Isabella's First Easter

Of course she had an Easter dress




You try getting a nearly 8-month old to look at the camera, it isn't easy




Her matching hat, ruffle socks, and a shrug to keep her warm




The Easter Bunny brought her a basket of goodies




She went for Mickey right away




And proceeded to roll around on the floor with him for a good 10 minutes




She didn't mind the bunny ears at all




Hmmm, let's push this basket over




Puffs = baby candy

8 Months

Isabella is 8 months old today! It's hard to believe how fast time has flown, but our little girl is closer to toddlerhood than the newborn stage. I actually find myself saying, "When Isabella was a baby..." simply because she has grown and changed so much. She is such an amazing little person. It is fascinating to watch her personality evolve and to see her developing her own preferences. She is such a joy and I feel like I have the best job in the world because I get to be her mommy.

This month has been a pretty exciting one for Isabella, here is an idea of what she has been up to this month (in no particular order):

-First St. Patrick's Day
-First time playing in grass
-First playdate at the park
-First time eating table food (grilled cheese, peas, beans, mashed potatoes, toast, scrambled egg yolks, pancakes, graham crackers, peaches, and cheese so far)
-First time eating meat (chicken)
-Learned to drink water from a sippy cup
-Down to one night-nursing (usually around 5am)
-Puts herself to sleep (knock on wood)
-Army crawling, and soooo close to a regular crawl
-Definitely recognizes the sign for milk; we also started attending a baby sign language group
-Will pull herself up on mommy (She tries on the couch, but can't seem to get a good grip there)
- Has developed a preference for certain toys; she really likes small toys that the can hold in her hand while she rolls everywhere
-Still eats purees, but definitely prefers finger foods
-Had developed a little bit of separation anxiety with mommy and sometimes freaks out if I leave her sight

and...

-Cut her first tooth!!! It's her bottom left and it seems that the bottom right isn't too far behind. I haven't gotten a picture yet because she rarely lets me get a look at it, but I can feel it, especially this morning when she bit down on my finger while I was trying to feel her gums. Ouch!

And, of course the photos you've all been waiting for. Warning: This might be a lot since I usually only post them once a month.



Playing with her Learning Home




Touching grass for the first time




I think she likes it outside




So big!




Daddy does my hair




First time playing in the backyard




That tongue is always sticking out




Happy girl




So excited about St Patrick's Day




Gotta love the shades




Pestering Audrey




Working on this crawling thing




She loves her puppy




Relaxing

Work in progress

You've probably noticed that I've changed up the blog a little bit lately. Expect more changes in the next week or so. The changes won't be life-altering or anything, but hopefully you'll enjoy them.

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.