52 Weeks = ONE YEAR

Although there were many wonderful things that happened with Isla this week, if I had to pick one word to describe it, I'd have to chose ROUGH, but we'll discuss that more later.

Isla went to her 1 year well check up and is right on track! She is still our "Peanut," weighing in at 18 pounds, 6 ounces (10th %ile), length of 28 1/2 inches (25-50th %ile--she had a growth spurt!) and head circumference of 18 inches (50-75 %ile). Can I just say that I LOVE our pediatrician? She is awesome! I don't think I could have picked a better one. The first thing she did was tell us congrats for making it through the first year and give us all sorts of other encouragement. We talked a lot at the appointment about sleep and whether we should work toward dropping Isla's 5 AM feed and let her cry it out and go back to sleep (answer: YES!!!) We discussed weaning strategies and introducing whole milk (she had her first glasses today!) 

Back to the ROUGH stuff. We spent the week away on a road trip with my family (NOTE: my family was NOT the rough part, they were actually the lifesavers!) Isla was an absolute champ for the first part of the trip as we drove all the way to SE Idaho. But a couple days in, she spiked a fever that ended up lasting 3 days. She was fussy, restless and acting just plain uncomfortable. She wouldn't sleep at night and cried about every 15 minutes until we finally let her come sleep in our bed (a huge no-no in our books) to try and keep her quiet since we were sharing a room with my sister and brother-in-law. Anyway, then came her finger chewing and sticking out her tongue and acting like her mouth hurt. We were SURE she was cutting all of her teeth at once. Then the fever went away and a rash appeared all over her body. So weird. After 4 horrible, sleepless nights, we were excited to visit our pediatrician on Wednesday and hear her announce that our daughter was indeed getting her first teeth. No. Such. Luck. Apparently there is still absolutely no indication that the girl even has teeth in there (although our Dr is confident that she does). So, guess we're going to see a dentist in the next couple months if she still doesn't get any....Baby dentures anyone?

So why the fevers/sleep issues? Our Dr thinks she had a bout of roseola, a common virus in kiddos that exhibits Isla's exact symptoms. I guess it's nice to have a reason for our rough week but I'm a bit bummed that we didn't get any teeth out of all that pain. Hopefully that doesn't mean the worse is still to come.

Now, for all the cute positives. Isla took a major interest in spoon feeding herself this week. As with most things, it happened out of nowhere. She was refusing to eat the spoonfuls of the restaurant soup we offered her for almost a half hour. Finally, my dad decided to let her bring the filled spoon to her mouth. I guess that's all she wanted because she was suddenly thrilled to eat the soup. Of course, now she always wants to be the one holding the spoon but she usually likes to play tug-of-war with you to get it which means food usually flies everywhere when you let go.

She's also gotten really into stirring her food on the table (which usually means it gets pushed onto the floor) and also stirring her water with the spoon. The other odd quirk we noticed is that she's started testing the water in her glass with her finger before drinking it. Is she checking the temperature? I have no idea!

We taught Isla how to take care of her stuffed ducky this week. She likes to offer him water from her sippy which is pretty cute. She "talks" to him in this funny high-pitched voice, kind of like the voices us adults adopt when talking to babies. It's hilarious!

Isla is doing a great job at identifying family members. If you ask her "Where's ____?", she look up at the appropriate person. She occasionally points too but usually she just looks up at the person asked about. Smart girl!

She figured out how to "comb" her hair this week. Adorable.

Isla went to Montana and Wyoming for the first time. She got to visit many sites at Yellowstone and saw her first buffalo and elk.

There were a couple times this week where Isla stood alone for a couple seconds! She certainly wasn't doing it on purpose as she always likes to be holding fingers but she mistook some toy for a finger for a brief moment and stood without help! I thinking walking is still a few months off but we'll see.

51 Weeks

This post is rather tardy and actually should be dated 8/17/10 but we've been on VACATION which means we were far too busy for blogging...(It also means we are lacking our traditional bear picture since we were road tripping and couldn't squeeze dear Snowball in the car). Now, the true test will be whether or not I remember what was new with Isla oh so many days ago. Let's see...

She discovered that our laundry basket also doubles as a walker! It happened rather accidentally but I was thrilled at her brilliance as I was about to go out and purchase some sort of push toy that she could use to practice walking. Ha! Such a $$$ saver. It's pretty cute to watch her push the basket up and down the hall. Boy does she get frustrated when she gets stuck in a corner though! We're going to have to work on turning skills next...

Out of no where, Isla became incredibly attached to her stuffed duck, literally overnight. She spent the day with my mom and she commented at the end that "Isla sure loves her ducky. She's been carrying it around all day." And the rest is history! Now it travels with us everywhere. We have the Waldrip family to thank for bringing him into our life. She's learned to "Quack" because of him. It is so cute!

Isla continues to be touch and go with veggies. She usually eats a few bites but doesn't eat them ravenously anymore. Sigh. She's started "sorting" her food, dropping the veggies and other undesired items on the floor. She likes to give me this look first, just to make sure I'm watching. One night she was being particularly testy and was intentionally chucking food and her water cup on the floor. After trying numerous "NO Isla!"s in my most stern and authoritative voice, I realized I was going to have to try another tactic so I gave her hand a little swat. Now get this: she looked at me, smiled, and held her hand out for me to swat again!!! Then she started clapping!!! I'm pretty sure she thought Mommy just introduced the coolest new game...

Goodness, that's all I can remember....weeks 51 and 52 are all muddled together in my brain!

50 Weeks

And to think I thought she was busy before....

Graham tried to watch Isla and do homework at the same time for an hour today and got exactly nothing done. I came home to find the kitchen barricaded off, magazines strewn throughout the living room and toys everywhere. Ha ha, welcome to my life! Long gone are the days of multi-tasking while she is at play. She requires pretty much constant supervision. One we get rid of our knife-sharp "coffee table" chest, I think we'll both breathe easier, but until then, we have to stay basically by her side when she is downstairs as she is drawn like a magnet to everything in head-gashing distance from that chest.

 I am amazed at the brains this girl possesses! Even in just a few short days time, she understands new commands. I've been asking her to please put her binky back in the bed after she wakes and we say bye bye to it. It only took a few days before all I had to do was ask and she would throw it back in the crib all by herself!

If only she followed all of my commands....She is SO fascinated by outlets and cable plugs and electrical cords. She makes a beeline crawl straight towards them at a frightening pace. In case you're wondering, yes I do have outlet covers, but how does one cover an unused cable jack? Yesterday, in my sternest voice, I said "Isla, NO!" when she was trying to pick at the jack. She immediately rolled over, laughing hysterically as if hearing me talk like that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. This happened repeatedly throughout the day, each time with me trying to use a more stern and firm voice only to be met by even more giggles. Oh. Dear.

Isla is showing great interest in feeding herself with a spoon over the past couple of days. Of course, I happened to be serving soup (could I have thought up anything more messy?) but she did surprisingly well, all things considered.

I think Isla is finally saying "Mama" and actually associating it with me. Hooray! She also says "Mmnmmmm. Mamamamama" when she wants milk. The two are easily confused, but let's me real here, I'm sure they are one in the same in her mind.

Isla is loving other kids and seems to thrive off the play dates I've been trying to arrange. She tends to be the observer in group settings so far, but we'll see if that sticks!

49 Weeks

What a little monkey! I decided we'd had enough of the cute outfits and opted to document one of my personal favorite "outifts," Isla's adorable baby chub. Someday she'll look back on these and be grateful that her mom posted these for the entire internet to see. I'm sure of it.

Isla is learning things at an extraordinarily rapid pace. Maybe I always say that, but I was probably lying before because it this week it is DEFINITELY true.

On Thursday afternoon, I looked over and realized I'd left the baby gate open and that Isla had climbed up the first stair onto our little landing. Then on Sunday, we decided to just see what she could do. She climbed halfway up the stairs to meet Graham as if it was nothing new! Seriously, how do kids all of a sudden just know what to do? Incredible! Of course I let her practice a couple of other times throughout the day yesterday and she successfully made it to the top TWICE.

Isla loves pointing. She sits in her highchair and points to various people in pictures on our fridge. She points at objects around the room while babbling her baby talk. But she particularly loves pointing directly at people. It turns into a game when we point back at her and "No, you!" I'm sure we will regret encouraging this in the future, as soon real words will accompany the pointing. Didn't my parents teach me that pointing was rude?

Isla reportedly was discovered standing in her crib for the first time at her grandparents over the weekend while we were at work. She's been pulling herself up on other objects a lot but for some reason never transferred that skill to the crib. It all begins...

Remember how I said we were transitioning Isla to a lid-less cup? She's made great progress this week- check it out! I'm really proud of her. We do go through about 2 outfits a day simply due to accidental water spillage with the transfer to and from the highchair tray but she's getting it!


Our sweet girl has been a rockstar sleeper. I'm scared to even say that but....drumroll please...we seem to have finally conquered the napping drama. Her naps are averaging about 1 1/2 hours in length, even when I am home which is a miracle! We seem to have found a good routine of putting her down at 9 AM and 1 PM. I realize this will probably only last a few weeks before it changes again but I'm savoring it for the time being!

We are starting to think about reducing Isla's binky useage. A coworker suggested first transitioning its use to sleep times only so we're starting to say "Goodbye" to the binky and throw it back into the crib when she wakes up in the morning and after naps. We'll see how it goes! She really doesn't "need" it that often. It's just that she tends to like it in the early evening hours before dinner.

This sweet girls continues to be a good eater. I've noticed this week that she particularly enjoys mushrooms. When offered mixed roasted veggies, she tends to pick the mushrooms over anything else. I also made couscous with chickpeas for the first time and she LOVED it. She ate two bowls full and then stuck her face in the bowl to lick it clean when she realized she wasn't getting thirds. Love her!

48 Weeks

If she's 48 weeks, that means she is also 11 MONTHS (as of Sunday)! I can't believe she can possibly be that old already. That means birthday cake is just around the corner for her, as an e-mail from Baskin Robbins reminded me yesterday (the corruption begins at a very young age...) Long gone are her open-mouthed, tongue-out cheerful expressions the instant a camera appears. She has taken a more serious approach to these photo shoots and prefers to remain straight-faced.

Isla is getting so big. I won't repeat the obvious, but if you've been following my blog, you'll know that Isla went camping over the weekend. I couldn't believe how LONG she looked lying in her pack n' play as she slept. She's definitely outgrown 9 month pants but 9 month tops still fit.

Isla has figured out how to pull herself up on a few objects around the house that are closer to the ground. She particularly loves her toy baskets but also the basket of magazines which she likes dump out and page through by the window. She can pull herself to a standing position but can also "stand up" on her knees which she is doing a lot these days.

I love this age! She is just so curious. She wants to grab and pull and shake and talk to everything. I've noticed she can entertain herself for longer and longer periods of time now that she can move around and get the things that she wants.

She discovered our curtains this week. She crawls over to the sliding glass door and starts laughing. This is your clue that she wants you to pull the curtain around her and ask "Where's Isla?" She'll pull the curtain away and giggle and shriek. Then the process repeats. It's become a fun game.

Isla figured out another "new move" a couple nights ago. I call it the Fish Flop. When she gets really excited (or maybe scared?), she throws herself backwards and flops around like a fish. It was loads of fun when she was on our bed as this video illustrates but she seem rather shocked to find that it wasn't nearly as enjoyable when she did in on the hard floor yesterday.

I witnessed Isla's first real tantrum this week. It was over cheese, of course. I never did figure out what the big issue was but I'd given her a string cheese to gnaw on and next thing I knew, she was rubbing it all over her face and head and crumbling it in frustration. I figured she just needed help tearing it into smaller pieces (as she still as NO TEETH) but when I did this, she chucked the pieces into the grass and made a horribly defiant face. Ok, so that wasn't it. I gave her back the whole stick of cheese and she chucked this too. I tried the smaller pieces again but she was most displeased. Then she threw herself back and started crying and flailing her limbs and kicking the ground. I decided that was enough so I took the cheese away and told her that she "couldn't have it if she was going to behave like that." As I threw it in the trash, it occurred to me that I just tried to reason with an 11 month old...

Now that Isla is almost a year, we are trying to phase out bottles and instead teach Isla to drink out of a regular cup without a sippy top. It actually is going much better than you might imagine although she usually creates Lake High Chair at some point during the meal. For the most part though she can grip the cup and tip it back appropriately to get sips of water. It's the getting it to and from the tray that is the challenge.

I'm also working to teach Isla to use her spoon all by herself. We haven't been too successful just yet as this video illustrates. Enjoy!

Until next week...

47 Weeks

It's been such a busy week! Isla decided to move in with her Crozier grandparent's since her parents never seemed to be around and so spent Wednesday, Thursday morning and Friday over there (we are so thankful to have family to hang our with her when we are working/in meetings!)

As it turns out, she has not completely given up vegetables! I was really worried one night and so determinedly cooked her a delicious dinner to disprove my fear. She gobbled the chunks of tofu (her first!) and the roasted broccoli and mushroom medley right up. I was SO proud. (Is it weird that I am most proud of my child's food repertoire?) 

On a liquid note, we are starting the weaning process. It's really been a team effort but mostly initiated by Isla. She has shown decreasing interest in nursing over the past few months and so we have gradually been reducing her number of feedings, not necessarily intentionally. Today I only nursed her 3 times we probably could have made it with only 2 if I had wanted. My goal is to continue nursing her until she's a year at which point I will happily surrender my services to those of Smith Brother's Dairy.

Other activities this week included attending a wedding (it wasn't until the day before that it occurred to me "What am I thinking bringing a loud, mobile child to a wedding?" but she did GREAT!), and went raspberry and blueberry picking.

Isla is always entertaining me. Sometimes I'll be cooking in the kitchen and she'll crawl up to my feet and lunge forward to suck on my toes. Or yesterday, she kept walking into the sliding glass door. Head first. And it's not even clean! I let her do it repeatedly and tried knocking on it to teach her that there was a window there but to no avail. Or there was the evening this week where she decided to become bulimic at dinner and literally stuck her finger into the back of her throat to gag herself for 10 minutes straight. She would sort of giggle to herself before shoving her finger back in for another gag. Oh brother! Today though she was on her best behavior at dinner time. I was scooping her food onto her spoon and then she took the spoon from me and put it in her mouth. I told her "Good job Isla!" and so she started clapping for herself. From that point on, there was applause after each bite.

We continue to (sometimes literally) wrestle with her emerging strong will. Getting her dressed or into her stroller or car seat has turned into a huge battle. And even when we try to set her down in the sitting position on the floor, she refuses to bend and arches herself backwards, throwing her head toward the floor.

Isla is a consistent as a clock when it comes to nighttime sleep. She goes down pretty much without fuss and then wakes at 5 AM on the dot. She then goes back down until about 7:30 AM. Naps are still helter skelter though. She goes down in the morning at 9 AM and then has been starting to sleep for closer to an hour which is awesome. But there are still 2-3 days a week where the AM nap only lasts 30 minutes and then I've been letting her cry for the remaining 30. Afternoon naps are harder because I'm not always home at a consistent time so it's probably my own fault that we can't seem to get a pattern established. Rarely does she nap longer than 20 minutes and then she usually spends a LONG time crying in her crib but never does fall back asleep...makes me feel like a horrible mama.

On an exciting note, I think Isla is finally starting to form some words. "Bah Bah" for bye bye, "baa" for bath and of course "num num" and "Da da." I think she may have even said "Mom" this week! It's about time! :)

I love spending time with my baby girl--this is such a fun age! It's really hard for me to leave her but I'll never get enough of her giddy excitement whenever I return.

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!

45 Weeks

I'm having a hard time remembering what is new this week other than our baby girl had her first fever. I noticed she was feeling hot when I went in for her morning feed on Thursday. Her temp was only 99 at that point but soon was in the 100s with a max of 102.7. I gave her Tylenol throughout the day but she was otherwise fine with the exception of being more tired. It only lasted 24 hr (just long enough to force us to reschedule our date night). She seemed back to almost normal over the weekend but then woke up Monday with a cough, sneezy and a runny nose. Hopefully we've seen the last of it now!

Isla got to spend the whole weekend with her grandparents while Graham and I worked. She joined them at Ben's baseball tournament and I guess she was a big hit with all the other fans. I meant to take more pictures in my after-work hours but somehow didn't get around to it other than this one, which I love. See how her grandparents are looking on with admiration?

I thought for sure we were in for a horrible week of crying given my decision to put my foot down with naps. I guess Isla must have realized that she'd pushed her mommy to the near edge because, out of nowhere, she started taking almost 2 hour morning naps! It may have only been a fluke since she wasn't feeling well but I'll take it! I finally realized that in addition to letting her cry it out to fall asleep (which I already was doing), I need to let her cry it out again when/if she wakes up after only 20 minutes. Needless to say, I've been oh so thankful NOT to have to try this tactic just yet and hope her long naps continue.

Isla has been sort of boycotting her veggies. She gets very focused on the protein and carb sources at her meals and could care less about the veggie. Hmm, gonna need to work on that.

She started saying "Num num" this week when she wants to eat. She knows what "milk" means and also starts waving when I ask if she wants to go bye bye. We have been working really hard on "Mama" and sometimes I hear it but I think it is accidental. I'm pretty sure she said "Banana" the other day though.

Other than that, Isla continues to be a very busy girl, loving any attention she can get. She always wants to be near people and will try to crawl up onto you or burrow her head into you if you lay on the floor nearby. She doesn't like to play on her own for long and I think she would spend the entire day walking while holding onto your fingers if you let her. She's gonna be walking in no time!

44 Weeks

Isla is learning so many new things so quickly. I feel like she's growing up so fast!

This week she has figured out how to point. She loves pointing at pictures on the fridge or at people in hopes that they will point back and maybe even touch her finger.

She tried blueberries and grapes for the first time this week.

Isla continues to be quite clingy, particularly with me. She is fine with strangers or other family members when she is well-rested, but when tired, she shys away a bit and hides her face. I wondered how she would do in the nursery on Sunday given this new development but she did just fine.

Isla's night time sleep has been so wonderful this week. For 3 of the past 4 nights, she has slept through the entire night. THE ENTIRE NIGHT!! From 7:30 or 8 PM to 7 AM or later. It has been a huge, much-needed blessing. I'm thinking we completely screwed up her sleep schedule for the better by changing times zones twice so now she is going down a little later which means her long stretch of sleep coincides better with mine (i.e. cutting out the 5 AM business).


HOWEVER, her napping is another story that is really taking its toll on me. I think the trouble with naps has been going on for 4 months or so now and I've decided I have to try something for sanity's sake. She cries every time she goes down and then, when she finally falls asleep, she only stays that way for 20 minutes and then wakes up crabby and tired. We repeat this cycle 3-4 times a day because she just never seems to sleep long enough to keep her awake and cheerful and she fusses and rubs her eyes. Thanks to the advice of friends, we are going to see what she does on a 10 AM and 2 AM nap schedule. So far she has cried and cried, slept for 20 and then cried and cried. I think what we're going to have to do is let her cry again until she falls asleep again after her first 20 minute stretch until she falls into a pattern. Ugg, it's already been a hard week and I think it will get rougher!


Isla LOVES walking around hanging onto fingers but be careful, once you offer her your fingers, don't expect to get them back for at least 20 minutes! She could walk and walk and walk and never grow weary and will throw a fit if you take your hands away from her. Her Grandma W taught her to walk and kick a ball last Thursday-perfect timing given that 'tis the World Cup season.

I caught Isla bopping to some music on her own today. Usually she will copy when she sees others dancing, but this time she initiated it all by herself which was pretty cute.

Another new development today is that Isla starting arching her back and trying to flail out of your arms when she is done being held. It's an odd combo with her clingy-ness as she'll want up then down, up then down.

Isla is really into tearing things now. At first she just tore paper and napkins into little pieces but now she also tries to eat them so I have to be careful not to leave anything out.

We are finally beginning to babyproof. Ugg. Why didn't I do this sooner!? I did a good majority of the rearranging when I was home alone with Isla and I almost feel like it did more harm than good as she now knows all the cupboards that she really wants to get into. :)

Now that Isla is crawling, it is so adorable to watch her when Graham comes home from work. Her faces lights up and she squeels and makes a beeline for the door. She loves him to pieces!

43 Weeks

For those of you wondering if these weekly posts are going to end, I've officially decided to continue for 2 more months (until Isla turns 1). Since time for blogging is hard to find these days, and I seem to only be able to write but once a week, I'd like to diversity my subjects a bit since it was never my intention to have a baby-only blog. :) It has been amazing to me to look at Isla's life week by week though. I always think, "This week will be a short post" but then when I sit down to write, I realize just how much she's learned in seven days time.

Now on to the topic of interest...I think I already mentioned that Isla grew obsessed with French bread on our trip. At the beginning of the trip, we were ripping the bread into pieces but toward the end of the trip, we let her have a big chunk. She figured out how to clamp on with her gums and tear off pieces herself and she could do it really quickly (so much for using bread as a mealtime distraction)!

She pulled herself up to a standing position for first time on a stair at a restaurant (on 6/16). I think she would have done it a lot earlier except for the fact that we don't really have furniture low enough for her to reach at home.

I can count on one hand the number of times there was a highchair for Isla to sit in on our trip. She must have gained some arm strength this week because she also figured out how to reach up and pull on the head rest and turn completely around to what would have been a standing position in the chair if we didn't grab her first (French high chairs don't have straps...)

Isla became an efficient crawler this week and cruised around our hotel rooms and under the bed. For some reason she always made a bee-line for the bathroom whenever we set her down. Gross.

Her new favorite game this week is having her Daddy chase her. We accidently discovered this when I was carrying her in the backpack and Graham was behind us. He wasn't intentionally coming after her but she looked back, saw him, and starting squealing and burying her head into my back in attempts to "get away." So it began. I've never heard her laugh so hard! (Graham's making a guest appearance in this post as Isla is having some very clingy days of jet lag and refuses to be put down for more than a second).

We coined a new term this week and decided that Isla is what we call "spacially challenged." I know some degree of this is normal, but she appears to have no concept of space. For instance, she'll try to crawl right off the bed and do a nose dive toward the floor. Or she'll be at the table eating and reach repeatedly in the same direction, each time bonking her forehead on the table. Sometimes she'll also run into walls repeatedly when crawling. I'm sure she'll grasp it all eventually but it sure cracks us up now (until she does actually manage to fall off the bed...)

Something really happened to Isla this week. It was like BAM, her personality erupted out of nowhere. Long gone is quiet little Isla who would sit happily in your lap playing as long as you gave her attention. Now she is loud, loud, LOUD! She'll make constant noises and humming (sometimes whining) sounds, particularly during meals, for up to a half hour at a time. She also likes to make these sounds anytime she hears we are having a conversation. I think she wants to be a part!

Isla has really got her wave skills figured out. It was like a parade boarding and deplaning the airplane on our trip home. She waved at everyone and did whatever she could to capture the attention of strangers. She is such a joy and boy does she make us LAUGH!

42 weeks

The big news this week is that Isla officially began clapping on Friday, June 11th. It was like a light switch flipped and all of a sudden she knew what to do. She is SO proud of herself and now likes to clap for attention. She knows what the word "clap" means and will do it when asked. We entertain ourselves by asking her to alternate "clap" and then "shake shake shake" (which is what we call her heading shaking dance)....makes for an awesome show!

I think it is also worth mentioning that  Isla managed to hit up 3 countries this week: France, Monaco and Italy.

We are lucky that this didn't happen earlier but Isla has figured out how to arch her back and fight being put in the stroller. It was great while it lasted!

Isla dipped her toes in the Mediteranean this week! I don't think she appreciated what people would give to be so priviledged (she whined and pulling up her feet, refusing to touch it again). To complete her beach experience, she also ate some sand and a couple tiny pebbles. I don't think we'll know just how many so got before we caught her for a couple of days....if ya know what I mean.

New foods for Isla Bear: kiwi, cantalope, olive tapinade, a couple bites of tuna, white beans, sausage (in cassoulet). She thought the first few bites of tuna were weird but then continued to eat more. She really is a bottomless pit!! We try to give her foods other than bread first because once she gets her hands on the bread, she wants little else. We were joking that she's going to have to go Atkins when we get home to make up for her major carb binge this trip (since bread is served at pretty much every meal).

Isla has had a bit of a runny nose this week. She also has had some consecutive nights of 2-3 AM wakenings. I'm wondering...is she finally getting a tooth? I'm doubtful, but it could be.

Over the past couple weeks, Isla has become a bit more clingy with me, reaching for me sometimes when even Graham is holding her. We'll see if it lasts...

Forty one weeks

No picture for now as I have no means of loading one...if I am ambitious, I will try to add one from the proper day upon our return.

This week has been full of firsts, particularly in the category of new foods consumed. It has been super fun (not to mention much easier!) to offer her nits of whatever we are eating, with some discretion of course! She has enjoyed her first veal, duck, turkey, pork, ham (as in prosciutto), foie gras (in the form of sauce on my beef entree which she couldn't get enough of), fig, baguette, tomato bisque, radish (!!! Best facial expression yet), pickled asparagus, ratatouille (and therefore zucchini and eggplant). It's amazing what she can eat without teeth! She wants to eat whatever we are eating and expresses much frustration when we don't allow her. She has also grown very particular about doing things herself so we've been working on teaching her to use her spoon.

This week is the first time she has really experienced hot weather so her poorly little head has been a sweaty, curly mess of hair which I find rather cute.

Isla crawled for the first time on Monday, June 7th, shortly after we arrived in the Dordogne region. Her motivator was a little red crab toy and she figured out to move her hands and legs just right to get to him.

Isla is SO close to clapping. We have been trying to teach her for a long time but she always preferred grabbing our hands to copying us. We've had a lot of time on our hands to practice with our long drives and she finally figured out how to extend her fingers and put her hands together but not clap them just yet.

I brought a small selection of books to read to Isla before she goes to bed. I have set them out for her to pick one and 6 out of 7 times she chose "Pat the Bunny
" which was also Graham's favorite childhood book.

We also brought along Isla's animal book and she LOVES it. She likes the pages with the kitties and dogs the best and always lets out her inhalation squeal of excitement. She has really taken a liking to dogs! We always knows when she spots one because we'll be pushing the stroller along and hear her sharp inhale. Sure enough, there will be a dog in sight. She seems to understand what the word "dog" means because if we see one first and say "Look Isla, a dog!", she will immediately start scanning the ground.

Forty Weeks

Isla had her 9 month appointment this past Wednesday. She is still our Little Peanut but her growth is right on track. She weighed 16 pounds, 2 ounces (10th %ile), her length measured 26 1/4 inches (10th %ile) and her head was 17 1/4 inches (25-50th but closer to the 50th %ile). We spent most of the appointment talking about France. Our pediatrician very kindly asked me "What made you decide to take a trip of this length with a 9 month old?" What's she trying to say!!? :) She said she was actually quite impressed and was excited to hear how it goes. Because of our trip, Isla got an early MMR shot in her arm which made her cry big crocodile tears (apparently it really stings). She also got a shot in the leg and had a heel stick to measure her iron status. Poor girl! She had quite the set of war wounds. I'm proud to say her hemoglobin was 12.8 which is quite good if I do say so myself.

Isla started dancing this week. No, I don't think you understand. Like really dancing. The three of us were out and about and there was some music on in the background. Out of nowhere, Isla starts bopping her head and then, GET THIS: she raises one hand and starts pushing it in the air to the beat like a girl in the club (at least, that's what I'm told they do...) Seriously!? Graham and I both just looked at each other and started laughing. I told him she certainly did NOT get it from me because a) I don't dance and b) when I do dance, I don't use my arms and I certainly don't look that good. I can't wait to capture it on video. It has been repeated numerous times since, particularly when we are driving in the car. That backseat tranforms into a nightclub, I tell ya what.

What I did capture on video is Isla's other new dance move. It's her head shaking, arms flailing dance. She started doing it over the weekend.


I am thrilled to report we are making progress with our napping issues! I had completely lost my confidence as a mother after having much more crying than sleeping at naptimes. So, I decided to try moving her morning nap a half hour earlier to 8:30 AM. I also am trying a new routine of spending about 5 minutes rocking her, reading to her, singing, letting her touch my face which really seems to help her wind down before I lay her in the crib. And, my favorite part is that I discovered that we have a Baby Einstein Lullaby CD (THANK YOU TO WHOMEVER GAVE THAT TO US!!!!) which I started playing and it works magic! She's moving back toward hour long naps again, at for least the past couple days...at this point, I'll take anything longer than 20 minutes!

This week feels like a blur as far as her new foods go. I think this was the first time I gave her toast. She also had bits of a whole wheat pita as well as her very first cheese quesadilla. Yesterday I gave her some cottage cheese to try and she also had a couple blueberries blended into her breakfast yogurt. She continues to be an easy kiddo to please, as long as she gets to eat EVERY time she sees you eat.

Another big milestone this week is that Isla figured out how to click her tongue. She is so proud of herself and usually does it right away when you do it to her (except of course when you are trying to catch it on video). I let her watch the video of herself doing it and she got really excited and started clicking right away. (Oh and take note of her crazy squealing/inhaling sound that she makes too. The one that makes her cough).

39 Weeks

Today marks both 39 weeks and 9 months even! Isla has her 9 mo appointment tomorrow so I'm anxious to find out her weight and other measurements and see if she's still our little peanut.

This week has been SO much better than last. After arriving home from San Diego, Isla was still wanting to hang out frequently in the middle of the night so we put a stop to that quickly and made a "no going in her room until after 5 AM" rule. And thankfully, after just one night, it worked and she's back to sleeping her usual 6:30PM to 5 AM (which means I feel almost like a normal human being again-and by again I mean for the first time since I became a mother. Hooray!)

I know I said this last week, but Isla is so SO close to crawling. Any second she's gonna figure out how to move forward. Until then, she continues to scoot backwards and can actually move pretty quickly on her belly (particularly when she's on a wood or tile floor). She is not pleased with this mode of transportation, however, and requires a lot of extra attention to get her unstuck from under various pieces of furniture.

Isla is getting really close to saying "Mama." Her syllable sounds moved from "Dada" only to "Nana" which is what she sometimes will say after we ask her to say "Mama." She is trying SO hard!

The new game in our household is called Pillow Fight. I promise, no children or animals were harmed in the filming of this video.

Isla still has no teeth but I've been trying to add brushing her gums to our evening routine to get her used to the feel of a toothbrush in her mouth. She makes my life easy because she loves it. It all started with her watching me brush my teeth. She kept grabbing at my toothbrush so I finally gave her her own and she can't seem to get enough (I actually have to take the toothbrush away from her--a good problem to have!)

I think it is official. Isla just doesn't nap for her mommy. I worked the weekend (3 days in a row which was really hard by the way!) and so Isla spent time with her grandparents, her Aunt Lani and Graham. She reportedly took some good naps for them--my sister in particular--a two hour nap! I can honestly say that has NEVER happened to me.

Isla had her first jarred baby food this week since we were traveling. She got to try a lot more new foods than usual since some of the jars had multiple fruit purees mixed in. She had apricots and cherries (in the pre-made baby food), fresh white peaches, pluots and garlic green beans this week. She also got her first of what I'm sure will be MANY tastes of cheese (in France!)-the cheddar variety. Today I gave her some chunks of cucumber and also some cut up pasta with Baby Bolognese sauce (I was jealous and ate some myself, it was THAT good!)

Isla is getting really good at giving kisses. Today I was finally able to catch a good one on camera. It melts my heart. She is also making this sound that I just think is a riot as she tries to blow bubbles and rumble her lips. I didn't catch a very good example on the video but she finally does a tiny one at the end of the video that gives you an idea....

38 Weeks

This week has been ROUGH, interestingly enough, given that all but one day of it was "vacation." Isla has required almost constant attention, both day and night, for reasons yet to be determined, and since Graham has been away at his conference or working on his paper due tomorrow, I have been kept exhaustingly busy attending to her needs. I'm not quite sure if she is cutting a tooth, confused by an altered schedule, overtired, constipated or if she finds her hotel bed to be merely two star. I think it is F: All of the above. She hasn't slept for longer than a 3 hour stretch since we left on Wednesday. Oh yeah, and we've all been sick. That probably has a lot to do with it!

She also spent the first half of the week refusing to nap in her hotel crib. I could get her to take 20 minute cat naps while we were out and about in the stroller but that was about it (letting her "cry it out" in the hotel room with neighbors all around didn't seem like to best option although admittedly, we did try). Finally, on our last day in our large downtown hotel room, I decided to roll her crib into the bathroom and of course that did the trick (by the way, Graham would want you to know that this was HIS idea). :)

Okay, enough with the negatives...we love this girl to pieces and don't want to send the wrong impression! It has been quite fun taking Isla out to eat over the past week. She is big enough to sit in the restaurant high chairs and really enjoys beating on the table with her hands or silverware. Last night, we were at a place with live music and she was bopping her head and dancing which was pretty adorable.

I think Isla had O.D.ed on Cheerios. I don't know if they are the cause of her gas pains/constipation but she sure is eating a lot of them! Frankly, I think she is borderline obsessed with them. But they have provided amazing dinnertime distraction/entertainment for our meals out.

As for new foods this week, Isla got her very first taste of wheat in the form of oyster crackers at a restaurant! She loved them (and so did the birds who got to clean up underneath her highchair afterwards). We also gave her little bits of our roasted chicken (not pureed) and she was able to chew and swallow just fine.

Yesterday Isla got to walk on sand for the first time. She was quite intrigued. I even dipped her feet in the ocean and I'm pretty sure she would have fussed if I hadn't immediately distracted her. She didn't enjoy the hotel pool either (guess she's not the water-baby we thought....)

Isla continues to make us laugh. We've taken lots of public transportation this week and you can always tell when someone is looking at her. Her face just lights up, her mouth opens wide and she does her panting thing. I think the girl will do anything for attention! She also is finding her sick Daddy to be very entertaining. She laughs every time he blows his nose. Nice.

Isla is SOOOO close to crawling. She gets up in the right position and can move backwards (we've had a couple close calls on the hotel bed...oops). I'll bet it'll happen before France.

36 Weeks

Isla attended her first Mariner's game tonight (hence the tardy post).

Isla is mobile! She's not quite crawling yet but on Sunday she figured out how to roll across the room to get to where she wants to be. She was playing with a three year old and I thinking watching him must have made something click and she began flipping around the room, back and forth, back and forth (moving about 5-6 ft in each direction).

This rolling over thing has brought about quite the traumatic sleep week. Isla continues to flip to her tummy as soon as we lay her down, then gets really angry about being on her belly and "forgets" how to roll over onto her back. This battle has resulted in a lot more crying and some naps that were skipped alltogether because she refused to fall asleep (even after an hour). The Lord knows we can only handle so much and so after a record-long stretch of missed morning naps, a tired mommy and a fussy baby, she finally seems to have fallen back into a routine (which included learning to sleep on her tummy when she "forgot" how to flip over).

Isla continues to pull herself up when you offer her your fingers and is doing a really good job of walking (actually moving her feet!) while holding on to your hands. She gets really excited when she stands and is also learning to get back down into a sitting position.

Isla tried lentils (with celery, carrots and sweet potatoes), spinach (with peas, broccoli and sweet potatoes) and tomatoes (with basil, cauliflower and carrots) this week. She continues to be an awesome eater and we are starting to do less purees and offer cut up chunks instead (peas, banana etc).

Thankfully, our nursing issues appear to have resolved. The Fenugreek worked and things are function as they should again with is such an answer to prayer!

Isla is such a ham! She loves posing for the camera and opens her mouth wide and smiles when she is excited. I think she likes all eyes on her which is funny to me because neither Graham nor I really enjoy the spotlight.

35 Weeks

Isla turned 8 months on Sunday and this week feels like it was especially full of milestones.

Isla rolled over from her back to her tummy for the first time yesterday! She even did it twice, just to prove to me that she could do it. I was beginning to think she never would because she hates being on her tummy so much--she was going to need a real good motivator to make her flip. I laid her in her crib (on her back) for her afternoon nap yesterday and she put up quite the protest. I came back to check on her after a period of crying and lo and behold, she was on her tummy! I flipped her back over, gave her the binkie and left again. More crying. I returned to check and wah-lah, she was on her belly. I think what happened was that she was reaching for the crib rails to try and escape and apparently the potential of escaping was all the motivation she needed!

In other news, Isla learned to stick out her tongue and spit this week. Awesome.

She also has figured out how to grab your fingers and pull herself up to a standing position (which she loves doing) and she has figured out how to actually move her feet and "walk" with help once standing (she used to just stay in place and eventually almost end up doing the splits). She can scoot both forward and backwards while in the sitting position and wriggle backwards and spin in circles while on her tummy....crawling is not far off!

Isla got to try chicken (mixed with peas, carrots and onions), pureed fresh corn (formerly on the cob from a fruti/veg stand!) and small cubes of watermelon this week. She loved them all.

 

I noticed that Isla has become particularly obsessed with spinning round objects this week. Our CD player in the kitchen has a clear window so you can watch the CD spin as it plays. We've been listening to Isla's new Veggietales CD a lot and she just loves to sit there and watch it spin. Sometimes I'll just be holding her in the kitchen (music off) and she'll squirm and crane her neck until I finally realize she wants the CD player on. Such a turkey. Oh and yesterday we were on a walk and I held her for the last bit because she was tired of being in the stroller. Guess how she entertained herself? By watching the stroller wheels spin!

Isla continues to be an ever-busy, always-grabbing-everything baby. She has transitioned out of 6 mo size and into 6-9 mo and 9 mo so we spent some time sorting through her clothes yesterday. Of course she wanted to play with one of the cardboard boxes so I let her have at it. Next thing I knew, I looked up and she has disappeared! She has somehow managed to flip the box upsidedown and on top of her. She didn't seem to mind either and was enjoying her little fort.

On a more personal mommy note, it has been a really rough week. I'm not sure what is going on but Isla more or less refused to nurse for 12 hours last Wednesday (I got her to feed at 5:30 AM and 5:30 PM). Then I had to work both Thursday and Friday and so was dependant on the pump for 10 hr each day (which is typical for my work shifts, it's just that they aren't usually preceded by a day like Wednesday). Needless to say, my milk supply tanked and we headed into a whirlwind weekend of Isla wanting to nurse, getting frustrated because there wasn't enough, then refusing to eat, me getting stressed out because I couldn't keep her latched for long enough which only made things worse. Etc. Etc. Thankfully, I am well equipped with many tricks of the trade for increasing supply given my profession, but never expected these problems to happen to ME. So, my weekend was basically absorbed by all things breastfeeding. I started taking Fenugreek, called my Pediatrician, called my lactation consultant friend, cried a bit, spent lots of time nursing and pumping on a rigorous schedule, tried to relax, tracked Isla's wet diapers like a hawk and so on and so forth. Things are looking up today but we still aren't back to what I would call "normal." I think she is getting enough now and I haven't had to start any formula (which is what the nurse I talked to recommended--NO!!!! Thankfully I had some pumped milk to give her when she was still hungry instead). Anyway, sorry if this is TMI for any of you male or non-breastfeeding readers but for those of you nursing moms, maybe you can relate? Prayers would be appreciated as my goal is to continue nursing at least until a year!

34 Weeks

I can't get over how cute this kid is (I think I'm allowed to say that as a mother)! It's so weird. You always wonder and imagine what your kids will look like but there is no way to know. I never expected to have a brilliantly blue eyed child. I feel pretty lucky that I do! Even the man at the gas station changing our oil couldn't get over how gorgeous her eyes are. He even called another lady out to see. "Stephanie! You gotta come over here and check out these eyes!" We also get comments about how perfectly round her head is. And everyone loves her cheeks. When I'm grocery shopping, it's kind of fun to watch all the people we pass casually try and peak and see the baby in the carseat without my noticing. But I totally see it. And then usually they can't be "subtle" any longer and have to come over and talk to her, ask what her name is etc. Stuff like makes me proud. I'm sure that people do that with every baby but still....keep it coming people! I love it. :o)

Anyway, on to the details of the week. Isla is our little bird. She eats like a baby bird (mouth open wide in anticipation) and she also has become our little song bird. I don't remember the last time I woke to an alarm. Now the first sound I hear in the morning is her singing as she lays in her crib. It actually is kind of pretty so here's to hoping it stays that way and we have a singer like her father!

Isla started shaking her head this week. I don't really think it means "no." I think she just thinks it's fun to watch the world in a blur and her head goes back and forth. She loves it when you shake your head back at her.

I'm not sure Isla is so keen on these weekly photo shoots anymore. She's too busy for them. I'm not sure how long I will keep them up. I LOVE having all the documentation since I haven't started a baby book so this is a good record keeper. I'll probably find some nice even number and move from weekly to monthly pics. But now that I've made it so far, I feel like I should at least continue out to a year....We'll see.

We introduced Isla to roasted red bell pepper and roasted cauliflower this week. She loved the bell pepper. She didn't seem incredibly thrilled by the cauliflower (she was making funny, complaining-type sounds) but she continued opening her mouth every time I put the spoon in front of her. (Part of me thinks she has no will power NOT to open her mouth when there is food in front of her....ahh, yes, the downside of being a foodie).

Isla is a little stomper. She lies in her crib and stomps her feet, so much so that sometimes the ceiling in the kitchen (below her room) shakes. Sometimes she does it because she's bored, other times, it is out of defiance over naptime (but most often the former).

Another nickname that someone (I think Graham?) came up with for Isla is Boo Bear. Not sure how that one came about but it stuck!

Isla LOVES technology--computers, cell phones, remotes, Graham's I-Touch--she's always trying to get her hands/mouth on them!

Just today, Isla figured out how to give kisses. She pretty much frenches your entire cheek but she has the idea! She also figured out how to roll her lips as she spits and blows outward. Hopefully I'll be able to catch it on video because it's pretty cute.

Lastly, Isla is becoming more mobile. She's not crawling yet but she somehow manages to scoot (mostly backwards) and spin, ending as far as 3 feet from where I initially set her. 

33 Weeks

I think Isla officially waved bye-bye for the first time on Saturday. My mom and sister and I had been shopping and we were getting ready to leave and so were all waving at her. She was watching our fingers SO intently and then, ever so slowly and gradually, she started moving her own fingers up and down. It was like she was urging her little neurons to SYNAPSE! SYNAPSE! because she wanted to copy us so badly but couldn't quite figure out how.

We dedicated Isla to the Lord this past Sunday at church (see coming post). It was a very special day and it meant a lot to us to have so many friends and family present.

Our sweet little girl has become a bit mischievous at times. I love this little photo story that occured during this morning's photo shoot. In the first pic, you can just tell she up to no good--look at that sly grin! Sure enought, she slammed poor Snowball facedown in her lap (middle pic). Then in the last pic, Snowball got her revenge (I sat her back up and apparently Isla was displeased by the feeling of fur on her face).

Isla is busy busy busy! She's starting to squirm in our laps and is constantly reaching and grabbing for anything and everything (and she's pretty quick at it). Last week, she figured how to undo her diaper....you have to be speedy at getting her pants back on when doing a change, otherwise she'll reverse all your work and take her diaper back off.

This week we added Cheerios, plums and strawberries to Isla's food list. The Cheerios were the most entertaining. EVERYTHING she holds (food or not) always goes into her mouth, except apparently for Cheerios. For whatever reason, she'd pick them up but it was like it never occured to her to eat them. Finally I started popping them in her mouth for her. She made a pretty weird face but now she gets it and seems to like them (it was like "Ohhhh, THAT'S what you want me to do with them...")

We pulled Isla's high chair out (so she could have a tray for her Cheerios) for the first time this week. In doing so, I lost some of my kitchen square footage :( but all for good reason. 

I haven't documented Isla's usual schedule in a while (not that anyone other than me is interested) but I want to have it written down for my records later. Isla wake up around 7:30 AM, eats breakfast (solids) and then nurses around 8:15 AM and goes back down for her morning nap around 8:30 AM. She usually sleeps for an hour or maybe a titch more if I'm lucky. Then she plays for a bit, nurses sometime after 11, has more solids a short time after, then goes down for another nap around noon. She sleeps for another hour or so then plays, nurses sometime between 2 and 3 and then plays some more. If we're at home, she'll often take a half hour snooze starting somewhere between 3:30 and 4:30 but if we're out and about or have company, she'll frequently sneakily skip this nap. She has solids again around 5:30 or 6, then nurses around 6:15 and goes down for bed at 6:30. She wakes up to eat pretty much at 4:30 AM on the dot and then sleeps again until 7:30 AM. Then the process repeats....

On a final note, this little missy is such a Daddy's girl. She walks in the room, sees her dad, and she is instantly smiling. She LOVES when he is around.