1st Christmas

Family is always the centerpiece of our holiday festivities and this year was no exception. Isa got to hang out with her three cousins on the Rhynard side of the family: Rhye, Ash, and little Kai (who recently joined the bipedal community). Isa loves social gatherings and happily welcomes the warm arms of any smiling stranger. She is one bright and happy baby these days as she becomes more alert and interactive. This has truly been a year of blessings and celebration.

We wish you the best for 2009!

Tiffany & Marty

winter in vermont (new videos!)

We are looking out our windows at over a foot of snow. The fluffy white stuff is so lovely but the cold temperatures are challenging! But this has not stopped us from getting out and about with Isa. We have been getting a ton of mileage out of the Baby Bjorn that Aunt Kathryn gave us! (big shout out to Kat!).

Isa is growing bigger every day and her smiles and laughter are more frequent. She is almost two months old and we'll get an official weight in next week. She (and we) love her pediatrician, Mayumi. She was there when Isa was born and we all took a liking to her warm heart and grounded energy immediately.

Last weekend Marty and I had our first evening out, and hence we had our first babysitter, Kathy Clarke. Isa was being a good baby and crying her little head off. As first time parents our brows were all furrowed and concerned. Grandma Kathy, being a mother of three, finally had to (graciously) boot us out.

On Christmas day we are heading over to my sister's house to hang out with the Rhynard crew. Stay tuned for some holiday videos and pictures!

Happy Holidays!
Tiffany & Marty

Isa goes 3-D

For Christmas the Rhynfield family purchased a Flip video camera. We can't stop filming her! Here's one of our favorites.

Best,
Tiffany & Marty

One Month

We have new stats from Isa's one month visit to Mayumi, her pediatrician.

• 10 lbs. 5 oz.
• 22 inches long
• healthy & happy

I realize that some babies are in the 1o lb range at birth, but having gained 4 pounds in a month, she has gotten considerably bigger. Her cheeks, chin, and chubby little belly are the most visible signs that this girl can drink some milk. This morning she slept from 3:15 to 8, which means we (and especially Tiffany) slept 5 hours straight for the first time. Maybe this will happen again soon.

Isa has also been the center of attention at a couple of social gatherings over the past week. She is showing herself to be quite the party girl, staying awake and happy and engaging via eye contact and making faces with friends and family.

The best recent development has to be the smile. A big open mouth with curled corners that is a real heart melter for us. We are still in a state of wonder that we are parents and with the miracle that two people can start a new life. In Buddhism it is believed that children choose their parents, we are so grateful that she chose us.

Marty

Thankful

This was probably our most genuine Thanksgiving holiday to date. Isa has been the most amazing blessing and we are grateful to be getting to know this sweet little being so intimately. Her cuteness is quite blinding these days as you can see from the latest photos.

Grandma Carol was in town visiting for the past couple of weeks; a weary set of new parents were thankful to have a helping hand!

Wishing you all a splendid holiday season!

Love,
Tiffany and Marty

Isa meets Tiffany's clan

Over the past couple of weeks, Isa has been getting acquainted with Mommy's side of the family. Grandma Carol, Grandpa Chuck, Grandma Sherry, Aunt K (Kim), Uncle Kev, and cousins Ash and Kai have all made appearances at the Rhynfield house.

We look forward to her meeting the Fielding posse in the weeks to come!

Much love,
Tiffany & Marty

2 weeks

Time is flying by so quickly these days. Our routine of sleep, eat, and poop has become one long hazy marathon. Isa is filling out into one super cute little chunky baby girl. She is more active and alert, vocalizing her concerns without reserve.

We made a few public outings this weekend. Isa seemed right at home amidst the hustle and bustle of life outside our secluded domicile. We ran into our friend Kareem who took our first family portrait while we were chilling out at 51 Main. Tiffany had her first full glass of wine in 9 months. Very exciting, not to mention tasty!

Isa is now two weeks old. She is showing no signs of getting any less adorable or sweet. We anticipate more baby joy in the weeks to come.

Love,
Tiffany & Marty

Healthy baby

Isa had her one week check up with the pediatrician. The doctor said she was "perfect". As of Monday, her weight was up to 7 lbs. 5 oz.

Parenting is an amazing new aspect of life. Learning to understand her communications and seeing her change in little ways, it has become very clear that this is the beginning of a great adventure. And, of course, our perception of the meaning of the word sleep is in flux.

Thanks to all who have fed us and sent gifts,
Tiffany and Marty

One week

One week ago Isa blessed us with her joyful and captivating presence. She has happily kept us busy with nursing, diaper origami, and smashingly cute expressions. Over the course of the week we've taken a couple walks around the circle, the cats have started getting more curious about her, and she's met a few friends and family members. Her one week birthday celebration is a day of lying around and napping.

Love,
Tiffany and Marty

Isa's future looks bright!

What an incredible week! Marty and I are thrilled to bring Isa into a hopeful and inspiring future. Our friend Christal celebrated with us last night as we took in the returns and pinched ourselves to make sure it was really happening. Between having a baby and seeing the shape of this country change for the better, we can't keep the tears from drenching the carpet.

Although we are not quite into a baby rhythm yet, we are happy to be home and settling into life with Isa. We welcome visitors and plates of food! (Please call first.) We are excited to share this amazing bundle of joy with you.

Love,
Tiffany

Isa Arrives

A beautiful little girl came into the world early in the morning of November 2nd.

We'd like to introduce Isolina Sabine Rhynfield! (but you can call her Isa)

• Born 1:42 a.m. November 2, 2008
• 6# 10 oz.
• 19.5 inches long
  

We, as you might expect, have immediately fallen in love with her and her blond fuzz, button nose, and cute little noises and utter sweetness.

It was amazing to witness Tiffany's strength and perseverance during the birth, I will forever be in awe. The three of us are settling into being home after 2 days in the birthing center.

Although we hope you'll all get to see her in person soon, you can click on the flickr icon to the left to order prints or download pictures. More photos of Isa will be forthcoming.

Love to everyone,
Marty

November 1

So, we were hoping a midwife dressed in stork costume would bring us a treat last night, but no such luck. However, Tiffany is in labor as of early this morning and she's hanging in there like a champ. We'll be heading to the birthing center before long.
Light a candle for us, today could be the day!

Marty

October 28

We are patiently awaiting the arrival of little Isa Sabine. She is due any day now and we are very excited to meet her. This is an initial posting to let you know about this blog if you want to check back in the next couple of days. We will put up another posting when things really get cooking. For now, you can see some photos from the pregnancy at Flickr and listen to Isa's heartbeat in the video below.

Best,
Marty and Tiffany