Bella Is Not Drinking Her Bottle...

Bella has really been drinking MUCH less formula and I am worried. We have an appt. w/the doctor on the 15th, but I am not sure if I should call sooner, or if she is just going through a phase. She is eating solids; so far she eats sweet potatoes, bananas, peaches, peas, carrots, and applesauce (and of course rice cereal). Lately, it is a chore and a half to get her to drink her bottle though. She wiggles around, looks everywhere (which is all normal for her age), but hardly drinks. This morning when I went to put her down for her nap she drank a little and then got fussy. She ALWAYS wants to fall asleep with her bottle...so this is all new. Uuuggh! I know she won't starve, but I am worried. Is this normal?

Two Teeth Already!

Bella had an appointment at the doctor this week (shots included - uuugghh!) and she just cut her two bottom teeth! I can't believe she got them so early. Now, I thought we got away unscathed because honestly, other than her erratic sleeping pattern last week she was fine. Hmmm...perhaps I spoke too soon ;) She was MISERABLE today and cried SO much. I don't know if it is a side effect from the shot and she is cranky from that or if it's her teeth. I thought it only hurt them while the teeth were still cutting through, but not once they came up. I hope that her mood changes soon...it was an awful day.

Getting So Big!

My baby girl is getting SO big so fast! She will be five months old on the 24th and I just can't believe how fast it is going. She is rolling over both ways and it seems like she learns something new every day.

Her sleep schedule is not consistent yet. Some nights she only wakes up once or twice and easily falls back asleep. Other nights she wakes up four times and fusses every time I put her down. So many people tell me to let her cry it out, but I can't...I truly can't do it.

I am really enjoying being home with her. I am not looking forward to leaving her next year when I go back to work. With all the back to school hoopla this year I couldn't help thinking about next year and feeling sad. I don't want to miss anything and I am not looking forward to being away from her all day :( For now I am just trying not to think about it and enjoy every moment.

Long Time...No Post!

Wow! It has been a LONG time! I have been sidetracked with other things. Isabella's christening was great! She didn't cry :) It was a great day and it was nice to see some of my friends that I haven't seen in a while.

She is getting so big! We went to the doctor last week and she is 14 pounds 6 ounces! She will be four months old on Monday and I can't believe it. She rolled over for the first time last week and we were so excited that we BOTH got to see her do it. It is amazing how fast they grow and learn and change. I swear some mornings she looks different from when she went to sleep the night before! Speaking of sleep: she is doing well in this area for the most part. She has times when she is going through a growth spurt and it completely throws her off. But typically she naps for three hours in the afternoon (from noon to 3) and has been falling asleep around 8 pm. Then she is usually awake at 3 or 4 for a bottle. The only problem is that I can't fall asleep like I used to. I used to be able to fall asleep SO EASILY! Joe used to make fun of how fast I can fall asleep. Not anymore :( I hope I grow out of this.

You can see photos of her christening on my Facebook (a new addicting habit I have found) at this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2032818&id=1194669333&l=49a4339616

You can also see all of her new pictures at this link on my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031210&id=1194669333&l=96b5cd7fc7

Preparing for Bella's Christening

Our little sweetie is being christened this Sunday! I was really worried (and still am) that her gown won't fit. It is size 0-3, but she is now 14 pounds and the gown says up to 12 pounds. My mom and I tried it on a few weeks ago and there was still room, but my mom was going to move the buttons around the neck just in case. I can't believe how big she is already and that she is only four days away from being three months old! She slept sooo much last night and today that I was worried, but I think she is just growing.

Last night she fell asleep around 8:30 pm and didn't wake to eat until 2:30 am! Then she was back up at 5:30 am and went back to sleep after eating and woke around 8:00 am. Then she slept for another hour or so around 9:00 am and again around 11:30 am. Then she stayed awake from 2:30 pm until just now around 8:00 pm. She usually doesn't sleep that much so I was thrown off.

I am so happy to be home with her! I don't want to miss a thing. She is "talking" up a storm now. Especially to her daddy! We also read every day and she looks at the pictures and smiles...it is too cute. Speaking of cute (lol) we LOVE this picture of her! She looks like a little Hollywood doll.

I just joined Facebook about a week ago and I am amazed. I was always curious about what all the hype was about. I found SO many people I graduated high school with and others I lost contact with years and years ago. It is nice to reconnect. It's also addicting.

So, I will post pics from this Sunday as soon as I can :)

Daddy's Little Girl!

Bella is TOTALLY Daddy's girl! I can't even adequately describe the look in her eyes when she sees her daddy. She lights up and it is just too cute. She "talks" to him on and on. I can never get her to "talk" the way Joe can. I guess I will have to hope for a boy the next time around so I can have a "momma's boy" ;)

Joe is such a great father. I am blessed to have him as my husband and so grateful that I have a man who is such an incredible daddy. He adores his Bella!

A New Blog for a New Chapter

This new blog is all about this new chapter in my life: blossoms and blessings. The word blossom has a few definitions. One is "to develop; flourish," and another is "a period or condition of maximum development". I feel that these definitions apply to this period of time in my life. I am working on developing the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22): love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Lord knows that I have my work cut out for me in this endeavor :)

Blessings are all those things that God has given to me. I used to see only what was good, at least in my opinion, as a blessing. However, I have learned that even the difficult times are a blessing from Him because the Bible says that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Romans 8:28-29.)

The most awesome blessing is our beautiful daughter, Isabella. After initially undergoing three failed IUI procedures and enduring the loss of three sons in three failed adoptions at the hands of a con artist we knew that God granted our prayer for a child when we conceived on our first IVF attempt last summer. Our daughter is healthy and precious.

This is a new day! Joe and I are "...forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward to what lies ahead" as stated in Philipians 3:13. Thank you for joining me here!