Izzy meets some new friends & family

GO CUBS!!

yeah, yeah, the cubs are in the playoffs and the white sox ARE NOT. i figured if i showed my true TEAM spirit and wore my gig around the house, the sox would fo sure LOSE for the next two games and not make it.....we shall see if my team jersey dedication works so that the sox do not win.....

BAXIE (a forever cubs fan)

Dear Prince and Ellie

i was thinking of you and wanted to say hi. r u enjoying the sunshine and chasing the geico's? if i was there, we could go out on the boat and pretend we knew how to fish, but instead, maybe we could bark at the alligators!

i really miss playing with you. here is a picture of me playing with my pink pig. don't i look handsome (ELLIE - i am fishing for compliments here........)

i got a super special treat over the weekend. my other grams and gramps brought me a brand, NEW, spankin bone filled with peanut butter. r u jealous? I LOVE IT (don't worry ellie, your still the love of my life!) oh, yeah, i got a bath today too and it felt pretty darn good. now i am all clean and fluffy. XOXOXOXOX

Betty Jean

Great Grandma Betty Jean calls everyday to check on little Izzy to see how she is doing and feeling. Today, she said give Izzy lots of love and kisses! Ellie - Baxie misses you and hopes you are enjoying the sunshine!

Trials and Tribulations

Trials and tribulations come with both a purpose and a reward. At some point, we will figure out the purpose and the reward. In the meantime, I think ducks have invaded my home, because everyone in this house hold is "quacking" up - Baxie too! Baxie has spent the last several days hiding under the covers ALL day. He never does this - I think he is in shock OR his ears are about ready to fall off - one of the two. I think Izzy's crying has got the best of all of us! What is happening? Izzy has been whaling her head off, ALL DAY, EVERY day for the last 3 days. It has been gradually getting worse after each feeding. We went to the doc today and she switched Izzy's formula.
Is the 4th time the trick? First, she was on Enfamil Lipid with Iron. Not good for her - caused fussiness, spitting up, runny excessive stools - so we switched to Enfamil Lactose Free. Same symptoms. Thirdly, to Similac Isomil Soy formula. THE WORST OF ALL FORMULA's for Izzy!!! Non stop crying all day long from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday. Nothing soothes her. The formula was running right through her - she would drink it and it would come squirting out the other end within minutes - NOT NORMAL!!

The doc switched her formula to Nutramigen Lipil which is for babies with a cow's milk protein allergy - she informed us that soy formula is not recommended for infants who are allergic to cow's milk formula, because a large number of infants allergic to cow's milk are also allergic to soy protein. It is less likely to cause an allergic reaction because the proteins in it have been broken down in a process that mimics digestion. This new formula is to help with her diarrhea and uncontrollable crying. The doc said to give it about a week and call her (it takes one week to fully get into their system) to inform her if Izzy is better.

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for Izzy and Baxie. We need Izzy to feel better and not cry all day and we need Baxie to come out from underneath the covers.

Happy Anniversary

My husband is a man of character who understands his commitment and does more than his share to make his family feel comfortable, safe, and secure. My partner is a man who is patient, optimistic, caring, and wise. His sense of humor and support hold me up when I can't do it myself. I can share my deepest secrets with my best friend and know that they will be safe. He is all these things and more to me! Thanks for coming into my world, for if you hadn't, I'm sure I never would have known the kind of happiness you've brought into my life. I love you! Cheers to another year and a ZILLION more to follow poops.

If you can't BEAT em' - JOIN em'!

At first, I didn't know what to do with myself when my owners came home with this thing that cryed (izzy)- which by the way, really hurts my ears. But then, it dawned on me what to do. Here is what I have been doing:

I made strangers on the streets of Chicago feel sorry for me. When cowboy would take me for a walk, I alternated between choking and coughing every time a strange human walked by. If that didn't work, I would start limping and YIPING really loud.

I showed independence. When cowboy called me, I took my time. I walked as slowly as possible back to him. HA HA!!

I acted like a convicted criminal. When cowboy came home, I put my ears back, tail between my legs, chin down and I acted as if I did something really bad. I then watched as those jokers frantically searched the house for the damage they think I caused. (I did absolutely nothing wrong.)

And my favorite trick was............. I took charge at bath time. After they gave me a bath, I DIDN'T LET THEM TOWEL DRY me! Instead, I ran onto to their bed after Kermitz just washed the sheets, I jumped up and I dryed myself off! I thought I was doing them a favor, but needless to say, I didn't get a treat that night! (By the way, I made sure I did it right before their bedtime too!)

I think they caught on to me, so I decided to play nice. See that picture up above? It's ME - laying on the "boppy" pillow (whatever that silly name of a thing is!). The picture above shows that I am making an active effort to get to know IZZY better. Today, I joined in on "stimulation time" (again, WHATEVER that is!!)

Till next time................

Our Angel is back....

Change her diaper. Check. Swaddle her. Check. Play some music. Check. Feed her. Check. Burp her. Check. Put her in the swing. Check. Put her in the cradle. Check. Sing to her. Check. The last couple of days, Izzy has not been so happy. FUSSY. Crying two straight days ALL DAY and nothing satisfies her. You ask yourself - what is wrong? After two straight days of crying, we called the doctor and he suggested we switch formula. Initially, we knew that Bob's family had to have soy formula, however Izzy seemed to be doing fine on the regular formula, so we thought we were okay. WRONG. Within hours of feeding her, she seemed more calm, sleeps more and doesn't fuss as much.

All in all - so far so good with this new lactose free formula and we are happy not to have a fuss bucket on our hands. Our angel is back, bless her heart...................

Izzy Loves the Big Lights

When Izzy is not sleeping or eating, and (boy does she love to eat) - she is watching flashing lights of any kind. She likes to lay on the floor and watch any flashing toy OR lay in her crib and watch tigger go round and round.

She has been home just over a week and some of the changes I have noticed are: she can hold her head up for long periods of time, she loves lights, held her pacifier in her hand for the first time alone and likes to make a fist with her hand and rest on her chin - like she is in deep thought about something. She is also becoming more active with her hands.

We are anxious to see what trick each new week brings, how she grows and what she will do next!

Baxie doesn't know what to do with himself

Since we brought little Izzy home on September 8, 2008, little Bax just doesn't quite know what to do with himself. He used to cuddle with us in bed upstairs, but now his new found home is either on the leather couch or chair by Izzy's cradle. At first, he seemed really sad, but he seems to be cheering up and getting used to his little sister.

I noticed he is doing a new thing too - where he lays upside down??? Where did this come from?

In time, I know he will be buds with little Iz, but for now, I can't help but feel for him - he looks dazed and confused.......