Sean and I did our daycare visits last Friday, March 14th. We visited 3 daycares (Westchase UMC, Memorial Luthern School and Primrose School). To begin with, there weren't many options available to us in the price range we wanted (i.e. LESS than $1,000/month!), so we had to make do with what we had.
Choosing a place wasn't as difficult as I thought it would, although once we made our decision, I did waiver for a day or two. But...I'm happy to report that as of today, Isabella has a spot reserved at the Memorial Lutheran School. Best thing about her daycare? It's only about a block from my office! Talk about convenience!! The school/church is actually expanding as I type this. They are building a new school so Isabella will be in a brand new infant room come October. Other things we liked: indoor playground (Houston summers can be HOT and the weather is sooooo unpredictable), chapel for the infants (granted, it's probably just the pastor coming in and praying over the babies, but this comforts me), and I can stop in anytime I want! This will be a huge benefit if I'm able to nurse -- I could continue to nurse, if I chose to, after returning to work! I also love that if I'm having a bad day, I can stop by the school to visit her on my lunchbreak. Baby snuggles in the middle of the workday? PRICELESS!
I'm at peace with our decision and I'm confident that Bella will be in very good hands.
2008-03-18 (20 weeks)
Meaning of our daughter's name...
So I googled "Isabella" to find out what it means. I figured it would be nice to know, considering that Sean and I picked it because we just loved the name: it sounded beautiful so we had to name our daughter that!
Here are some interesting facts about our baby girl's name (taken from babynamefacts.com):
A friend of mine sent me this crazy link where "Madame Zartiska" predicts what your labor/birth will be like. I found it to be quite funny (and maybe/hopefully even quite accurate?!):
Madame Zaritska's reading
Madame Zaritska, our resident clairvoyant, wants to help you prepare for the arrival of your child. Here she does her best to predict certain aspects of your labor and birth experience.
What she senses for you
The day you deliver, outside will be hot. Your baby will arrive in the morning.
After a labor lasting approximately 3 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 8 pounds, 11 ounces, and will be 19 inches long. This child will have light brown eyes and some very fine hair.
2008-03-17 (20 weeks)
"Big" Ultrasound
We had our "big" ultrasound on Saturday afternoon. AMAZING is the only word I can use to describe the experience. We got to see our little girl yawn, smile, kick and punch. It was truly awe-inspiring!
The good news is that she is healthy and "normal". There were no markings for Downs Syndrome or any other genetic/birth defect. Her major organs (heart, liver, kidneys, brain) looked great. She is healthy, happy and thriving (and growing!).
The best part of the day was when we caught her yawyning! I guess she was snoozing when we started the ultrasound and apparently we woke her up. She yawned a great big yawn, opened her eyes, then settled right back down and went back to resting!
We also managed to capture her smiling (see photo gallery). Seems that she is already a pretty happy baby.
We are, of course, already in love. I'm afraid I'm going to have to get used to being #2 in daddy's eyes!! Bella already has Sean wrapped around her little finger!
