Southern Exposure

A Puppy & Long Beautiful Hair

2009-08-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

So about a month ago we got a new puppy. His name is Winston, a cairn terrier, and he is getting along very well with our family. Mark has him trained to sit, stay, lay down and roll over. Very good for a 12 week old, he's also pretty well house trained, so I guess we'll keep the little rascal.

So Isabelle has always had plenty of beautiful curly hair. A month ago we could only put two little piggys on top of her head. Now her hair is long enough for lower full proper piggy tails and she is so proud, or I am so proud!

Here comes the Easter Bunny!

2009-04-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

So excited to see what all the fuss is about!
Both of my babies look great in yellow
Now what is this thing on my head?
I can't wait to watch this bunny movie!

Birthday Girl!

2009-04-17T16:50:00.001-07:00

Isabelle had a great time at her Birthday but of course she paid more attention to the cards than the presents, it must be that they resemble books, which are her absolute favorite !

So she didn't know what to make of that candle, but as soon as it was out and the cake was in reach the feeding frenzy insued.

She almost ate all the icing, did not touch the actual cake and ate every last blueberry!

We had her party the week before her actual birthday and the three of us visited the Zoo on the 11th. She had a lot of fun watching all the other kids and decided at some point not to let go of her juice sippy cup until she had finished the whole thing.
Here is a picture of Isabelle at her dancing station, she really has some cute little moves!

Enough Snow for Frosty!

2009-01-22T18:22:00.001-08:00

It rarely snows this much in N.C. so we just had to get bundled up to go play outside.

Isabelle required a few extra layers!

Here is Isabelle and her first Frosty, he had holly berries for a smile, a holly leaf for a nose, blueberry eyes & buttons and twiggy arms. We loved frosty and were very glad that Daddy came home early to play!

Christmas

2009-01-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

I I feel the need to share some Christmas photos. The fact that I'm nearly a month late in doing so implies that Isabelle has kept us very busy. Enjoy!

First Snow

2008-12-04T16:08:00.001-08:00

A few days after the previous post Isabelle and I went back to the park with a couple friends of ours.

The temperature was around 40dregrees F which is apparently cold enough for light flurries, very light flurries. Really it was just the odd snow flake or two.

This was Isabelle's first time ever seeing snow.

Little Bear's Walk in the Park

2008-11-17T22:44:00.000-08:00

I'm glad we decided that Isabelle needed a full body bunting. Sunday was cold for NC and we went out for some fresh air and a nice walk at our favorite park. Ok It's the only one we've visited but soon you see why.

There is a two mile paved path around the lake as well as several athletic fields, tennis courts a couple beach volleyball courts and two really nice playgrounds. Plus restroom facilities and covered picnic shelters.

Such a lovely day the sun was beginning to set, I think photographers call it the magic hour or something, right Holly?

Isabelle congregating with her fellow Canadians

Her first real swing ride, such fun!

How Big is Isabelle?

2008-11-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Today at 6 months 22 days we visited the doctor, just for a routine well baby visit. Isabelle now weighs 13lbs 11oz placing her in the 5th percentile. He head grew to 17inches (59th percentile) and she measures 27 1/4 inches tall, 84th percentile. Again she is ahead of the curve and the doctor thinks she will walk soon. So this week I have to buy some baby gates and cabinet locks. She's not "sooo big" but her Doctor and I are pleased with her growth since that last visit, plus she has met and in most cases exceeds the developmental milestones for her age. It seems that the majority of her calories are spent adding to her head and height, so we have a tall smarty pants on our hands! Isabelle is asleep right now or I would have added a picture, maybe later.

Butterfly Kisses!

2008-11-02T14:46:00.001-08:00

Isabelle was a super cute butterfly for Halloween, in case you didn't notice

Fly little butterfly fly high

coming in for a landing

She loved this costume so much we put her in it two days in a row. The first time she wore it, she flapped her little arms together and squealed with delight.

What a happy little butterfly!

6 months and counting...

2008-10-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

The first two pictures were taken on Isabelle's 6month Birthday! Big Smiles!

The last two pictures were taken around 10 pm. She was placed in her chair as she wouldn't sit still, let alone sleep. Then her head started to bob and she almost fell asleep sitting up. We got the camera to capture the little sleepy sweetie but as soon as the flash went off she perked up. Lesson learned I rarely take pictures after bath time anymore!

Three Months & Three Days!

2008-07-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

Today Isabelle is 3months and 3 days old and we just got back home from her doctors visit where she received two vaccines. She has grown tremendously and now weighs 11lbs and 4oz, measures 24 3/4 inches and her head is 16inches around. That places her in the 24th percentile for weight, the 91st for height and the 66th for her head circumference. Pretty much what we had guessed she is long and lean but meeting all her developmental milestones and then some. I gave her a dose of infants Tylenol prior to her visit so she is fast asleep now and only fussed a little after her shots. I hope she'll sleep until noon, as is her routine, since I'm expecting my parents to arrive sometime this evening and the guest room is not exactly ready yet, on that note I had better run. To see recent photos visit izzyworld.smugmug.com and email me for the password at nursejenny1(at)gmail(dot)com.

Big Baby Blues

2008-06-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

2 year anniversary weekend & 2 months old

2008-06-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

For our two year anniversary we went to Wrightsville Beach for the weekend. We stayed at an older remodeled resort called The Blockade Runner, located on the tip of a Island with views of the Ocean and Harbor. Our room was nice, simple and modern, and the restaurant was a 5 star so the meals were impeccable!
We arrived Friday early evening, enjoyed seafood at a local beach side place and then took a nice long walk on the beach. We walked for an hour, I put Izzy in the baby carrier and she slept the whole time. I think the walks we took each evening helped her to sleep 8 hours straight through the night.
On Saturday during the 100+ degree heat we traveled about 15mins to Fort Fisher to tour the Aquarium, Izzy mostly slept while we took in the sights. It was really neat and mostly inside the air conditioned building!
This is just a snap shot that Mark took last week, I had to post it, it's just too cute. Below is this strange turtle who crawled up on a log over a waterfall to pose for visitors, he attracted quite the crowd, at first I thought he was dead and just propped there for some unknown reason as he barely moved and just worked hard at balancing.

Bikini Babe

2008-05-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

6weeks old

2008-05-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well our little girl is definitely growing and showing more of her personality every day, check out a few of her pictures from the last couple weeks!

Random Shots of Isabelle

2008-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Isabelle Lara Downs

2008-05-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

Isabelle was born on April 11th a day after one of her many due dates. Weighing in at 8lbs 12oz and was 21.5inches long. She'll be three weeks old tomorrow and yesterday at her Doctors appointment she was 9lbs 7oz and 22inches long! She's growing up too fast already and I swear she smiles and it's not just gas. Obviously she has a good appetite and she sleeps really well, last night we got 7.5 hours straight. So today it's really nice outside 80 degrees and we're planning on going to the dentist and running a few errands, after a nice long morning nap. Life is good with a newborn who sleeps and eats like a champ!

April 1st and 39 weeks!

2008-04-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

My dreams of having a March baby have apparently not come true as here it is April 1st and still no baby. Life is becoming increasingly difficult but Mark has been every bit the model husband, helping me to dress, rubbing my tum with cream and my feet too, preparing meals, serving plenty of water, taking me out to dinner and cleaning the house. He says he's nesting!
It's kind of funny as Mark has had several sympathy pregnancy symptoms, heartburn, nausea and vomiting, crazy dreams, sore back and a very strong bond with the babe. It's so cute he likes to talk to her up close at least once everyday and when he leaves for work he gives us both a kiss goodbye. I think she recognizes him and moves around when he talks to her.

I'd like to deliver this week and not go over but I have a funny feeling that she's just too comfortable in there, carved out a little niche and doesn't feel the need for change. My Doctors and Nurses have assured me that being 4cm dilated and 70% effaced means that it can't be much longer, and that labour should be easier and shorter, I'm inclined to believe them! So here's hoping that we don't see 40 weeks!

37 weeks and 3 days on Good Friday

2008-03-22T18:36:00.001-07:00

S0 This is me in my Easter Sunday outfit that we bought on Friday night and I really have nothing comfortable to wear to church anymore except for the dress I wore last week. I think I'll also wear it to my baby shower on Tuesday if I'm still pregnant by then. I'll be exactly 38weeks on Tuesday.

I forget how large and round I really am until I see myself in a mirror from the side or in a picture. We were shopping and out to dinner and three people (waitress's and a sales clerk) commented on the belly and how round and cute is it. I really don't feel too cute just uncomfortable. Oh well not for much longer in the grand scheme of things. Maybe the next pictures will actually be of Isabelle, here's hoping.

35 Weeks and Izzy's room!

2008-03-04T19:12:00.001-08:00

So Isabelle's room has been pretty much finished for a while now, but I was waiting for the crib skirt, and from the picture you can tell it makes very little difference, details! So it's a small bedroom but her furniture fits perfectly. I would like a rocker with a footstool but It might have to go downstairs or the couch may have to be moved to the guest room. I think I'll just wait until she's here to decide. I also really want a 3x5 pink chenille braided rug to top things off, we'll see what Mark thinks.
I feel like there is not much more room for growth, I measure 50 inches around wow! I've been fortunate that the majority of my weight gain has been in the "tum tum" region.

In this photo you can definitely see that my belly has dropped and I can feel extra pressure down low as Isabelle prepares to make her arrival. My belly button is what we like to call half popped and I can no longer see it unless I'm in front of a mirror. All good signs!
So I'd like to think that my baby will arrive in two weeks, but I'm not holding my breath!

32 Weeks

2008-03-04T18:58:00.001-08:00

So this is me at 32 weeks, February 12th I think. I had an ultrasound done to check for size and position and she was measuring 4lbs 10oz, her head was down and she appeared like a 33 weeker and was in the 77th percentile.

This is when I think my belly looked cute and I was still comfortable. . . . . . . . . . . .

Chubby Cheeks @ 30 Weeks!

2008-01-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

Today we had a 4D sneak peek of Isabelle. She slept most of the time but showed us how she opens her eyes and mouth, sticks out her tongue and sucks her thumb. The ultrasound tech said that she is large for her age and most babies at 30wks don't have such chubby cheeks and well defined features. Tomorrow we have an actual doctors appointment, this was extra and just for fun, maybe we'll show them the pictures and they can do a diagnostic ultrasound for size and age. I think she is very cute and looks just like I did, my mom agrees!

A picture says a thousand words . . .

2007-01-16T05:51:00.000-08:00

More from California

2007-01-16T05:38:00.000-08:00

We saw a tall steeple and drove around the streets until we found it and then later that day took ferry to Alcatraz Island. Mark's Dad took the picture below of us at the prison with San Francisco in the distance.

Our Trip to California

2007-01-16T05:09:00.000-08:00

We were in California to Mark's Brother Jesse's wedding, then spent the next two days in San Francisco. Here Mark on a rainy day posing with his friends.

Mark and Eric Meditating and the wax museum.

Mark and I toured the city one morning, we drove down the street in a full sized SUV, I really thought we would roll!

Trip to the NC State ZOO

2006-11-25T06:18:00.000-08:00

James, Lisa, and Jackson visited in October and the five of us spent the majority of Saturday at the N.C. State Zoo! During our time there, James and Jackson found a fellow monkey to pose with, pretty cute!
This is a picture of Lisa, Jackson and James in front of "Monkey Island" where we saw plenty of very furry critters running about , swinging from tree branches and attempting to knock each other off of said branches. I think we all found this very exciting and no monkeys were harmed.

After our tour from Africa to North America and every stop in between, we spotted a corn husk "tee pee." Jackson was pleased about sitting inside the "tee pee"until it was time for pictures, then I guess he had just about enough of sitting still. He really was a ball of energy. Both Mark and I were surprised at how much he wanted to be independent, walking as much as he could in whatever direction he wanted, especially away from the stroller! We all had a really great day at the Zoo! Later Saturday night Mark and James took in a NHL hockey game! Mark says he's never seen anyone who smiled for the entire game.

On Sunday we took it easy, we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, played outside, and threw the football around. Jackson "the great outdoors babe" decided to go for a hike into the woods. Before you could count to ten he was several meters into the bush, Lisa followed and Jackson kept going until reaching a clearing. Then he spotted the rather large pile of sand in the empty lot beside us. He had great fun being lifted to the top and then half running, half sliding to the bottom. I think he would have continued playing in the sand, but Uncle Marky started up his tractor so Jackson had to test drive it! (with uncle Marky of course)
After several laps around the house it was time to go inside and nap a little. During the nap Lisa and I went to town for pedicures and enjoyed the foot massages very much. Mark and I were very happy to have our family with us and missed our guests as soon as they left. Chloe ( our cat) on the other hand finally came out of hiding. Jackson took quite a liking to her. It really was hilarious, he had brought her a cat toy with a bell and would chase her with it calling "Oh titty, oh titty" but Chloe is a fast cat and would only allow for supervised petting. It's too bad I couldn't catch the chase on camera but I guess you can use your imaginations!

Dance Marky Dance!

2006-11-05T03:18:00.000-08:00

The Sunset Cruise was sort of a party boat with light snacks and plenty of tropical drinks. Everyone had to participate in a dance off, first women and then men. Needless to say I didn't win as I don't really dance well to Island music, especially in front of strangers! Mark on the other hand was very happy to participate and placed 2nd! This picture demonstrates his skill with the pole! Mark would have won but another groom had his entire wedding party cheering for him. Perhaps Mark should quit his day job and become an entertainer! On second thought, I don't think so.

more from St. Lucia...

2006-11-05T02:27:00.000-08:00

We went on a Sunset Cruise of the coast and took in some beautiful scenery !

This is the ship used in Pirates of the Caribbean! We got an up close view and then enjoyed a breath taking sunset!

Our Honeymoon in St. Lucia! June12th-18th, 2006

2006-11-05T00:53:00.000-08:00

When we arrived at the airport in St. Lucia a wall of heat and humidity hit us like a truck! The drive to our resort was over two hours and the vans were crowded and not air conditioned. Knowing this ahead of time Mark surprised me (sort of) and booked a helicopter to whisk us away to our villa! The flight was short, under 15min but well worth the money! It was a little scary for me but amazing.

St. Lucia has many volcanic mounts the largest being Grande Piton! As we flew around the large peaks our little helicopter ride became very turbulent and I was glad to be sitting beside Mark and the pilot! We were able to see for miles and the pilot pointed out our resort on a distant peak!

During the flight, I preferred to look at the islands as the sea was vast and empty, for some reason flying over water seemed more dangerous to me, go figure. We landed once to drop off another couple and then headed towards a small airport, 10mins from, our resort. We then hopped into a van with a friendly driver who sped through through a few little villages on narrow, winding streets and dropped us off in Paradise! We were quickly refreshed in the hotel lobby with cool face cloths and beverages!

Married Life is Bliss

2006-10-19T18:18:00.001-07:00

Well it has taken me several hours (no joke) to set up this blog! It's definitely much more difficult than it looks but hopefully I'll figure it out so bare with me. It's a good thing Mark is such a technical gu-ru. Anyway I decided to start a blog since I so enjoy looking through Melissa's and Holly's,plus since we live so far away I thought it might be easier to update everyone at once. Honestly the first four months of our marriage have been great, we both find ourselves wondering what we did to deserve such happiness. Both of us enjoy our careers and are having a great time in our hew home. I spend much time stressing over what walls to hang pictures from and how to arrange furniture but have yet to put a hole in the virgin walls, while Mark is busy trying to make our lawn the envy of the neighborhood, which really isn't that difficult right now considering we have no immediate neighbors. The "fur-children" Sammy and Chloe have adjusted well to the move and have already claimed their territories. Sammy rules the first floor guarding the entrances and barking at construction workers while Chloe prefers the soft carpet of the second floor. Eventually I will post some pictures right now I really don't know how. Well I've spent enough time on this blog thing for one day and it's time for a little siesta!