10 things you take for granted before you have kids

Just a few things that come to mind. Mamas, feel free to add your own in the comments.

1). Going to the bathroom with the door closed
2). A clean house
3). Eating your food while it's still hot
4). Daily showers (Let's face it, some days it just isn't in the cards)
5). Being alone in a room longer than what it takes to switch a load of laundry
6). Carrying a purse (It has now been replaced by a giant diaper bag)
7). Buying anything for yourself (So what if you don't have a single item of clothing that fits properly, the baby NEEDS another pair of shoes. So what if she doesn't wear shoes yet.)
8). Not thinking about poop
9). Eating in restaurants, the kind with waitstaff and adult conversation
10). SLEEP (You'll miss this one most of all)

7 Months

Isabella turned 7 months yesterday. Each month seems to pass by more quickly. Unfortunately, she was sick for most of this month. First she had a sinus infection, then was well for a few days before developing a cold/cough. Mommy and Daddy both caught that one too. Not a fun time in the Flynn household. She seems to be feeling better now, hopefully it stays that way.

What Isabella has been up to in the past month:
-Eating more and more purees, she really seems to like everything
-Feeding herself Gerber puffs and Mum Mums
-Eating yogurt
-Tried her first "real" food tonight, mashed potatoes just like Mommy and Daddy! Ok, so her's didn't have any of the good stuff- salt, butter, milk, etc.
-Putting herself onto her hands an knees
-Still rolling everywhere
-Sometimes putting herself to sleep
-Starting to pull up, so far she'll only do it if we hold our hands our for her
-First neighborhood walks of the year
-Sitting in the stroller like a big girl instead of the car seat
-Sitting in the shopping cart
-First trip to Indy with Mommy for a girl's day out
-First boo boo, a rug burn on her chin :(

Perhaps the biggest change is that we have officially switched to cloth diapers! I've been toying with the idea since I was pregnant, but it was hard to get Clint on board. The money we are saving is ridiculous, and it much more environmentally friendly. Ultimately, I was getting fed up with the diaper rashes Isabella was getting from disposable diapers. They were never too bad, but it seemed like she always had some redness. The only diapers she seemed to tolerate were the Pampers Swaddlers with the mesh lining. She grew out of those and apparently Pampers is redesigning their diapers and getting rid of the mesh. I decided enough was enough and order some cloth diapers to try out. I loved them! Right now we are using Flip covers and stay-dry inserts during the day and Bumgenius 3.0s at night. We also have prefolds for back-up. We have enough right now for me to wash diapers every other day. I'm hoping to add to our collection here and there with some All-in-one and pocket diapers.

Of course, I have to include some recent pictures.

March for Babies

I am so excited to be walking in this year's March for Babies! For those of you who aren't familiar with the event, the March of Dimes is an annual 4-mile walk benefiting the March of Dimes. People volunteer to walk and friends, family, colleagues, etc. are able to sponsor them via a monetary donation to the March of Dimes. This is something I have been wanting to do for a few years, but I just never made it happen. Weather permitting, I'd like to strap Isabella in the stroller and bring her along, but we shall see.

The March of Dimes is such a great charity and I am honored to be able to help out in some way. This cause is particularly dear to my heart because of my own family's experiences with prematurity. I am proud to walk in honor of Michael, the cousin I never the chance to meet, and to celebrate Makenna, a little girl I have come to adore.

If you would like to help the March of Dimes visit my page to sponsor me, or follow the link and register to walk yourself.

6 Months

First off, I realize I never posted a 5 Month update. Sorry about that things can get a little busy around here. Now, onto the good stuff!

Our little piglet is six months old today! It is hard to believe that half a year has passed already. Before you know it she'll be a year old, heading off to kindergarten, going on her first date, and leaving for college! Ok, maybe that's a little extreme, but she is growing way too fast for Mommy's liking.

6 month tricks and talents:
-Sitting unassisted
-Rolling/wiggling everywhere- she's a fast little bugger too!
-Eating solids- Sweet potatoes and apples are her favorites, but she isn't such a fan of avocado!
-Lots of new noises
-Spitting- she sure knows how to make Mommy proud ;)

Isabella favorite things:
-"Petting" the kitties (AKA pulling their hair out!)
- Watching Audrey play with toys
- Peekaboo
- The Excersaucer
- Her three best pals- Peanut the elephant, Sophie the giraffe, and Kerry the fairy
-Things that crinkle
-Buttons
-Her stacking rings
-Toes
-Other babies

Our Picasa albums are now up-to-date so check out the link on the right side of the page.

2009: Year in Review

Here is a quick run down of all the big moments from 2009:

January: Heather's first prenatal appointment, our first ultrasound, and we announce that we are expecting our first child.

February: Heather switches to part-time work.

March: We go under contract on the house and find out Little One is a girl (on the same day!). Audrey also celebrates her second birthday.

April: Still waiting to close on the house...

May: We close on the house, move-in, and celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

June: Heather's last day at work.

July: We enjoy our last full month of life before baby.

August: We welcome our beautiful baby girl. Clint turns 26.

September: Heather's 25th birthday.

October: Isabella's first Halloween. We've had Bianca and Brenna for five years now.

November: Isabella's first Thanksgiving.

December: Isabella's first Christmas and Isabella starts solid food (rice cereal).

Happy New Year!

4-Month Checkup

Isabella had her 4-Month checkup yesterday and Dr. Miller said she looks "Marvelous." She measured 25 3/4 inches for height; that puts her between the 90th and 95th percentiles. Her weight was 13 lb 15 oz, which is in the 50th percentile. I can't remember her head circumference offhand, but she was in the 75th percentile.

She had three vaccines at yesterday's appointment, and today she has her first fever. Poor thing. It also seems like her gums have been bothering her (even though we can't see or feel any teeth yet) and making her cranky and hard for her to sleep. Tylenol has been worth it's weight in gold this week at our house!

4 Months

Isabella is 4 months old today! We'll go for her 4-month appointment on Tuesday. I am anxious to see how much she has grown, but not so excited about the shots. I am also expecting the pediatrician to give the ok to start rice cereal.

I have debated back and forth about whether we should start rice cereal at 4 months as our pediatrician normally advises or delaying solids until 6 months. Rice cereal really has no nutritional benefits and is basically a "practice" food. I was leaning towards delaying solids until 6 months and starting with oatmeal rather than rice cereal, but I think I've changed my mind. I really feel like Isabella is ready for something new. She is a very distracted eater and almost seems bored with nursing these days. She's also starting to give cues like showing interest in our food, blowing spit bubbles, and chewing. I decided to practice with a clean baby spoon and she readily opens her mouth when her lips are touched and mimics eating with her mouth and tongue.

We'll go ahead and give it a try, and if it doesn't seem like she's ready we won't force it. Now my problem will be finding time to pump milk to mix the cereal with!

Here are some other thingss Isabella has been up to this past month:
-rolling over both ways
-making lots of noises
-laughing
-grabbing toys (or anything really!) and bringing them to her mouth
-"petting" her furry sisters (she seems particularly fond of Brenna)
-turning herself in the excersaucer
- jumping in the jumperoo
-sitting unassisted for very brief amounts of time