I wanted to give you the very best start to life possible. I tried to prepare my body to be a place where you could be conceived and grow unencumbered. I even stopped highlighting my hair and switched to natural deodorant and hair products (though once we were well into your pregnancy, I couldn't stand certain smells, so I relapsed back to deodorant that worked. Sorry!). When it took longer to get pregnant than we expected, I started to really long for you. The month I stopped charting was the month that it happened. I waited several days before taking a pregnancy test and when I did and it showed a blue plus sign I wasn't sure if I could trust it. In my heart I already knew that it was true. Your dad didn't want us to get too excited just in case it didn't last but we were in our way to visit family and once one person found out (your aunt Bethany guessed) it was too fun to tell people in person to leave it a secret.
When I first laid my eyes on you it was as if you've always been mine. Of course you look like you because this is how you've always looked. And of course you look familiar because you are made from me and your daddy. Sometimes you look exactly like him and I see you making the same faces. Other times I think you look just like all the other babies on my side of the family, especially as you get chubbier. Speaking of, you are so lucky to have three cousins born within a couple months of you and two of them are boys like you! I can only imagine the fun you three are going to have as you grow up. 
You are very strong and have been able to hold up your own head since we were in the hospital. When we put you on your tummy, you already try to do little push ups and you push your little feet off of everything they touch, launching yourself forward. You are a really cute baby! When you show us your sleepy smiles, you have a dimple in the middle of each cheek and a couple smaller ones around your mouth. We are surprised that your eyes have stayed blue so far and your hair is growing in blonde! You're little personality has started to show through the newborn sleepiness. You are very vocal! You grunt in protest when we move you and you don't really want to be disturbed. You make a lot of noise when you sleep! Oh my goodness, your dad has to sleep in the other room, otherwise we would BOTH be sleep deprived and you don't need two grumpy parents. You've already earned yourself a few nicknames in addition to the one we intended when we named you Israel. "Grunty McGrunterson" and "Toots Magoots", to name a few. 
You have been a very good baby with a mild temperament and have only just started to get a little fussy in the evenings or when your tummy hurts. We found out pretty quickly that you don't like it when I eat dairy (or broccoli!). So, I've cut out a few different foods and it seems to be making a difference for you. Being a new mommy has not been as easy and natural as I imagined and I'm sure being a new baby isn't easy either, but we're figuring it out together. Your dad has been so helpful and loves taking care of you in the ways that he can. When your tummy hurts he helps you "march it out" to the cadences he learned in the Army and you calm right down. 
You love to snuggle and will bury your head wherever you can, in the crook of my arm or my neck or under a pillow (we have to be careful with that one!). You also love to eat and are pretty insatiable. You really enjoy your meals and let us know with your "nom-nomming" and head bobbing (I'm already suffering from a bad case of, what the lactation consultant called, "nip lash"). 
You love music, especially when we sing to you. We sing lots of primary songs and church hymns--they are your favorite.
You did not like your first bath. Gigi was here staying with us while daddy went to a work conference in Hawaii (I know, rough huh?) and we gave you a short sponge bath but you got too cold. You love to be warm and you love light! You love the time you get to spend nakey in the sunlight! You love to stare at any light area of any room you may be in and spend a lot of your wakeful times looking at the windows.
In your first month you were visited by your Aunt Emily who got to come to New York for work and your Gigi and Papa Scott. You've already been to the Hamptons and have already made one trip on the subway for a quick shopping trip in the big city. You are an urban baby and can sleep through almost anything. We hope that continues!
Izzy, words truly cannot express how humbled and grateful I am to have somehow been found worth of being your mama in this life. You were born to do great things and Heavenly Father will use your strength for great good! I could not be more excited to watch your life unfold. You are loved beyond measure!
xoxo forever,
Mommy
