Overdue Update!

It's been a while since my last update and boy have we been busy! Isabelle is now 3 and a half months old and changing every day. We've experienced several firsts over the last month or so - her first Easter, first time playing in the jumperoo/exersaucer, first professional portraits and first laugh. It seems like something new happens every day! Her personality is also continuing to develop as she has transitioned from a sleepy newborn to an alert and engaged infant. What a joy she is!

First Easter - Isabelle celebrated both Catholic and Greek Orthodox Easter this year. She went to church, visited with family, went on an egg hunt and received her first basket from the Easter Bunny. She wore two pretty dresses and an adorable pair of "Baby's First Easter" pajamas (complete with bunny feet and a fuzzy tail on her butt!). Besides her cuteness, Isabelle brought so much to our holiday, making it the most special Easter we've ever had.

Jumperoo/Exersaucer - Isabelle LOVES this toy! She's still a little uncertain on how to jump, but she can't get enough of all the toys that are attached to it. Since putting her in this, the use of her hands has skyrocketed and she now reaches and grabs for everything in sight. She's much more confident with her hands and she's also become less wobbly when sitting up.

First Professional Portraits - We took Isabelle to have her 3 month pictures taken on Saturday, April 10th. We had the pleasure of working with Karen Varnas (http://karensphotographs.com/index2.php), who is one of the two women that photographed our wedding (http://www.bellaweddingphotography.com/). Knowing how amazing our wedding pictures turned out, it was no question we would return for baby portraits. Her work is incredible and she was great with Izzy. We hope to have the pictures back sometime this week - stay tuned for a preview!

First Laugh - Isabelle's laugh has been brewing for a good month and a half now. But, over the past week it has cultivated into a REAL laugh (as opposed to the breathy little sound she had been producing). It all began when she was held up to the mirror so she could see her own reflection. We've been doing this pretty much since she was born, but something was different this time. Instead of just staring at the baby in the mirror, she began to smile and interact with her. Of course the more she smiled, the more the baby in the mirror smiled. Eventually she and that baby were playing back and forth with each other and laughing with excitement! Of course Isabelle's laugh is the sweetest, most angelic sound to ever fill your ears - I just can't get enough!

Some exciting events are on the horizon for Isabelle. Her Baptism is scheduled for Sunday, May 24th and will be at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Ann Arbor (http://www.stnickaa.org/). Her godparents will be her Uncle Mike and Aunt Andrea.

We have also joined a swim club and will be taking Izzy there quite often this summer. She has three adorable bathing suits and a slew of sunhats and sunglasses to wear, as well as a baby raft and canopy to float around in. I'm excited to see how she'll react to the water!

Our first Mother's Day/Father's Day as new parents will also be a very blessed time for our little family. We look forward to spending that time with our beautiful daughter, our parents and our grandparents!