God Bless You Isabel Marie

Our baby girl was baptized back in December. It was such a neat time of year to make this commitment. Our pastor incorporated Isabel's baptism into the children's sermon...the message being "Why did God send a baby?" The summarized version: babies are so little and fragile, yet babies are so good at inviting you to do the right thing. It was a memorable message...I can't wait to share it with Isabel each year.

Isabel wore the precious heirloom Kiedaisch christening gown. She was the 23rd "Kiedaisch" to wear the gown. It was first worn in 1911 by my Grandfather's sister, Millie. Here is the run down in case you are a family history fanatic (eh um, Mom): 1. Mildred 2. Arthur (my grandpa) 3. Dorothy 4. Carol 5. Walter 6. Janet 7. Bonnie 8. Robert 9. Joyce 10. Danny (my dad) 11. Randall 12. Julie 13. Jeanne 14. Kristy (me) 15. Michael (my brother) 16. Stacy 17. Kyle 18. Kensey 19. Michael 20. Jillian 21. Nathan 22. Emma 23. ISABEL...and 24. Aubrey.

Yes, you are reading the list correctly, we made it to #24. A couple weeks after Isabel was baptised, her 2nd cousin Aubrey wore the same dress! Luckily we made it through the service without any messy disasters. Actually, Isabel was a dream child throughout the whole service. She sat patiently through the children's sermon at the front of the church while all the children looked upon her, she didn't say a peep when Pastor touched her head with water and she even let Pastor hold her so he could stroll up and down the aisle to show the church who they were promising to raise knowing the Lord.

Our little angel checking out the crowd.

How precious is this picture?! It's a good thing that drool is clear because that gown had a lot of drool on it after Isabel wore it!

The Funk side of the family at the baptism.

Ben and I chose our good friends Seth and Katie to be Isabel's Godparents. The boys grew up together and Katie and I always tell each other how lucky we are that each chose such quality wives! Seriously, we are blessed to have such good friends that are willing to accept the commitment of a Godparent. I hope Isabel can rely on them as much as she does us for guidance in her spiritual life.

Here is a picture with Seth and Katie and their son Finn, who is two months older than Isabel.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend...not so much...don't even think about it Finn, she isn't allowed to leave the house until she is 30!

The Kiedaisch side of the family after the baptism!

Princess Pea, checking out the yummy cake!

Great-Grandpa Jensik likes to dote on Isabel!

DISCLAIMER...these pictures are INCREDIBLE as they were all taken by Isabel's Godmother...Katie Zeller.

Five

Miss Isabel turned FIVE months old this past week. Despite the cold, snowy, icy winter...we have been busy growing and learning to play! This age is really so much fun. She is full of expressions and curiosity. She responds to her name...when she wants to (finally something she gets from me)! She loves to chat...and commonly chats herself to sleep. She also has this "fake cough" as we call it. I'm not sure what she is doing. I asked the doctor about it at her four month appointment, but he said it was nothing. So now I think she is just trying to imitate us. I was trying to teach her to "say aaahhh" and it's more like "fake cough, fake cough"...and then I dump a spoonful of cereal in her mouth!

According to our unofficial weighing method, she is close to 14 lbs 10 oz. I still continue to think that she is teething (one of these months I'll be correct) so she is putting everything in her mouth. She is now a pro at sucking her thumb instead of her whole hand and you will constantly see her chomping on her tongue. When Isabel is awake, there is constant movement...always doing something. She now rolls all over the place, you'll never find her in the same spot you put her. She is working hard to sit up, but isn't quite there yet. Ben always says "Honey, she's drunk again!"

Overall, I'm just doting over her every spare minute I have (if you couldn't tell). She is such a blessing to us and I truly can't remember what mattered in my life before she was born. Here is a link to all of our photos from the past month if you want to see more of our joy!

My little mamushka...less than thrilled with me and my camera.

"Come on mom...aren't we done with this photo shoot?"



I'll do just about anything to see my baby smile! This is one of my favorites.


I love this look...pure innocence!



Chomping on her tongue


Getting skilled with the feet!

Side note, despite the same outfit, these pictures were taken throughout the month. Grandma Nancy bought this outfit for her...it's so warm, cuddly and perfect colors for the Valentine's holiday...so she wore it a lot this month :)

Blondies

Last weekend one of my oldest friends, Angie, came over to visit with us with her two beautiful blonds! Ashley is almost 5 and Kylie is almost 2.5...ironically Kylie shares a birthday with Miss. Isabel! The girls were shy at first, but once Isabel woke up from her nap, everyone was super smiley. I caught the picture below and was absolutely shocked...all three smiling and looking at the camera. It's amazing what nap time does!

Isabel loved looking at the girls...I think she was captivated by the pretty pink dresses.

Kylie was absolutely thrilled to see the baby. She kept flashing the most adorable looks while playing with Baby Izzy. And Isabel couldn't be happier hanging out with the girls!

Ashley's turn...notice Kylie fighting to get to Isabel!

Playing with Mya

Last weekend Miss Mya and her Momma came over for a quick visit! Between lunch and a looming nap time, we didn't have much time to play, but I managed to snap a couple quick shots!

"Hey, let me see that camera!"

Isn't this pose the epitome of childhood?

Just like old friends, gabbing on the couch. Doesn't this series of pictures look like a story?? What do you think they are saying to each other??

I think it goes something like this:

Isabel: So I went to this party last night...BYOM (Bring Your Own Milk)

Mya: Really, was it fun...did you get wasted?

Isabel: Oh My Gosh...was it fun!

Mya: Umm, hello, then why didn't you text me and tell me to come?

Isabel: Really, the boys were so cute...they were wearing designer diapers.

Mya: Seriously Isabel, I'm annoyed with you...I like designer diapers.

Isabel: Oh come on Mya...I'm sorry I didn't call you. I promise I'll call next time.

Mya: It's okay, I still love you!

Isabel: Wait a minute...I feel a burp coming on.

Mya: Oh Isabel...you're so gross sometimes.

Mya: So anyways, what do you think of my new haircut?

Isabel: Well...it's spiky!

Mya: Well, maybe we can put rollers in it later? What do you think? Hey, at least I have hair...

Feed Me

We are going through a "funk" around our house these days. I think Isabel is going through a growth spurt and really needing more food. We had a solid month or two of good night sleeping. Yet as of a couple weeks ago, Isabel seems to need a couple meals in the middle of the night...which is starting to get old REAL FAST. I don't know if I'm not keeping up with her hunger needs or if she is just testing my limits or if she is just using me to pacifier herself....OR all of the above?!

Our pediatrician said we could start with cereal at 4 months, but I mentally wasn't ready for my baby to eat foods yet (not that I want to breast feed until she is sixteen or anything). As our late night feedings continued, I started to consider the idea of cereal more. So we started by putting together Isabel's highchair and letting her test it out. She loved it right away. It puts her at a nice height to see what is going on. Plus she has this sweet suction cup toy stuck to her tray that can't escape her hands...which is brilliant I must say!

"Yea, I'm a big girl...sippy cup and all! Don't worry...there is nothing in the sippy cup...I just hold it to be cool"

"Come on Mom, I told you to leave me alone when I'm playing with my toy!"

Finally, one night this week Isabel was sitting her chair while we ate dinner and I just thought, why not?! So I made a little cereal, gathered the camera and video camera and tested it out. The first night of cereal was a joke, but we have tried it every night this week. I think she is slowing starting to get it. She doesn't really keep anything in her mouth as her freakishly long tongue is in the way (I'm still working on capturing this on camera). Even though she spits a lot out, she will instantly stick her thumb in her mouth after I give her a bite and that usually forces something down the hatch! So we will take it slowly. Hopefully she will get the hang of it and start feeling a little more satisfied.

"Not too bad"

"Stop taking my picture and stick the spoon in my mouth so I can chew on it"

"All Done"

I Can't Resist

Isabel just loves bathtime. She is always so good and loves the water. I can't wait to take her swimming someday. One day I had Ben helping me out with bath time and he made me fetch the camera to take these pictures. Someday she will absolutely hate me for these pictures, but in the mean time, they just make me smile. I couldn't resist sharing with you!

Look at that baby butt...precious!

And she caught on to what we were doing...