22 Months

Our daughter is a total crack up. Out of nowhere, she has started saying "Hi-ho!" in a sing-song voice seemingly at random. I have no idea where she got it and what brings her to say it but it is absolutely hilarious and makes me laugh every time, particularly when she does it loudly while riding in the cart through the grocery aisles...

Isla has begun to string together more and more words to make sentences now. The other day she told me "Isla walk aisle and drop petals" (in anticipation of her role as flower girl in Graham's cousin's wedding). This was a record long phrase but she is stringing three words together more frequently now to make sentences like "Shut the door" or "Isla do it." I love her large vocabulary and am constantly amazed at what comes out of her mouth. Sometimes it's like there's a little echo in the room. The other day I heard her say "Nice work" which totally cracked me up and last week when I asked her what she and Daddy did all day, she told me "hang out." There have also been a couple times when I've said "Oh man!" and then immediately she repeats it and then looks around for whatever man I might be referring to.

Which leads me to another thing. She calls any working male "man." It started with our landscapers. When they came to cut the grass (or throw WEED KILLER on my garden), she would run to the window exclaiming "Man! Man!" Now she just likes calling every unfamiliar worker guy "Man" such as our cashiers etc.

(Taken on our family date to the Woodland Park Zoo)

Isla has a very good memory. I've started telling her things like "When you wake up from your nap, we're going to go to the park" and, without fail, when I go to retrieve her after she sleeps, the first words out of her mouth are "Go park!"

I love that Isla can now communicate to me pretty much everything she wants/needs. She will often tell me "Mommy, come!" and then pat the ground next to her. She also often asks me "Mommy read Bible?" or tells me "Isla hungry." This talking thing makes life so much easier! However, there are a couple drawbacks. Last week, I was at work and she was having a day at home with Graham. Apparently it was a rather rough day and she cried for over an hour after she woke up asking for me. Finally Graham put her on the phone with me and through her tears she begged "Mommy, come!" which pretty much broke my heart.

I think we may be entering our first real phase of separation anxiety. Isla is a total mommy's girl and has just recently been refusing even Graham and asking for me only (poor guy!) The last couple weeks she has had a hard time in her class at church (as well as her class at my parent's church). Not sure what that's all about because usually she is begging to go to church and "push stroller" all week. I think maybe the doll stroller disappeared from her classroom and so she isn't finding it nearly as fun anymore.

Isla finally has her four bottom front teeth. She cut the 2nd bottom right tooth I think on June 16th. I don't know what has come over her but ever since, she has been taking GOOD naps and sleeps for 2+ hours each afternoon. It is divine for me and divine for her attitude. She has NEVER slept like this before in her life and I'm savoring it and spending lots of time glued to the sewing machine.

Isla's favorite activities include: going to the "cool" (pool), going to the park, reading, going outside, wrestling with Daddy, pillow fights, tickling (but she pronounces it "teek-cool") singing, going to "Papa's," pushing strollers and taking care of her babies/Ducky. Sometimes she'll go to the closet, grab her shoes and head for the door. When we ask her where she's going, her typical answer is "the park." We try to oblige her as often as we can but I think she could really live at the park and still not get enough of it.

She is going to be such an awesome big sister! She apparently knows how to put a diaper on her Ducky now which I just realized the other day. She can fasten the straps and everything. If we can just teach her to wipe thoroughly, we'll be set and put her to work! She plays a lot more independently now which allows me to get a bit more work done around the house.

Isla's favorite foods right now are Raisin Bran (which must be strictly rationed and not given on 2 consecutive days to avoid "issues"), applesauce WITH cinnamon (she'll ask for it if you forget to sprinkle it on top), grapes and berries. She also likes meat and continues to ask for all things carb.

She knows the tune and a lot of the words to the "ABCs," "Jesus Loves Me" and "I'm a little teapot" and also loves to sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" while sitting on the potty. We are working on learning colors but we have a ways to go. It used to be that when ever you asked her what color something was, her first guess would be green and then yellow. She at least switches it up a bit now but only gets the answer right about 10% of the time. She seems to know orange though!

Isla is very excited about the new baby which means a new bed, new sheets and a new car for her. She has felt the baby kick and likes to tell me "baby sleeping" or "baby awake." I sort of think she gets what is happening (which might explain her sudden attachment to me) but who knows?

She is starting to understand different emotions and she loves to tell us that "Isla excited!" Then she always wants to know "Mommy excited? Daddy excited?" She also tells us when she is happy. Love her!

Isla definitely has a mind of her own and I pray it will take her places. She continues to be very sweet but also knows what she wants. She loves to give kisses and always says "Sorry!!!" when she knows she has done something wrong in hopes of avoiding a timeout. This girl is such a blessing and a joy!