Happy New Year 2010!!!!

We had a great New Years. We went to eat at Golden Corral and then just hung around the house. Karson's mom gave Izzy this cute New Year's onesie for Christmas. We are excited for 2010...CRAZY!!

Cousins

We had so much fun in St. George with our niece and nephew Hunter and Averee. We love them sooooo much!!! It was fun to see Izzy with her cousins. Averee is two and called her baby Ty the entire week. (Ty is the other baby cousin in the family and his name and it is much easier to say) We got a good laugh out of it. We finally got her to call Izzy by the correct name and it sounded like Baby Zizazzzzazee.

Cute Cousins in their PJ's

Averee got this baby stroller from Santa. Izzy was perfect because she was small enough to fit in it, but had enough muscle tone to be able to sit up. She is almost 10 pounds now!!!

Izzy is thinking...."Seriously"

Averee posing

Averee was quite the little mommy. When I asked her who Izzy's mommy was, she said..."Avee...I do it!"

Balancing Act

Now that Izzy is getting stonger, Karson is having fun with the balancing acts...(a dad thing).  It makes me a little nervous, but I guess that is just a mom thing.

The Act...PUSH PLAY

4 Generations

This was a special week because Izzy met her two living great grandparents.  Karson's grandma and Betsy's grandpa are both 93 years old.  They were so happy to meet their little great-grand baby.  We love them both so much!!!

Karson's Grandma and Izzy's Great-Grandma

Betsy's Grandpa and Izzy's Great-Grandpa

St. George Scrapbook Week

We have the tradition of going down to St. George after Christmas each year.  Karson's parents have a house there and we turned it into the "Scrapbook Nook."  We all love to scrapbook so we have a great time.  I got all of Izzy's NICU Scrapbook done which is quite the large book.  I am going to need to slow down with the scrapping as she grows or else we are going to have to build on to our house to store all of her books.  :)  We had a great time.  Karson played the wii a lot with our nephew Hunter.

Izzy is a great traveler.  We stopped once on the way down to feed her and not at all on the way home.

Helping Mom Scrapbook

It is much more fun to scrapbook your child's book than your own!

We also found some time for a little R & R this week too!

Merry Christmas

We spent Christmas Day with Karson's family this year and had Betsy's parents there with us. It was so fun. Grandma and Grandpa had a gift for everyone, and each of the grandkids drew a name earlier in the year for a gift exchange. Izzy got an awesome personalized music CD with her name in all of the songs, thanks Averee. 

The adults also do a gift exchange but this year we decided to fore-go the gifts and donate to the Ronald McDonald House up in Boise (good idea Janae). The house helped us so much that we were very excited to give back and glad our family was able to do so too. 

Mrs. Clause

Mr. Clause

Izzy's cousin Ty. He's 1 month older than her. 

"MMMMMM Christmas Dinner is Awesome!"

We all wore our Christmas socks...

Ready for bed after a long day.

Christmas Eve

We love having both of our families close together. It makes it easy to coordinate where we will spend holidays. This year we decided to spend Christmas Eve with Betsy's family and Christmas Day with Karson's. The best part is that each of our parents invited each other over to one another's houses so we got to be with both sets of parents, both days.  

We're so lucky that our parents are such good friends, but we know the real reason they invited each other over...more Izzy time! We know how it is ;)

If she isn't the cutest Mrs. Clause...I don't know who is!

Betsy's Cousins

We went to Los Hermanos (a family favorite) for dinner. 

She's such a good girl, she now takes her "blinky" instead of the green hospital one...the "greenky."

After dinner we went to Betsy's parents house for a program and some more food. 

Betsy's cousin's LOVE Karson

The yummy snacks

Izzy with her presents from grandma and grandpa

The BEST Christmas present EVER!

Dress Up

Izzy's Birth Parents gave her a Santa Claus Bunny from build a bear.  We decided to put the outfit on Izzy.  Little Santa girl! 

The last three pictures are just cute so we had to include them somewhere. 

Mesmerized by the ceiling fan...her BFF!

Good Times!

We went up to our friends Jenny and Mike's beautiful new home on Wednesday.  It was good spending time with friends during the Holidays and it was Izzy's first dinner party (not at her house)!  We had fun visiting and did a little white elephant exchange.  Karson ended up with a "PILLOW TIE."  It actually blows up into a little pillow.  The slogan for the tie says..."Any event that requires a tie deserves to be slept through."  Thanks Jenny and Mike.

Deceivingly Big Girl....

My best friend Natalie gave Izzy this really warm outfit for Christmas.  It is basically like a sleeping bag and can keep her really warm when it is cold outside.  It says "Newborn...0-3 months" in the tag...Ha Ha!!!  We got a good laugh.  It looks like we have a 2 year old....but it sure kept her warm.  Thanks Nat!!!!

Gingerbread Houses

We had Jake and Kirstyn over again this year to make gingerbread houses.  They are so creative and fun to make houses with.  

Making the Gingerbread

Jake and Kirstyn

Mommy's Helper

This is Izzy...in case you couldn't tell by the HUGE bow on her head!

Ta Da, our finished product!  Notice the playhouse out back.

Jake and Kirstyn's....Notice the sweet tree house out back

Good Times!

Babies First Christmas...

Practicing her balancing act with Dad

Thanks Woahns for the cute Christmas Outfit!

Reunion!!!

We had the best time on Saturday night.  Izzy's birth mom and her parents were in town and we had them over for dinner.  We have such a great relationship with them.  We were so excited to have them over.  They could not believe how much Izzy had changed.  Of course, they thought she was the cutest little baby ever.  It was so awesome to see them.  We can't even describe how much we love these incredible people and we are so happy that we got spend time with them this Holiday season!

Izzy's Birth Parents went to build a bear and made her this cute Christmas Bunny.  You can tell by her face that she loves it.

We did a bath while they were here.

LOVE IT!!!!!

Izzy's Birth Mom tried the comb over hair style on Izzy.  We all got a kick out of it and decided it was not her look.

We decided to do a perspective picture.

THEN

NOW!

Meeting Santa...For Real This Time!

You  might remember that we took Izzy's picture with a blow up Santa a few weeks ago because we didn't think that we would be able to take her to meet the real Santa.  Karson's sister Janae told us that she had arranged for Santa to take time out of his busy schedule and come to her family Christmas Party.  She invited us to bring Izzy to get her picture with him.

Excited to meet the real Santa

Grandma giving her a good luck kiss

"I want....Desitin, diapers, wipes, and formula...PLEASE"

We weren't sure what to ask Santa for this year, since we normally ask him for a baby.  :)

This dress was Karson's 22 year old nieces when she was a baby.  There haven't been any babies in the family that were small enough at Christmas since then to wear it.  So everyone was excited to put on Izzy.

IT"S OFFICIAL!!!!

Izzy has started to smile socially this week!!!

Daddy working hard to get a smile.

...and she delivers!!!

With Erica and cousin Ty

One Sick Daddy

Karson is so sick.  I feel so bad for the poor guy because today is his last day of finals and he has still got a few loose ends to tie up.  He has a fever of 103 yet he still has to do his school work. He is not very happy because he hasn't held Izzy in two days.  As you can imagine, he is going through withdrawls.

He said the look on his face doesn't do justice to the way that he feels...Poor guy

Working Away...The mask is a nice look

Some Random Cuteness!!!

Okay...we admit, we are a little camera happy.  It is just so fun when you have a such a cute little model!!!

Snuggly...taking a break from the monitor

She loves her Dad

"Naughty or Nice...Decisions, Decisions"

"High Maintenance"

Ahhh

With Our friend Kylie...Izzy loves her!

Standing Up on the Couch...Strong Legs!

Love the Leg Warmers...Thanks Sarinah!

Happy 4 Month Birthday to Our Princess!

Today is Izzy's 4 Month Birthday.  She has made this the most amazing 4 months for us.  We were planning on taking some perspective pictures today, but Karson is so sick in bed with 103 temperature.  Poor Guy....Finals Week, not a good time!  Anyways, I will wait until he is feeling better to do those but here is one that I have.  It is fun to see how far our little peanut has come.

2 Months Old (4 pounds 6 Ounces)

4 Months Old (9 Pounds 7 Ounces)

4 Month Check Up

We took Izzy in for her 4 month check up.  It really was more like a 1 month check up since that is her adjusted age.  The doctor compares her development to a 1 month old.

Here are her 4 Month Stats:  (compared to a 1 month old)

Weight:  9 Pounds 7 Ounces  (50th Percentile)

Height:  20.5 Inches  (30th Percentile)

The doctor couldn't believe how well her neck strength, eye followings, and noises were.  She kept saying...Wow,  she should not be doing this well for her adjusted age.  Izzy has quite the determined little attitude since birth we have discovered.   We are so thankful that she is happy and healthy.

GOOD NEWS! We are going to start slowly weening her off of her caffeine and once she is off, she will only have the monitor for two more months.  By the beginning of March we will have a wireless baby!!!!

Our Awesome Doctor

Exhausted after her check up

Curler Girl

I have been so excited for Izzy's hair to get long enough to put a tiny sponge curler in it.  We decided to try last night.  It worked.  The curler looked so cute that I didn't even want to take it out.  

Taking a break from the monitor...

she is starting to try to hold onto her bottle

The finished Product

At Last...Los Hermanos!

It is no secret that Los Hermanos is our favorite family restaraunt.  We joke that I can drink the salsa through a straw.  I grew up going there all of the time.  When Karson married me, Los Hermanos came with the deal.  :)  No, he loves it too even if he doesn't really have a choice.  We haven't been in 4 months since Izzy was born.  So, we decided it was time for the little miss to have her first Los Hermanos experience.  We went to a late dinner so there wouldn't be as many people there.  

She actually did pretty well.  She just cried a little.  I am proud to say that I got my first "Could you keep your baby quiet Glare." It was awesome!  I have been looking forward to that for a long time!

She was hungry too

All worn out and ready to go home...but we'll be back!

Whooo's The Cutest?

Karson's mom LOVES owls.  She collects lots of owl stuff.  So, whenever I see an owl I think of her.  While Izzy was in the hospital I saw this cute little owl onesie while I was out shopping and had to buy it.  At the time I thought it would never fit, but now it does!  This one is for you Grandma Draine!

Ornament Cupcakes...

I think it is safe to say we like to make treats!  We had our friends Travis and Jaimee over on Friday and we made Ornament Cupcakes.  It was fun having them over.  They have never met Izzy so that was good.  

 

Ta Da!

Yes, those are light up reindeer and Christmas Tree headbands 

from my mom.  She got a snowman for Izzy, but she was too tired to wear it.

We learned from experience that you can't put an air head in the microwave.

Festive Baby

We have had so much fun dressing Izzy up in her Christmas clothes.  She has a lot of them that are 0-3 month size and she is not quite in them yet, so I am really hoping she will fit them by Christmas!

I love how she looks like she might punch your lights out.

With her HUGE gingerbread man from Grandma

All Mommy want for Christmas is a Silent Night.  

(actually...she does great, the onesie was really cute though!)

Our Little Candy Cane

ZZZZZZ.....

Happy Baby!

Our friends made Izzy this cute First Christmas blanket...Thanks Spinders!

Making Cookies

On Sunday, we were totally feeling the Christmas spirit.  We decided to make Christmas cookies and turn on Fa la la la Lifetime while we did it!  It was fun.  Izzy was really loving watching us make the cookies.  She was so alert and interested and watched for a long time, and then all of a sudden she was zonked.  All of that baking wore her right out!

Practicing for making Santa's cookies

Helping Mom

This video is priceless of Izzy watching Karson.  Push Play

The dough roller..he is a pro!

Yum!

It is exhausting being a baker!

Our stocking family

Finishing Up Decorating

It is no secret that I started decorating before Thanksgiving.  I just couldn't wait!  But this week we had a few final things to do.  We had fun on Sunday decorating our "Nativity" themed tree together as a family.  Izzy was such a good helper and LOVED looking at the lights!  We also finished the outside.  Of course, our cute neighbor kids came to help.  We love our neighborhood!

Big Helper

Tired Helper

Our neighborhood helpers!

Fall Team Performance

The team that Betsy coaches had a performance the other night. They did a great job. These are their three numbers that they performed. 

The Waltz:  "The First Noel"

The Jive:  "Rock This Town"

The Mambo:  "In The Heights"

Growing like a weed!

Just this week I have noticed that Izzy is starting to look a little less like a newborn.  She is looking so big and grown up to us.  I am thinking in the next couple of weeks she will be out of her newborn clothes.  She weighs 8 pounds 10 ounces and will 4 months old soon.

Look Mom...No Hands!

Lately Izzy has ONLY wanted to be held.  I am sure it is a direct result of us spoiling her so much and always holding her.  I had a lot to get done around the house the other day and I remembered my sister in law had given me a little carrier.  So I pulled it out and gave it a try. The little princess loved it.  She loved looking at everything as I went about my chores.  We also got a sling to try.  She can get really snuggly in it.  So far she likes that too.

One happy baby...PUSH PLAY

Meeting Santa...Sort Of

We had to go to UVU yesterday and Izzy got to come out with us.  We were walking down the hall and saying it's too bad we can't get Izzy's picture with Santa this year.  Then we turned the corner and there was this creepy blow up Santa sitting there.  We figured this would work for us.  So here is Izzy's first time meeting "Santa."

She is not sure what to think

Wait...He gives me presents...I guess he is not so bad

Sleeping Beauty

Izzy has been awake more lately, so when she sleeps....SHE SLEEPS! There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby so her are a few pics of her catching her beauty sleep.

Mom has got to catch some beauty sleep somewhere too!

She didn't even wake up for her diaper change...she is OUT!

Izzy, Hunter and Averee verses Karson and Betsy

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Some more 3 month Pictures

We had Izzy's 3 month pictures taken a couple of weeks ago.  We just got them back today so we thought we would share.  It was nice to have the photographer come to our home to take the pics.  She was great.  I would highly recommend her if anyone is looking for a photographer.  www.abeliaphotography.com 

Some Persepective Pictures...

1 Month Old...Fits in Daddy's Hand (3 pounds)

3 Months Old... Fits in Daddy's Forearm!  (7 1/2 Pounds)

1 Month Old...Fit in this tiny wagon. (3 Pounds)

3 Months Old...Only her hair bows fit in the tiny wagon!  (7 1/2 Pounds)

Curly Hair????

We think that Izzy might be getting curly hair.  Whenever it is wet or she is sweaty it curls up cute.  So I decided to "scrunch" it after her bath.  We'll have to see if the curl stays....actually we will have to see if the hair stays for that matter!

An Eventful Sunday

We had a good day on Sunday.  Some of Karson's family came down for dinner.  Betsy's best friend Natalie has been living in New York for the past year but was in town for Thanksgiving.  So Izzy got to meet "Aunt Natalie."

Izzy and Grandpa

"Helping" prepare dinner

Our Family

Meeting "Aunt" Natalie

Exhausted after a long day

This is a cute video of Izzy siting in her new bumbo.  Push Play

Ballroom Baby Shower

On Saturday, I had a baby shower with my ballroom friends.  Thank you to Natalie, Jenny, Heather, and all who helped put it together.  It was so much fun!  Izzy made a surprise entrance at the very end.  Just long enough to have Karson hold her up and then get a picture with all of her friends.  What a great time.

The Display

Yummy Brunch

Thanks for the gifts...

The surprise guest

Izzy and everybody

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We sure do have a lot to be thankful this Thanksgiving.  We had so much fun our first Thanksgiving as a little family with our miracle baby.  We spent Thanksgicing Day at Karson's parents house in Draper.  There were like 40 people at that so Izzy spent the day upstairs in the bedroom.  We just  fed her, changed her, cuddled her, and let her sleep up there.  We did have some Aunts and Uncles come in and see her, but we kept her away from germs since the pediatrician actually recommended that we didn't even go to family Thanksgiving at all.  We felt okay about keeping her in her own room instead.  The day after we celebrated with Betsy's family.  Yum...two Thanksgiving dinners!

Getting Ready...I was in charge of pies.

The finished product

Karson has been studying a lot this "break"

Izzy spent most of the day upstairs in the bedroom

Eating her "Thanksgiving Dinner"

Having the after Thanksgiving Dinner nap

"Carving" the turkey

We helped Betsy's mom set up two of her trees

Izzy had an exhausting weekend!

Betsy's Family

Our little family...you can barely see Izzy

Enjoy some Izzy Cuteness...

We can't seem to be able to put the camera down lately. It seems like it is attached to us at all times. We don't want to miss anything cute.

You can tell by her face that she loves feeling so big in her new bumbo seat.

I love how it looks like she is thinking really hard

So serious...

All ready for Santa to come! 

Her "Tummy Time" quickly turned into "Nap Time."

Zzzzzzzz...

The cutest "Bear Bum" I have ever seen

Ready to go to grandma's and sporting her new shoes that are a little big still.

Izzy got a swing this week and so far she is loving it.  

This video is really cute so we thought we would share!

Push Play. 

New Moon Outing

We all went as a family to see New Moon on Monday.  It was good.  Karson likes to say, "The movie was so much better than the book," just to get a rise out of people.  We had a fun time. My mom watched Izzy for us.  

Sleeping Beauty

So we think Izzy is cute all of the time, but it is adorable when she starts to wake up cause her body is telling her it is time to eat. The other morning when Betsy was teaching, I (Karson) took these videos. They are kind of long, but I couldn't help it - every time I would turn the camera off, she did something else that was really cute. 

She'll start by moving her mouth a little bit.

Then the eyes open and close.

Followed by a few little grunts and groans.

And finally, she lets out a little cry...but often drifts right back to sleep. Watch how fast her face turns red. 

Bath Cradle...

We got this bath cradle at the baby shower on Saturday so we thought we would try it out.  It worked good, but Izzy pretty much just loves any type of bath.  It is always fun to post cute bath pics too!

So half way through this video Karson put his thumb over the speaker, so it sounds like we are in a wind tunnel. Sorry! Push Play

Too Cute to Handle!!!

I can't stop looking at this adorable little picture.  She is showing interest in smiling socially, so we are hoping that will happen soon!

"Bizzy Bee"

Betsy's mom got Izzy this little outfit that says "Bizzy Bee."  Even though it is a summer outfit we just added a onesie and tights cause she had to wear it!!!

Can't wait for Christmas!!!

It takes all of Betsy's energy to hold herself back from decorating for Christmas the day after Halloween. She's been pretty strong but broke about a week ago and started decking the halls. She has also decked the baby in Christmas clothes, and made me deck the house in Christmas lights. She's a crazy woman!  

Cutest Ornament EVER!

Just having a little daddy-daughter chat.

Snuggling by the fire. 

Skills we acquired while Izzy was in the NICU. A step by step tutorial. Push Play

I know it is dangerous...but so is having a Christmas crazed anxious wife ;)

Baby Shower Time

Betsy's mom threw her a baby shower this weekend. I (Karson) got to be on baby patrol and take care of Izzy. We originally were not planning on taking her to the shower, but decided that I would keep her in the back room away from all of the people and we didn't even tell anyone that she was there. In the middle of the shower Betsy's mom announced that there was a special guest and I brought her out and took her up on the loft so everyone could see her. We didn't let anyone get close and took her straight back to the bedroom after her appearance. I think it was really fun for all of those ladies to be able to see her in person. Thanks for an awesome shower mom!

A display of her preemie clothes, diapers, jewelry and nursery set. 

Delicious food. You'd better believe that I snuck out of the back room a few times. 

The loot! Look a little closer...do you see what I see?

Izzy is just wondering how she is going to wear all of those cute clothes. 

Making her grand appearance as the surprise guest! Push Play

Remember those "Where's Waldo" Books? For a little game of "Where's Izzy" check this out. Push Play

All dressed up with nowhere to go...

This has been the story of Izzy's life since she came home from the hospital. She has gotten so many cute clothes but hasn't been able to show them off in person to very many people. 

Here is what we think her thought process might be...

"Hmmmmm...How am I ever going to leave this house and show everyone all of my cute clothes?"

"I'll get all decked out everyday and pretend that I am asleep. Then when Mom and Dad aren't looking I'll see if I can sneak out the front door."

"Maybe if I lay here long enough they will go away and I can make my escape."

"Dang! I scheduled that pedicure at the mall for nothing...Dad went and painted my toenails himself."

"Oooooo pick me. Maybe if I get ready to go to dance class they'll take me out of this house." 

"I'm sick of this stinkin' bottle! Will someone please take me to Outback Stake House?!?"

"Finally, someone heard my plea. I got to visit Grandma and Grandpa's house where I met some of my cousins. Of course they didn't get to touch me, but we at least got to meet in person. Life is GOOD on the outside."

" My cousin Ty was SOOO excited to meet me! Since we're only 1 month apart we're going to be good friends. "

"See, he can't keep his eyes off of me. Can you blame him?"

Sneak Peek of Izzy's 3 Month Pictures

Since Izzy is 3 months old now, we had a photographer come to the house and take some pictures. We only have a few of them and will have the rest in a few weeks.  

She now weighs 7 pounds 11 ounces and is 19 inches long.  We had her check up on Wednesday and the doctor just kept saying how pleased she was with Izzy's health.  What a miracle!

Happy Anniversary!!!

November 16th is our anniversary.  Three amazing years have flown by.  We are so happy to have each other and be married to our best friend.  I fall more and more in love everyday and seeing Karson be a daddy makes me love him even more.  I love him so much.  Happy Anniversary.

This week one of our good friends had a tragedy in their family.  It made us how realize how fragile life really is and to not take even one day for granted.  We love you Taylors and our prayers are with you.

Bath Time with Erin and Averee...

We did Izzy's bath when Erin and and Averee were here.  Averee was so cute watching and not touching Izzy.  After we were done with Izzy's bath we let Averee bathe a baby doll.  She was so cute and did everything step by step just the way that we did.

Izzy absolutely loves her bath.

Adorable Bath Time Footage... PUSH PLAY.

Bathing her own baby doll

Brushing her hair

Getting the baby all dry

All Clean and so proud of her work!

Why Toddlers shouldn't Bathe Babies...Push Play.

Meeting Aunt Erin and Cousin Averee!

Karson's sister Erin lives in California.  She has been anxiously waiting to meet Izzy.  They just got here for the Holidays and came straight here to see here.  Now that Izzy is full term, we are going to let her cousins come and see her as long as they are feeling good, but not hold her quite yet.

2 Year Old Averee playing in the wagon that we had Izzy's picture taken in.

Excited to see "Baby Zizzy"

Play Time Video

Push Play to see Izzy showing her "playing skills"

Chubby Baby Cuteness...

Izzy changes so much everyday.  We are so happy and thankful that she is growing so well.  Last week she was 7 pounds and 3 ounces. We have a check up this week to make sure everything looks good with her health.  This Thanksgiving season we are so grateful that Izzy is so healthy and strong.

Can't get enough of those cheeks..

This little foot broke out of her swaddle

Hi Everyone

Just watching Dancing with the Stars...

"Has anybody seen my neck?"

White Tights...not so tight after all.  

Morning Hair

We Love Our Adoption Case Worker!

We have been so lucky to have such an amazing woman to help us through this adoption process.  She has been so supportive ever since we started this process last September.  She is so good at her job and has helped us every step along the way.

We had our 1 month home visit from her last week.  We were excited to have her over to meet Izzy.  Especially since she can't have very many visitors.  It was fun to show her off and we had a good visit. 

Happy Full Term Gestation Day Izzy!

Izzy's due date is today...November 8th.  We have been so reflective this weekend thinking of how different things went than we planned.  We are so blessed that our little one is so healthy and growing strong.  She had a busy day celebrating the day that she was "supposed" to be born.

Here are some of the festivities...

Eating Her Breakfast

Getting All Clean

Giving Out cupcakes to the neighbors to celebrate...

Went Outside for an "ILLEGAL" picture since she is supposed to stay inside.

We also talked to Izzy's Birth Mom on the phone on this special day.

We are also overwhelmed with gratitude today as well and wanted to share some of our thoughts.  We are grateful for:

1.  Izzy.  We have waited for so long for this little angel to come to our family.  She is miracle in so many ways.  She has been a fighter since birth and has overcome so many challenges in her short three months here on earth.  We know that she will continue with that strong spirit for the rest of her life.

2.  Izzy's Birth Parents and their families.  What amazing people.  We have told them so many times how we feel about them and we hope that they know just how much we love them and always will.  They have given us the most precious thing in our lives.

3.  Our Families.  We are so lucky to have such supportive families.  They have been with us every step of this journey.  Our mom's are the most wonderful mom's in the world.  They both spent weeks up in Idaho with Izzy in the NICU when we couldn't be there.  When we brought her home, they had meals lined up for us and made sure we were well taken care of.

4.  Our Friends.  We have felt such an outpouring of love from our amazing friends.  Not a day goes by that someone doesn't ask how Izzy is and if there is anything they can do to help.  We have received so many emails, facebook messages, blog messages, phone calls, and notes from our awesome friends helping us through this time.

5.  Medical Miracles.  It wasn't too long ago that a baby born 12 weeks early would even stand a chance at survival.  But thanks to todays modern medicine and highly trained health care givers, our little Elizabeth was able to be assisted while she grew and became strong.  We love the employees at the St. Lukes NICU in Boise and can't wait to see them next summer at the NICU reunion picnic.

Look How far little Elizabeth Blake has come!

Since today is the day that Izzy was supposed to be born, we thought that it would be fun to take some more perspective pictures.  

#1 Pictures are from when she was in the NICU (one week old):  

1 pound 14 ounces

#2 Pictures are when we brought her home (2 months old):  

4 pounds 6 ounces

#3 Pictures are TODAY...her due date.  (almost 3 months old):  

6 pounds 10 ounces

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#2

#3

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#3

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#3

Izzy Likes to Shake It!!!

We think it is so funny when we put Izzy's binki in.  Sometimes she forgets to close her mouth and suck and she just shakes her head like a crazy person instead.  We tried to catch it on video, but she didn't do it as much as usual.  Still adorable though.

Push Play

Full Term Weigh In

We took Izzy in to be weighed since her "due date" is November 8.  We weighed her when she was 39 weeks and 5 days...so not quite full term, but close enough.  It is crazy for us to think that she should have been born this weekend yet she is almost 3 months old.  She was...

6 Pounds 10 Ounces  

18 inches long!!!

Some college interns walked by when we were weighing her.  They were ooing and awing over how new and tiny she was.  It was funny to see their faces when we told them she would be three months old soon.

"The Evidence"

Meeting Uncle Jared

Izzy met Betsy's brother Uncle Jared for the first time this week.  He has had a little cold so he has been waiting to meet her.  He loves her a lot.  We also had Betsy's parents over for a barbeque.  (Gotta take advantage of the weather while it lasts.)   They just got home from a one week cruise so they really missed Izzy and couldn't wait to see her again!

Uncle Jared

Our Fall Flower Arrangement...too pretty not to post

My mom sat by a lady on the plane ride who coughed on her the whole way home, so she was safe and wore a mask just in case she was exposed to something.  Nice grandma!

The Master Griller

YUM!!!

Life as a Baby is EXHAUSTING!

Izzy sleeps 90% of the time.  She needs to build up energy to eat every 3 hours.  There is nothing cuter than a sleeping baby.

Halloween...Never Never Land Style!

We had a great Halloween.  We had Karson's parents and sister Janae over for dinner.  They totally surprised us and when we opened the door, we saw...Captain Hook (his mom), Mr. Shmee (his dad), and the crocodile (Janae).  We were quite the gang with Peter Pan, Wendy. Captain Hook, Mr. Shmee, the crocodile, and of course...TINKERBELL.

We got Izzy's costume at build a bear and it fit her just right.  We just stayed in.  I made dinner in a pumpkin and Owl Cupcakes.  We watched Beetle Juice...what a weird show!  We even showed Izzy through the window to a few of the trick or treaters.  We LOVE Halloween!

Wendy, Tink, and Peter

Welcome to Never Never Land

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Owl Cupcakes

Izzy wanted a Halloween dinner too...so I made her a special Halloween Bottle

Eating her Halloween Dinner

Quite the Crew

That's right... Tinkerbell is not wuite sure what to think of Captain Hook

Some of our favorite trick-or-treaters

Tinkerbell with the man of her dreams

Sticking Out her tongue in typical sassy Tinkerbell spirit

This Halloween stuff is exhausting!

Taking a break from the Monitor

We like to take Izzy's apnea monitor off for about an hour a day to give her skin a rest.  She is getting a rash under where the monitor goes.  Plus, I think it feels good for her to have it off for a while.  We just have to watch her very closely when it is off and we always make sure that she is awake when we do it.  You might notice that she is getting a little bit of chub on those bones. We took her in on Friday to be weighed and we can't believe it, but she is now...

6 pounds 1 ounce!

Hearing Exam

Because of prematurity, Izzy had to have another hearing exam.  The test took about an hour and a half.  They hook her all up to the computer and pit sounds in her ears and then they monitor her brain activity when she hears the sounds.  She passed with flying colors!  That was good to hear.

FUNNY STORY... I held her during the test and of course...I fell right asleep.  Karson was reading a book for school and of course...he fell right asleep.  I guess this being parents of a newborn is catching up with us.  The doctor that was doing the test said, "Well it looks like she is almost out of the woods with the prematurity health scares...now the main thing you need to worry about is getting enough sleep."  Ha Ha!

We also were able to show Izzy to our bishop.  He works in the office where the hearing test was.  So he came in and said hello and met one of the newest ward members.

PASS...(okay so we are little crazy with the pictures)

Thumbs up and ready to go...first time sporting the new stroller.

Play Time!

I got out the play mat this week for Izzy to play on.  She loves it.  It is so cute to watch her hit the toys with her hands and feet.  She also LOVES to look at herself in the mirror.  She is a girly girl already.  She has also started to smile more this week.  It is so fun watching her grow and develop.  Her due date is next week, so pretty soon we will have a "full term" baby!

Meeting Aunt Sherese

On Wednesday, Grandma Draine and Aunt Sherese came down for a visit.  It was Izzy's first time meeting Sherese.  We joke that Sherese is the family paparazzi and she did not let us down.  She took tons of pictures of Izzy.

Happy to meet Aunt Sherese

H1N1 Vaccinated...5 hours later!

On Tuesday, we went to the county health building to get out H1N1 vaccination.  Since we care for a baby that is younger than 6 months, we were eligible to get it.  Here is how our plans changed...

Plan 1...

We each go down and get the shot while the other one stays home with Izzy

Plan 2...

After Karson drove by that morning and saw the line, we decided we would both go and take Izzy. I would wait in the car with Izzy and Karson would wait in line and call me when he got to the front and I would come in.

Plan 3...

After 30 minutes of waiting (in the snow outside) Karson realized it was going to be a while and called me and told me to go home and he would call when he got closer.

Plan 4....

After 5 hours of waiting outside Karson called and said he was close...so me and Izzy drove down and got in the front of the line.  Finally, we got our vaccination.  CRAZY....Apparently 4,000 were given out that day.

The REALLY long line with very cold people

Izzy got to go on two car rides that day...she is quite the adventurer.

10 Weeks Old...38 Weeks Gestation!!!

Izzy's due date is in two weeks.  It is so crazy to think that really she should still be in her birth mom's tummy for another two weeks, but instead she has been "gracing us with her presence" here on earth for ten weeks.  They have been the best ten weeks of our lives.  The most exciting, scary, happy, spiritual, sleepless, loving, emotional, fun, stressful, relaxing, amazing weeks we have ever had!  We are totally going to have a little gestation day party for her on November 8th...her due date.  It will just be us since she can't have visitors...but we will still have fun.

Bath robe and slippers are a little big, but stinkin' cute!

Little Poser

He can't wait til' he can toss her in the air...let's wait until she at least full term!!! :)

Immunizations...Poor Baby!

Izzy got her immunizations today.  I have been worried about her getting them because she is so small, but the doctor said it was okay.  She got a total of 6 immunizations in 3 different shots.  She screamed of course when she got them, but settled down.  I can tell she does not feel good tonight.   I am snuggling her right now as I type and she keeps letting out little cries in her sleep.  Poor baby!  But, we've got to get that immune system going...right!

All ready to go...

She got her shots in both legs

Not happy...

All tuckered out and ready to go home!

Nursery Projects

I am so excited about Izzy's nursery.  I have known for years what nursery set I wanted.  I got it for Christmas last year from my parents...but had no baby.  Now we have our little Izzy and I am so loving putting it all together and personalizing it to her.

As you can see the colors are bright and happy.  The walls are yellow and we are doing white bead board along the bottom.  She has a red rocking chair.  The crib, changing table, book rack, shelves, etc. are oak.  I have been working on projects to personalize the nursery ever since she was born.  All I can say is....I love to modge podge!  It is addicting.  I just picked scrapbook paper that I liked with the bedding and went to town on all of my projects.  It actually really helped me pass the time while Izzy was still in the hospital.  

I can't wait to put it all together and will be sure to post the finished product!  She will still be in our room for a few more months...at least until she is off of her monitor.

The quilt...I got the lamp, diaper stacker, switch cover, pillows, and mobile that match the set.

Some storage boxes

Kleenex Box

The collage that goes above her crib...Instead of buying the animal pictures that come with the set, I made my own.  Luckily they were really easy drawings.

Close Up of the Animal Plaques

Close Up of the name letters

Bracelet Holder

Bow holder

The rocking chair that Betsy's mom rocked her in.  Karson painted it red and personalized it with her name on it.

Clock with her tiny feet on it

Picture frame

Working on the paint!

A Week in Izzy's life...

Here are some of the things that have kept Izzy busy this past week.  Since she can't have visitors, we have tried to take lots of pictures to show her growth.   Here are some of the things from her to do list this week.

1.  Bath Time

2.  Toe Nails painted by dad

3.  Lots of snuggling

4.  Be cute

5.  Eat...of course

6.  Sleep...A LOT!

7.  Try on pretty dresses

Heidi gave her this 3 year old dress that has a matching doll dress.  The dress fits Izzy perfect. When she is 3 she can wear the big dress and put her doll in the tiny one.  Cute idea....thanks Heidi!

Grandparents!

Izzy does not get to have many visitors (doctors orders, we wish we could just show her to the world!!), but her grandparents come over often.  Very rarely does a day go by that one of them is not here cuddling her.

Almost out of preemie clothes...

We sent to the doctor today and Izzy is... 

5 pounds 4 ounces!!!!  

We can't believe how much she is growing.  Some of her preemie clothes are starting to get snug and I am thinking sometime in the next month she will start wearing newborn size.  (Crazy, because they look enormous for her now)  This apple outfit was the first outfit that we put on her when she first started wearing clothes back in the NICU.  Yesterday was her last time sporting it... it is officially too tight for comfort.

Baggy with the sleeves rolled up...

Tight and took a little effort to zip up...

Getting the learning started early...

We have been letting Izzy lay on her stomach and look at her black and white pictures.  It is really cute to see her focus her eyes on the picture.  She is also developing her neck muscles and we caught a video of her turning her head.  It is pretty cute!  We love how she is so into her baby Einstein movies.  She is only awake for like an hour or two a day total, but she likes to watch her movie and listen to the music.

Just watchin' a little baby einstein....

Turning her head for the camera

Izzy is a Model!

We were so lucky that one of the nurses in the NICU was also a photographer.  We asked her to come in and take pictures of Izzy to capture that precious time.  We just got the CD of the pictures today and we are so excited about them.  She was barely 3 pounds the day of the photo shoot and now she is almost 5.  So I am so glad we were able to capture these pictures while she was still in the NICU.  Enjoy!

Getting her started early...

Izzy's Birth Mom's hands on the left and Betsy's hands on the right

Izzy's Birth Dad's Hands on the left and Karson's hands on the right

Izzy is 3 pounds, the blanket is 2

Happy 2 Month Birthday Izzy!!!

2 months ago today, Izzy entered the world three months early!!!  She has had a long road these last months, but she is a fighter and overcame it.  She continues to grow stronger everyday with her determined little attitude she has had since birth.  These have definately been an incredible two months for us.  We are so lucky to have her in our family and we have forever been blessed by the miracle of adoption.  

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Growth Perspective

We were feeling a little sentimental today since Izzy is getting close to 5 pounds now.  So we recreated some perspective pictures that we did when she was first born to show how far she has come.  These are pretty amazing to see the change in her!  She will be 2 months old on Saturday.

Her "up to 5 pound preemie outfit"

First Doctor Visit

We took Izzy to her first doctor check up on Wednesday.  We really like her pediatrician.  She had examined all of Izzy's records from the NICU very thoroughly and she knew every detail there was to know about her health history.  That made us feel very comforted.  Izzy got her first synagis shot to help her fight RSV.

IZZY IS GROWING....

drum roll please!

Smallest Size:  

1 Pound 14 Ounces and 13 inches long

The day we left the hospital (last Thursday):

4 pounds 6 ounces and 16 inches long

First Doctor Visit (Wednesday):

4 pounds 13 ounces and 17 inches long!!!!!!

All ready to leave the house for the first time

Chowing down before the doctor came in

We love our pediatrician

She looked so tiny on this children's exam table

Mom holding her hand before she got her shot

After the shot.  Sad, but she is used to being poked and prodded.  

But shots are no fun.

Ready to go home in her "Princess Izzy" blanket our awesome friends made us.  Thanks Spinders!!

Favorite Sleeping Position

Almost every time I have gone to check on Izzy while she is sleeping since we have been home, I have found her in this position with her arms behind her head.  I think it is too cute!

Mixin' up the position a little

This picture is totally legit.  I really was asleep.  Apparently it is my favorite position to sleep in too.

First Sunday Home

We were excited to attend our ward on Sunday.  We haven't been in 2 months since we have been in Idaho every weekend.  We did go to church there, but there is nothing like being in your own ward.  Izzy can't come for several months, so Karson went to sacrament and Betsy went to young womens.  When we were both home, we put Izzy in a doll dress I had when I was little to take a picture.  I have been wanting to try it on her.  It looked so cute.

Love it!!!

Checking out her new house

Aunt Janae came to meet her for the first time

She got her first bath at home

Exhausted after a bath

WE'RE HOME!!!!!

The trip took us about 7 hours but wasn't bad at all. AT LAST we are home! Our parents were there waiting for us and brought some food for us. We love our parents SO much. 

The neighbors across the street made Izzy this welcome home sign. Their little boys made an airplane and pictures of all three of us to put on the sign. Thanks guys! 

These grandmas can't get enough of her!

Betsy was WIPED OUT! 

The premie baby doll that Betsy had when she was a little girl

In her bassinet and ready for a good nights sleep 

On Our Way Home!

On Saturday morning we had a really nice visit with both sides of Izzy's birth family. It was so much fun to spend time with them and get to know more about each one of them. We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to know them and become friends. They are all such amazing people. After the visit we hopped in the car and started the journey home. Izzy did awesome in the car, we made 2 stops to feed her and that was it. She didn't get fussy even once.  

Strapped in and all ready to get the show on the road...

Getting her diaper changed at our first rest stop

We've been waiting for a long time to put this in our window and BOY DID IT FEEL GOOD!

Bottle time at our second rest stop

Izzy couldn't wait to get home. She was just so excited that she stayed awake all the way from Ogden to our house. 

Tiny Dancer

We were so excited to get Izzy out of the hospital and into our care so that we could start her dance training! We believe that it is important for all dancers to have a fundamental background in ballet, so we began with the basics. We're thrilled as Izzy seems to be getting the hang of it. 

PASSE

PLIE