Christmas 2008

Look at all of those toys!




I was on "toy putting together" duty



The 2 girl cousins...I have a feeling these two will be close!



Isabelle was exhausted from all the excitement


Just wanted to show how big and how pretty Karli has gotten

Since having Isabelle just 8 weeks ago, Christmas came very fast this year! However, we had a very nice Christmas. Usually Jill, Robert and the kids are out of town for Christmas, but this year they decided to stay home. I had my sister call me Christmas morning as soon as the kids got up so we could watch them open their gifts. It's so fun to see little kids open up presents Christmas morning! Later that day we came back for dinner and spent hours helping the kids put together their new toys. We look forward to future Christmas' with Isabelle.

Isabelle and Santa!

Yesterday we took Isabelle to the mall to sit on Santa's lap. We know she had no idea what was going on, but we wanted to start the tradition. She didn't smile for us, but she didn't cry either! She had on her own little Mrs. Claus outfit, and she looked adorable!! We got stopped by so many people who wanted to look at her and "oooh" and "aahh"...she was a big hit!! Even though she is so little this Christmas, we've really enjoyed the Christmas season with a new baby. I've had a lot of fun just dressing her up in little Christmas outfits!! She's definitely the best Christmas present Mommy and Daddy ever got.

The many faces of Isabelle

Isabelle is 7 weeks old today! We weighed her and she's reached the double digits...10 lbs! She's been doing great lately. We've learned that if she doesn't get enough sleep, she's a bear. So, we've made her naps a top priority. She continues to eat well and her personality is coming out more and more. As you can see in the pictures above, she's making a lot of different faces these days. She is also smiling and cooing a lot, especially when her daddy talks to her...I think she's gonna be a definite daddy's girl! We are so thankful to the Lord that our baby is healthy, happy and growing.

Isabelle meets Uncle Thomas

My brother Thomas came into town last week to spend some time with his new niece, Isabelle. We really enjoyed having him in town and so glad he got to see our little girl. He thought she was adorable and I could tell she loved him too!! Thomas definitely had a way with her, he was always able to get her to sleep without a problem and she would sleep for hours!! As you can see, most of the pictures are of him holding her and she's sleeping, and sometimes so is he! It was so nice to have my big brother in town, especially here at the holidays. Since we live so far away and we both have families now, we don't get to be together around the holiday time as much. I love my brother and miss him often. I wish we lived closer, especially now that we both have kids. However, that's more of an incentive to make more trips to see each other. I really want our kids to grow up together as much as possible. I also miss his wife and baby as well. He has the sweetest little boy, Thomas, who will be one January 18th. He's so adorable and I love him to pieces!! Speaking of Thomas' family...they just found out they are expecting another baby!! Yes..it's true...expected to arrive this August!! We're so happy for them. Thanks for coming to visit, Thomas....I love you!

Pryce Look-alike Meter

My friend Sara posted her look-alike meter on her blog. I thought it was pretty cool so we tried it out. Much to my surprise, it showed that Isabelle looks more like me! However, there's no denying that she has Jeremy's eyes. She's the perfect combination of us both I suppose!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Dynasty

Isabelle Faith - 1 month old

Isabelle's all ready for Christmas!




Just wanted to show how much Isabelle grew this month...the above pictures is her at 5 days old sitting on her Boppy and below is her at 25 days old sitting on her Boppy. How fast they grow!!




I can't believe our precious little girl is one month old already....and what a month it has been!! Now that she's here we can't even imagine what life was like without her. We are so in love with our baby girl and she has brought us so much joy. We can't believe how much she's grown in just a short month. She's gotten her nights pretty down pat now, she wakes up to eat every 3 hours almost to the minute sometimes, and she's going back to sleep pretty well. We continue to get to know her more and more everyday and learn her likes and dislikes. She is such a sweet little baby and we are so excited to have her in our lives. She's starting to smile a little bit and it seems more purposeful than before...but I'm sure it's just gas sometimes too! We are so thankful to the Lord for our healthy, happy baby girl and look forward to all the adventures to come!

Thanksgiving!

Isabelle in her Thanksgiving dress


Now in her after dinner lounge wear "gobble till you wobble!"


Since I'm on maternity leave, it was so nice to be off work for Thanksgiving this year. We had Thanksgiving at our house with my mom and Jeremy's mom, Tanner, and friends Eddie and Jen. We had great food and just relaxed at the house all day. We have so much to be thankful for, especially our baby Isabelle and the joy she has brought to our lives. We are so blessed with family and friends, our home, our jobs, health...and the list goes on and on. We are so thankful to the Lord and all He has done in our lives and I hope to remember that everyday not just on Thanksgiving. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Our Little Diva - 3 weeks old

Little Robert loves his cousin Izzy!




Isabelle loves her tummy time, she actually has a really strong neck and has been trying to lift her head since day one!



This week little Isabelle has earned the nicknames: Diva, Primadonna, Prissy, Sassy, etc. We feel like her personality is starting to come out. She's definitely all girl, she doesn't like her diapers to be dirty any longer than one second, she loves being held and often will cry when she realizes no one's holding her, and when she wants something she wants it now!! Don't get me wrong, she's got a very soft and sweet side as well and is a really good baby, but she can turn on the Diva at times too! She's grown a lot this week as well. We can really tell that she's starting to fill out all over and she is almost grown out of her newborn clothes. We weighed her today and it looks like she's about 7lbs and 4 oz. This past Saturday Lynn Cole, the woman who did the photography at our wedding, came by our house and did an infant photo shoot of Isabelle and our family. We are very appreciative because she did a complimentary session as a thank you for referring her to our friends that used her services in their wedding. The pictures turned out great, but we had a very funny moment. Lynn suggested that Jeremy take his shirt off and have Isabelle naked on his chest for a very intimate Daddy/daughter photo. Jeremy reluctantly agreed, and within minutes Isabelle peed right on his belly. Moments later, Isabelle proceeded to poop right on him as well!! And it wasn't just a little poop, it was an explosion!! It was hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing!! Jeremy was great, he took it all in stride, but got to the shower as quick as he could!! Definitely a great story to tell her when she's older. As far as breastfeeding goes, we're still working out the kinks, but she's really gotten the hang of it and is actually doing quite well. Sleeping is questionable each night, some nights she sleeps for 3-4 hours at a time, and others she's up every hour or two. We're starting to learn what she needs when she's not sleeping well, whether her belly hurts or she wants to eat some more. All in all she's doing really great and we're getting adjusted to having her home, and being parents. We're so thankful to the Lord for our little miracle and we love her so much. Please continue to pray for us and our baby as we continue on this journey as a family!

2 weeks old!

Our tiny little peanut


Isabelle with her Papaw


Had to show everyone my funny shirt. This lets the world know that I recently had a baby and I'm not just chubby!



Isabelle after her first bath


On Saturday at 2:30, Isabelle will be 2 weeks old. Sunday is actually Isabelle's original due date! What a two weeks it has been. Isabelle's Mamaw and Papaw were here her first week. My mom gets to stay a while, but dad had to go back to work. He and Isabelle really bonded while he was here and I know he misses her. Jeremy's mom is still here as well, so we're lucky to have so much help around. We took Isabelle to the doctor for her 2 week checkup and the doctor said she looks great. She's now tipping the scales at 6 lbs 10 oz! She is past her birth weight of 6 lbs. 4 oz. so the doctor said she's right on track. She's now 20 inches long as well, and she was 18 inches at birth. With breastfeeding, I'm always worried she's not getting enough to eat since I can't see exactly how much she's taking in. So, the doctor reassured me that since she's gaining weight, and she has a good amount of wet and dirty diapers that she's getting what she needs. We fall more and more in love with our daughter every day. I see a lot of Jeremy in her right now, but it's hard to tell, we may start to see some of my features in her as she gets older. Since having two weeks under our belts, we're really starting to settle in with our new baby and developing as much as a routine as possible with a newborn. We're really learning Isabelle and when she's fussing because something's wrong and when she's fussing just to fuss! Everyday has been a new adventure for us, and we're loving every second of it. All memories of no sleep and long nights of inconsolable crying and trying to feed quickly fade away the moment we look at her sweet face. It's so crazy to realize how innocent and helpless she is and how much she relies on us to take care of her. It's such a huge responsibility that we don't take lightly and pray daily for the Lord to guide us and direct us in our parenting. I'm so thankful for our baby and for our family. Jeremy has been so wonderful and I'm thankful for the wonderful husband he is and father he has become. He handles Isabelle with such love and care and is so dedicated to me and our baby. He does everything from changing diapers to getting up with me in the middle of the night for feedings...not to mention the official burper! Thanks to everyone whose praying for us as we're journeying these first few weeks with our new baby, we really appreciate it!

Isabelle's first few days in her new home

Isabelle with Grandma Mary



Proud Daddy!

Isabelle with her Mamaw


As I'm writing this now, we're entering into the 4th night with Isabelle at home. Our whole world has definitely been turned upside down, but it's been so wonderful to have our baby girl and we're embracing it all. The first night was pretty rough, she wasn't yet used to her new surroundings and didn't sleep well at all. The last couple of nights after that have been better. Isabelle and I are both trying to figure out this whole breastfeeding thing, but we're both getting better and better at it everyday! I've learned that it's definitely a learning process and will take some time to get it down and learn her specific feeding style. When we left the hospital on Monday, Isabelle was a little jaundice, so we had to take her back to the doctor on Tuesday. Her billirubin levels had risen slightly since she left the hospital, so we had to return again on Wednesday for a recheck. At that visit she had leveled off and the doctor said she would be fine. At her appointment on Wednesday, her weight was a mere 5 lbs. 15 oz. The doctor said it was normal to lose a little weight after leaving the hospital, and she had lost 5 oz. Overall, the doctor said she's little, but otherwise doing great. As long as she keeps eating well, she'll gain weight. Jeremy and I are so in love with our new daughter, and just trying to take it all in, cause we know it goes so fast! We continue to have a lot of family around helping us, and Jeremy was able to take a week and a half off, which is great. I know I sound like a broken record, but it is all still so surreal! I can't believe I'm a mother and I can't believe this baby that lived inside me for the last 9 months is now here...it's truly unbelievable. We are so thankful to the Lord for all He's done and is doing in our lives and now the life of Isabelle Faith.

Welcome to the World! - Isabelle Faith Pryce

Ready or not, here she comes! On Saturday, November 1st 2008 at 2:30 in the afternoon Jeremy and I welcomed our new baby girl into the world. She weighed 6 lbs. 4 oz. and 18 inches long...just a little peanut! My labor actually started on Friday when I was at work! I was having lower back pain starting Thursday night that continued on into Friday. It was a constant lower back ache that wouldn't ease off at all. I was telling everyone at work about the back pain and they all said "uh, oh you're gonna have that baby tonight." I insisted they were wrong and it was just aching from working and from the weight up front. I got home from work that night and the pain was getting worse and worse. When Jeremy got home from work that night I told him about the pain and it got to the point where it was almost unbearable, it would wrap around to the front and we could time those surges of pain to about every 5 minutes...we then decided it was time to get things checked out!! We arrived at the hospital about 2:3o am and got settled into the room. I thought for sure they would tell me I wasn't in labor yet and have some other explanation for the back pain. However, they monitored me for a while and realized I was already 3-4 cm. dilated and starting to progress! It was then that we knew we weren't leaving the hospital without a baby! I had already called my parents in NY and told them to get an earlier flight. The funny thing is, they already had scheduled to fly in that day and arrive at 1:30. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get an earlier flight, so I told my doctor right away that I couldn't deliver until my mom arrived to be in the delivery room with me! Of course, they had never seen a woman in labor who wanted to slow down their labor, but they understood and said they would do the best they could! I continued to dilate and progress on my own as the morning went on. I was starting to think my mom wouldn't make it!! The contractions at this point weren't too bad because it was all in my back and after a full day of it I was kind've used to the feeling! I got my epidural around 5-6 cm and was able to get a little rest at that point. Things started to really pick up again around 12:30 on Saturday afternoon and I knew my mom was in route. The pressure was so intense at this point and I was feeling strong contractions. I knew if I was going to wait to push I needed something to get my mind off of it. My sister, Jeremy and my mother-in-law were in the room at this point and I told them we had to play a game or do something to distract me. They immediately went into action and we started a roudy game of hangman! They were jumping around and being very animated and did a great job, because it worked! The plane arrived a little early and my mom was actually in my room at 1:30 sharp. At that point we started a little bit of preliminary pushing, but the real thing started around 2:00 and out she came at 2:30! There was a roar of cheers when she announced "it was a girl!" I know there would've been the same roar if it was a boy...but still SO exciting!! Overall, it was a really amazing experience and it went very smooth. Jeremy and I were just in awe of this miracle, it was a very emotional experience. Our little girl is so beautiful, and very healthy and strong. She came two weeks early and a little unexpected at that time, but we are so excited she is here. We brought her home today, Monday Nov. 3., and she's doing wonderful. She's feeding really really well and is such a joy. We are so thankful to God and give Him all the glory for giving us this beautiful, healthy baby girl. This whole experience is so surreal, and I'm not sure when it will sink in that we are parents! Above, are some pictures of our baby girl and I will keep them coming! Thanks to everyone who sent texts, and left messages, and everyone who was praying for us!

37 Weeks - Doctor's Appt. - Danielle's Visit

This past Monday was a big day, it marked 37 weeks for me, we had a doctor's appointment and I got to visit with my very good friend Danielle who came down for a couple of days. My doctor's appointment went great. Everything continues to be right on track and I'm actually 1-2 cm. dilated and 75% effaced (thinned out)! I'm so glad to see that there's something happening and some progress being made! After the appointment, Jeremy and I met Danielle and her parents for lunch and then they came back to our house to see the nursery. It was so great to see her even if just for a little while. When my mom heard how the doctor's appointment went she decided to come on down this Saturday...she doesn't want to miss it! So, anytime after Saturday will be fine with me!! Just pray for us that progress continues to be made, and the baby will come sooner than later! We can't wait to meet our little one.

36 weeks!

Today marks week 36 of my pregnancy. We had a doctor's appointment today and everything looked great. The baby remains head down, great heart rate, and very active. I can tell the baby is really growing, it just feels much bigger in my belly. I'm feeling good, somedays I have tons of energy and continue nesting like crazy, other days I feel like I can't keep my eyes open. The nursery is pretty much completely ready besides a few small things left to do. On friday I was feeling exceptionally energetic and Jeremy and I washed both our cars, cleaned the insides and vacuumed both too. We then proceeded to install car seat bases, mirrors, and window shades. I'm just obsessed lately with wanting everything to be completely ready before the baby gets here. Even things that aren't directly related to the baby, but I've wanted to do for a while, I feel the need to complete. To date, we've cleaned out every closet in our house, painted every room that we hadn't previously (except for our bathroom which we will do this week!), cleaned out our garage completely, reorganized every cabinet and drawer and even had some landscaping done! We've been very fortunate to have both of our mom's down at some point to help us get these jobs done! All in all, we're ready for our baby to arrive and so very excited. We can't wait to hold our sweet baby in our arms. We finished the last of our childbirth classes tonight, so we're feeling somewhat educated about it all. As far as mentally, emotionally and physically prepared...we're doing the best we know how. We trust the Lord and know He will guide us through it all and give us the peace and strength we need. Please continue to pray for us and our little one, that these last few weeks will go well and the labor and delivery will be smooth and without any problems at all.

Myrtle Beach Baby Shower

Saturday, October 11th was my baby shower here in Myrtle Beach. It was really great and we got so many nice things. My sister and my friend Alicia did a great job of putting the shower on. Her house looked so nice and there was so much great food. We played some games and just had a really great time. It was so nice to have such a great turnout considering I don't really have family down here. A lot of my girlfriends from work were there and just a lot of other ladies that have been in my life since I've moved down here. My friend Miranda came down all the way from Cary, NC, and my mother-in-law Mary's in town and got to come as well. She's been staying with us and helping us get ready for the baby. We've been doing some last minute projects and getting all the baby's things ready. Thank you so much to everyone who gave us such nice gifts. Everyone was so generous and Jeremy and I really really appreciate it. Now, the room is all set and all we need is a baby!!