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!