found a new tradition. I spent some time alone with my thoughts while walking in a beautiful wooded park near our house. It gave me a chance to really reflect on Brianna's life and all the wonderful things that it brought to my family and to many of the people in our lives who were touched by Brianna in some way.
I also watched our wedding video for the first time in ages. It was so wonderful to see all the images of our families at such a fun and celebratory time, but also it is among the only videos I have of Brianna. There are scenes of her walking Andy's parents down the aisle, dancing and hamming it up for the camera and even trying to touch one of the chickens that escaped their pen during our reception (very brave!). But the image of Brianna that touches me most from the wedding is one of her cuddling Andy as he was holding her. Then she smiled at me and said, "Maybe I'll marry Uncle Andy."

I miss you Punkin, and love you forever.

dream baby

Isabel is still a wonderful baby. The last couple nights she has been sleeping five and a half or six hours a stretch! If only we could keep her brothers in bed then Andy and I wouldn't be so exhausted... but she's doing great. She started smiling a couple weeks ago and has been stealing all of our hearts with her little smiles and gurgles. It is truly adorable.

I loved this series of pictures and couldn't pick just one to post, since they each are cute in their own way.

This one is my favorite.

Tummy Troubles and misc...

We think that the dream baby has tummy troubles. It started a week and a half ago, but really got intense this weekend. Izzy would start nursing and then a couple minutes later she'd drop the latch and start screaming, arching her bad and hitting me. This would happen once or twice an evening. Not exactly a fun way to end the day. It was clearly upsetting for her and rather stressful for Andy and I. I took her to the doctor yesterday and they think she may have a mild case of reflux. They likened it to heartburn, which doesn't sound like fun at all. So Izzy is taking a low dose of Zantac and so far it seems to be helping.
Tomorrow Devin has the follow up appointment for his eye. It looks so much better already. I hope he gets the all clear to go swimming soon, since our neighborhood pool opened early this year and he is already asking to go. Not that we won't have ample opportunity to swim this summer, if I can figure out how to get them to the pool while keeping Izzy out of the sun. I can't believe that we only have three more days of school (actually one more day for Alex). I'm not sure if I'm ready to have these hooligans all to myself all summer long. In some ways I am looking forward to it, since we all enjoy mornings where we don't have to hurry out of the house. However, on these lovely schedule-free days the boys often get tired of entertaining themselves by late afternoon and they start getting "creative". Which means that I am counting the minutes until reinforcements (i.e. Andy) arrive. I guess that is where the margarita machine comes in handy. =)

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day! My day started with a sleep in morning (other than nursing Isabel at 5:45 am, of course). Then the men in my life woke me at 8:30 with breakfast in bed. Devin, Alex and I devoured Andy's creme brulee french toast, chicken apple sausage and the fresh cut strawberries and bananas. The only thing I didn't share with the boys was my coffee. =) Each of my children presented me with presents (even though Andy and I said we wouldn't do presents for Mother's/Father's day this year. His argument was that the gifts weren't from him...) and I love them all. After breakfast was digested I jogged down to the neighborhood fitness center to lift, came home for a shower and left for church with Devin. Those of you with three small children (or with a baby of any age) know that getting a workout and a shower in the same morning is an unbelievable luxury! After church, Devin and I went to lunch and did a little shopping (since he needed a new bathing suit and none of my shorts fit me yet). When we came home and I puttered around the house, played outside with the boys and held my little girl a lot (Izzy is going through a growth spurt. She nursed seven times today and had two bottles. Wow!)
This day was more relaxing and fun than I had anticipated. I have to thank my kids and my amazing husband who made it all happen! I am one lucky Mama.

Pirate Devin

Devin's surgery went well. The doctor said that it really couldn't have gone better. Other than the vomiting in the car on the way home, he did great. He had to wear an eye patch yesterday, and that really bothered him. We tried to talk up the whole pirate angle, but that only appeased him for a while before he decided that he really wanted the patch off.

There were tears, but he was much better this morning when the doctor said he was doing well and only needed to wear the plastic eye shield at bedtime. His eye is red from the trauma of surgery, but the doc says it should look better within a couple weeks. He doesn't seem bothered at all about it now.

quick update on goals

Hi there,
Aunt Jo and Eileen are here and we are having a great time. Since I would rather spend my "leisure" time with them than online, I'm just doing a quick update on goals.

Here is how I did on my goals for last week:
1) Finish Alex's thank you notes - done!
2) Clean bathrooms & vacuum before my sister and Aunt Jo arrive - done & done!
3) Catch up on email - blew that off again
4) Get some exercise - two walks, one pilates tape and one run! woohoo!!
5) Assemble and print labels for Isabel's announcements - done and sent
6) Get through to Alex about his behavior at school - we had a better week this week, so maybe?

This next week I want to get more exercise and catch up on email. Other than that I'm planning on laying low, what with company here and Devin's surgery and all. Dev is having eye surgery on Wednesday to remove a red bump (that the doctor likened to a mole) from the white part of his eye. Hopefully things will go well and the pathology report will come back with good news. =)

closure

It's official. We no longer own a house in Massachusetts. This was supposed to happen months ago, but we ran into an issue with the title and had to wait for the builder and the Shrewsbury conservation committee to sort things out. Luckily Wachovia was great about it and continued to reimburse our mortgage until the close, and the close finally happened today.
Andy and I are both breathing a sigh of relief. It's a little strange though to know that the house there is no longer ours. We really are Southerners now.

one for Grandma

My mom has been after me to post some new pictures of Isabel. This one is for Grandma; check out those chubby thighs! I guess I must be producing heavy cream instead of milk. =)

This picture was taken after Alex's birthday party. It was the first time Izzy wore a dress.

Isabel is five weeks already, and she's starting to look so different to me. She's getting rounder cheeks and chubby legs and she looks so long! She started smiling for us last week; it's adorable. With her smiley eyes and her big open-mouthed gummy smile, no wonder we are all in love with her.

Well most of us... Alex asked tonight why Isabel is always here. Andy and I explained that she's part of our family and will always be with us, just like Devin and Alex. He seemed to be okay with that, but who knows what he thinks. He loves when Isabel and I say goodnight to him though, because I let her lay in bed with him while I kiss him goodnight and he thinks that is great. Devin tells me how cute Izzy is about two or three times a day, and has decided that he likes girl babies more than boy babies. Clearly I'm not the only one who is going to spoil this little girl.

I made it through alive!

I am quite proud to say that I made it through my first week and am still relatively sane. I have a few good friends to thank for that. Overall things went well.

Here is how I did on my goals for last week:
1) Finish thank you notes - Izzy's are done and mailed. Alex's are nearly done
2) Catch up on email - totally dropped
3) Send the boys to school with lunch each day that they go - I did it. yeah!
4) Re-hang the pictures in Izzy's room - not only done, but also hung her letters. woohoo!
5) Do laundry - ongoing. always
6) Nurse Isabel 4-6 hours each day - a gimme, but I wanted at least one goal that I knew I would accomplish
7) Go for a few walks - two walks and one pilates tape.

Here are my goals for the coming week:
1) Finish Alex's thank you notes
2) Clean bathrooms & vacuum before my sister and Aunt Jo arrive
3) Catch up on email
4) Get some exercise
5) Assemble and print labels for Isabel's announcements
6) Get through to Alex about his behavior at school

The last one may be a challenge, but I am optimistic.
Goodnight all!

call him trouble

One of my favorite family stories is about the time that my twin nephews dug a tunnel under the fence and escaped from their kindergarten playground. In fact, they didn't just tunnel themselves out of kindergarten, but they took another kid with them. I think that most of the stories of Connor and Ryan are examples of how two little minds can work together to create big trouble. In our house, we only need one little personality to create big trouble, and that is Alex.

On Thursday Alex was sent to the principal's office (well technically the assistant principal's office) for talking "potty talk". Apparently he had been talking nasty for some time, and when the teacher corrected him, he'd give her a big smile, sit through his "time out", and then go right back to the potty talk. I think she finally decided too engage the higher authorities when he graduated from the basic potty talk and started telling his classmates, "eat my poo poo". I have no idea where he got this, since we haven't heard either boy use this gem at home. My sister thinks that he's simply combining two of his favorites; eating and potty talk.

I'm sure that the parents of the other preschoolers are simply thrilled that Alex is basically introducing the phrase "eat shit" to their little ones. But I am still hung up on the fact that a mere week and a half after Alex turned three he made his first trip to the principal's office. I think Connor and Ryan have met their match in this little trouble-maker.

that's what I like about the South...

When I was leaving my doctor's office today I noticed a sign posted on the building entrance stating, "No weapons allowed". At my doctor's office. I know that I live in the South, but this is a nice medical building in an upscale suburb. So next time I', going in for a physical or to figure out my allergy meds or whatever, I'll be sure to check my handgun at the door.
After the doctor, Isabel and I picked up a salad at the deli a couple doors down from the doctor. I was leaving the deli carrying a bag with my salad, a drink and Izzy's car seat when, in the span of three minutes, I had offers of help from two different people. I wonder if these are the same people who need to be told not to bring their weapons to the doctor.
Regardless, this made me laugh. Weapons and unsolicited offers of help. Southern hospitality at its finest!

single-handedly

I truly believe that whomever coined the term "single-handedly" must have done so with the mother (or father) of an infant in mind... because clearly the other hand was occupied by baby. Isabel is in what I refer to as the "hold me, love me" phase where she wants to be held most of the day. Hence, I can honestly say that I have tackled numerous tasks single-handedly. I have made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, poured two glasses of milk and cut the stems off of strawberries single-handedly. I have single-handedly read books, cleaned up toys, washed faces and yes, I have even single-handedly wiped bums. I have single-handedly loaded the dishwasher, paid bills, surfed the internet and tonight I can honestly say that I have officially blogged single-handedly. However, many of these tasks were not only performed single-handedly, they were performed single-handedly while the other hand (well, arm actually) was swaying and bouncing, as newborns often enjoy. Pretty impressive, I know. =)

big week ahead

Tomorrow is a big day. My mom has been back in Chicago for a couple weeks now, and at 7:00 am tomorrow Andy will be going back to work. That means that I will be playing the zone defense (3 kids vs. 1 Mommy) from 7:00 am until about 5:30 pm tomorrow (assuming Andy leaves work a little early). I'm slightly terrified, but part of me is excited to just get on with it and start figuring out how to manage my brood. I have to get Devin to school and then take Alex and Izzy to their respective check ups with Dr. Jamie. Other than that we don't have much planned, maybe we'll take a walk or a trip to Trader Joes. We'll see how the day goes.
I do have a couple goals for the week. Since I really cannot predict how my days will be, I tend to plan a few things to tackle each week and hope I accomplish something! Here are the goals for next week:
1) Finish thank you notes
2) Catch up on email
3) Send the boys to school with lunch each day that they go
4) Re-hang the pictures in Izzy's room (since I never seem to get things right the first time)
5) Do laundry
6) Nurse Isabel 4-6 hours each day
7) Go for a few walks

I am fairly confident that I will accomplish at least half of those tasks. Wish me luck!

happy birthday Alex!!

Andy and I both said that we can't believe that Alex is already three years old. He is getting to be such a big boy!!

Here is a quick video of his big day.

as promised

Andy sans-goatee (and totally hamming it up).

His dark beard gives him a pretty constant five o'clock shadow, but he seems to think that will fade once he gets some sun on his face.

Since I'm posting pictures, I'm sure that you all want to see some more of Izzy. In this one I think she was about four days old (and quite a looker, we think).

In this one she's almost two weeks old (already!!).

Here is a picture of the boys at the US Whitewater Center with Papa. This week has been packed full of father and son(s) outings that all the men in the family seemed to greatly enjoy.

Andy shaved his goatee.

Yes. Andy shaved his goatee. For those of you thinking to yourselves, "I've never seen Andy without facial hair", well you are in good company. Andy and I have been together for more than ten years and I have never seen him without a goatee, except the winter when he grew a full beard. He came down last night after a shower and the goatee was gone. I was shocked. He looks twelve, or maybe sixteen. I like it, but I still do a double take when I see him. It feels good though. Devin has said that he likes Papa without it, but Alex likes him more "with the hair on". I haven't decided which I like more (with or without the goatee), but he seems happy. I realize that this is certainly picture worthy, and promise to post one soon.

Isabel continues to be a dream baby. Last night she was having an issue keeping the binki in her mouth after her 3:00 am feeding... so after I got up to put the binki in her mouth a zillion times between 3:30 and 4:45 am, I finally took her to bed with me. We slept soundly until 8:30. I think she just likes getting some night time cuddles. Who can blame her? At her doctor's appointment on Friday we learned that Isabel is up to 7 lbs 10 oz, so she gained seven ounces in a week! Still our little girl is only in the 25th percentile for weight. She's 21.25 inches long, which puts her in the 75th percentile for height, so Andy says she's a string bean. I'm sure it won't take her long to get big, after all her brothers started out long and skinny too!

update

Just a quick update for those who are interested... we are doing really well. Isabel is a dream. She is a great eater and a great sleeper. She is up to 7 lbs 10 oz and is only getting up once or twice each night. Izzy is a mellow little girl except when she's hungry. When hungry this girl is a serious screamer!
The boys are in love with Isabel and are constantly kissing her and competing with each other to put binki in her mouth. Alex's behavior has declined a bit over the last week or so, but we are hopeful that he will come back to his own soon. Andy and I have been giving him some extra love and extra attention in an effort to help him out, so hopefully he will settle down. Devin is doing great. He seems to be taking everything in stride, and he loves his little sister. He has mentioned that he misses me on the days when he spends more time with Andy or with his friends (some of the preschool moms have been taking Devin home for play dates after school to give me a rest); it is a little heart breaking to hear that, but then I just give him some more lovin' and we all feel better. I am still learning how to split my time between all of these little people, and the big one too!

Off to watch a movie with my hubby... and my daughter. =)

Baby love

We are all smitten with Isabel. Seriously. Alex is hysterical because he is constantly trying to kiss her and gets right in her face and talks in a really high, soft voice to her. I am sometimes worried that he's going to "love" her a little too much, but his affection is very genuine and it certainly beats him trying to throw a truck at her or something like that. Devin is the ultimate big brother and is quick to help in any way. They are constantly asking to hold her and checking on her. It is really wonderful.

Andy and I are both sleep deprived but are really happy with our little girl. Andy holds Isabel all evening long (I think he really doesn't want to be back at work, but he'll get his two weeks at home once my mom leaves) and he is still wearing his bracelet from the hospital. =) I am just so in love with my baby doll. She is wonderful.

We would be lost without my mom here helping out with the boys, the laundry, whatever needs to be done and frankly I'm a little terrified for the time when she is gone and Andy is back at work... but that is another story.

Many people have asked me how we chose her name, so here goes: my grandmother's middle name is Veronica, and I have always loved that name, so we chose that for her middle name. We both also loved the name Isabel or Isabella. "Belle" was my niece Brianna's nickname, and while we will never have another Brianna in the family, we thought that calling our little one Isabel would be a great way to honor Brianna's memory (and Brianna would have loved it!). Also, Isabel's Aunt Belinda was called "Belle" when she was little, so Izzy is in very good company. And it's a cool name. =)

welcome little one

Welcome Baby!

Isabel Veronica Blake

Monday, March 24th 2:33 pm

7 lbs 7 oz and 20.75 inches long

Andy and I are thrilled to welcome Isabel into our family (after what was thankfully an easy labor and delivery!). The boys are so in love with their little sister and we are all doing well.