15 Months

(I love how Isla had to have everything with her in order to settle and sit for a quick shot: her toothbrush, ducky....)

How fitting that Isla's 15-month monthiversary should fall on Thanksgiving? I was eluding to it in a prior post but I am just so thankful for this little girl and the many ways she has brought new joy and excitement to our lives. I have been sorting through pictures from 2010 this week and it has been a blast from the past. When you have a baby in the house, so much changes over the course of just one year. It blows my mind that Isla looked like this back in April:

I look at this picture and my heart swells with gratitude and love. Wow. I don't mean to be overly gushy on this blog but I just can't get over how much I love this girl and my days spent at home with her. With that, we have lots of achievements to report this month.

-First off, her new words: "hat" and "hot" (both always spoken in a whisper), "bath" and "oww" (learning this in response to the busy street and other things that might hurt her).

-Isla is such a good "mother" to her duck. She wipes his face, brush his feathers, tries to give him a bath and gives him a never-ending supply of kisses.

-She has learned to get to standing position without using a wall or piece of furniture to push off of. She can also get down off of the couch and bed by sliding backwards--most of the time...

-As I'm sure you've noticed, Isla no longer looks at or smiles for the camera. I'm super lucky if I can get her to do one or the other but never both.

-Isla's first tooth was spotted on Halloween!!!! This is the best shot I've been able to get of it so far.

-Since that tooth broke through, Isla has been sleeping 13-14 hour stretches at night (!!!!!) from about 6:30 PM to 7:30 or 8:30 AM. I think I've died and gone to heaven! In addition, she continues to take a ~1 1/2 hr morning nap and an hour afternoon nap.

-Isla figured out how to "spin, spin, spin!" and loves to make herself dizzy as she twirls in the kitchen. Then she cracks herself up as she crookedly tries to walk across the room

-Isla enjoyed her 2nd snowfall these past few days (the 1st was when she was only a couple months old so only sort of counts). She was quite curious at first and had a hard time walking but quickly gained confidence and was trudging as fast as she could toward the busy street (hence her also learning to say "oww).

-Isla loves going outside. Her new thing when we are leaving the house is to book it as fast as she can out into the culdesac as soon as someone opens the door. The girl literally runs which has made things quite interesting... She loves getting the mail and so we usually make the daily walk to the mailbox together.

-Isla has learned to say what the monkey says, thanks mostly to her monkey-feet jammies and her parents who have been demonstrating ape-like sounds. She says "Eeee, eeee" in a high pitched tone whenever she sees a monkey (like in Trader Joe's where "George" perches atop the bananas). She is also learning to say what "Clover" says (our good friends' Australian Shepherd). It sounds remarkably similar to a monkey. :)

-Isla figured out how to drink out of a straw this month (via my water bottle). I think she's significantly increased her fluid intake ever since as it is now so much fun to flip the straw up and drink.

-Poor Isla got her first goose egg while I was at work 2 weeks ago. She fell and hit her head on our new "soft" coffee table (the cushioned ottoman we'd purchased to replace our sharp-edged chest...) Apparently a 1/2 to 3/4 inch raised bump appeared almost instantly and we spent the week watching it change colors like a rainbow from purple to black to blue to green to yellow. Boy did we get a lot of looks when we were out running errands! It probably didn't help that she also had a cold AND was teething so had a dripping nose and drool-covered chin to go along with it.

-I'm not exactly sure when this started but I've come to realize that Isla has grown quite helpful when it comes to getting dressed. She now pushes her arms through sleeves all by herself and does the same with her legs. Such a big girl!

-She understands lots of new commands/phrases such as: "Can you put that away?" (we're teaching her to clean up), "Let's go get the mail" (she runs and waits by the front door), "Go to your highchair," "Do you want to take a bath?" (heads upstairs to the tub), "Do you want some cheese?" (goes to the fridge), "Blow your nose" (blows through mouth--close!) and, I love this one: "Where's Daddy?" (climbs upstairs to check in our bed).

-We have a Veggietales CD that we often listen to while I'm fixing dinner. Isla has apparently memorized some of the tunes because as soon as the intro music for "If You're Happy and You Know It" starts to play, she begins clapping her hands. She is working on stomping too but ends up just starring at her feet and squatting, wondering why they don't step up like she wants them too. She also occasionally puts her first up in her air for "Hooray." So cute!

-In other news, Isla has finally been able to correctly identify her belly! "Isla, where's your belly?"

-Isla has a new communication sound. It is a catch-all "Ehh, ehh, ehh ehh" which could mean basically anything. Good luck figuring out what she wants! I can tell you this much: if she says it while point to the counter, it means she wants a slice of bread. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine! I hear it a lot. All day.

-Isla continues to love giving kisses and is quite generous with them. If you're lucky enough to be here when it comes time for bed, I can almost guarantee you'll get one! She hasn't figured out the smacking motion with her lips but more or less nuzzles her face into your cheek and starts humming. Graham and I wonder if she'll continue to hum when she kisses from here on out. We kinda hope it sticks around for life. I'm sure some boy will find it as cute as we do. For now, I can only pray she sticks to kissing us, her ducky and her bear.

Fluffy white stuff

SNOW! I was so dreading the thought of having my long list of errands for today ruined by snow and the traffic that comes along with it. Then it hit me that the best possible time to go to Costco the week of Thanksgiving would probably be during a snowstorm-perfect! Stay home people, I have shopping to do!!! And sure enough, Costco was a breeze. Phew. I think I will try to plan my trips around inclement weather again next time. I can't stand Costco around this time of year--the place is nuts! Anyway, back to the white stuff.

Graham was off today but spent all but about an hour of the day locked in the bedroom, writing papers as we are nearing the end of the quarter. He emerged midday for a snow break, which we were happy to oblige. Little did I know, he had thrown a pair of tights under Isla's pants when he dressed her this morning, hoping the snow would stick around long enough for her to go out for a frolic.

 Isla doesn't have snow clothes yet so we decked her out in her tights plus 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of pants, a long sleeve shirt, winter coat, mittens, hat and her lady bug rain boots (that are 1 1/2 sizes too large). The poor girl could not walk on the flat carpet inside let along on the lumpy snow.

 "What is this stuff!?"

"Dad, don't let go of me. I will so fall over if you let go!" 

 "Hey, maybe it's not so bad. I guess I can try it by myself."

 "Yee-haw! Look at me go!"

 "I so got this."

SMACK!!

 

 "Don't just stand there and stare, DO SOMETHING!"

 We had to giggle a bit at the whole scenario--it was too funny not to snap a quick photo. After her initial spill, Isla was in heaven, tromping along in her rain boots and chasing her Daddy. Her pure joy and everlasting energy are infectious lately!

 Graham and I spent some time this evening pondering what we would have been doing with ourselves these past 15 months if Isla  hadn't come into our lives. She has added so much to our family that we just can't imagine life without her (and we don't want to!)

 I have been feeling especially overcome this week, realizing how great of a blessing she is to me and how wonderful it is to be her mama. I'm so proud of the little girl she is becoming and am just so thankful that God chose to give her to us.

We stayed out and played in the white stuff until we realized Isla was walking around with only one boot on...

And as I was getting her ready for her bath tonight, I realized she'd spent the remainder of the day with one foot adorned in only tights, while the other sported a thick layer of tights and two pairs of socks. I'm surprised she wasn't walking around in circles all afternoon with the difference in height!

What fun....stay safe everyone!

It's just that kind of day...

We have a running joke in our family surrounding whipped cream. I don't quite recall how it started but somehow whipped cream quickly became known as the cure-all for depression. Whenever it is part of a meal, one of us is bound to start feeling "depressed" which means we have full permission to open up and enjoy an entire mouthful of the stuff. Gross? Maybe. But I PROMISE it always lightens the mood!

 (No, she never did actually get her mouth on it in case you were wondering...)

"But, I don't know how to raise a lefty!"

Stricken with panic, these words escaped my lips yesterday after Graham nodded at Isla, who was scooping spoonfuls of creamy soup into her mouth with the greatest of ease.....using her left hand. Her left hand!

I'm a righty, born and raised in the midst of 5 other rightys--how on earth am I going to know how to raise a lefty!? The whole idea feels foreign to me.

Graham says it's easy. "The first step is to stop calling her 'a lefty.' The next step is to buy her a left-handed pair of scissors and then the rest is all the same."

"Left-handed scissors?" I cry. This only exposes my naivety. "They make left-handed scissors? What is the difference?!" Then it dawns on me and I feel ashamed. Just one piece of evidence illustrating my lack of proper training in this matter.

My mind begins racing. How will I teach her to write? What if she decides to play softball? Or golf? I won't be able to show her what to do since she'll be facing the opposite direction. Oh and how will I comfort her when she comes home from school after writing on a white board for the first time only to discover her perfect letters were erased only moments after they were formed!?

Leftys (excuse me!....Left-Handed People), please understand that I say this mostly in jest. But if God indeed has blessed me with a left-handed child, I could (obviously!) use some enlightening. I don't know how to raise a lefty.

"Hat" and other Isla talk

Santa Barbara

Because we felt like we hadn't done quite enough traveling yet this year (NOT!), Graham and I decided to make one last trip in 2010, this time alone. Our good friend Jeremy was having a 30th birthday bash in his college town of Santa Barbara and we weren't about to miss it, particularly since we'd only have to pay for airfare. Jeremy and his wife Rachel rented a gorgeous house right near the beach that the non-local guests stayed in.

  There was much eating, sand sports and sunbathing done by all and it was quite the merry time...with the exception of one evening. Let's just say I got to spend some time getting to know two lovely Santa Barbaran cops (who were a little rough around the edges, to put it nicely). I am happy to say though that still, to this day, Kelsie Crozier has a clean driving record (my canoeing record in the state of Texas on the other hand is a whole different story...)

After two nights with the gang, the rest of the group headed for home and Graham and I headed for the mountains (hills?) of the Santa Ynez Valley for some fabulous wine tasting. Our favorite stop by far was at Beckman Vineyards, whose Grenache was recently served by President Obama at a White House State Dinner.  

 We had a wonderful 24 hours, just the two of us while Isla spent time in Bellingham with her Grandma and Grandpa Wilson.

 We booked a hotel for our 3rd and final night away in downtown Santa Barbara. We invested a good 10-15 hours scrounging the internet in search of the perfect place at a perfectly discounted price. The latter was not to be had, but we definitely found the perfect place, The Canary Hotel. The decor was Spanish/Moroccan with dark hardwoods and bright blue and yellow accents mixed in with lovely green walls.

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Check out the lights in our bathroom!

The rooftop deck/pool was breathtaking. I only wish we would have had more time to lounge!

We spent the evening strolling the shops on State St (including a consignment store where I found a steal of a dress coat that had never been worn!) followed by an incredible dinner at Bouchon. If ever you take a trip to SB and have a few pennies to spare, dine there for fabulous local fare!

It was so wonderful to spend some cherished moments alone with Graham before we flew back to the grind which we now find ourselves in. I missed Isla dearly but was quite pleased by my ability to leave her for a 4 day stretch (I was afraid I'd be a mess-I definitely was the night before we left!!) I think all the activity kept me healthfully distracted and we were able to Skype with her so that was quite fun. Watching her face light up with glee when our picture popped up on the screen warmed my heart! My parents practically begged us to go on a trip so Isla could spend some extended time with them which made it that much easier to go.

Muchas, muchas gracias to my parents for playing with Isla so we could getaway!

My Little Sunshine

It's hard to capture pictures of my busy girl these days. She rarely sits still! But we had a some fun playing by the sunny window today and I came out with a few good ones. I love this yellow top on her and of course she's sporting her favorite duck.

In search of a decent pumpkin....

Okay, so lesson learned: never try to find a pumpkin the day before Halloween. Our mistake. Look! There were at least 10 pumpkins in the "patch" to choose from....too bad the cheapest ones were 20 bucks a pop because the only ones left were so huge. 

 But Isla caught a ride on the hay bail, making our family trip to the patch in the pouring rain all worthwhile.

Michael found the world's first (pardon my French) butt-crack pumpkin that we almost adopted, just for giggles. 

 Even Gideon came out for the fun with his mommy, the birthday girl.

 The two grocery stores we stopped at were also out of pumpkins so we didn't end up doing any carving as planned.

But, at least we can say we made it out to the pumpkin patch this year!