What a hot mom and dad!

Gramps Gurley did it again! This time he made an old picture of us into a cartoon, and the wigs we were wearing really makes it convincing! This picture was taken on our very first vacation as a married couple (with the exception of our honeymoon). We went to Orlando, FL, and we were at Universal Studios on this particular day, trying on wigs in the "Dr Seuss" store. We had a blast on that trip!

Speaking of vacations, we are thinking of where we will go this year with a sweet little baby in tow. For the two years following the Orlando trip, we went to Aruba. Although we'd love to go back there again this year, we have decided to wait until Isaac is a bit older to expose him to the Caribbean. By "older", we mean maybe a year or two! So that leaves us still in the decision making stage for this year's vacation. We're leaning towards a beach somewhere in North Carolina or South Carolina. Isaac will be old enough to sit in the sand and be overwhelmed by the ocean, and we are excited to watch him enjoy it! As far as accommodations, we'd love to rent a little beach house, but our budget may not allow, unless we can find a really great deal. We welcome suggestions and ideas of great places to stay at local beaches you've visited ~ pass them our way!

He sleeps!

Today Steven and I are celebrating a monumental occasion! Isaac slept for five hours straight last night! After his late night feeding, we put him to bed at 10:30 pm and he didn't wake up for another feeding until 3:30 am! Until then, he had not slept more than 3-4 hours at a time. We're hoping that this will become a pattern for Isaac and that he'll even be able to stretch his sleeping for 6-8 hours in the coming weeks. YAY! More rest for the entire Mauney family!

Cartoon Fun!

Isaac's Gramps (Betsy's dad) is a pretty creative guy. He created this cartoon of our little boy by using one of his two month pictures. We thought it turned out great!

Have you ever wondered what you'd look like as a cartoon? Maybe Gramps will make a family picture that we can post later... stay tuned!

A visit to the doctor

Isaac had his 2 month checkup on Monday, and he received a great report! He now weighs 11 pounds, 12 ounces and is a whopping 23 1/2 inches long! He is definitely growing well, and the doctor is very pleased. I had mentioned to some of you that we thought Isaac had a milk protein allergy and were concerned that he may have some intestinal problems. As it turns out, the doctor said she has no concerns about intestinal problems and that all he has is indeed the milk protein allergy. Since I am breastfeeding Isaac, this means that I have to limit my intake of dairy products so that they don't aggrevate this allergy. If any of you have ideas for yummy non-dairy replacements, please let me know!

Monday's visit also included Isaac's first set of immunizations. He did very well with them! Of course, immediately after the first shot, he turned redder than ever and cried so hard that he wasn't even making any noise! I kissed him and tried to comfort him, and when the nurse said it was okay for me to take him, I swooped him up and started feeding him. He calmed down at that point, and we gave him some Infant Tylenol later that night to help ease the pain. Today he is doing great and seems to have recovered well from his first set of big shots.

Isaac is 2 months old!

It's been eight weeks since Isaac came into the world! Here are some pictures from this week. Enjoy!


My attempt to catch his precious smile:



Our monthly comparison pictures. Here's this month and last month:





He fits right in with the towels! He actually liked being carried around in the hamper!

Every day he has tummy time, and he is working on lifting his head up. He's getting pretty good at it!

Isaac's two month well checkup with his pediatrician is Monday, January 21st. We hope to receive a good report that he is doing well and growing strong. He'll also be getting his first big round of immunizations. Please keep us in your prayers - I'm sure it'll be tough for mom, dad, and Isaac!

Let's go to the movies!

Last night, we took our first family trip to the movies! After Steven got home from work, we fed Isaac and then put him in his carseat for the drive to Northlake Mall. As is usual with car rides, he fell asleep on the way there. We decided to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets and bought tickets for the 7:15 showing. I carried Isaac into the theatre while Steven got our popcorn and drink, and then we all settled in for the movie. Isaac ate and slept the whole time. I think the dark, noisy theatre was sleep-inducing for him. (He seems to be quite comfortable sleeping while things are going on around him.) Steven and I really enjoyed the movie and Isaac seemed very content, so our first family movie-going experience turned out to be a great one!

Our 6 week photo shoot

Isaac is now 6 weeks old! He had his one month checkup this past week (a little late due to the holidays) and he received a great report from his doctor! He is now 10 lbs, 6 oz and 22 inches long! This means he is growing well, and we are not surprised because he seems to want to eat all of the time. He is starting to smile, and these pictures are some of the first times we have been able to capture his smile on camera.

Our little cutie is eating well, sleeping well, and recognizing mom and dad. What a blessing he is to us!

A mother's thoughts at 2:00 AM

Last night I had an epiphany. I was up at 2:00 AM feeding Isaac, and I was thinking, as usual, about how I was looking forward to the time when he sleeps through the night. Then all of a sudden, I realized that instead of looking forward to the next stage in his life, I should really be enjoying the stage he's in now, even if it does deprive me of my much-needed sleep! This time is too precious to not savor every moment. So, I did that. I looked at my baby and studied his face in the dim light. I thanked God for him, and I thanked God for that 2:00 AM feeding. I thought about the fact that those will not last much longer, and one day, when Isaac is all grown up, I will long for those middle of the night feedings with my tiny little one and think to myself, "Where did the time go?"