15 Weeks

• Our sweet baby girl is really talking and squawking a lot this week. It really sounds like she is trying to repeat what she hears.
• Along the same lines, she is making song-like "aaaah" sounds when I sing to her. She's trying to sing!
• Isla is almost always sucking on her hands, maybe even more than the binkie which is quite the switch (although the hands only soothe for so long).

• I think we have successfully established a bedtime! We still have some kinks to iron out, but we found keeping at it was key and not giving up after the first few nights without success. Isla's been going down between 7:30 and 8:30 PM and likes Daddy to read her a story before she sleeps. She still wakes up 2-3 times during the night but I am thankful that we have a good 7:30 PM to 7:30 AM "night time" now.
• In addition to the large bald spot Isla has on the back of her head, she is now developing bald spots on each side of her head. Oh and I noticed today that she is losing her forehead hair!

• We've been working so hard on this sleep thing because I should hear back today whether a proposed part-time position at work is approved for me. My first day back would be New Years Day. I'm sure an update will follow but this decision has been extremely hard. 
• We got to see my parents briefly on Sunday as they drove through town. Isla was in her usual happy spirits and I think she might have them wrapped around her little finger. :o)

• Isla has not been indulging my desire to hear her laugh. I guess we just haven't been that funny this week! There was one night where I was trying to put her to bed in her dark room when out of no where she started to cackle. That was pretty cute! I didn't even know it was light enough for her to see me... The girl sure can smile though! (Often times she'll open her mouth and make all the motions of laughter but no sound will come out--see picture below. She's been doing this thing this week where she'll rapidly open her mouth real wide and then close it again. Over and over. Not sure what it means, but she sure is happy when she's doing it).

• Isla loves to stand and she has pretty strong legs! She'll bounce around for a while if you hold her hands. Unfortunately, she's still too small for her exersaucer.
• Daddy let Isla "play" with the tree yesterday. She had a great time grabbing the branches and shaking off the needles. :o) She LOVES lying in front of it and watching the lights!