13 Weeks

• Isla is definitely losing her hair. :o( I didn't realize how attached I was to it until now. The other day, I was feeling really down and couldn't quite figure out why. Though it seems ridiculous, I soon realized it was because I'd seen so much of Isla's hair come out with her morning bath!! It's pretty cute though--she's balding like an old man would and it looks like she has a major receding hairline.
• Isla reached for and picked up her first toy on Sunday! We were up at my parents and Graham just happened to have the video camera on, not realizing what she was about to do. She reached out and grabbed a plastic toy baby link off the table! She's also been doing lots of exploration with her tongue this week and has started putting things in her mouth.
• Isla has her first cold. :o( She woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday night super snorty and having a hard time breathing which really freaked me out. She was turning red in the face and coughing on the phlem. Of course, we were up at my parents and I didn't bring my nasal aspirator (why would I need it??). She definitely was in need of a rescue from her boogies but since it was the middle of the night, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I'm going to do a bit of a confessing here. I maybe, possibly, just might have run down to my parents kitchen and grabbed the turkey baster. Perhaps. Ok, so I did. But unfortunately, the tip was far too large for Isla's nose. Poor Graham had to make a 1:30 AM run to the store to buy a nasal aspirator. I don't think I will ever forget to pack one again! Despite Isla's gunky nose, she is still in chipper spirits.....so far.
• Isla still loves her Tweetie on her carseat. They spend a good amount of time communicating to one another.
• We are having baths almost daily now but certainly not intentionally! Sometimes I wonder if maybe there is a bit of user error with the diapers or something. Aren't they supposed to keep the poo CONTAINED? I think we may just have a super pooper on our hands.
• We took a trip up to Bellingham over the weekend to visit my family and see Uncle Josh who was home for Thanksgiving week. Isla had fun seeing the family and my parents' kitties.
• Isla visited her first casino last Wednesday. Ha! Let me explain! I met up with my mom at the Seattle Premium Outlets and we needed a place to go for lunch. Apparently the hip place up there for dining is the buffet at the casino....And in case you're wondering, no, we did not gamble. EATING was our sole purpose and we stuck to it!
• We've been trying to read to Isla as a part of her bedtime routine. She loves to look at the pictures!
• Isla has been really bonding with her Daddy this week. It is obvious that she recognizes him and she squeals with delight when he interacts with her after work. It is adorable!
• Isla went on her first jog with me last week in our new BOB stroller! I suited her up in quite the outfit....It might remind you of a scene in the movie A Christmas Story?

(Actually) Cheap Date...

....and we even went to Tiffany's!

Last night, we successfully went on an ooober cheap date, to make up for our accidental extravagant night at Rover's. We went to Il Fornaio for happy hour which is an Italian place inside Pacific Place. The great thing was that all you had to do was buy a drink and then the food was free! That's right: FREE! We'd seen some article in the Times about this place and it's free food but I half expected them to tell us "oh we're not doing that anymore" or something when we arrived. For once, it wasn't too good to be true. The food was good, especially considering the fact that it was free--we had delicious chicken pieces with blue cheese sauce, mini pizza squares, hummus and pita, puff pastry with prosciutto and craisins, multiple types of brucheta etc. We sipped our glasses of cab while we discussed Christmas traditions we hope to start for our family. And we left exceeding our $10 budget by only 30 cents!

After eating, we browsed a few stores in the mall (also free because we didn't buy anything!) Graham even took me into Tiffany's to dream about a right hand ring sometime way down the road (I think you have to be celebrating a double digit anniversary at least to get one but I'm not sure what the rule is). Anyway, he took me right out of Tiffany's when I started talking about how I thought I would need a really wide, big ring to tone down my large, long fingers. Not sure why we practically ran out of there at that point. :o)

Graham's cousin Susanna-who is attending SPU-watched Isla for free for the evening which we so appreciated. Thanks Susanna! We ended the evening running by Costco on the way home for some frozen yogurt to enjoy along with a couple of episodes of LOST. All in all, we had a grand evening for less than 15 bucks--success!

12 Weeks

• Isla is loving bathtime. She actually always has but now has started to really kick and splash with glee while lying in the kitchen sink. I think we're gonna have a water baby on our hands!
• We have a large kitchen sink but now Isla can stretch her legs and reach one side with her feet while touching the other with her head-she's so long!

• Isla loves when we hover over her while she is lying on a play blanket. The girl needs plenty of interaction! She'll lay silently on her blanket but the moment anyone comes to pay her attention, she begins chatting and cooing away. Oh and sometimes she likes to also chat with her Tweetie Bird hanging from her carseat.
• I am sad to report I have noticed some of Isla's hair coming out when I brush it. I thought we were going to get by without her losing it.

• Isla screams the loudest not when she is hungry or dirty, but when she just wants to be cuddled. There have been a couple instances this week where it almost looks like she's throwing a tantrum (uh oh) and I honestly questioned whether she'd somehow broken a bone or something. It was that loud. And that unsettling. But no. Scoop her up and cuddle her and she's back to her sweet self.
• Isla has been doing lots of exploration with her tongue lately. Last night she spent all of tummy time licking her blanket. :o)

• We've been trying to keep her up after 5 PM in hopes of getting her to tire and want to go down before 10:30 PM (which has become her norm). So far it has been most unsuccessful and she is actually waking up more in the middle of the night.
• Isla is such a sweet baby. And really is quite easygoing all around. She attended the Bringing Baby Home seminar with us at church this weekend and did GREAT. How many babies can remain quiet and chipper from 9 AM to 4:30 PM?

• Isla experienced her first Christmas lights this week. Two years ago, I strung white lights around our canopy bed and for some reason never took them down. The other morning, I brought Isla to Graham (who was still in bed) for a cuddle. He decided to plug in the lights and the two of them just laid there, watching the lights. Isla just couldn't get enough. I can't wait until we get a Christmas tree--that will provide hours of entertainment!

One Other Thing

• This week, Isla wants to see EVERYTHING. There are times where you lay her down and she looks right, then left, right, then left very rapidly (turning about every second). She'll do this over and over for 5 minutes straight, particularly if she's laying next to one of us. She'll look at us then at the wall, us then the wall. We often tell her "Don't miss a thing!" And I don't think she does...

11 Weeks

We have been laughing a lot over here this week!

• Isla has been cooing, talking and smiling SO MUCH! There have been times where she will "talk" to us for 10 minutes straight if we hold her and make eye contact. BUT, the best part is that she keeps getting the hiccups when she is trying to talk and so the most bizarre sounds come out. It's pretty much like when adults laugh and hiccup at the same time-HILARIOUS!
• Isla thinks her daddy is so funny when he sings to her. She can't laugh yet, but if she knew how, I think she'd totally be doing it. She is one huge grin the whole time he sings.
• We went to Isla's 2 mo appointment on Thursday. She weighed 10 pounds, 15 ounces and was 22 3/4 inches long (both between the 50-75th %ile). She cried briefly when she got her 2 shots but was a champ all day afterwards. She hated the oral rotovirus vaccine. She was gagging and choking as they gave it....

• Isla really started to drool over the weekend. I'm not quite sure what that's all about...I'm hoping not early teeth! My mom looked at my brother's baby book and he apparently got his first 2 teeth when he was 3 1/2 mo old!
• She's had a couple of 7 hour stretches at night this week! But also a couple nights where she gets up every 2-3 hours--what's up with that?!
• Our Dr commented about Isla's beautiful skin...guess it has finally cleared up!
• I got the H1N1 shot this week in hopes of protecting Isla from getting it.
• Isla and I went up to Bellinghan on Saturday for a brief visit with my family (and to celebrate Ben's 1/2 birthday). Isla loves her uncle Ben!

• We are so thankful for our healthy, growing girl!

(Almost) Cheap Date

Graham and I are suckers for good deals. I honestly can't remember a time when we went to a restaurant and paid full price for 2 entrees. Our eating out technique is usually a) to get a salad and entree to share, b) to use a coupon from our entertainment book or restaurant.com or c) to go to happy hour and share a few things. We always try to keep the bill under $20-$30 total. Well, our entertainment book expired this week so we resorted to restaurant.com for this weeks' date idea. We'd both been eyeing Rovers near Madison Park over the past year and were thrilled to discover a coupon on restaurant.com. Graham had a discount even so we paid $4 for a $25 gift certificate. We looked at the menu online and were amazed at the prices of the entrees--I mean, Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Red Cameo Apple and Apple Cider Gastrique for only $19? This could be quite the steal! The place is always top rated (I believe 4 stars) and so we were thinking we could get out of there within budget if we used are coupon and both ordered one entree (basically making it buy one get one free). Maybe we could even spend a little extra and share a glass of wine to go with our meal? It seemed a little too good to be true...and it was.

We arrive and immediately realize the place is incredibly fancy (thankfully I'd convinced Graham to change out of his jeans before we left). The following conversation was quite comical:

Host: Good evening! Can I get your name please?
Graham: Well, actually, we don't have a reservation.
Host: That's fine! And what is your last name?
Graham: Crozier (types it in the computer)
Host: And your first name?
Graham: Graham (typing away)
Then the host proceeds to get our phone number and then asks "And will you be dining with us this evening?"
Us (thinking): HUH?? No, actually, we just wanted to swing by and drop off all our information and be on our merry way. Haha, of course we'll be dining with you!

Anyway, we were seated and noticed the THREE goblets at each place setting...yep, gonna be fancy. Then came the real shocker. We were handed our menus and as we began scanning them, we realized that we should have read the website more closely. The restaurant is famous for tasting menus where you pay once price and get 6-10 individual COURSES. Unfortunately, the prices we'd seen for what we thought were entrees were actually for only one tiny course!! The waiter informed us that we were welcome to dine a la carte and that he usually recommended 3-4 course per person (do the mental math, that's already about $60-80 each). Ha! In looking at the wine list, they didn't even serve any wine by the glass and the cheapest bottle was $40 (ranging all the way up to $800+). The table next to us was a party of 5. I couldn't help but overhear them selecting the largest tasting menu ($130 pp) along with wine pairings (an additional $75 pp). Their bill was going to be upwards of $1000!

We chose to split 4 items (yes we went a bit over budget--that just means a free date next week) and the food was absolutely incredible! We had foie gras, pork belly, pureed sunchoke, potato leek soup (a few of which I'd never tasted before so it was a great experience). Thankfully, they brought bread and we ate about a loaf and a half so actually left feeling quite satisfied despite the small portions. :o)

Don't get me wrong, the restaurant was phenominal and I would love, love, LOVE to go back there and completely blow the wad for some special occasion. Graham and I have done a multi course meal which included wine pairings with each course and it was indeed probably the best dining experience of my life. Rovers I'm sure would offer a similar experience. It was just that we were expecting such a steal of a deal and a cheap date that night....

10 weeks

• Isla has been SO FUN this week! It's like she has completely transformed from a little bundle who sits quietly to a little person who interacts and engages with the world around her. I LOVE it!
• Her eyes are as blue as ever--gorgeous!

• She is smiling a lot now (as these pictures illustrate). She mostly does it when you say "boo" or "peek-a-boo" or make other high pitched sounds and is most likely to grin at you after a feeding.

• Isla loves to "talk" now. She makes all sorts of coos and gurgles and ohs and will repeat sounds (more or less) back at you as if you're having a conversation.
• She had another night this week where she slept 6+ hours!

• It all of a sudden occured to me that she's not grunting nearly as often anymore! She'll usually grunt for maybe 5-10 minutes after her 3 AM feed but that's a huge improvement. Then sometimes after her 6 AM feed, she'll grunt for a longer stretch but I'll take it any day over what she did when we first brought her home! I've even been tempted to bring her back into our room but figure since we've already made the transition to her own room, why make it so we have to do it again?

• Isla LOVES looking at faces (as you can see from the family pictures on this post). You'll be holding her and then look down and realize she's just been staring at your face. If you make eye contact with her, she'll often start to "talk" to you which is pretty cute.

• We've figured out a pretty good rhythm this week of eating, playing and sleeping. She doesn't always sleep for very long during the day but every once in a while I can get her to snooze for an hour or so.

We love this girl!!