Wordless Wednesday

Please Pray for Stellan

Please pray for baby Stellan. Stellan is MckMama's youngest son. He is 8 weeks old and has been diagnosed with RSV. He is not doing well at all and is about to be put on a ventilator.

The Lord has already worked a miracle through Stellan. He was diagnosed with heart failure inutero. Although doctors said he would die, the Lord saw fit to fully heal baby Stellan, aka, McMuffin.

Pray that the Lord will work another miracle with this precious little one.

To keep up with his progress visit the MckMiracle button on the side of my page.

3 months old

Izzie turned 3 months old on Christmas day. She has gotten soooo big. I have had to break out all of her 3-6 months clothes this week. When I went to put her in the swing yesterday I had to let the straps out before it would buckle.

Things Izzie is doing here lately.

She smiles all the time. She thinks we are funny when we act goofy for her. In fact we almost have gotten a giggle out of her.

She rubs her eyes when she is getting sleepy.

She babbles alot.

She has gotten pretty good at reaching out and grabbing for things. (The giraffe on her baby gym doesn't stand a chance!)

She is getting much better at holding herself upright. I can carry her on my hip now.

She has found her toes and thinks they are the coolest thing in the whole wide world.

She anticipates her bottle when she sees you getting the air out of it. (She fusses if you aren't fast enough!) She also anticipates the snot puller when she sees it. She lets you know by letting out a good scream.

Look how much she has changed.
Izzie at 15 days old
Izzie at 1 month old
Izzie at 2 months old

Izzie at 3 months old

Some Holiday Pics for Your Viewing Pleasure

Here are some pictures of the world's cutest baby on her first Christmas.
Above: Izzie in her "new" chair. The chair belonged to my cousin Will. He is 6 now, so my Uncle and Aunt gave it to Izzie for Christmas.
Izzie and Grams.
Bye Grammy!
Izzie and Mommy.
Izzie in her new Bumbo seat Grams gave her.
Queen of Christmas Hairdoos!
Izzie and Great Aunt Tasty.
Nanna, Aunt Heather, Izzie, Great Mamaw, Poppa, Mommy, and Daddy at Christmas Morning Breakfast.
Izzie playing with her baby gym Santa brought.

Merry Christmas

I feel the need to write a little Merry Christmas post. Yes, I know that today is the 27th of December, but we just got home late last night.

I love Christmas, and I guess that I always have. I remember the excitement of Christmas as a child. Waiting for Santa...listening for reindeer hooves on the roof...trying so hard to sleep knowing that Santa wouldn't come if I was awake. 4:00 Christmas morning I would pour into the bed with my parents so that my mom could come see what Santa had brought as I was opening it!

I can hardly wait for that excitement to become part of Izzie's Christmas. I am a bit torn, though. I really want Christ to be the center of Christmas. After all, it was his birth that we are suppose to be celebrating. That is why we give gifts. Christmas is so commercialized now. I will have to pray that in the years to come God will help me show my child that His child is the reason for the season.

We had a great time celebrating this year. We started on the 21st with a little Christmas gathering at our house with my mom's family. We played "dirty Santa", and I got a new set of sheets for our bed.

On the 23rd we went to my parents house for a few days. We opened a bunch of presents with my dad's family (so many we couldn't get every thing home!) Unfortunately, Izzie's new radio flyer wagon had to stay at Nanna and Poppa's house until next time.

Christmas morning Izzie opened her presents from Santa, although, she liked the red paper more than the presents. We ate breakfast at my Grandma's house then went to Greg's parents house. Greg's mom cooked a delicious supper and we stayed the night there. Yesterday we went to see Greg's sister, but I don't think she really wanted to see us. (another post later.)

We got home late last night and were more than happy to sleep in our own beds. Now I have to figure out where to put all of our gifts that we didn't need but got any way.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas.

Mr. & Mrs. Lee Johnson

This afternoon we went to Lee and Annaliese' wedding. It was absolutely beautiful. They had a Christmas theme. The front of the sanctuary was decorated with gorgeous Christmas trees.

Lee and Annalise are 2 kids that really have the cards stacked in their favor. Both are born again Christians. They both have a real passion for the Lord and are commited to serving Him. I have had the privilege of knowing them and worshiping with them for several years now. The light of Christ is evident in their lives.

Congratulations you guys.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday to Me

That's right. I am the big 28 today. My best friend from high school called to ask if I had reservations at the nursing home yet (ha ha ha.) No big celebration for me today. Birthdays aren't as important as they used to be. My parents as well as a few old friends called, but that was the most special thing about today. G forgot (whoops!) He did remember, though, as I walked in the door from work. I found my birthday present a few weeks ago, so I didn't get to open anything. Sounds kinda crappy huh? I guess it is. I've cried all afternoon. Not really because it's my birthday but more because my hormones are screwed up. (Where is my period????)

I've gotten the most special present already. She weighed in at 12lbs on the dot Sunday! My grandma needed some ideas tonight on what I wanted for Christmas. To be honest, I couldn't think of anything. I've already gotten more than I ever could have asked for. My God is an awesome God!

My middle schoolers had their Christmas concert today. There were over 1000 people in attendance (the whole middle school came!) It went well. Now were are preparing for our Christmas feast tomorrow...yeah!

Well, the princess calls, so I must go. I'll post more later.

Not Me Monday

Hi! It's time to play not me Monday again. A continued thanks to MckMama for sponsoring this little therapy session where we can be unashamed of what we did not do this week. If you want to play along, click on the Not me Monday link on the side of my page.

This week I did not dote on my DH. I was not thankful for him one little bit. I did not appreciate the fact that he is wonderful to me nor did I acknowledge that he is a wonderful father to our little girl. I did not thank God for my marriage .

I did not have our 11week old daughter's pictures taken professionally for the 3rd time since she was born. I also did not try to figure out why I haven't framed any of the other pictures yet.

I did not go shopping for gifts for other people only to buy $400 worth of picture frames from Hobby Lobby. (OK. they were on sale. I only paid $200 for them.)

I did not worry that someone might come into our home and see what looks like Santa's sleigh tumped over in my living room. I did not trip over presents nor step on a pair of scissors that I left laying in the floor.

I did not drive over an hour and a half to the doctor's office only to hear that my daughter has a cold which cannot be treated!

I did not put my daughter in the tub with me so that she could breathe the steam. I wasn't even slightly grossed out when she peed in our bath water.

Princess Pooh Bear

Ahhh... Friday night at last. The weeks seem to have gotten longer since I returned to the workplace after my 9 week ummm... vacation. I am looking forward to a nice weekend full of shopping, wrapping, and sleeping. Oh yeah, and a little advent reading on Sunday morning.

Tonight I am missing our state's bandmaster convention. I always look forward to clinic. 2 days out of school. Staying with my hubby in a nice hotel. Eating great food. Hobnobbing with all my band director buddies. Listening to rehearsals and picking music for my bands to play in the spring.

Sounds like great fun, but I don't regret staying home this year in the least. After all, I got to dress Izzie up as Princess Pooh Bear this morning. Isn't she the cutest? I am glad that we wore this out fit this morning. She is almost too big for the Pooh hat. The outfit was compliments of a former student of mine (thanks, Hunter!)

We're Still Here!

Sorry we haven't posted in a while. Now that I am back at work I have considerably less time to write about Our Life. We have had a pretty good week, though. We are starting to get into the swing of things and are adjusting to our new schedule. Izzie has slept all night since December 1st which is pretty awsome. Daycare seems to be going good for us. I feel very comfortable leaving her with the lady at the daycare. Izzie is always the 1st baby there, and Ms. Diane is always happy to see her. Every time we pick her up she is always in someone's arms. She doesn't seem to rest well at the daycare, though. She sleeps from the time she gets home until about 9:00 when we wake her up. We bathe her, feed her, and put her back to bed for the night. I kinda miss her:( However, I don't want her to be awake when she wants to be asleep. That would be a big mistake.

Work is plugging along pretty good. I am getting ready to give a Christmas Concert with both my 6th and 7th grade bands. They are not where I would like them to be at this point, but I haven't been there to teach them either. I am pumping at work so the Izz can still have "mommy's milk" at daycare. The pumping is a little awkward, but I am getting used to it. The men I work with are having to "cope." :0

Here are some random Izzie pics from this week.
Like my Christmas tree Onzie?

Cutest baby in the whole world.

I am not waking up...
I can even snooze in the tub!

Awesome Raffle

MckMama is sponsoring an incredible raffle with a Mckmotherload prize package including a Canon Rebel XSi camera. All proceeds go to benefit one of 3 ministries. String of Pearls ,No Hands But Ours , and The Elison Project

These are incredible ministries. Check out the raffle by clicking the Rebel for a Cause button on the side of my page!

1st Day at Daycare/Back to Work

Yesterday was Izzie's first day at daycare and my first day back at work.

The day started off kinda rough. G and I were both up from 1:30-2:00am for a feeding. The alarm went off at 5:00am. I got ready while Daddy gave the Izz a bath and fed her. She fussed and fussed. She fussed all the way to daycare but seemed to be ok once she got there. Our daycare lady said that she did fine but didn't rest well (too much going on.)

My first day at work happened to be the day of our town's Christmas Parade. Since I am a band director, I had to take our middle school band. G took Izzie to daycare, but I had planned to follow in my car so that we could both drop her off. I got 1/2 way to the daycare when I realized that I didn't have my bandhall keys, so I had to turn around and go back home. I missed dropping her off on her first day :(

My day at work was supprisingly good. I didn't even cry. I mourned over this daycare thing for weeks but didn't shed a tear on her first day! My co-workers were glad to see me. The all asked how I was holding up. (I thought, " Am I a bad person because I am not a basketcase?") I had great rehearsals with my bands and geared up for the parade.

It was burr cold at the parade. I had on 3 layers and G's big heavy coat. The kids did great. I always love the parade because it elicits so much excitement as well as a sense of pride within our kids.

When I got home G told me that Izzie had taken a bottle and gone right to sleep when she got home. I ate then woke her up about 9:00 for her bath and night time feeding. She slept through her bath and ate about 3 oz before crashing for the night. I was a little bummed because I hardly got to see her all day then when I did see her she was asleep, but.... the big news is that she slept through the whole night! Ok, so I was scared crapless b/c I thought she might have died, but when I got up to check on her she was snoozing like a baby. :)

Overall, I think we had a pretty good first day!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me Monday. Thanks again to Mckmama for creating this little game where we can be unashamed of what we did not do this week. Want to play along? Click the Not Me Monday link of the side of my page.

This week I did not have a absolutely wonderful time with my and my DH's family.

I did not tell my mother-in-law that my baby could not spend the night because we didn't pack her any pajamas.

I did not nag my husband all the way home because he sold our baby for a good night's rest.

I did not enjoy being Santa for the first time as we shopped at Babies-R-Us.

I did not get up at 3:30 am on Black Friday just so I could get my DH the stand mixer he wanted. I did not put my hand on one at 4:30 and exclaim "This one's mine; don't touch it!"

I did not hear a huge belch followed by my DH stating "I didn't eat those chips today. I ate them yesterday."

I did not find graffiti all over my office and have to paint it twice with one coat paint.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful time this Thanksgiving season. Izzie spent the night Wednesday with her Grams and Papaw. Greg and I came home, so I was real apprehensive about leaving my baby somewhere else over night. It really was a blessing, though. We got some much needed rest, and Grams and Papaw got some extra Izzie time.

Greg's grandfather and his wife came all the way from Georgia to celebrate with us. We had a wonderful meal-(thanks Jim!) We had a big time visiting with Great Papaw and Great Helen. They are wonderful people. We enjoyed them immensely.

Thursday afternoon we went to my grandparents' house to enjoy Thanksgiving feast round 2. Unfortunately my DH had over done it on round 1 and could not participate in round 2.

Friday was a hoot. My mom, sister, and I were up at 3:30 to battle the crowds at Wal-mart. We were successful, and G will be getting the mixer he wanted for Christmas.

Friday afternoon it was back to G's parents to visit more with Great Papaw and Great Helen.

Saturday we came home and crashed.

Here are some of our holiday pics.
Izzie and Great Papaw and Great Helen

Izzie with Great Helen
Izzie with Cousin Angie and Great Mamaw

Izzie with Aunt Heather

Season of Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving, and I can't help but reflect on the things I have been Thankful for this past year. So here they are in no particular order.

I am thankful for my salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. I deserve the death he endured on the cross. I deserve eternal separation from the Father and to suffer for all of eternity in a lake of fire. But... I don't have to. Jesus paid the price for my sin. He that was blameless took my place. Want to know how to get this free gift? click here http://www.godssimpleplan.org/gsps-english.html

I am thankful for my adoring husband. He is not only my partner in life but also my best friend. He is my accountability partner. He makes me laugh. He holds me when I cry. He supports me in my career. He helps me with my homework. He eats the food I cook (even when it's not so good.) He helps me in the house. He makes me a better person.

I am thankful for my daughter, Isabella. She has been a true blessing. I never knew that I could be so thankful for anything. I have been praising God and giving thanks every day for exactly 9 weeks today. She is my little ray of sunshine. She has given my life new meaning. She has helped me to see a little deeper into God's love for me.

I am thankful for my job. I enjoy my students. I enjoy what I do. It pays the bills and a little bit more.

I am thankful for another year with my parents. My dad had a stroke back in May. This could have been devastating, but God fully restored him.

I am thankful for Greg's parents. Many people don't like their in-laws. This is a foreign concept to me. I love his parents as much as mine. Getting married, for me, just expanded my family.

I am thankful for my sister. She has turned into a beautiful young lady. She is smart and kind-hearted. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do with her as she enters college next year.

I am thankful for Greg's sister, my other sister. She has been a great friend over the past 4 years. She has been a tremendous help with Izzie, and she has helped me create this cool blog.

I am thankful for my church family.

I am thankful for my friends.

I am thankful for the food I have to eat.

I am thankful for the home I live in.

There are so many things to be thankful for that I cannot possibly sit here and name them all. Thank you Lord Jesus for the bounty of blessings you have given me this past year.

2 Months Old

Izzie is 2 months old today. Part of me says "Wow! It's already been 2 months?" The other part of me says "Wow! It's only been 2 months?"

It seems like just yesterday that I was pregnant. One of my favorite things about Izzie when she was in utero was the morning. I would wake up about 5:00 a.m., and she would still be awake after kicking and squirming starting about 4:00 a.m. I would get into the bathtub and talk to her as I laid there watching my stomach move in all kinds of odd ways. I felt a special kind of closeness with her then. I was actually afraid that I might lose some of that when she was no longer "part" of me.

Mind you, though, I have not lost that closeness. It is even better. I know that she knows that I am and will forever be her "mommy." She trusts me completely, and I feel like the most blessed person in the whole wide world every time I look at her, feed her, play with her, dress her, dry her tears, and clean up her poop! I enjoy her more and more every day. I love the fact that she is interacting with me and other things around her. I really like that I can distinguish her cries from one another. (I hurt sounds alot different than I'm sleepy!)

She's holding her head up with good balance and is on the verge of crawling. She is reaching for things in her sight; although, most of the time she misses! She smiles! (I love that smile!:) She "talks" not just cries. Rolling over is a piece of cake.

She sure has changed alot since last month!
Izzie at 1 month

Izzie at 2 months

Not Me Monday

This is my first Not Me Monday post. Thanks to MckMomma for organizing this theraputic contest where we can be brutally honest about what we did not do this past week.

This week I did not avoid houswork like the plague. I did not see the cat hair on the rug and sofa yet convince myself that I did not need to vacuum.

I did not freak out when I learned that the new hypoalergenic formula cost twice what my baby's other formula cost. I also did not look at my husband with discontent when after he insisted that we buy the "other" brand, and Izzie would not take it. $30 down the drain. (literally)

I did not say "wow" on Wednesday when I counted the 10th poopy diaper I changed on my child.

I did not worry when I found out that the daycare we had chosen did not have a place for our baby. I also did not cry when we found a daycare that would take her. I do not think anyone else can care for her as well as I can. I do not want to go back to work on December 1st, but we cannot eat if I don't.

I did not flip out when Greg's cat peed in my bathtub again!


I did not feel extremely guilty when my baby got her first case of diaper rash. I also did not cry with her the first night she had it.

I did not have baby puke all over me twice this week.

In light of a current family situation, I did not look at my beautiful 8 week old princess and wonder "Will you love me or hate me in 30 years?"

Gearing Up to Crawl?

Ready.... Set....
Go!!!!
Whoops... too far!

Today was one of those "trying" days. We discovered that Izzie had diaper rash yesterday afternoon, and it has only gotten worse since. It hurts so bad. She cries and cries. Neither Greg nor I could get her to eat tonight. She would "suck suck suck" scream!!!! It breaks my heart into a million pieces. I feel totally responsible even though I change her constantly. I think the problem rests in the fact that her new formula makes her have up to 10 poops a day. When she wakes up from her naps she is covered in poop. (No, she is not nursing any more. Yes, I am still pumping so that her bottles can be at least 1/2 breastmilk.)


On a lighter note, I think she is getting ready to crawl soon. She has gotten pretty good at rolling over tummy to back. Right now she gets in the crawling position and pushes with her legs. She's nto so good at pulling with her arms yet, but I think that once she gets a little stronger she'll be unstoppable. Yes, I know she is naked in the pictures. I was trying to let her little bottom air out for a little while this afternoon.

Devoted to God

Back in April when Greg and I found out that we were having a girl, we had a hard time agreeing on a name. Names that I would like, he wouldn't and vise versa. I scoured through countless baby name websites, but nothing seemed to fit. Until...I came across the name Isabella. Isabella is, in itself, a pretty name, but the meaning makes it more beautiful. Isabella can be translated from many different languages. The translation from Hebrew means "devoted to God". Greg and I both agreed that this would be the perfect name for our little angel.

This morning we dedicated our daughter to the Lord God Almighty. In a small service during the morning worship, Greg and I promised to raise our child, teaching her all we knew about the Lord. It is truly the desire of our heart to raise our daughter to be as her name says, "Devoted to God". This seems to be a very intimidating task. What if we mess up? What if we fall in our own personal walk? What if we fail at setting a good example for her? There are no easy answers to these questions. It all comes down to faith. We ask God every night to help us to be good parents-to teach her the ways of the Lord and to love her as Jesus does. Every ounce of our success as parents is owed to Him.

Here are some pictures of this morning's service.
Izzie in her christening gown.

Pastor Keith giving the charge to church family to help Greg and I raise Izzie up in the Lord.

Pastor Keith reading Mommy and Daddy the responsibility of Christian parents.

Izzie's family who came to help us celebrate!
One pooped child of God.