Memorable Memorial Weekend

We spent a very relaxing weekend up at the Cabin this past weekend. The weather was better than expected and we even enjoyed a nice campfire. We were a little concerned that Isabella would not sleep well in her pack and play, but thankfully she slept and napped just fine. Last night in fact she went to sleep at 9:30 and slept until 6:30 am - YES! 9-hours!

Things have seemingly slowed down on the job search, I'm playing the waiting game. With my new found time off I've started working on a childrens book, it has great potential.

Sooo Big

It's hard to believe Isabella will be three months old this week. Time sure flies...we're already a quarter of the way to table food and no more bottles. Here is my summary of the first three months of parenthood:

Month 1: Surreal - can it even be possible that this little girl grew inside me for 9-months? I am a mommy? Unbelievable. Outside of feeding her every 2-hours and changing diapers what seemed like more often than that we spent the balance of time just holding Isabella and staring at her precious face. We were simply amazed by every little expression. We especially loved the smiles, they were surely just gas but we received an early glimpse of the sweet smile we know today.

Month 2: Learning how to take care of our girl became second nature in month two. We spent a good portion of this month establishing a schedule of eating, playing and sleeping. We successfully introduced a bottle and formula to Isabella's diet. She loves to be talked to and walked around the house - so we spent much of our time doing just that.

Month 3: By the end of this month we have now switched entirely to formula for her 6-feedings per day. Isabella started daycare - so far so good, and has proven able to sleep through the night - albeit not consistently. Isabella is becoming so strong - enjoys tummy time and now weighs 12.5 lbs - almost double what she weighed when she was born. She smiles when we talk to her and "talks" to us everyday.

It is very hard to imagine our lives without this precious girl!

Interviews

This is a week of job interviews. I had one yesterday all the way in Lake Elmo - seems the job itself has some flexibility for the location - so I wouldn't need to make a daily commute to - well it's basically Wisconsin. The interview went well, although it sounds like the first step of a long process. I have another interview tomorrow in Plymouth...plus I'm hoping to get a third interview lined up for later this week. It's nice that things are happening - I'm starting to get worried though that I may find a new job faster than I'd like. (Don't mention this to Jason) :-)

On the Bella front - well she's back to waking up in the middle of the night. Crappity! Hopefully we'll get this sleeping through the night established soon. I of course still love her to bits - even at 2:00 a.m. And can I just ask, are all babies so happy in the morning...all smiles, you can't help but smile too.

The attached picture is from my very first Mother's Day...I'm so lucky!

Huge Milestone...

Hopefully by writing this down I do not jinx myself but here goes... Isabella slept through the night last night. She actually did this on Tuesday night too - but I thought it was due to a later than normal evening feeding. Last night however we were right on schedule, I fed her at 10:30pm , heard a couple baby sounds at her normal wake-up time (2:30am) and then again at 5:30am but she drifted back to sleep each time. I finally had to wake her up at 6:30 for breakfast. Now I know she is 10-weeks old and it's probably just a coincidence - but I think this is her Mother's Day gift to me - what a thoughtful girl. I'm crossing my fingers that this is a lasting change.

In other news...

Jason is working up in Detroit Lakes today - what a beautiful day to be on the shooting range. I attached a recent picture of Jason during a training drill for the SRT (Special Response Team) - this is the state patrol's version of a SWAT team. I'm sorry - but this picture is hot - look at those arms, yummy.

I had another phone interview today, it went okay until I found out the job is in Lake Elmo. I looked on the map and to my dismay Lake Elmo is east of St. Paul. Okay people don't post your job location as Mpls if it's really St. Paul! Oh well, good experience I guess.

A little sad...

Today I packed up Isabella's 0-3 month onesies and sleepers. Already my little girl is growing up - sigh! Other parents always say their kids grew up too fast - well this is already too fast - they are right. In other news... I think Isabella has a little cold - poor thing. Hopefully she'll rebound quickly.

On the job front, my phone interview on Friday went well - I will know more next week.

What I Know...

This is what I know; life is full of change. Just one year ago Jason and I were a family of two, now we are a trio. Just two months ago Isabella was born - she has already grown 4-inches and gained 4-lbs. Just a few weeks ago I was gainfully employed, now I am a stay at home momma. (at least for now) New this week...

- Isabella has apparently hit a growth spurt based on her increased dietary requirements.

- Isabella started daycare part-time last week, I'm happy to report it is going well.

- I am busy with the job search and have a preliminary phone interview tomorrow.

- Jason has been busy with work - this will probably be a constant theme in the Bartell family blog.