12 weeks old

Yesterday Isabella turned 12 weeks old!  My how time flies.  It is so funny because so many people told me this would happen but I guess I did not really believe them.  But now that she is almost 3 months old, I am realizing they were right.  Our family is getting more adjusted with each day that passes.  She has stayed with a babysitter a few times while Byron and I go out.  She laughs on occasion, pulls her head and chest off the floor during tummy time and smiles like a billion times each day.  If you are holding her, she wants you to sit her up, she does not want to lay down.  She also stands herself up most of the time when you will let her.  Sometime within the last few days, she discovered her right fist.  She loves to suck/chew on it.  If her pacifier falls out, which it does every 5 seconds, she will immediately take her fist to her mouth.  To me, this shows that it is almost time to go ahead and break her from the pacifier and let her learn to self-soothe.  This should help her sleep more soundly as well.  Really, she does fine at night after we go in every 10 minutes for the first hour or so to put her pacifier back in.  But once she is really asleep, she will sleep for about 6 hours, eat, then go back to sleep for another hour or two!  I AM  BLESSED!  She is also getting better about letting me put her in the bouncy seat or swing and cook or what ever I need to do. Things are getting so much better!  Oh, and she is in her own room in her crib!!!!  We are very happy about this.  This means that I no longer jump up every time she moves or makes a little noise.  Unless she is crying, I know she is fine.  So, we are getting into a bedtime routine with bath and cuddle and then being put in her crib.  It is such a blessing and honor to be able to be a stay at home mom.  I love getting her up in the morning and when I say "Good morning, Isabella" I get grins.  I love being able to be with her all day and see the little things she does.  It is also awesome to be able to speak words of encouragement and peace over her all day.  I am so greatly appreciative of my husband who works hard and has afforded me this special opportunity!

Our house is being built as we speak.  It is located in Suffolk, Virginia.  We bought it knowing that we would only live there for a few months before going to California for Byron to get his masters degree through the Navy.  We still wanted to buy the house and take advantage of the market being the way it is.  We will try to rent the house out while we are in California and then move back into the house when we return in about 3 years.  So many changes are happening around us but we are excited for the new journey ahead of us.