baby izaak: August 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Izaak's Doppelganger

A small, local brewery called "Coast" has beer tastings on Saturdays, and we decided to stop by last Saturday. Participants can enjoy up to 4 samples - each sample is only 4 oz so you're not getting totally sloshed or anything. One can also procure a growler fill or large bottle of their favorite brew for a modest price. It's not uncommon to see kids at the brewery (it's smoke-free inside, there's sidewalk chalk available too) and it wasn't the first time we've brought Izaak either. This time however, another new mother was present with her little kiddo in tow... and his name was Isaac! And he was born one day before our Izaak, and he was the same weight AND height at birth!! Our little multi-chinned prince outweighs their's by about half a pound now but what are the chances that you'd run into another baby with so many similarities.... at a brewery!??! We probably should've played the lottery that day.

In other news, I've finished sending out the birth announcements! My next project is selling some stuff on Craiglist that I no longer need or use. What a pain it is trying to explain to people that I have no intention of driving across town to practically give away whatever it is I posted. You want it, come and get it!! I sold my bike today, it was taking up space and just didn't agree with me. I could almost hear it arguing with me! I had bought it off of Craiglist originally and only used it a couple times. I also donated two large garbage bags of clothing to the Goodwill last week. My idea is to simplify. Somehow, I've acquired a ridiculous amount of clothes, shoes, and accessories. Its rather pathetic that as I attempt to organize a closet or something, I find all sorts of things that I had completely forgotten about! Apparently, I no longer need to go shopping, but don't tell Joe I said that!!

Ending posts with pictures is always a good idea, enjoy!

Couldn't remember if I had posted this or not,
I believe this was from the day we came home from the hospital :)

Extra chins = Extra charm!

Love his goofy grin!!

Sitting up, like a big boy!

Not too steady, but getting stronger daily!

Cute new outfit, courtesy of Jessica Markham!

Belly laughter!

Woof!! (Love hooded attire - especially if they have ears!!)

Another attempt at "sitting"...

Hi!

CANNONBALL!!

Hamming it up, per usual :)

First attempt at sitting in the Bumbo chair...

"Hey, this is kind of fun!"

"Uh, now what?"

"Okay, not too sure about this..."

"Daddy makes for a wonderful chair!"

"Oh no! My favorite sleep 'n play outfit is getting quite snug!!"

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Mickey Mouse and Birth Announcements

Some hospital ~~mugshots~~ pics I hadn't posted yet!

We got a package in the mail a couple days ago from my Grandma Dorothy that contained a very special gift for Izaak - a hand-painted animation cel of Mickey Mouse that had been given to my grandma from Martha Sigall!!! I had the pleasure of meeting Martha and her husband Sol at a couple of family reunion/birthday celebrations for my Great-Grandma Tessie (who has since passed). Mickey is already up on the wall and a very cute addition to Izaak's room! I've got other things that still need to go up on Izaak's nursery walls: a really cool name painting that Joe's parents had custom-made for him, a mirror above the changing table, some vintage owl trivets (hooray for eBay!) above the light switch, and an owl painting that I'm still putting finishing touches on (I will finish it soon, I promise!!).

I've been working on getting Izaak's birth announcements out (finally!!) and have gotten most of mine addressed and sent out. I've got Joe's to do next. It's a time consuming process since I'm printing the announcements and hand addressing the envelopes (after gathering addresses) plus I'd rather spend time playing/snuggling with the baby so progress has been slow!

Izaak has gotten huge since the hospital pics were taken! In just under 10 weeks, he's already gained over 5 lbs and nearly 4 inches in height!! Watching him grow and learn is so amazing. We notice little things about him change and improve almost daily. He is much more "sturdy", his eyes are still steely blue and he's holding onto his porcelain complexion. Still waiting for the crusties on top of his head to go away (darn you, cradle cap!!) but his skin is otherwise looking nice. We've started having him sleep in his crib in the nursery (rather than in our room, in the Pack 'N Play) and he sleeps for longer stretches at a time (though it is around 2am and I'm up because he had just requested a feeding!). He's practically busting out of most of his 0-3 month attire, there are already outfits that have had to be "retired"! And as previously mentioned, we just live for his gummy grin.

People always told me that being a parent was a pretty special thing but I don't think it's even fathomable until you're there. By the way, that does NOT mean we're looking to pop out a bunch more, rather we're enjoying the heck out of the little boy king that we've got :)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Clothing and Accessories

I am so mad! I saw the cutest little owl bib at Babies ‘R Us last week and didn’t pick it up, figuring I’d just get it next time because I was already getting the matching hoodie and the owl-covered one-piece outfit thingy. I went there again yesterday because I had a coupon for formula and the bibs were all gone!!

Really, I’m sure Izaak could care less about what is on his bib at this point (or clothing in general) and $8.99 seemed a bit much for a 2-pack of bibs (the other one was plain) but I still wish I would’ve grabbed it when I had the chance! I would be in so much trouble if we’d have had a girl in regards to cute clothes. “Sorry I missed the car payment this month honey, but there were little shirts with cupcakes and adorable pants with ruffles and I just had to buy them all!!!” (ß a conversation that I would have with Joe).

Looking on the bright side of things: I got three tubs of formula for about $45 total. Sounds pricey? Well, considering that each tub is usually somewhere between $21 and $23 + tax, I was pretty proud of my coupon/bargain-hunting skills!! By the way, if anyone has any Similac coupons for powdered formula that they want to send me, I'll be more than happy to accept!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Izaak is 2 Months Old!

I've been posting tons of pics but haven't had much time to write much of an update. As one could likely determine from the pictures, our little dude is happy, healthy, and thriving! He had his 2-month well-baby doctor's appointment yesterday (though he's 9 weeks old, technically) and got three vaccine shots and one oral vaccine. He was a bit sleepy and grumpy afterward but seems to be nearly back to normal now. The doc says that he's doing very well. We were concerned that perhaps at 14 lbs he was getting a bit beefy - she said he's fine. Though he's obviously getting plenty to eat, we've been having issues with him fussing during feedings sometimes (crying, arching his back, pushing away the bottle then crying about being hungry, clawing and howling, etc) so she prescribed some Zantac for "silent reflux". Hopefully, the meds will solve the issue. Izaak is usually a happy-go-lucky bugger who lights up our lives with his gummy little smile, giggles, and coos!!

Besides gaining weight, our little chunk is now 23 1/2" in height and his head circumference is 16". He's in the 75th percentile for height and head circumference and 95th for weight. I'd like to think some of his weight gain is muscle. His neck is getting much stronger, he rolls over from his stomach to his back (though hates "tummy time"!), and he even stands and "walks" with Daddy's assistance!

I went back to work last week and Izaak started daycare. We've survived both unscathed so far! I am back part-time, only 3-days a week for awhile. There's plenty for me to do, I bet work would be happier if I was working double full-time but are luckily accepting of me wanting to spend more time at home with the kiddo. And I'm very happy to report that daycare is going swimmingly! We feel sooo fortunate to have found Joni and Larry, Izaak's caretakers, who are super caring and thoughtful. It's incredibly comforting to know that Izaak is in such great hands while I'm at work.

Joe took me out to dinner to a nice restaurant for our 6th anniversary this evening, a little place called FIG (Food Is Good) that serves amazingly delish food. Izaak came with and was a sleeping angel while we enjoyed our culinary delights.

Figured I could end this post with some more pics, enjoy!