Back to work and school!

I have neglected you, blog! But only because I am back at work and things have been very busy around the Goldstein household. Isabella started rice cereal and she doesn't appear to be a fan. She prefers the bottle as of right now! We plan on starting solids sometime next month. She began "school" last week. She seems to be adjusting well and has already made friends! The teachers say she is doing very well and giggles most of the day. When I drop her off she smiles when she sees her teacher and friends. 6 month old Mia is her best friend right now! The best part of my day is when I pick her up and see her smile. I imagine that little face says to me "Hello there Mommy!" When she comes home she is really really tired (all of that playing must take a toll on the little girl). Jeff and I know she is benefiting from being around other children and will enjoy learning new things. I went back to work last week and I never realized how much I missed being in the classroom. My students are truly a blessing and I enjoy their curiosity about Spanish and eagerness to learn. I do miss seeing Isabella during the day but I know she is nearby and I can visit her whenever I want!

4 month doctor's appointment

"I had my 4 month check up today"

Isabella had her 4 month doctor's appointment today. Jeff and I were really excited to see how much she had grown. The pediatrician did a series of tests and said that Isabella had great "trunk control" and was very alert. She also had her 4 month shots...this part wasn't so much fun but afterwards she did get some cute Tweety Bird Bandaids.

Here are her stats:

Weight: 14 pounds 7 ounces 69%
Height: 23 1/4 inches 16%
Head Circ: 40 cm. 25%

As you can tell Isabella is quite petite but is getting pretty big! The visit went very well since Isabella met all of her milestones for 4 months! The pediatrician also said that we could start rice cereal. So Ms. Bella will sit in her high chair for the very first time tonight and attempt to eat rice cereal with a spoon. Of course all of this will be captured on film and video camera. Right now the little princess is napping in preparation for tonight's festivities.

4 months, already?

Check out my new shades!
"I am too silly!"

"Isabella the Pooh Bear"

"I love Bubbie"

"Bubbie loves me too!"

"Look at me in my Bumbo"

" I am such a big girl"

Isabella is getting her ears pierced!

Isabella, our angelic little girl!

Isabella loves giraffes! Check out the little bow!

4 months, already? Yes, it seems to be that way. Isabella is celebrating her 4 month birthday today! What a month it has been. Bubbie from Boston came to visit, Isabella had ears pierced, and Jeff and I had our very first "Parent/ Teacher" conference. Isabella had her ears pierced and it she only cried for about 30 seconds. Daddy held her and she was smiling and laughing all the way to the car. She is such a trooper and has adorable studs to prove it. Isabella couldn't wait to see her Bubbie to show her the brand new earrings and give her a big smile! Bubbie couldn't believe how big she was! As you can tell, Isabella is growing so fast! We all had such a wonderful time with Bubbie! Some highlights include going to eat Mongolian BBQ, eating gelatto, shopping, and just hanging out with one another. Although Bubbie's trip was a short one, we really enjoyed having her around! Last week, Jeff and I went to meet with Bella's teacher, Ms. Leah. She seems to be a great teacher. Isabella will learn infant sign language, have story time ,play time, and music time. She will also work on art projects and have outside time when the weather is nice. There will be family collage in her classroom so that she can see Mommy and Daddy everyday. Jeff and I know this will be a wonderful learning environment for Isabella where she will make a lot of friends and learn new things.

Here are a few of Isabella's favorite things....

1. Sucking on her fists or fingers

2. The "ABCD" song (her favorite letter is "U" for some reason)

3. "Talking" and smiling

4. Her Bumbo seat (she has a look of such pride when she is in it, what we call the "I am a big girl" look).

5. Getting a lotion massage after her bath--not the bath part just yet.

6. General--she is starting to notice him and smiles when he is near her.

7. She still loves her Papasan swing and bouncer!

Tomorrow Jeff and I will take Isabella for her 4 month doctor's visit. She will have shots again and hopefully Dr. B will tell us we can start cereal tomorrow. I am so excited to use a spoon! Okay, I know that sounds strange but what I mean is that I can't wait to see Isabella's try something different! Something new and hopefully delicious! I will hopefully post tomorrow the new stats from the visit. I have a feeling she has grown quite a bit!

Isabella went down to Georgia.....

I love the South!!
Isabella's cake

In the Atlanta Airport with Grammy waiting on the flight

Isabella loves cruising around Columbus, GA!

With Abuelo!

Uncle Eduardo and Cousin Enrique

Mommy and Isabella

With my Grammy!

Pretty in Pink!

Isabella went down to Georgia.....and of course Mommy did too! What a wonderful trip Isabella and I had in Georgia. Let me begin by saying that Isabella was a wonderful traveler and that after the flight from Wichita to Atlanta many passengers on the flight told me she was "very well-behaved". She was awake the entire flight (she did not want to miss a thing) and smiled the entire time too! Of course she was well behaved, she is Jeff and my daughter, right? And who was the first face we saw when we walked off the plane? Abuelo! From the moment we arrived in Georgia we had the star treatment. Some highlights from our trip include Isabella's first overnighter at Grammy and Abuelo's, spending time with Uncle Eduardo and meeting my cousin, Enrique. What joy!! Isabella also met many family friends while visiting! Grammy and Abuelo set up a little "meet and greet" which was awesome! Isabella looked very pretty in pink and enjoyed being "oohed and awed at" by friends. She also went to church the first time here ...and again....the perfect angel. Yes, it may seem like I am heavily bragging about her...but she really was well-behaved and let's face it, I am her Mommy :). This trip had many firsts, keep in mind this was Isabella' s first time in the South. A trip to Zaxby's (no nuclear wings yet) and Chef Lee's (no Mongolian beef yet) was in order as well as trip to Fort Benning. Too bad Isabella isn't on solids because she definitely would have enjoyed Grammy's home cooking and Uncle Eduardo's ribs (her time will come soon enough to dig in). Isabella did miss Daddy but every night she spoke with him on the phone. If you are wondering how this is possible, check out the video that will soon follow. Our time came to head back to Wichita and see Daddy again. She slept the entire way back to Wichita. Grammy, Abuelo, Uncle Eduardo, and Enrique really wore her out! The trip was wonderful and I would like to thank Grammy, Abuelo, and Uncle for such a great, wonderful, awesome time....we will be back again soon with Jeff.

As mentioned before Isabella is "talking". She has the gift of gab! We sure do love this little girl...

3 months old and a pool party!

Connor and Isabella socializing at the party!
Mommy and Bella working on our tans .

This is the life!

" My first time in the pool"

Okay... so technically she is "in" the pool. No swimming yet.

Sleeping in my crib like a "big girl".

It is hard to believe that our little girl is already 3 months old. Isabella is really a wonderful baby. She smiles all the time and is beginning to let out the cutest little laugh. It truly is a blessing to watch her grow and learn new things. Right now she really enjoys putting her fingers in her mouth and she is always kicking her little feet. Jeff refers to Bella as "our little break dancer". Isabella has a "routine" now. I try and not use the word "schedule" because it really isn't written in stone. Isabella usually begins her nap at 10-10:30 and sleeps for about and hour to hour and a half. She takes another nap at 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. She has a bedtime at 8:30 p.m. and sleeps until usually 6:30 a.m. Although 6:30 a.m. may sound early, we are really enjoying "sleeping in". She has been sleeping in crib for about 2 weeks now and we never had any problem with her waking up in the middle of the night. She loves her crib and enjoys listening to the music! She is growing so fast. We estimate her to be about 13 pounds. Sure it doesn't sound that big but we remember when all of her clothes were so big and she weighed only 6 pounds...hold it together, Mommy! From the pictures above you can tell Isabella had quite the time at a pool party last Saturday. She had the opportunity to catch up with her "old friend" Connor and even went in the pool with Daddy. We all had a wonderful time! Right now we are getting for Isabella's first plane ride on Saturday. Unfortunately, Daddy won't accompany us this time since he as class. Isabella and I are headed to Georgia to visit Grammy and Abuelo! I hope to post more to the blog after the trip so we can properly document our adventures in the South!

Take me out to the ball game!

"You are not going anywhere, Paci!" And yes, Isabella is sleeping through the night!!!!!
At the Wingnuts game!

I'm a baseball Fan!

Daddy and Isabella!

Isabella looks comfortable at the game...

Grandpa Len, Grandma Sue, and Uncle Dan have come to visit and meet Isabella. Of course we have been having a great time. On Friday, Isabella went to her first sporting event, a Wingnuts baseball game. It has been very hot here. On this particular day it was 102 degrees but we watched the game in style in a skybox. The game went into extra innings but the home team won! Go Nuts! Isabella had a wonderful time and she loved wearing her little pink baseball cap.

Lately, Isabella has been mimicking her Uncle Daniel. When Uncle Daniel sticks his tongue out, Isabella copies him. It is really cute. Here is a video of Isabella at the baseball game having fun!!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!!

Today we celebrated Jeff's first Father's Day! We enjoyed a wonderful brunch and have had a great day. Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful daddies out there!