11/17/2015
Good gravy! Six months old?! That was the fastest half-year of my life. I love this age. Sitting up, eating baby food, giving the best hugs, babbling “mama” and “dada” and “hi” and other words, starting to get mobile but not quite enough to get into trouble. Though, as I mentioned the other day, I’m starting to have to tell him no already…no pulling books off the shelf, no spilling the dog water bowl, no pulling hair or grabbing glasses. Isaiah is a happy, sweet, talkative boy. He loves to eat; sweet potatoes are his favorite. He’s a great sleeper at night but doesn’t nap a whole lot. Favorite activities: playing peekaboo, chomping on everything and splashing his bath water. He’s a big boy; wearing mostly 9m clothes. He’s 28.5″ tall (98%!) and 18 lbs.
[Disclaimer…he’s almost 7 months old now! This post is super late. I had a slew of technology glitches that led to a new phone and computer and it’s taken me a while to get everything into full swing again. Plus a health situation came up that’s slowed me down a bit lately.]
We celebrated Zay’s half birthday with a half piece of cake, half a scoop of ice cream and a half a cookie. He had a taste of ice cream and he liked it very much!
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Posted by mahlbrandt
09/29/2015
Five months. We’re getting into my favorite months of babyhood now. Zay is laughing more easily and loves a good game of peek-a-boo or “I’m gonna get you!” He is babbling “mama” and “dada” and some other sounds like words, though not using them with control and consistency yet. He’s rolling and scooting on his back. He’s very interested in our food so he’s had some tastes of carrots, broccoli, grapes, yogurt. We’ll start more of that next month. He loved his first vacation to the beach and did great on the flights and throughout the trip. He’s a great sleeper. Lately he’s been going to bed around 9:30, waking to eat at 5:30 and then going back to sleep until 8:30 or so. He weighs 17.2 lbs and is wearing mostly 9m size clothes. He loves books and listening to us singing, especially his big sister Ali. He loves standing (with help), bouncing and peddling his walker around. He’s not sitting up or crawling yet. Lots of chomping but no teeth coming through.
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Posted by mahlbrandt
08/11/2015
I’m way behind on blogging. Let’s pretend for a minute that it’s 7/26/15.
Three months old! Biggest news of the past month: Zay started laughing! We still have to work pretty hard for it, but it’s worth it. At 3 months he’s getting stronger with tummy time, holding his head up for longer periods, putting weight on his legs with help to stand up. He’s sleeping so well I’m almost embarrassed to say. (We’ve sleep trained a lot of babies.) Zay is a good eater and snorts like a pig when he’s hungry. He kicks his feet when he’s happy. Isaiah discovered his tasty hands this month and drools as he chomps on his fingers. His left hand and foot seem to be dominate. He has also discovered how to get attention with his voice; boy can get LOUD! He rarely cries but he knows how to communicate what he needs and wants. One of my favorite times of the day is story time with big sister Ali. Zay will look at the pictures or at me while I’m reading, and smile and kick his feet.
14.5 lbs. and wearing 6 month size clothes!
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Posted by mahlbrandt
08/11/2015
I’m way behind on blogging. Let’s pretend for a minute that it’s 6/26/15.
Isaiah promises he’ll smile more next month. He didn’t smile for any of my DSLR pics. [Spoiler alert: he didn’t.] At 2 months old he’s making eye contact, smiling, mimicking facial expressions, cooing and almost laughing, especially if his cheeks or chin are tickled. He’s still eating every 3 hours during the day but is starting to sleep through the night. Last 3 nights he went 9:30/10:30 – 4:30/5:00. Then back to sleepy for another 3-4 hours. Woot woot! He’s working on tummy time. No rolling yet but he loves to sleep on his right side.
Two feet tall, 12 lbs. 3 oz.
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Posted by mahlbrandt
06/18/2015
Next week he’ll be 2 months old so it’s about time I get this post published. I suspected time would get away from me so I shared this IG post on his 1 month birthday:
He’s now about 8.6 lbs [oops, way off, see below] and outgrowing newborn clothes because of his length. He’s a peaceful, happy, sweet little guy. He is starting to sleep longer stretches: 2-3 hours for naps and 3-5 hour stretches at night. He’s a good eater and he likes baths. He’s smiling at us daily. He’s slightly smothered by his big sister. If it sounds like he’s the perfect baby it’s because…yeah…he pretty much is! Oh, he does have one flaw. He’s not a fan of his car seat unless the van is moving.
At his 1 month check up he was 9 lbs. 4 oz. and 22″ long. (Up from 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 21.5″ at birth.)
Some highlights from his first month:
First morning at home
First family picture (lol!)
Check out these long feet!
Jason’s mini-me
First bath at home
Mother’s Day walk and picnic at Cheekwood
Baby blues
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Posted by mahlbrandt
04/23/2015
40 weeks. I was hoping I wouldn’t make it to this last photo in the series before Isaiah made his appearance but alas, here we are. On my due date I was a little bummed, despite words of encouragement and funny quips from many friends. (My favorite is the friend who said, “The over ripe ones are the sweetest!”) We ended my due date with amazing Indian food for dinner, hoping I could heat him out. Didn’t work but it sure was delicious. I woke up today and did my usual morning ritual. I read my Bible and Jesus Calling while I ate breakfast. Then I prayed blessings over Zay and his delivery while I drank my tea.
On my drive to work I had a realization that it was absurd for me to be disappointed that he wasn’t born when I expected. What about this entire process—from his conception to today—has been within the grasp of my control? I had some more thoughts about this as I was taking a walk on my lunch break and I shared them on my Instagram (@mrsallbright) with the photo below:
I’m taking a walk today because it’s gorgeous outside and I get tired of sitting on my butt in a cubicle all day, not because I’m trying to induce labor. Yesterday I was feeling a bit disappointed that my due date came and went and I didn’t get what I expected. Today I asked God to forgive me for wanting to control something that’s so far beyond my human ability. I should have learned this lesson already. Nothing about becoming a parent went as I originally planned or expected and it has turned out so much better this way. God waited until a point when I was completely content in my motherhood to our precious Alianna and as a foster mama to five other beautiful babies, and was truly content to not ever experience pregnancy to surprise us with this sweet little blessing growing in my belly. Jason and I always knew it was possible and we purposefully decided we’d stop preventing it OR pursuing it and just leave it up to the Creator. Surprises are way more fun! There is so much peace when we can fully let go in trust and go on with life.
I had my 40 week check-up yesterday. Everything looked great, as usual, except that my belly was measuring smaller than the previous week’s appointment. My doctor requested that I get an ultrasound just to make sure fluid levels were still good. So Jason, Ali and I got to go to an unexpected ultrasound. It was hard to get a good look at him because he’s so tight in there and he moves a lot. We did get a quick glimpse of half of his face. Everything is measuring just fine with Zay, my amniotic fluid, etc. Thank you, God! He’s average size and in position to come out without any problems. We are ready and we are content. As another friend joked, “They always seem to come on their birthdays.” He’ll be here soon!
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Posted by mahlbrandt
03/26/2015
I’m 36 weeks pregnant and just as tired as I ever was at the beginning of my pregnancy, if not more. The most basic human functions of breathing, walking and sleeping are all more challenging. I’m not sleeping well due to hip joint pain, getting up frequently to pee, heartburn and sudden leg cramps that jolt me out of bed faster than anything else. As unfun as all of that sounds (and is), it’s still totally worth it because I’m just in awe of this kid growing inside of me and the amazing transformation my body is capable of going through. And as I’ve said in my past several updates, I’m totally in love with feeling Isaiah’s movements. I love to interact with him. All of the complaints…I’m positive that it’s part of God’s design when it comes to the end of pregnancy that the mother is so mentally and physically done with being pregnant that she is ready to endure whatever it takes to hold her child in her arms. I have four more weeks until my due date (April 21) but dude is considered full term next week at 37 weeks and all the way up until 42 weeks is considered a healthy pregnancy. Lord, I know your timing is perfect and you have Isaiah’s birth date already picked out. I just pray it’s on the early side and if not, that you would give me lots of patience! Speaking of God’s perfect timing, Jason is a touring musician and he just got a new gig, which is a huge answer to prayer, especially as it pertains to income during a time when I’m about to take a big chunk of unpaid time off work. It also means he will be out of town 7 or 8 days in next three weeks. Again, I’m totally trusting that God has got the timing of all of this worked out perfectly so that Jason will be present for Isaiah’s birth. I think Easter would be a great day to have a baby…just putting that out there. I am so excited to deliver our little guy and start into the next season of our lives. Pregnancy has been harder than I expected and more amazing than I expected. I’m ready to be done now. Speaking of done…
Isaiah’s room is officially done. There is nothing I’m waiting to finish. The bouncer will end up in the living room once he arrives, not in front of the closet. And we’ll have him sleep in our room in a Moses basket for the first little while so he’s closer for feedings. I love to sit in this room to pray and dream. The other day Jason came in here to open the window and sighed, “Isaiah’s room is so peaceful.” That’s the best compliment I could get on his nursery design.
Big sister Ali loves to feel her little brother’s hiccups. (I do too!) She’s always asking me if he’s hiccuping and reminding me to tell her whenever he starts.
The picture below is me giving Ali a bath… I put her in the tub and then I collapse on the nearest couch. “Mommy, I’m done playing. Come wash me!” she calls from the bathroom. “I can’t… I’m stuck on the couch.” Seriously, it feels like I’m pinned down by a small boulder. Thankfully Jason has been jumping in as much as possible to take over my typical mom duties and turns out she likes it better when he does her baths anyway because “you’re more gentle than Mommy.” Win-win. 😉
And now for some pregnancy memes to explain how I really feel:
Our bags are mostly packed. The car seat is installed in the van. Arrangements are in place with family and friends to take care of Ali and our animals. We have plans in place with our jobs. My doctor says everything is on track and looks perfect. In summary, here’s the hashtag I’ve been using frequently on Instagram: #imreadywhenyouarebaby.
1 Comment | Art, Art: Bedoom for Foster Kids, Art: interior design, Art: new home nursery, Family, Family: Froggie/Isaiah, Family: Me, Family: Precious/Ali | Tagged: baby, baby boy, expecting, froggie, pregnancy, pregnant | Permalink
Posted by mahlbrandt
03/16/2015
Since I first laid eyes on him as a tiny babe with a flickering heartbeat at my 8-week ultrasound he was Froggie. (Introducing: Froggie.) At Christmas we found out our growing baby is a boy and I started calling him Baby Boy most of the time. His big sister started calling him Baby Donut (and occasionally Baby Pancake). There’s a long story behind that but it has stuck for months now. I really hope she calls him that forever. Now, he has a real name! Jason and I decided about two weeks ago and have been letting our family and friends know. Time to tell the world: Our son’s name is Isaiah Jason.
Why Isaiah?
It’s been one of my favorite names for years and was Jason-approved since before we decided to become parents. Isaiah was a very influential Biblical prophet. Several of my favorite verses are in Isaiah. This one from Isaiah 43:18-19 has been special to me since we moved to Nashville to pursue our dreams 11 years ago: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” My favorite band, Needtobreathe, recorded an album last year called Streams in the Wasteland. I’ve been praying this verse about some very specific things in my life since the beginning of this year and I ordered the record album to hang in our son’s nursery as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to make a way where there appears to be no way.
Another one of my favorite verses that I’ve been praying specifically over our son is Isaiah 40:30-32: “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
And finally, we chose Isaiah because my great-grandfather’s name was Zay and I think it makes a fabulous nickname for Isaiah.
Isaiah means “salvation of the Lord,” and we pray that he will have a passion to bring people to salvation of the Lord.
Why Jason?
Isaiah’s middle name is his father’s first name. Jason’s middle name is his father’s first name. Jason’s father’s middle name is his father’s first name. We thought that would be a nice tradition to continue. Jason means “healer.”
I love that his name has ties to both of our families. I can’t wait to see little Isaiah’s face and hold him in my arms. Just a few more weeks!
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Posted by mahlbrandt
02/25/2015
At 32 weeks, It’s starting to feel like my boy is running out of space in my belly. Perhaps he’s been growing faster than my body can stretch or perhaps that’s just what it feels like as he gets tighter and tighter in there until my due date. I can tell his head is down where it’s supposed to be a lot of the time now, which means it’s getting easier to tell where his arms, bum and legs are located, especially when he’s moving. Which is often. It’s neat to look down at my belly and almost be able to visualize the little guy. His nursery is all ready. His coming home outfit is ready and his diaper bag is packed for the hospital. His clothes are washed and waiting in his dresser. Diapers, wipes, bibs, burp cloths are all stocked. We are ready for him. Of course, there will be more nesting to be done in the next 8 weeks… I’d love to have a stockpile of frozen meals and I’m hoping for the inspiration to clean out the pantry. I started packing my own suitcase for the hospital and then realized most of what I need I’ll have to throw in at the last minute (clothes I’m still wearing every week, toiletries, chargers for electronics, snacks, etc.) In a few weeks I’ll wash the infant car seat cover and install it in our van. In some ways, I’m so ready to not be pregnant anymore, and in other ways, it feels like I’ve been pregnant for so long that I can’t imagine not being pregnant. It will be a strange feeling to not be physically connect to my son anymore. More than anything, I’m excited to see and hold my son in my arms, to kiss his little face, and to share him with the rest of my family.
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Posted by mahlbrandt
myMCMlife.com 