Isabella's 1st Christmas

Thursday, December 28, 2006

It's finally over. This year we decided to "host" Christmas mostly because it's so hard putting Isabella to sleep at other people's houses. She hardly sleeps during the day as it is. My sister and nephew, Merah and Jack, spent the weekend with us. Merah did most of the cooking and took care of Isabella a great deal too. Thank goodness for family. It was like taking a vacation from holding Isabella all weekend long. I got to play with her, look at her, but didn't have her attached to me 24/7. Jack is such a great cousin. Even though he is 8 years older he loves taking care of her. He was so tender and loving. He took her to her play gym, gave her a tour of the house countless times, helped with bathtime. If only he knew how to change diapers...maybe we can work on that one. After a few short days he learned very quickly what she did and did not like. On Christmas day, he told grandpa how to make her happy. "No grandpa, she likes to walk around the house."

I feel terrible that I didn't take many family shots this year. My computer is down...AGAIN. And all of my pictures are on it. I will post them when it gets fixed. I start work next Tuesday. I have constant mixed feelings about it. One day I feel great about returning and the next I am dreading it. I feel pretty sure that I will cry on the first day. My goal is to put my mind on work and leave it there when I leave for home. That's one of our pet peeves. For the past 6 years (for Ed it's been 8 years), Ed and I lived and breathed Oakley. Well, those days are no more. We now have committed to living for ourselves and our new family, sorry Oakley.

My friend, Pearl, had her baby girl on December 14th by C-Section. Her baby arrived at the start of her 28th week of pregnancy. Her baby is at CHOC hospital in Orange. She was born 1 lb and 13 oz. Though she dropped a five ounces, she is back to her birth weight which is terrific. Her and Tom named her Cammie Noelle. Ed and I are going to meet the little miracle tomorrow. What's with all the early births lately?

On Isabella's development
This past week has been huge in her development. She went from batting at her toys in the play gym to now grabbing them. She will hold objects that are put in front of her. On Christmas morning she started talking a great deal more than usual. I love hearing her little voice. It sounds so animated. She's so fascinated by everything and easily distracted, which has proven to be frustrating when she's supposed to be eating. I'm hoping this phase will quickly pass.

Pictures to come. Sit tight.

Cheap diapers

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

This really goes out to all the mommy's and daddy's out there that are forking over money left and right for diapers. Someone referred me to 1800diapers.com for cheap and easy way to purchase diapers. So I purchased a huge box tonight and will see how long it takes to get here. The shipping is free for purchases over $45. I purchased the economy plus size of Pampers Swaddlers, which has 184 diapers, for only $37.87. Trust me...this is actually a good price. Diapers are so stinkin expensive. Since I've signed up I received a $2 coupon code for new referrals. Just type in: LYKR1491 when you sign up for your account.

And they also sell those adorable diaper cakes for all those baby showers coming up. I always think of an episode of Sex in the City.

Random pictures

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Here's my hand at some creative holiday pictures. I took these after I ordered my christmas cards, but at least I get to show them off here. BTW, I stole the ideas from some mommies I met through a baby bulletin board so I can't take all the credit.


Somehow, we've started a collection of stuffed giraffes. So my latest purchase was a standing giraffe that I bought on craigstlist for $6. Isabella's a little too small for it yet, but with a little help she entertains us with it. Ed's parents are sending us a 5 foot giraffe. Don't know where we'll put it, but it'll add height to the collection.


One day I asked Ed to watch Isabella while I made a trip to the grocery store. I came home and she had passed out on his chest. She looked so cute and peaceful. And no, Ed wasn't drunk. He ALWAYS looks like that in pictures.

New Video - Isabella rolling and smiling

As you can tell I got my computer back and I have a new video. This morning Isabella showed us that she has mastered the art of rolling from her tummy to her back. I made some edits to the video and used a higher resolution than the last so sorry if it takes a while to view it on your computers.



Please leave a comment if you can't view it. I have a lower resolution version of it.

Oh the stages of pregnancy

Friday, December 08, 2006

I thought it would be fun to chronical the stages of pregnancy with pictures. I forgot how big I really got in the final weeks. Most expecting mothers have 40 weeks of pregnancy, but since I only got to 37 weeks. Imagine if I delivered at 40 weeks, or worse what if I was late! Yikes! I loved all stages of my pregnancy. I grew a bit attached to my growing belly. The best part of it was feeling the baby move, squirm and kick. Although, I have to say that I never quite figured out which body part was what. Was that her elbow, knee, head, arm, butt???

After the delivery, I was aware that I would look like I was still pregnany, but I still wasn't prepared to see how big I still was. By the 4th day post delivery I had lost 20 lbs. At first the belly that I was left with freaked me out. I'm so happy that it is now getting back to normal. The line on the tummy is disappearing and the loose skin is no more. Thank god! What no one ever tells you is how your body will change. I'm about 7 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but my body is still very different. I have love handles!!! Yuck! Most of my pants don't fit the same and a lot of my fitted shirts don't fit either. I was hoping that I could bounce back like Heidi Klum, ha ha ha...ya right.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Yeah...it's my favorite time of the year. I am so excited to be home the entire month and enjoy Christmas with my favorite people. I haven't begun Christmas shopping yet. Yikes! I'm starting to get a little nervous about that. I can't wait for Isabella to experience her first Christmas. I know she's tiny, but I will make sure to take lots of pictures for when she is older (so that she can see how cute she was as a baby and to remind us of how cute she when she enters the snotty teenage years). Here's a few shots of Isabella in her pre-Christmas outfit. I also got her a cute little Christmas sleeper, but it's a little too big still.

This week has started out a little rough. She has been fussy again. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the growth spurt that usually happens around the 3 month mark??? What's funny is one minute she is all smiles and laughing (without sound) and the next minute she is crying. It's really Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing. She hasn't rolled over since the first time last week. I still haven't gotten my computer back from Apple yet. I have a few video's but they need editing before I post them on the blog.

First family photos

Sunday, December 03, 2006

We got our photos taken by a hobbiest photographer this weekend. Hobbiest meaning, she is not a trained professional photographer. Overall, I think it was worth the $70 that we spent. The pictures didn't turn out bad. I wish I could say that it was a good hair day, but alas it wasn't as you will see in the photos. I found her on Craigslist and the pictures came out okay. I wish there weren't 500 pictures to look through, but I guess that is what you get for $70! If you have the patience to look through the 402 pictures (I slimmed it down...a little), then follow the link to my Shutterfly photo album. www.lydiakremer.shutterfly.com

Side note: you'll see pictures where I have Isabella in the air like Superman. I did it so many times that she eventually spit up. The horrible part was that it landed on my face. Funny, that of the 500 pictures this wasn't captured. That would have made for a funny picture.