Bath Time

Isabella had her first full bath and she seemed to like it. She wasn't too happy at first, but she got used to it very quickly. Matt seemed to enjoy giving her a bath--it is precious to see him helping with her where he can. Here are some pictures; you can tell that daddy is a little crazy sometimes.

Here is a picture i took last night of Isabella and matt--i thought it was pretty cute!

Nana & Pops

well, my (katie) parents have been here for the last week and it has been wonderful to have them. They love Isabella (ofcourse) and they agree that she looks just like me. Pops thinks that she looks like him. It was nice for me to have some company while matt has been working a lot on Peds. Here are some pictures that we have taken while they have been here:

Isabella has big eyes like her father, thankgoodness!! and here she is with two blankets that Pops' co-workers made for Isabella. Thank you so much Annie and Dot, they are beautiful!! We all had a wonderful time together and now i am off to take a nap as long as Isabella stays asleep.

From the Mommy

well, this is my first blog entry since the birth of our little girl. this is a couple of days old..but i thought that the more pictures--the better!!
things are going as well as they could, i think. Isabella is eating well every three hours. She has been holding her head head from birth so we have started calling her "turtle" b/c she sticks her head out and it looks like a turtle coming out of its shell. it is really cute.

It has been wonderful seeing matt with her..it makes me love him even more. He has been on diaper duty when home, but now that he is back to work i am changing them at night to let him sleep. i am doing well. i feel at times that i just feed her all of the time..but that is to be expected of a newborn. lots of friends have been coming over to give me some company. my parents get in today which will be great! i look forward to them being here and their help. we'll see how the next couple of weeks go. pray for sleep for me and Isabella.

Evidence

There is rumour that having a daughter softens your heart in a way that wouldn't otherwise happen, and I am starting to believe it. This is why......

Last night I actually watched the movie Pride and Prejudice with Katie.

It was the version from 1995, and we only made it 2 hours into the 2 discs, but it was a big step for me.

Jane Austen wrote in the late 18th and early 19th century and was influenced by William Cowper.* She was the daughter of a clergyman. It made me wonder how this affected her descriptions of Mr. Collins, the family cousin who comes to call on the family looking for a wife. Mr. Collins was a clergyman himself. In fact, it has made me wonder why literature in general is unabashed at mocking clergyman, particularly English literature.




*William Cowper was an English Poet and hymn-writer. He was a long time friend of John Newton. He suffered from mental illness and attempted suicide many times, never succeeding.
He wrote "There is a fountain filled with blood flowing from Emmanuel's veins". I have read him multiple times quoted by Charles Spurgeon
an intersting link http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/f/tfountfb.htm

Funny things

When you have a baby and you have a blog it is almost inevitable the blog becomes inundated with entries about the baby.... the baby sleeping, the baby pooping, the baby making smirks and smiling faces. Well, I intend to nip this in the bud...... and I do not in any way mean that I am downplaying the impact that our baby is having on our lives. I can honestly say that nothing, ever, has impacted me like having a baby. However, I want to keep our blog diverse and this is my attempt......

below is a link that is hilarious, and if you are able to connect to it it will make you laugh. Below is a recording of olympian athlete Carl Lewis (long jumper and sprinter) singing the national anthem at a Chicago Bulls game



http://www.frenchboxing.com/leftovers/munchie/anthem.htm

Harlingen, TX population 57,455

Well, we are home.... It is really interesting how everything changes very quickly. I am so thankful to be home this week with Katie and Isabella. We are all generally well, but also generally tired. Isabella eats well and sleeps well, but she has been sleeping more during the day and less at night. Katie is doing well with breast feeding and it seems to be easier as she goes.

One of our big concerns has been how Rocco would interact with Isabella, but so far things have been ok. He is definitely acting differently and getting much less attention from mama.

We have been blessed very much by the community here bringing us food and diapers, and generally there for anything we would need. It is kind of funny though, because with a little baby there is not a whole lot that you need, other than sleep.

Katie is a beautiful mother - clearly called by God to this wonderful task. She is very happy and patient and I amazed by her graciousness.

Here she is with Isabella and Rocco

And the face you have been waiting to see.........

40 weeks!!

well, we are now at the 40 week mark and are just waiting. i haven't really had any symptoms, but things are starting to get uncomfortable. My knee is swelling up and it looks like i hurt my tendon or something this weekend without realizing it. if we haven't had the baby by early next week then we'll start talking about inducing at the end of that week. it is kind of strange to think that we will have a baby by the 19th or so. my parents are coming the 22nd, so, i am hoping and praying that we have the baby a couple of days before then. we'll see what the good Lord has in store for us. we are excited and anxious to see whether it is a boy or girl.