46 Weeks

Man, can she ham it up or what? All I can say, is this girl is BUSY! Things I've learned this week:

-chairs tipped onto their sides can not be trusted as baby gates

-never leave your child alone with paper towels

-temper tantrums can happen even in 10 1/2-month-olds

-children learn that they should make horrible faces and fake gag at vegetables at a very young age

-I am not ready for a week-long, hubby-only getaway just yet
-my child would make a great assistant if the task at hand involves emptying the contents out of bags or containers

-children vanish in an instant if your back is turned.

-God created my fingers solely as supporters for a not-quite-walking baby. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing else. End of story.

-I actually DID contribute some of my genes to our child! Graham may have given her 99% of her good looks, but you have me to thank for her budding STRONG-willed personality.

-Isla loves raspberries. And kiddie pools. And the washing machine makes for super cheap entertainment.

Isla certainly keeps us guessing! Over the past week, she has really been exerting her independence. She knows what she wants and she will fight hard to get it. It's been quite the eye opener to see my formerly mild-mannered girl turn into such a busy, willful human being. She no longer holds still for diaper changes. She arches her back and flips and squirms and tries to make her way off the changing table. She also puts up a pretty good fight when it's time to get in the car seat. Isla is started to test her boundaries at mealtimes and has learned to fling her sippie onto the floor after taking a drink. She also likes to mash her food and try and toss it away if she doesn't want it. Graham and I need to discuss our corrective actions much sooner than we'd planned! The other night she was really tired and she got upset that we didn't let her grab our fingers and "walk her" around the room. She literally threw herself onto her back and started kicking her feet in protest. Graham and I just looked at each other in bewilderment.

Despite these new developments, she remains an adorable, generally happy, fun-to-be-around kiddo. She has a way of making you grin ear to ear. She is really starting to understand a lot and associate certain words with different actions. I'll ask her if she wants to go "bye bye" and she'll wave. Or if I say "hooray," she claps. When I ask if she wants to eat, she'll say "num num" and lick her lips etc. She's doing a little better with naps on/off although there is still a lot of crying going on over here. She's learning to go back to sleep again after the first 20 minutes which is progress!

I look around at my messy house with all the shredded paper towels and my "unpacked" work bag and I couldn't be happier. And I don't think I could love this little girl more!