Isabella just celebrated her 20 month birthday. Because she hasn't had a well visit since 18 months, we're not exactly sure of her height and weight. We know her weight is around 21 lbs, give or take 8 oz. She is more talkative than ever. Her vocabulary is nearing 150 words. Some of her new words and phrases are:
Me: Where is Daddy?
Isabella: ah wook (at work)
She knows we wash her "bahdy" (body) (and can label EVERY body part) during her bath and dry it afterwards. She recognizes when someone's hair is wet (wet) or dry (die). She is able to verbalize what her food preferences are: ah joos (apple juice), mik (milk), appos (apples), cahncakes (pancakes), kini (zucchini), noonles (noodles), etc. She tells people "Appy Anka" (Happy Chanukah). She counts to ten, only leaving out the number 6. She dictates what song she wants to hear and really does a great job singing along. She knows the rhyming words in most of her books. Instead of saying "a wuh wuuuuh," she now clearly says, "I yuvvue." It's adorable. For some reason all of her "s" sounds are "y's" and all of her "f" sounds are "w." For example: swimsuit is "yimyut," shower is "yower," fish is "wish," socks are "yocks" and shoes are "yous." I'm not really sure where that comes from, but it sure is cute.
Here are some pictures we took recently:
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Gobble, Gobble
I'm sure you've noticed by now it has been a few weeks since I last posted. Our computer which stores all of our pictures, videos, documents, etc. had a near-death experience. The hard-drive was on the verge of completely dying (after only 18 months). Fortunately, we were able to recover all of our photos and videos. We were without the computer for some time, but now we have it back, new hard-drive and all. In addition, my business has been booming right now (no complaints) and there was a pretty major holiday in the middle of all of this. Between that and a reoccurring ear infection for Isabella, time has been a bit of an issues. Having said that (if you watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, you'll get that)... We're back on track and hopefully won't have any major hiccups preventing me from posting.
A little over a week ago we loaded up the car and drove (yes, drove) to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. It is a 9 1/2 hour drive (including a couple of stops and lunch). We bought a portable DVD player and a few Sesame Street DVDs in an effort to make the trip a little more enjoyable for Isabella. We figured she'd spend a lot of the time sleeping since she falls asleep between the grocery store and the house all the time. Boy were we mistaken. In the 9 1/2 hour drive to KC, she slept 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes. She was an angel for the majority of the drive, despite her lack of sleep. She started to get cranky as we got closer to my parents' house, but we had no complaints since she waited 8 1/2 hours to whine. Not only was she obviously exhausted, but we were so tired of singing the same 4 songs over and over again. She isn't big into variety right now. She has a handful of songs she likes and requests them over and over and over and over again. Any effort to deviate was promptly denied. As is the case on almost every trip we have ever taken, she didn't sleep well the first night and consequently ended up with a runny nose and mild fever. Fortunately we were prepared. We'd seen the pediatrician the Friday before we left and she gave us a prescription for a second round of anti-biotics for Isabella's ear that hadn't completely cleared. She told us if she showed symptoms again, to fill it, but not until then. After a miserable Wednesday (including a much maligned haircut for Isabella) of whining, not eating and constant nose-wiping, we filled the prescription Wednesday night while we knew the pharmacy would still be open. It made a big difference in her mood. She seemed to feel better the next day. She even managed to sleep until 6:30a or so.
Thanksgiving itself was really nice. We all got together at my parents' house and had an amazing feast. The food really was out of this world. I even made two dutch apple pies. We enjoyed football and watching Isabella entertain everyone. She loves being the center of attention. She showed everyone how she counts to ten(wum - tu - fwee - fife - sefen - eight - nine - teeeeen), most of her 100+-word vocabulary and her love for everything Sesame Street.
Friday we spent recovering and eating yummy leftovers. We watched basketball, football, and played outside with Isabella (the weather was surprisingly beautiful). We were originally planning on leaving Saturday, but we landed two tickets to the Border War (KU vs. MU) at Arrowhead on Saturday afternoon, so we jumped at the chance to see my Alma Mater in action.
We had so much fun at the game - until the last 2 minutes. Damn play-calling. We left early to get home in time to give Isabella dinner, bathe her and put her to bed. It was probably for the best. KU was leading when we left and we listened to the nightmare that was the last two minutes of the game on the radio. I'm glad I didn't have to watch it in person. Thanks Meagan for the tickets - we really did have an amazing time. Just wish it could have ended better...
We'd planned on leaving around 7 or 7:30a to head back home. Isabella had other plans. She woke up at 4:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep. We made the decision to go ahead and leave since we were up anyway. We got on the road at 6:30a. We hit Wichita by 9:30a, Oklahoma City around noon and were home around 3:30. We really made great time. Unlike the drive to KC, Isabella slept 5 1/2 of the 9+ hours. It was a nice change. We only had to sing her songs half a million times instead of a full million. It's worth singing if it makes her happy. She was very happy to be sleeping in her own bed and thanked me with a wake-up call at almost 8:00a. Boy did we need the extra hour of sleep.
Below are some pictures and a couple of videos. In the photo slideshow are some pictures from before Thanksgiving of Isabella being adorable and putting on my clothes and some from a couple of days ago when we got our first (and quite possibly ONLY) snow. In addition are some pictures from a couple of days after we got back home of her discovering that there are, indeed, TWO "Cuddles" (her favorite bear she can't sleep without). The look on her face was priceless. I'd forgotten she had one of the bears in the den and one in her crib. When she woke up from her nap we went into the Den and she went to play with Cuddles. You could almost see the light bulb over her head. She looked at me, asked me to take her to her room and insisted I handover the other Cuddles. With one Cuddles in her right arm and one in her left, she looked at them both with the most elated look I've ever seen. She showered them both with kisses and wouldn't put them down the rest of the night. Fortunately, she forgot about it the next day when I was able to hide the second Cuddles again (either that or she's making me think she forgot - it's entirely possible, she's pretty smart)... Either way, it made for some great pictures...
A little over a week ago we loaded up the car and drove (yes, drove) to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. It is a 9 1/2 hour drive (including a couple of stops and lunch). We bought a portable DVD player and a few Sesame Street DVDs in an effort to make the trip a little more enjoyable for Isabella. We figured she'd spend a lot of the time sleeping since she falls asleep between the grocery store and the house all the time. Boy were we mistaken. In the 9 1/2 hour drive to KC, she slept 45 minutes. Yes, 45 minutes. She was an angel for the majority of the drive, despite her lack of sleep. She started to get cranky as we got closer to my parents' house, but we had no complaints since she waited 8 1/2 hours to whine. Not only was she obviously exhausted, but we were so tired of singing the same 4 songs over and over again. She isn't big into variety right now. She has a handful of songs she likes and requests them over and over and over and over again. Any effort to deviate was promptly denied. As is the case on almost every trip we have ever taken, she didn't sleep well the first night and consequently ended up with a runny nose and mild fever. Fortunately we were prepared. We'd seen the pediatrician the Friday before we left and she gave us a prescription for a second round of anti-biotics for Isabella's ear that hadn't completely cleared. She told us if she showed symptoms again, to fill it, but not until then. After a miserable Wednesday (including a much maligned haircut for Isabella) of whining, not eating and constant nose-wiping, we filled the prescription Wednesday night while we knew the pharmacy would still be open. It made a big difference in her mood. She seemed to feel better the next day. She even managed to sleep until 6:30a or so.
Thanksgiving itself was really nice. We all got together at my parents' house and had an amazing feast. The food really was out of this world. I even made two dutch apple pies. We enjoyed football and watching Isabella entertain everyone. She loves being the center of attention. She showed everyone how she counts to ten(wum - tu - fwee - fife - sefen - eight - nine - teeeeen), most of her 100+-word vocabulary and her love for everything Sesame Street.
Friday we spent recovering and eating yummy leftovers. We watched basketball, football, and played outside with Isabella (the weather was surprisingly beautiful). We were originally planning on leaving Saturday, but we landed two tickets to the Border War (KU vs. MU) at Arrowhead on Saturday afternoon, so we jumped at the chance to see my Alma Mater in action.
We had so much fun at the game - until the last 2 minutes. Damn play-calling. We left early to get home in time to give Isabella dinner, bathe her and put her to bed. It was probably for the best. KU was leading when we left and we listened to the nightmare that was the last two minutes of the game on the radio. I'm glad I didn't have to watch it in person. Thanks Meagan for the tickets - we really did have an amazing time. Just wish it could have ended better...
We'd planned on leaving around 7 or 7:30a to head back home. Isabella had other plans. She woke up at 4:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep. We made the decision to go ahead and leave since we were up anyway. We got on the road at 6:30a. We hit Wichita by 9:30a, Oklahoma City around noon and were home around 3:30. We really made great time. Unlike the drive to KC, Isabella slept 5 1/2 of the 9+ hours. It was a nice change. We only had to sing her songs half a million times instead of a full million. It's worth singing if it makes her happy. She was very happy to be sleeping in her own bed and thanked me with a wake-up call at almost 8:00a. Boy did we need the extra hour of sleep.
Below are some pictures and a couple of videos. In the photo slideshow are some pictures from before Thanksgiving of Isabella being adorable and putting on my clothes and some from a couple of days ago when we got our first (and quite possibly ONLY) snow. In addition are some pictures from a couple of days after we got back home of her discovering that there are, indeed, TWO "Cuddles" (her favorite bear she can't sleep without). The look on her face was priceless. I'd forgotten she had one of the bears in the den and one in her crib. When she woke up from her nap we went into the Den and she went to play with Cuddles. You could almost see the light bulb over her head. She looked at me, asked me to take her to her room and insisted I handover the other Cuddles. With one Cuddles in her right arm and one in her left, she looked at them both with the most elated look I've ever seen. She showered them both with kisses and wouldn't put them down the rest of the night. Fortunately, she forgot about it the next day when I was able to hide the second Cuddles again (either that or she's making me think she forgot - it's entirely possible, she's pretty smart)... Either way, it made for some great pictures...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!!!
Once we got through the torture of putting on of the costume and the pigtails, Isabella had a GREAT Halloween. We went to Sara and Jarred's for a Halloween party and we had a great time. Isabella had the most fun, though. She started off decorating a pumpkin bucket to use for future Halloweens. After dinner, she got to go trick or treating "by herself" for the first time. Last year she was carried door to door, but this year she walked up and said her version of trick or treat all by herself (with David and I standing a couple of inches away). She smiled for everyone, thanked them and waved goodbye. She was very polite :). At first she didn't understand the concept of keeping the candy in the bag. She thought once they put it in there, she needed to hold the candy and pass the bag to me. We had to explain to her that she needed to keep it in the bag and take the bag with her so she could get more candy for me - I mean her. She got the hang of it and walked to six or seven houses. She impressed me in that she didn't even touch her pigtails until the night was over. We made it through the entire night without a costume malfunction or a meltdown. It was as perfect as it could possibly be. Check out her pictures and some videos:
Thursday, October 29, 2009
It's About Time...
I know what you're thinking: Are they EVER going to post again? The short answer is "yes," but they might be further apart than they used to. With only Isabella's nap time (she's down to one a day), there isn't as much time to do it. My business has been doing well lately, so that takes up the rest of my free time. Hang in there - I'll post. I promise.
A few weeks ago my grandparents came down to visit. Isabella loved the attention. She modeled her hat collection for them (and even put one on Grandpa's head). She entertained them nonstop. They got to go to Little Gym with us and watch Isabella on the balance beam (all by herself, I might add). We really enjoyed having them.
A couple of weeks ago, Creative Cuddles (my business) had a booth at a local craft bazaar. My mom came down to help (I couldn't have done it without her) and David stayed at home with Isabella. The show went o.k. The first hour and a half were great. I was swamped and orders were pouring in. The last 3 1/2 hours were just the opposite. I didn't sell one more thing the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't a total waste, though. One of my customers from that day just placed another order with me today. Very exciting. My mom went with us to Little Gym before we went to the airport. She had a blast watching Isabella. Isabella was even chosen to demonstrate a couple of activities. I was so proud.
Last Saturday David and I took Isabella to the Dallas Arboretum to take some "Pumpkin" pictures in their beautiful fall scenery. Isabella had a great time.
For Halloween this weekend, Isabella is going as Abby Caddabby from Sesame Street. As much as she loves that character, I thought she'd jump at the opportunity to dress like her. I'd purchased a costume a couple of months ago with the intention of using it as a plan B. As of last week, it was plan A - then my mom came in town. With her help, we came up with an idea to make one on our own. I'd looked for a pattern so that I could make one from scratch, but that's one of the only Sesame Street characters they don't make. We ended up using two pairs of bloomers and a tutu, taking them apart, and reassembling them as an Abby Caddabby costume. Whether it looks perfect or not, at least it's homemade. I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't made it for her. It'd be a waste not to use my sewing abilities. Yesterday afternoon my playgroup got together to take pictures of the kiddos in their costumes. I thought Isabella would be so excited to dress like Abby Caddabby. Boy was I wrong. She threw her first full temper-tantrum. I even took pictures of it so I can show her when she gets older. She FREAKED out when I put on the dress. When it came time to put her hair in pigtails - that just put her over the top. She ended up being fine once we got to playgroup and took some really cute pictures. She didn't wear the "full" costume (she didn't have the hair pompoms or wand). I'm saving that torture for Saturday night when it's actually Halloween. Still, I think she looked precious.
A few weeks ago my grandparents came down to visit. Isabella loved the attention. She modeled her hat collection for them (and even put one on Grandpa's head). She entertained them nonstop. They got to go to Little Gym with us and watch Isabella on the balance beam (all by herself, I might add). We really enjoyed having them.
A couple of weeks ago, Creative Cuddles (my business) had a booth at a local craft bazaar. My mom came down to help (I couldn't have done it without her) and David stayed at home with Isabella. The show went o.k. The first hour and a half were great. I was swamped and orders were pouring in. The last 3 1/2 hours were just the opposite. I didn't sell one more thing the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't a total waste, though. One of my customers from that day just placed another order with me today. Very exciting. My mom went with us to Little Gym before we went to the airport. She had a blast watching Isabella. Isabella was even chosen to demonstrate a couple of activities. I was so proud.
Last Saturday David and I took Isabella to the Dallas Arboretum to take some "Pumpkin" pictures in their beautiful fall scenery. Isabella had a great time.
For Halloween this weekend, Isabella is going as Abby Caddabby from Sesame Street. As much as she loves that character, I thought she'd jump at the opportunity to dress like her. I'd purchased a costume a couple of months ago with the intention of using it as a plan B. As of last week, it was plan A - then my mom came in town. With her help, we came up with an idea to make one on our own. I'd looked for a pattern so that I could make one from scratch, but that's one of the only Sesame Street characters they don't make. We ended up using two pairs of bloomers and a tutu, taking them apart, and reassembling them as an Abby Caddabby costume. Whether it looks perfect or not, at least it's homemade. I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't made it for her. It'd be a waste not to use my sewing abilities. Yesterday afternoon my playgroup got together to take pictures of the kiddos in their costumes. I thought Isabella would be so excited to dress like Abby Caddabby. Boy was I wrong. She threw her first full temper-tantrum. I even took pictures of it so I can show her when she gets older. She FREAKED out when I put on the dress. When it came time to put her hair in pigtails - that just put her over the top. She ended up being fine once we got to playgroup and took some really cute pictures. She didn't wear the "full" costume (she didn't have the hair pompoms or wand). I'm saving that torture for Saturday night when it's actually Halloween. Still, I think she looked precious.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A Year and a Half...
That's right - Isabella is 18 months old today. Unbelievable. She had her check-up this morning. She weighed in at 20 lbs. 6 ounces and had grown almost 2 full inches to 31". She's in the 8th percentile for weight and now the 25 percentile for height. Everything checked out beautifully and the next time they'll need to see her is on her 2nd birthday! (It sounds weird even saying that).
Last weekend we celebrated David's Grandma Rose's 90th Birthday in San Antonio. Isabella loved playing with all of her cousins (and meeting a one for the first time). We arrived on Friday morning and after swinging by the store to say Hello to Jiddo, Uncle Randy and Uncle Nathan, we went to lunch with Grammy. Isabella was told she was the cutest baby our waitress had ever seen. She mentioned she sees a ton of kids every day and none of them are as cute as Isabella. Honestly comments like that never get old. It feels so good to hear someone say that about my little girl. From there we headed over to Grandma Rose's house where Isabella saw her Great Aunts Joyce, Gail and Grace. She was measured as she is every time we visit Grandma's house and she had grown an inch since the last time we were there. After a fair nap, Isabella headed outside to play. Grammy and Jiddo have a slide/climbing set. After one or two demonstrations, Isabella had it figured out and did it over and over and over again - at least 30 times. It was absolutely adorable. She didn't have a very good evening - the macaroni and cheese she'd had at lunch didn't really agree with her tummy - but she slept fairly well.
Saturday Ike, Sandy and their kids arrived and immediately Isabella was following Aaron (or "Awon" as she says) like a shadow. She just loves that boy! You'll see almost every picture of Aaron has Isabella sitting on his lap - he was such a good sport. We went to dinner at Gail and Harold's where Isabella got to play with her cousin Rachel in addition to all of her 1st cousins.
The main event was a brunch held on Sunday morning. It was beautiful. Tito gave a beautiful speech and I really think everyone had a great time. Grandma Rose looked so happy to be sharing her birthday with all of her family. It was so nice. Isabella had some Grand Marnier Challah French Toast. She ate more of that than she's eaten in the last week COMBINED. It was pretty freakin' good, I must say.
Isabella didn't fall asleep on the plane, but was really well behaved. We got home around 10pm and we were all happy to be sleeping in our own beds.
The work on the house is moving along well. Hopefully we'll have some "afters" for you fairly soon.
Here are the pictures from the weekend:
Last weekend we celebrated David's Grandma Rose's 90th Birthday in San Antonio. Isabella loved playing with all of her cousins (and meeting a one for the first time). We arrived on Friday morning and after swinging by the store to say Hello to Jiddo, Uncle Randy and Uncle Nathan, we went to lunch with Grammy. Isabella was told she was the cutest baby our waitress had ever seen. She mentioned she sees a ton of kids every day and none of them are as cute as Isabella. Honestly comments like that never get old. It feels so good to hear someone say that about my little girl. From there we headed over to Grandma Rose's house where Isabella saw her Great Aunts Joyce, Gail and Grace. She was measured as she is every time we visit Grandma's house and she had grown an inch since the last time we were there. After a fair nap, Isabella headed outside to play. Grammy and Jiddo have a slide/climbing set. After one or two demonstrations, Isabella had it figured out and did it over and over and over again - at least 30 times. It was absolutely adorable. She didn't have a very good evening - the macaroni and cheese she'd had at lunch didn't really agree with her tummy - but she slept fairly well.
Saturday Ike, Sandy and their kids arrived and immediately Isabella was following Aaron (or "Awon" as she says) like a shadow. She just loves that boy! You'll see almost every picture of Aaron has Isabella sitting on his lap - he was such a good sport. We went to dinner at Gail and Harold's where Isabella got to play with her cousin Rachel in addition to all of her 1st cousins.
The main event was a brunch held on Sunday morning. It was beautiful. Tito gave a beautiful speech and I really think everyone had a great time. Grandma Rose looked so happy to be sharing her birthday with all of her family. It was so nice. Isabella had some Grand Marnier Challah French Toast. She ate more of that than she's eaten in the last week COMBINED. It was pretty freakin' good, I must say.
Isabella didn't fall asleep on the plane, but was really well behaved. We got home around 10pm and we were all happy to be sleeping in our own beds.
The work on the house is moving along well. Hopefully we'll have some "afters" for you fairly soon.
Here are the pictures from the weekend:
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Happy, Healthy New Year!
It's a good thing we're settled into the new home because this month has been crazy and next month looks to be even busier. We spent last weekend in Kansas City for Rosh Hashanah. A good time was had by all. Isabella loved all of the attention. She made sure all eyes were on her - quite a performer, that little girl. She recited the alphabet for everyone (she knows "a" through "d", but her favorite letter is "f." She repeats it several times throughout her version of the ABCs. She played instruments and danced her little tushie off. While we were there, Isabella received her first professional bang trim. She didn't take it well at first. She screamed and wouldn't let go of me, but once the stylist told Meagan about some bubbles she had at her station, Isabella was putty in our hands. She sat there excitedly staring at the bubbles...and getting her bangs trimmed.
Isabella has recently adopted a new post-bath routine. She loves to let me put the hooded towel on her head and then run out of the room and look for her Daddy - completely naked. She thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. She eventually lets me put her diaper and PJs on. It's funny now, but I hope she outgrows this habit fairly quickly. I don't want to be nominated for worst mother of the year...
When we arrived home we decided to start on some work on the house. Minor updates -just some paint and crown molding changes. I forgot how much I hated having workers in the house. Oh well - it'll all be worth it.
Isabella is truly enjoying her new backyard. She'll walk up to the door and tell me "ahyide" (outside) and repeat it until I take her outside. She runs around and picks up the golf balls David plays around with. (You'll see some videos at the end of this post.) Isabella has also started counting to three (wuh-too-freeeeee(the 3 is in a very high-pitched voice.) She's added "grocery store" (grogreegore), "turkey" (tureeee), "avocado" (ahcaca), and several other words to her vocabulary. She's also started putting words together. It's amazing that I can actually communicate with her. I can't believe how mature she's becoming.
Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks (there are a few pictures of some rooms in our new house that didn't make the last post):
Isabella has recently adopted a new post-bath routine. She loves to let me put the hooded towel on her head and then run out of the room and look for her Daddy - completely naked. She thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. She eventually lets me put her diaper and PJs on. It's funny now, but I hope she outgrows this habit fairly quickly. I don't want to be nominated for worst mother of the year...
When we arrived home we decided to start on some work on the house. Minor updates -just some paint and crown molding changes. I forgot how much I hated having workers in the house. Oh well - it'll all be worth it.
Isabella is truly enjoying her new backyard. She'll walk up to the door and tell me "ahyide" (outside) and repeat it until I take her outside. She runs around and picks up the golf balls David plays around with. (You'll see some videos at the end of this post.) Isabella has also started counting to three (wuh-too-freeeeee(the 3 is in a very high-pitched voice.) She's added "grocery store" (grogreegore), "turkey" (tureeee), "avocado" (ahcaca), and several other words to her vocabulary. She's also started putting words together. It's amazing that I can actually communicate with her. I can't believe how mature she's becoming.
Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks (there are a few pictures of some rooms in our new house that didn't make the last post):
Thursday, September 10, 2009
17 Months Old and News on the Move:
Long time no post...
So much has happened since my last post. We are in our new house and 100% unpacked. Yes, completely unpacked. It feels good. Isabella just celebrated her 17 month birthday. Hard to believe she'll be 1 1/2 next month. She's added some adorable words to her vocabulary. She says "shees" when smiling for the camera, she tells you "A wah waaah" for I Love You, She says "mine" (which I'm not thrilled about - damn Sesame Street). If you ask her what she wants for dinner she says "umm. hmmm (with her finger up to her mouth)". Her favorite game is "goodnight (nigh nigh), good morning (moni). She loves to dance with her dolls. She can identify most family members in pictures by name. She says the alphabet with me and can successfully identify 3 letters (O,A and I). She likes to draw with Crayons (ca ca), sing Twinkle Twinkle (ti ti), take "bites" of my food (byes), hold my hand (hine) and walk around the house and several other precious things. She just gets cuter every day.
She is LOVING the new house. She's seemed to feel right at home since the first time we toured the house. It was an instant connection for her. I truly believe that. She has some "favorite" activities in the new house she didn't have in the old one. Because of how her nursery is set up, she has an additional bookcase/storage unit visible in her room. In one of the cubbies I keep her hats (winter hats, sun hats, etc.). She loves to walk from the Den to her room by herself (which is quite a distance for her), pick out a hat, put it on and come back into the Den to model it for David and me. She does that about 2-3 times, each time modeling a different season's hat. It's hilarious.
I built a gift set her Grammy and Jiddo had given her for her 1st birthday (a cradle, highchair and stroller for her dolls) a couple of days ago. She's obsessed with the stroller. She pushes every doll she can get her hands on. She's actually gotten pretty good at maneuvering the stroller down the halls and into the rooms. "Cuddles" has gone on quite a few "joy rides." Poor bear.
Isabella is enrolled in quite a few fall activities. On Mondays she still has her Playgroup. Tuesdays she goes to Little Gym where she does physical activities like obstacle courses, somersaults, jumping, running, flipping with mommy's help and singing songs. She absolutely loves it. She's always exploring and getting involved. She politely applauds every child when they do a good demonstration of an activity, but REFUSES to demonstrate herself. I guess she doesn't like the spotlight (yeah right!). She's so outgoing I just am so proud. On Wednesdays she doesn't have any organized activities, but we usually meet up with some of her friends to play. Yesterday we "hiked" a 2-3 mile trail at the Plano Nature Preserve. She was great for the first mile and a half, but got a little hot and bored after that. I was panting and gasping for breath, but I forgot that riding in a stroller isn't the most exciting activity. On Thursdays she has her second round of swimming lessons. She's up to 8 or 9 seconds under water. She's a little fish :). She LOVES swimming on her back now which she despised before. She's come a long way. On Fridays she starts Music Together this week. For 45 minutes they sing, dance and play instruments. It's her favorite. She's so involved (I know this because we did it last Spring).
That's about it as far as updates go. With the exception of a couple of minor (ok, not so minor - we discovered last week a small fire had occurred in the attic a little over a week before we moved in. We were terrified because it happened over what is now Isabella's room. We had electricians here all week fixing it and replacing wires and breaker boxes. Everything is repaired or replaced and we are safe as can be.) things in the house in the first week, the process has gone smoothly.
We hope you all get a chance to see at one point or another. It's a great house.
Here are a few pictures of Isabella and some of the house (only a couple of rooms): I'll post more later today or tomorrow of the rest of the house.
*In the group of pictures you'll see a couple of Isabella in her old room on moving day. She had a nap in there while we cleaned the house. We had to take some photos of her in the room she slept in when she came home from the hospital. It was harder for me than it was for her. She couldn't have cared less...
So much has happened since my last post. We are in our new house and 100% unpacked. Yes, completely unpacked. It feels good. Isabella just celebrated her 17 month birthday. Hard to believe she'll be 1 1/2 next month. She's added some adorable words to her vocabulary. She says "shees" when smiling for the camera, she tells you "A wah waaah" for I Love You, She says "mine" (which I'm not thrilled about - damn Sesame Street). If you ask her what she wants for dinner she says "umm. hmmm (with her finger up to her mouth)". Her favorite game is "goodnight (nigh nigh), good morning (moni). She loves to dance with her dolls. She can identify most family members in pictures by name. She says the alphabet with me and can successfully identify 3 letters (O,A and I). She likes to draw with Crayons (ca ca), sing Twinkle Twinkle (ti ti), take "bites" of my food (byes), hold my hand (hine) and walk around the house and several other precious things. She just gets cuter every day.
She is LOVING the new house. She's seemed to feel right at home since the first time we toured the house. It was an instant connection for her. I truly believe that. She has some "favorite" activities in the new house she didn't have in the old one. Because of how her nursery is set up, she has an additional bookcase/storage unit visible in her room. In one of the cubbies I keep her hats (winter hats, sun hats, etc.). She loves to walk from the Den to her room by herself (which is quite a distance for her), pick out a hat, put it on and come back into the Den to model it for David and me. She does that about 2-3 times, each time modeling a different season's hat. It's hilarious.
I built a gift set her Grammy and Jiddo had given her for her 1st birthday (a cradle, highchair and stroller for her dolls) a couple of days ago. She's obsessed with the stroller. She pushes every doll she can get her hands on. She's actually gotten pretty good at maneuvering the stroller down the halls and into the rooms. "Cuddles" has gone on quite a few "joy rides." Poor bear.
Isabella is enrolled in quite a few fall activities. On Mondays she still has her Playgroup. Tuesdays she goes to Little Gym where she does physical activities like obstacle courses, somersaults, jumping, running, flipping with mommy's help and singing songs. She absolutely loves it. She's always exploring and getting involved. She politely applauds every child when they do a good demonstration of an activity, but REFUSES to demonstrate herself. I guess she doesn't like the spotlight (yeah right!). She's so outgoing I just am so proud. On Wednesdays she doesn't have any organized activities, but we usually meet up with some of her friends to play. Yesterday we "hiked" a 2-3 mile trail at the Plano Nature Preserve. She was great for the first mile and a half, but got a little hot and bored after that. I was panting and gasping for breath, but I forgot that riding in a stroller isn't the most exciting activity. On Thursdays she has her second round of swimming lessons. She's up to 8 or 9 seconds under water. She's a little fish :). She LOVES swimming on her back now which she despised before. She's come a long way. On Fridays she starts Music Together this week. For 45 minutes they sing, dance and play instruments. It's her favorite. She's so involved (I know this because we did it last Spring).
That's about it as far as updates go. With the exception of a couple of minor (ok, not so minor - we discovered last week a small fire had occurred in the attic a little over a week before we moved in. We were terrified because it happened over what is now Isabella's room. We had electricians here all week fixing it and replacing wires and breaker boxes. Everything is repaired or replaced and we are safe as can be.) things in the house in the first week, the process has gone smoothly.
We hope you all get a chance to see at one point or another. It's a great house.
Here are a few pictures of Isabella and some of the house (only a couple of rooms): I'll post more later today or tomorrow of the rest of the house.
*In the group of pictures you'll see a couple of Isabella in her old room on moving day. She had a nap in there while we cleaned the house. We had to take some photos of her in the room she slept in when she came home from the hospital. It was harder for me than it was for her. She couldn't have cared less...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Celebrations in Kansas City
We just got back late last night from a short trip to KC. It was definitely for a wonderful occasion. My grandparents, Raymond and Radine, were celebrating their 64th anniversary, her 84th birthday and his 86th birthday. They were being honored at the synagogue Friday night, so we made the trip in Friday morning. Not only did we fit in a meal at Fiorella's Jack Stack BBQ, we visited "Papa" at work and got to meet "Aunt" Meagan's 4th grade students. Isabella was a little ham at the celebration that night. Good thing we don't keep kosher :). She was running around flirting with everyone and showing off. It was adorable (unfortunately, no pictures were taken - sorry). Saturday Isabella got to play with her cousins Noah and Sam Beznovsky at their new house. She had fun, but was past due for a nap, so she got a bit cranky towards the end. My mom and Meagan were nice enough to watch Isabella so David, my Dad and I could go to an impromptu Royals' game. At least the stadium is nice...the team in it sucks. We had fun anyway. Sunday we had a brunch to continue the "Rays'" celebrations. Isabella was great until the very end. She really likes showing off...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Paperback Writer
I can officially cross one of the items on my "bucket list." Last night my dream came true: I saw Paul McCartney LIVE in concert. David purchased floor seats, 40 rows back dead center, for our anniversary. Since we couldn't take Isabella with us, we used a baby sitter a friend of mine suggested. I was nervous because Isabella's getting all 4 of her molars and was really cranky. Thankfully she absolutely loved the babysitter and was a total angel which made the night that much more enjoyable. The concert was at the new Cowboys' stadium (which was massive, expensive and ridiculous). It was amazing. There isn't much to say other than - wow. Although I only knew 2 songs in the first hour, the other 90 minutes made up for it. He did two encores in addition to his regular set (I would've been happier with 3 or 4, but he is 60-something). He sang some of my favorites. I will remember this night for the rest of my life...
Here are some photos and video clips of a few of his songs. The sound isn't the greatest nor is the camera work, but you'll get the gist:
Here are some photos and video clips of a few of his songs. The sound isn't the greatest nor is the camera work, but you'll get the gist:
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Happy Birthday to David!
For the first time in 2 years, David was actually in town for his birthday. We took advantage of that by going out to a yummy dinner at Chamberlain's Fish Market. Isabella hadn't been in the greatest mood during the day, but as usual she managed to get it together just in time to have a very enjoyable dinner. You'll notice in the photos Isabella actually let me put her hair in pigtails earlier that day and even fix them for dinner. It hasn't happened since...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
16 Months and up to this point...
I sincerely apologize for the LONG stretch between posts. As you know, we are in the middle of a move, so time is at a minimum. I'll try and get us up to date:
Tito's Birthday Weekend:
We spent the weekend in San Antonio to celebrate Tito's birthday. As always, Isabella had SO much fun seeing all of her cousins. She played ALL weekend long. David and I were busy behind the scenes negotiating back and forth on the purchase of our new house and putting our current house on the market.
House on the Market:
When we arrived back in town, reality hit that our house was on the market. Fortunately it sold in just 2 days.
A Week in Kansas City:
While David was on his annual golf trip to Alabama, Isabella and I headed to Kansas City for a week to spend time with my family. She did some really fun things like going to the Zoo (she loved it), riding in a Radio Flyer Wagon, coloring and playing with Papa's guitar. She slept extremely well which was a relief. Because I forgot my camera battery when I left, I only took a few pictures:
Remodeling, A/C Units and Water Heaters:
Once we were back from all of our travels, several expected (and unexpected) changes were made to the house. Before we found our new house, we'd paid for and scheduled new granite countertops, a new backsplash and double ovens for the kitchen. When we sold the house the final price "included" these upgrades (even though they weren't installed at the time). In addition, however, the water heater decided it wanted to spring a leak and need to be replaced, as did the outside A/C unit. Thousands of dollars later, the new home owners have ZERO to complain about. ZERO! We're just ready to be out of the house in into our new digs :)
16 Months:
A few days ago Isabella celebrated her 16 month birthday. I guess that means she can drive (a little tykes car, of course). She FINALLY weighs 20 lbs. FINALLY. She's so adorable. Her vocabulary has gotten so large, it would take an entire post to list them all. I'll highlight some of my favorites:
Please: Bees?
Bless You: Bawah
Purse: Puh
Izzy: Issy
Breakfast: Beh Beh
Milk: Meeee
Meagan: Maymie
She tries to copy me in singing the alphabet, but her version goes a little something like this:
ay, bee, eee, dee, eee, eh, gee, ay, ieeee, a;sldig, ay, ell, em, em, oh, pee, alsdk, aslkdfj, esss, tee, ooh, eee, asl;kd, alskdfj, ay, eee.
It's absolutely adorable. She plays along with Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pat-a-cake, Wheels on the Bus and If You're Happy and You Know It. She feeds her dolls and gives them her sippy cup. She plays Goodnight, Goodmorning. It's so funny how she does it. If you're "Sleeping" she kisses your arm and then yells in your face "MAMA!" I laugh every time. She dances to almost every upbeat song. She's getting better at eating with a fork and a spoon all by herself. She can name several family members in pictures. She love to "read." If she ever wonders off in the house, 90% of the time she's in her room reading. The other 10% she's in our room going through my nightstand drawers. She loves putting her purses on her shoulder, waving and saying "bye bye." She's just so entertaining. I love it!
Tito's Birthday Weekend:
We spent the weekend in San Antonio to celebrate Tito's birthday. As always, Isabella had SO much fun seeing all of her cousins. She played ALL weekend long. David and I were busy behind the scenes negotiating back and forth on the purchase of our new house and putting our current house on the market.
House on the Market:
When we arrived back in town, reality hit that our house was on the market. Fortunately it sold in just 2 days.
A Week in Kansas City:
While David was on his annual golf trip to Alabama, Isabella and I headed to Kansas City for a week to spend time with my family. She did some really fun things like going to the Zoo (she loved it), riding in a Radio Flyer Wagon, coloring and playing with Papa's guitar. She slept extremely well which was a relief. Because I forgot my camera battery when I left, I only took a few pictures:
Remodeling, A/C Units and Water Heaters:
Once we were back from all of our travels, several expected (and unexpected) changes were made to the house. Before we found our new house, we'd paid for and scheduled new granite countertops, a new backsplash and double ovens for the kitchen. When we sold the house the final price "included" these upgrades (even though they weren't installed at the time). In addition, however, the water heater decided it wanted to spring a leak and need to be replaced, as did the outside A/C unit. Thousands of dollars later, the new home owners have ZERO to complain about. ZERO! We're just ready to be out of the house in into our new digs :)
16 Months:
A few days ago Isabella celebrated her 16 month birthday. I guess that means she can drive (a little tykes car, of course). She FINALLY weighs 20 lbs. FINALLY. She's so adorable. Her vocabulary has gotten so large, it would take an entire post to list them all. I'll highlight some of my favorites:
Please: Bees?
Bless You: Bawah
Purse: Puh
Izzy: Issy
Breakfast: Beh Beh
Milk: Meeee
Meagan: Maymie
She tries to copy me in singing the alphabet, but her version goes a little something like this:
ay, bee, eee, dee, eee, eh, gee, ay, ieeee, a;sldig, ay, ell, em, em, oh, pee, alsdk, aslkdfj, esss, tee, ooh, eee, asl;kd, alskdfj, ay, eee.
It's absolutely adorable. She plays along with Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pat-a-cake, Wheels on the Bus and If You're Happy and You Know It. She feeds her dolls and gives them her sippy cup. She plays Goodnight, Goodmorning. It's so funny how she does it. If you're "Sleeping" she kisses your arm and then yells in your face "MAMA!" I laugh every time. She dances to almost every upbeat song. She's getting better at eating with a fork and a spoon all by herself. She can name several family members in pictures. She love to "read." If she ever wonders off in the house, 90% of the time she's in her room reading. The other 10% she's in our room going through my nightstand drawers. She loves putting her purses on her shoulder, waving and saying "bye bye." She's just so entertaining. I love it!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
15 Months Part II
Isabella's appointment went very well. She has the vocabulary of an 18-24 mo. old baby - so I'm very pleased. At this age she's supposed to say 3-6 words other than Mama and Dada. In addition to the words I've mentioned in past posts, here are a few more she's added in the last week:
Ball: Bah
Bear: Bay
Meow: meeeeahhhhh (really really high pitched, I might add)
Yes: Yah
Yeah: Yah
Cheese: sheees (in a whisper - for some odd reason)
Peas: psss
Her stats weren't that much different than her last appointment; 19 1/2 lbs.(8th percentile), 29" tall(15th percentile), and her head was 44cm (8th percentile). She received 5 vaccines (poor thing). She was extremely cranky the rest of the day and didn't have much of an appetite, but was back to her normal self the next afternoon.
Saturday afternoon we went to a 1st birthday party at the Little Gym. Isabella had a great time with her cousin Rachel. As much fun as she had, David finally admitted it was overrated. It's really expensive and she could already do most of the things they taught there - and she's never been to a class. Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends of mine and their girls (all Isabella's age). Isabella wasn't on her best behavior, but the restaurant was loud, so it didn't really matter. She still had fun with her friends. The next morning we met the same friends at the water park up the street from our house. She had more fun than I can even tell you. By the end, she wanted nothing to do with me. I tried to hold her hand and walk with her, but that wasn't happening. She'd smile at me and walk the other way. It was so much fun to watch her play. She was truly enjoying herself. Later than afternoon we ran up to the mall for a few minutes to check out the big sale at Saks. Isabella wasn't too keen on being in her stroller (or being in one place for that matter). She wanted to walk around the whole mall, but obviously, we didn't let her. She must've worn herself out, because the last picture you'll see in the slide show is 10 minutes after we left :) Sunday night we went over to another friend's house where we discovered our good friends Ari and Ellen are having a baby! They are due January 23 and we are SO excited for them. They are going to make excellent parents...
Here are some pictures from the past few days (and a bonus video of her walking - just so you all know I'm telling the truth). Enjoy:
Ball: Bah
Bear: Bay
Meow: meeeeahhhhh (really really high pitched, I might add)
Yes: Yah
Yeah: Yah
Cheese: sheees (in a whisper - for some odd reason)
Peas: psss
Her stats weren't that much different than her last appointment; 19 1/2 lbs.(8th percentile), 29" tall(15th percentile), and her head was 44cm (8th percentile). She received 5 vaccines (poor thing). She was extremely cranky the rest of the day and didn't have much of an appetite, but was back to her normal self the next afternoon.
Saturday afternoon we went to a 1st birthday party at the Little Gym. Isabella had a great time with her cousin Rachel. As much fun as she had, David finally admitted it was overrated. It's really expensive and she could already do most of the things they taught there - and she's never been to a class. Saturday night we went out to dinner with some friends of mine and their girls (all Isabella's age). Isabella wasn't on her best behavior, but the restaurant was loud, so it didn't really matter. She still had fun with her friends. The next morning we met the same friends at the water park up the street from our house. She had more fun than I can even tell you. By the end, she wanted nothing to do with me. I tried to hold her hand and walk with her, but that wasn't happening. She'd smile at me and walk the other way. It was so much fun to watch her play. She was truly enjoying herself. Later than afternoon we ran up to the mall for a few minutes to check out the big sale at Saks. Isabella wasn't too keen on being in her stroller (or being in one place for that matter). She wanted to walk around the whole mall, but obviously, we didn't let her. She must've worn herself out, because the last picture you'll see in the slide show is 10 minutes after we left :) Sunday night we went over to another friend's house where we discovered our good friends Ari and Ellen are having a baby! They are due January 23 and we are SO excited for them. They are going to make excellent parents...
Here are some pictures from the past few days (and a bonus video of her walking - just so you all know I'm telling the truth). Enjoy:
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
15 Months and Counting...
I'm beginning to feel like a broken record. Every month it doesn't seem possible she is a month older. Tomorrow Isabella visits the Dr. for her 15-mo. well-visit and vaccines. It should be interesting to see how tall she is and where she is on the milestone chart. I like to think she's a pretty smart cookie, but then again, I AM her mom. I'm sure all moms feel that way. I just need the proof from a neutral third party :).
In the pictures below, there are some from our Fourth of July "kid-friendly" family party, some from a play date Isabella had with one of her best friends Alyssa Dolman (the tea party pictures), and some other random photos. You'll notice two naked photos in there - last Friday our A.C. went out, but Isabella still needed a nap. I went in to check on her and discovered she'd taken her diaper off. I was laughing so hard, but realized I wouldn't be laughing when I was cleaning urine out of everything. Fortunately, she didn't pee on anything. Whew - I dodged a bullet there.
In the pictures below, there are some from our Fourth of July "kid-friendly" family party, some from a play date Isabella had with one of her best friends Alyssa Dolman (the tea party pictures), and some other random photos. You'll notice two naked photos in there - last Friday our A.C. went out, but Isabella still needed a nap. I went in to check on her and discovered she'd taken her diaper off. I was laughing so hard, but realized I wouldn't be laughing when I was cleaning urine out of everything. Fortunately, she didn't pee on anything. Whew - I dodged a bullet there.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Better Late Than Never
Sorry for the tardiness of this post. I'm not really sure where the last week has gone. Not a whole lot is new in the Tawil household. Isabella is walking a lot more and has added a few words to her vocabulary. She now says:
Eyes - eyeeeeeez
No - Niy niy niy (almost always in sets of three and accompanied by a headshake)
Baaah(like the sound a sheep makes) - ah ah ah ah
Moo - Maaah
Cock-a-doodle-doo - thckathckathck
Moose - maaah
Doggy - daddy
Dolly - daddy
A week shy of her 15 month birthday, she weighs in just under 19 lbs. I'm not sure how tall she is, but I'll find out a week from Wednesday at her 15 mo. checkup. She still has the same 6 teeth she's had since the beginning of May, but we can tell there are new ones on the way.
We got back from Kansas City a week ago yesterday. (As usual, Izzy was a perfect angel on our flights to and from.) We were there having our make-up celebration of my birthday from when we couldn't go in May b/c of the swine flu. My parents surprised me with an incredible birthday cake from the woman who made David and my wedding cake. For those of you who remember how amazing it was - the birthday cake was just as good and looked fabulous. She's made it to match my invitations for my surprise party (which didn't end up happening). While we were there, we threw in a Father's Day Brunch.
Isabella did some fun things while she was visiting KC. It was brutally hot and rained the first 2 days, but we didn't let that dampen our trip. We took her to a petting zoo for the first time and she absolutely LOVED it. We went to the farmer's market and picked out some fresh fruits and veggies. She ate KC BBQ for the first time and, no surprise, she loved that as well. David got to play golf 3 times while we were there (4 if you count the trip to the driving range). He was in heaven. My Dad actually "played" with him when he went on Saturday. I've got to give my Dad some credit, it takes a strong guy to go to a golf course having never played anything other than driving range shots. He did really well. David and I actually had a date while we were there. It was so nice to be alone. We went to see The Hangover. I was very skeptical going in to it, but was pleasantly surprised how funny it was. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
Here are some pictures from the trip. Enjoy!
P.S. The last few pictures are of Isabella's first bang trim. I did it myself, if you couldn't tell. She wouldn't hold still, so they're a little shorter and more uneven than I anticipated. There's also a picture of her "wearing" my tank top. She was under the impression it was a necklace...
Eyes - eyeeeeeez
No - Niy niy niy (almost always in sets of three and accompanied by a headshake)
Baaah(like the sound a sheep makes) - ah ah ah ah
Moo - Maaah
Cock-a-doodle-doo - thckathckathck
Moose - maaah
Doggy - daddy
Dolly - daddy
A week shy of her 15 month birthday, she weighs in just under 19 lbs. I'm not sure how tall she is, but I'll find out a week from Wednesday at her 15 mo. checkup. She still has the same 6 teeth she's had since the beginning of May, but we can tell there are new ones on the way.
We got back from Kansas City a week ago yesterday. (As usual, Izzy was a perfect angel on our flights to and from.) We were there having our make-up celebration of my birthday from when we couldn't go in May b/c of the swine flu. My parents surprised me with an incredible birthday cake from the woman who made David and my wedding cake. For those of you who remember how amazing it was - the birthday cake was just as good and looked fabulous. She's made it to match my invitations for my surprise party (which didn't end up happening). While we were there, we threw in a Father's Day Brunch.
Isabella did some fun things while she was visiting KC. It was brutally hot and rained the first 2 days, but we didn't let that dampen our trip. We took her to a petting zoo for the first time and she absolutely LOVED it. We went to the farmer's market and picked out some fresh fruits and veggies. She ate KC BBQ for the first time and, no surprise, she loved that as well. David got to play golf 3 times while we were there (4 if you count the trip to the driving range). He was in heaven. My Dad actually "played" with him when he went on Saturday. I've got to give my Dad some credit, it takes a strong guy to go to a golf course having never played anything other than driving range shots. He did really well. David and I actually had a date while we were there. It was so nice to be alone. We went to see The Hangover. I was very skeptical going in to it, but was pleasantly surprised how funny it was. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
Here are some pictures from the trip. Enjoy!
P.S. The last few pictures are of Isabella's first bang trim. I did it myself, if you couldn't tell. She wouldn't hold still, so they're a little shorter and more uneven than I anticipated. There's also a picture of her "wearing" my tank top. She was under the impression it was a necklace...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Rain, Rain Go Away!
It's hard to imagine a day where it rains for 18 straight hours - and not just rains, pours! Well, today (and yesterday) was one of those days. It started last night around 6:30p (of course David was at the gym). Isabella and I noticed the wind was picking up a bit. Ok, maybe she didn't really notice and it was just a coincidence that when I asked her if she thought it was windy, she replied "yaya." Anyway, the rain came down in sheets, the wind gusted up to 80 mph in some areas, and we even saw (or heard) some hail. All of this for 18 hours. The lights went out around 7pm last night, but fortunately, only for about 20 seconds. Long enough for me to gather myself and not freak out Isabella. She wasn't phased one bit. She probably thought it was cool. If all this rain wasn't bad enough, I've been fighting a pretty severe sinus infection for the last couple of days and haven't been feeling all that great. Something about the weather and the illness just made for a lousy day. I needed a pick-me-up, to say the least. That, my friends, is why you have children. Isabella doesn't care what the weather is outside or how bad I'm feeling (which isn't always a good thing). She's always happy and ready to bring a smile to my face. She was just doing some really cute things so I grabbed the video camera to capture them. Here are some cuts of what I filmed:
**This random photo was taken last week - she's even prim and proper when she sleeps...
**This random photo was taken last week - she's even prim and proper when she sleeps...
Monday, June 8, 2009
14 Months...going on 14 years...
Today is Isabella's 14 mo. birthday. At this point, she has mastered standing up by herself in the middle of a room. She's attempted walking several times, but the most consecutive steps she's taken is 9. Her vocabulary is growing every day and as of now, is as follows:
banana: anana
Blueberry: brrrb
Strawberry: sbrrrrb
Raspberry: rrrrb
bye-bye: bah bah
Hi: hieeeee
Bear: bah
Cuddles: dee dee
more: Maaaaah
Until today, there were only 2 food items she wouldn't eat: banana and shrimp & sausage gumbo (David let her try it one night). I keep trying to re-introduce bananas b/c it's not the flavor she doesn't like, it's the texture. Much to my surprise, she let me try a banana again and this time, liked it so much she requested "maaaah."
Here is a video of Isabella standing up (over and over and over again): (I should apologize though. You'll notice her starting to walk at the end of the video and the camera shutting off. Believe me, it wasn't my mistake. The camera ran out of memory JUST in the nick of time. Gotta love technology sometimes.)
This past weekend we traveled to Austin for the wedding of David's longtime friend Greg Carlson and Melissa McCoy. We arrived at the hotel around 2:45 where we were met by Faye and Aunt Fonda. David insisted I not cry until Isabella was out of sight so she didn't start to cry. I really thought I'd gotten over the I-Don't-Want-to-Let-Her-Go stage because I'd really kept my composure putting her in Faye's car and closing the door. I was wrong. The moment the car started to drive away, I burst into tears. Oh well...maybe next time.
The rehearsal for this wedding was one for the record books. I've never witnessed a more rigid, strict, detailed format. They left no stone unturned. They had it "choreographed" from every head turn to each foot placement. It was quite interesting. It made me so thankful I had free reign at my own wedding. From the rehearsal, we drove to Driftwood, TX; home of the original Salt Lick BBQ restaurant (and the rehearsal dinner venue The Thurman Mansion). David and I had a bright idea earlier that day to stop and eat lunch at Rudi's BBQ (it's sort of a tradition). We hadn't even considered the idea they might be serving BBQ for dinner. Let's just say we've had enough BBQ to last us, well, 2 weeks (we'll be in KC and Fiorella's always calls our name). The rehearsal dinner was a lot of fun, but I forgot my camera so I have no pictures from it. Sorry.
David and I spent Saturday together doing something we hadn't done in a long time. We went to San Marcus' Prime Outlets. Wow was it everything we'd hoped for :) We found pictures for our Living Room (ok, originally they were for the Den, but when we got home last night and unwrapped them, we fell in love with them in the L.R.) at the Crate and Barrel Outlet. We found other great deals at various stores as well. We went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready. David headed off to the church (he was an usher) and I went an hour later with Michelle Daniels (her hubby Ryan was also in the wedding.) The ceremony was beautiful (it should have been considering the rigidity of the rehearsal). Due to strict Church policy I couldn't take any photographs there, so you'll just have to take my word as to how nice the ceremony was. From there we went to the reception at the Four Seasons Hotel. We knew from the venue it was going to be nice. Everything was done in great taste and was very simple and elegant. The beautiful evening was capped off with a unique send off for the bride and groom. Instead of the usual rice or bubbles, they used sparklers. It was pretty cool...
Here are the photos from the reception:
banana: anana
Blueberry: brrrb
Strawberry: sbrrrrb
Raspberry: rrrrb
bye-bye: bah bah
Hi: hieeeee
Bear: bah
Cuddles: dee dee
more: Maaaaah
Until today, there were only 2 food items she wouldn't eat: banana and shrimp & sausage gumbo (David let her try it one night). I keep trying to re-introduce bananas b/c it's not the flavor she doesn't like, it's the texture. Much to my surprise, she let me try a banana again and this time, liked it so much she requested "maaaah."
Here is a video of Isabella standing up (over and over and over again): (I should apologize though. You'll notice her starting to walk at the end of the video and the camera shutting off. Believe me, it wasn't my mistake. The camera ran out of memory JUST in the nick of time. Gotta love technology sometimes.)
This past weekend we traveled to Austin for the wedding of David's longtime friend Greg Carlson and Melissa McCoy. We arrived at the hotel around 2:45 where we were met by Faye and Aunt Fonda. David insisted I not cry until Isabella was out of sight so she didn't start to cry. I really thought I'd gotten over the I-Don't-Want-to-Let-Her-Go stage because I'd really kept my composure putting her in Faye's car and closing the door. I was wrong. The moment the car started to drive away, I burst into tears. Oh well...maybe next time.
The rehearsal for this wedding was one for the record books. I've never witnessed a more rigid, strict, detailed format. They left no stone unturned. They had it "choreographed" from every head turn to each foot placement. It was quite interesting. It made me so thankful I had free reign at my own wedding. From the rehearsal, we drove to Driftwood, TX; home of the original Salt Lick BBQ restaurant (and the rehearsal dinner venue The Thurman Mansion). David and I had a bright idea earlier that day to stop and eat lunch at Rudi's BBQ (it's sort of a tradition). We hadn't even considered the idea they might be serving BBQ for dinner. Let's just say we've had enough BBQ to last us, well, 2 weeks (we'll be in KC and Fiorella's always calls our name). The rehearsal dinner was a lot of fun, but I forgot my camera so I have no pictures from it. Sorry.
David and I spent Saturday together doing something we hadn't done in a long time. We went to San Marcus' Prime Outlets. Wow was it everything we'd hoped for :) We found pictures for our Living Room (ok, originally they were for the Den, but when we got home last night and unwrapped them, we fell in love with them in the L.R.) at the Crate and Barrel Outlet. We found other great deals at various stores as well. We went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready. David headed off to the church (he was an usher) and I went an hour later with Michelle Daniels (her hubby Ryan was also in the wedding.) The ceremony was beautiful (it should have been considering the rigidity of the rehearsal). Due to strict Church policy I couldn't take any photographs there, so you'll just have to take my word as to how nice the ceremony was. From there we went to the reception at the Four Seasons Hotel. We knew from the venue it was going to be nice. Everything was done in great taste and was very simple and elegant. The beautiful evening was capped off with a unique send off for the bride and groom. Instead of the usual rice or bubbles, they used sparklers. It was pretty cool...
Here are the photos from the reception:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Randy and Rachel's Wedding Weekend
The long-awaited union of Randy and Rachel has finally arrived. They were a genuinely happy couple. Rachel was as calm as can be (she said Randy was the "Bridezilla") which made me totally jealous. I was a basket-case the entire week leading up to my wedding... Anywho, despite a weekend with virtually NO sleep for any of us (Isabella insisted on sleeping nowhere but my chest the entire time) we all had a wonderful time. It may sound adorable, but it stops being cute after an hour. Trust me.
Mom and Dad (aka Mimi and Papa) flew into Dallas Thursday night and we caravaned down to San Antonio Friday morning. The drives were long (about 6 hours each way), but all things considered, Isabella did extremely well. There was only about 30 miles of driving on Friday where she cried - that was it for both legs of the trip! Impressive, if you ask me.
Saturday Faye (Grammy) and I met Rachel at a cute salon where we had spa pedicures. (I'd done an airbrush tan Thursday night, so there was to be no spa pedi for me - just a paint job :).) After that I met up with my parents and Isabella and headed off to spend a few hours with our wonderful cousins, Edward, Brenda and Michael. Brenda fixed a lunch that could've easily made the cover of a culinary magazine. It was quite a spread. Since David was playing golf with the groom that day, he didn't get to enjoy it. That night we went to La Fonda Mexican Restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. It was so much fun. I really got to hang out with a lot of David's cousins and we all had a really good time. (so did Isabella as you'll see in a later video)
Sunday was a full day. Sandy, Faye and I went to Yolanda to have our hair done. My hair was frighteningly similar to that out of a scene from hairspray (see the photo from the make-up counter), but fortunately it calmed itself just in the nick of time (literally about 15 minutes before I had to walk down the aisle). My parents picked up Isabella around noon, fed her lunch, bathed her and got her ready for the wedding (they did a great job - she was clean and adorable). The wedding was beautiful. Rachel and her mom did a fantastic job. We all had a great time.
Monday was travel day, but we couldn't leave without an incredible brunch at Honey's (a last minute addition to the day). Nothing like Popeye's fried chicken before a long drive home :-). Really, it was delicious. My dad was in heaven - BEEF, fried chicken and salami and eggs (none of which he gets at home). We left from there. The drive back was awful (Isabella was great though) and we were all exhausted when we got home.
My parents flew out the next morning. David and I really appreciated their help this weekend watching Isabella since we had a million wedding-related things planned. Isabella is so lucky. Not only did she get to spend a lot of time with her Mimi and Papa last weekend, she gets to do the same next weekend with her Grammy and Jiddo. David is in another wedding (yes, another one) in Austin next weekend, so Faye is driving up to meet us and taking Isabella back with her. Hopefully it'll be easier for me this time than it was last time - it was beyond difficult to let Isabella go.
Here are a few pictures and some footage from the weekend. Enjoy:
Mom and Dad (aka Mimi and Papa) flew into Dallas Thursday night and we caravaned down to San Antonio Friday morning. The drives were long (about 6 hours each way), but all things considered, Isabella did extremely well. There was only about 30 miles of driving on Friday where she cried - that was it for both legs of the trip! Impressive, if you ask me.
Saturday Faye (Grammy) and I met Rachel at a cute salon where we had spa pedicures. (I'd done an airbrush tan Thursday night, so there was to be no spa pedi for me - just a paint job :).) After that I met up with my parents and Isabella and headed off to spend a few hours with our wonderful cousins, Edward, Brenda and Michael. Brenda fixed a lunch that could've easily made the cover of a culinary magazine. It was quite a spread. Since David was playing golf with the groom that day, he didn't get to enjoy it. That night we went to La Fonda Mexican Restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. It was so much fun. I really got to hang out with a lot of David's cousins and we all had a really good time. (so did Isabella as you'll see in a later video)
Sunday was a full day. Sandy, Faye and I went to Yolanda to have our hair done. My hair was frighteningly similar to that out of a scene from hairspray (see the photo from the make-up counter), but fortunately it calmed itself just in the nick of time (literally about 15 minutes before I had to walk down the aisle). My parents picked up Isabella around noon, fed her lunch, bathed her and got her ready for the wedding (they did a great job - she was clean and adorable). The wedding was beautiful. Rachel and her mom did a fantastic job. We all had a great time.
Monday was travel day, but we couldn't leave without an incredible brunch at Honey's (a last minute addition to the day). Nothing like Popeye's fried chicken before a long drive home :-). Really, it was delicious. My dad was in heaven - BEEF, fried chicken and salami and eggs (none of which he gets at home). We left from there. The drive back was awful (Isabella was great though) and we were all exhausted when we got home.
My parents flew out the next morning. David and I really appreciated their help this weekend watching Isabella since we had a million wedding-related things planned. Isabella is so lucky. Not only did she get to spend a lot of time with her Mimi and Papa last weekend, she gets to do the same next weekend with her Grammy and Jiddo. David is in another wedding (yes, another one) in Austin next weekend, so Faye is driving up to meet us and taking Isabella back with her. Hopefully it'll be easier for me this time than it was last time - it was beyond difficult to let Isabella go.
Here are a few pictures and some footage from the weekend. Enjoy:
Monday, May 18, 2009
1st Trip to the Zoo
Today was so incredibly beautiful that it would've been a sin not to be outside enjoying the weather. It was 79 and not a cloud in the sky (which is a nice change of pace from the constant rain we've had for 3 weeks). We decided to take Isabella to the Zoo for the first time. Apparently quite a few other people had the same idea. As it is, it's a 30 minute drive to the zoo, but sat in a "parking lot" line of cars for an additional 20 minutes trying to find somewhere to park. The main zoo parking lot was full so they rerouted us to the "overflow" parking lot - which ended up being full as well, so they started parking people on the street.
It's hard to say whether or not she had a good time because all of the animals were sleeping. She really enjoyed the Children's Zoo, and seemed to enjoy the monorail ride of the "African" animals, but trying to point out a sleeping animal to a one-year old is nearly impossible. We still had fun as a family...
It's hard to say whether or not she had a good time because all of the animals were sleeping. She really enjoyed the Children's Zoo, and seemed to enjoy the monorail ride of the "African" animals, but trying to point out a sleeping animal to a one-year old is nearly impossible. We still had fun as a family...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me!
If dinner out with David on Saturday night wasn't great enough (which it was. He took me to this trendy restaurant Stephan Pyle's. The food was incredible. They have this amazing Ceviche menu, of which we ordered 3 different types, incredible crab "tamales" (not shaped like a tamale, but has the same ingredients in a "quiche" shape), delectable Ribeye and Snapper that melts in your mouth.), Isabella decided to take her first two steps on my actual birthday! It was so exciting. As amazing as it was - she hasn't even tried to do it since. Oh well - false alarm :)
I received this card from Meagan for my birthday which sang a song. Isabella is obsessed with the card. She insisted I play it over and over and over again. I captured it on video:
I received this card from Meagan for my birthday which sang a song. Isabella is obsessed with the card. She insisted I play it over and over and over again. I captured it on video:
Friday, May 8, 2009
13 mo. Appt./Big Girl Cup
Isabella went for her 13 month check up (actually to check some fluid in her ears) and was weighed at 18 1/2 lbs! Very exciting. I don't know how accurate it was because she was clothed and had a wet diaper. Oh well - hopefully by 18 months she'll be forward facing in her car seat...
She has been trying for some time to drink out of a big girl cup. I usually hold it for her and she does her best to suck in the water. A few months ago I'd bought some "Isabella" sized cups at Ikea (of all places...). I figured I could give it a go. After spilling it on herself many times, she was unwilling to give up. She kept wanting to try it again and again. Here's one of her attempts:
She has been trying for some time to drink out of a big girl cup. I usually hold it for her and she does her best to suck in the water. A few months ago I'd bought some "Isabella" sized cups at Ikea (of all places...). I figured I could give it a go. After spilling it on herself many times, she was unwilling to give up. She kept wanting to try it again and again. Here's one of her attempts:
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
A little bit of this and a little bit of that...
Most of you are going to be rather disappointed with this post because typically I write about everything Isabella. Today however, I had a successful day of my own and want to share it with everyone. My business (as most of you know I started my own business of handmade, personalized baby blankets, burp cloths and shirts) made a huge step today on the road to success. My burp cloths and tshirts were purchased by a swanky boutique in Plano, TX to be sold there. I can't tell you how excited I am. This has the potential to really get my name out there.
Ok, enough about me. I know you really only come here to hear about Isabella. Don't worry, I understand, I only care about her as well ;). Just kidding. In the last week, Isabella has cut 3 new teeth. She now has a total of 5. They are coming in much faster than the first two. She looks so cute. She's also standing on her own more frequently, so unfortunately, walking is right around the corner. (Ok, not unfortunate for her, but DEFINITELY unfortunate for me). We go to the Dr. tomorrow to have her ears checked (if you remember, at her 12 mo. appointment, the Dr. saw some fluid in her ears and wanted to see her back in a month to check them). I'll let you know how much she weighs at 13 mo. Just to calm the craving, here are some random photos of Isabella (and two of the t-shirts I started making):
*In one of the pictures you'll notice a mess on Isabella's face and tray - she tried chili for the first time, but didn't like the idea of eating from a spoon or fork - she liked picking it up off of her tray...
Ok, enough about me. I know you really only come here to hear about Isabella. Don't worry, I understand, I only care about her as well ;). Just kidding. In the last week, Isabella has cut 3 new teeth. She now has a total of 5. They are coming in much faster than the first two. She looks so cute. She's also standing on her own more frequently, so unfortunately, walking is right around the corner. (Ok, not unfortunate for her, but DEFINITELY unfortunate for me). We go to the Dr. tomorrow to have her ears checked (if you remember, at her 12 mo. appointment, the Dr. saw some fluid in her ears and wanted to see her back in a month to check them). I'll let you know how much she weighs at 13 mo. Just to calm the craving, here are some random photos of Isabella (and two of the t-shirts I started making):
*In one of the pictures you'll notice a mess on Isabella's face and tray - she tried chili for the first time, but didn't like the idea of eating from a spoon or fork - she liked picking it up off of her tray...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Oops...
I didn't realize how long it had been since I last made a post on here. My bad. Not a whole lot has happened since her birthday, but here are a few updates:
1. Isabella has added a few new words to her vocabulary: banana (anana), cuddles (didi), hi (hah)
2. She's now added peanut butter and jelly to her diet. She had it for four straight days. The Dr. said to try it for 3-4 days without adding anything else new to make sure she doesn't have a peanut allergy. So far so good - keep your fingers crossed... Once she successfully adds peanut butter we can begin adding a new food every week. Next on the list: STRAWBERRIES! (most likely we'll start introducing these on Thursday). Barring any allergic reactions, there aren't any foods off limits anymore (except dairy - she's already had an allergic reaction).
3. She has a new favorite type of book. She LOVES the interactive books that have the "peekaboo" flaps and different textures. Her current favorites: Corduroy's Sweet Surprise, Pat the Bunny, and Where's Baby's Belly Button.
4. Two weeks ago we had her pictures professionally taken and we purchased enough that they gave us a disk of all of the images. She was such a ham. She was posing and enjoyed every moment in front of the camera. I'm in trouble...
For your viewing pleasure, here are a few of the pictures from the photo session:
...and some random pictures from the last couple of days (including the new table and chairs I purchased at a ridiculously low price from the Kidcraft Warehouse Sale(where I stood in line for over an hour just to get in - well worth it though)):
1. Isabella has added a few new words to her vocabulary: banana (anana), cuddles (didi), hi (hah)
2. She's now added peanut butter and jelly to her diet. She had it for four straight days. The Dr. said to try it for 3-4 days without adding anything else new to make sure she doesn't have a peanut allergy. So far so good - keep your fingers crossed... Once she successfully adds peanut butter we can begin adding a new food every week. Next on the list: STRAWBERRIES! (most likely we'll start introducing these on Thursday). Barring any allergic reactions, there aren't any foods off limits anymore (except dairy - she's already had an allergic reaction).
3. She has a new favorite type of book. She LOVES the interactive books that have the "peekaboo" flaps and different textures. Her current favorites: Corduroy's Sweet Surprise, Pat the Bunny, and Where's Baby's Belly Button.
4. Two weeks ago we had her pictures professionally taken and we purchased enough that they gave us a disk of all of the images. She was such a ham. She was posing and enjoyed every moment in front of the camera. I'm in trouble...
For your viewing pleasure, here are a few of the pictures from the photo session:
...and some random pictures from the last couple of days (including the new table and chairs I purchased at a ridiculously low price from the Kidcraft Warehouse Sale(where I stood in line for over an hour just to get in - well worth it though)):
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Isabella's Birthday Week Day 4 (Party Day!)
I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't nervous the entire weekend. I've never hosted a "Passover" anything, much less a party with FOOD. With the help of some delicious family recipes, Mom's kosher-for-passover lemon bars, Faye's kosher-for-passover brownies and flourless cupcakes from Sprinkles, I believe I actually pulled off a rather tasty party - all things considered.
After running errands all morning (picking up cupcakes, balloons, additional party favors, etc...), by the time I got home, I had exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to finish assembling the party favors, set out the food trays, shower and get ready. Fortunately, Faye, Grandma and Grandpa stepped in to put together the favors (and they did a great job). Mom pitched in to help put out the food and that left me free to get ready. Isabella was sweet enough to take a nice long afternoon nap, so she slept through the entire thing. She woke up after her party had already started. I rushed to get her dressed and attempted to change her earrings for the first time since getting them pierced 2 months ago. It took 5 different people and lots of peroxide and Aquafor to get the job done. She was screaming bloody murder. It's not because she was in pain, it was because she hates being restrained. With tears streaming down her face (but really pretty earrings in her ears), she entered her party to see all of her friends. For someone who LOVES crowds as much as Isabella, it took her an awfully long time to loosen up. This was due in part to her having just woken up and partly because there were 50 people to adjust to. She wanted me to hold her for the first 45 minutes. Once we sat her down to sing Happy Birthday and give her a cupcake, she was fine.
If you recall, on her actual birthday she was totally disinterested in her "leavened" cupcake and hardly had two bites. Today was a completely different story. The child prefers chocolate; what can I say? She devoured the "unleavened" cupcake (a delicious dark chocolate flourless cupcake). I had to take away half of it so she wouldn't make herself sick. It was so cute. She loved every minute of that.
After running errands all morning (picking up cupcakes, balloons, additional party favors, etc...), by the time I got home, I had exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes to finish assembling the party favors, set out the food trays, shower and get ready. Fortunately, Faye, Grandma and Grandpa stepped in to put together the favors (and they did a great job). Mom pitched in to help put out the food and that left me free to get ready. Isabella was sweet enough to take a nice long afternoon nap, so she slept through the entire thing. She woke up after her party had already started. I rushed to get her dressed and attempted to change her earrings for the first time since getting them pierced 2 months ago. It took 5 different people and lots of peroxide and Aquafor to get the job done. She was screaming bloody murder. It's not because she was in pain, it was because she hates being restrained. With tears streaming down her face (but really pretty earrings in her ears), she entered her party to see all of her friends. For someone who LOVES crowds as much as Isabella, it took her an awfully long time to loosen up. This was due in part to her having just woken up and partly because there were 50 people to adjust to. She wanted me to hold her for the first 45 minutes. Once we sat her down to sing Happy Birthday and give her a cupcake, she was fine.
If you recall, on her actual birthday she was totally disinterested in her "leavened" cupcake and hardly had two bites. Today was a completely different story. The child prefers chocolate; what can I say? She devoured the "unleavened" cupcake (a delicious dark chocolate flourless cupcake). I had to take away half of it so she wouldn't make herself sick. It was so cute. She loved every minute of that.
Isabella's Birthday Week Day 3
With her Mimi, Grammy and Jiddo already here, the rest of her out of town guests arrive today. Her Papa and Aunt Meagan pulled up around noon and were shortly followed by her Great Grandma and Grandpa Ray. A couple of hours later, her Aunt Sandy, Uncle Ike and cousins Aaron, Andrew and Allison arrived from McAllen. Isabella was SO excited to see her cousins. She adores them and lights up when they come in the room.
Isabella opened a few presents then went down for an afternoon nap. While she was sleeping, her cousins went to the park to expend some energy. She woke up after about an hour and while I went to the gym, her Mimi and Papa took her outside to play until her cousins came home. After dinner and a fun bath with her cousin Allison, it was off to sleep.
Since everyone headed back to their hotels a lot earlier than expected, we were able to knock out all of the food prep for her party, set up and still be in bed by 10.
Isabella opened a few presents then went down for an afternoon nap. While she was sleeping, her cousins went to the park to expend some energy. She woke up after about an hour and while I went to the gym, her Mimi and Papa took her outside to play until her cousins came home. After dinner and a fun bath with her cousin Allison, it was off to sleep.
Since everyone headed back to their hotels a lot earlier than expected, we were able to knock out all of the food prep for her party, set up and still be in bed by 10.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Isabella's Birthday Week Day 2
Isabella had her 1 year doctor's appointment today. She weighed 17 lbs. 14 oz. and was 27 1/2" tall (both stats were the 7th percentile). She received 3 vaccines and was a trooper. She cried when they were given, but was fine immediately afterwards, as she always is. The Dr. wants to see her back in a month to check some fluid in her ears, but otherwise will see her again at 15 months.
Isabella's Grammy and Jiddo (David's parents) arrived in the afternoon to help Isabella celebrate celebrate her week-long birthday and the 2nd Sedar. After a rough night with Isabella waking up crying several times for us in the house and a long day of driving for her Grammy and Jiddo, we managed to accomplish an impressive feat: we got through the entire Sedar in less than 20 minutes! It was the greatest Sedar EVER! We'd made a very multi-cultural meal and I think we were all anxious to get to the "eating" portion of the Sedar. While my matzo balls turned out terribly, the other courses were divine. Isabella enjoyed the meal a little earlier in the evening, but she liked it as much as we did - you could tell.
Side Note: If I haven't mentioned how much I appreciate the fact I married into a Sephardic family, let me take this opportunity. You don't realize how much easier Passover is when you can eat rice. Thank you Tawils!
Isabella's Grammy and Jiddo (David's parents) arrived in the afternoon to help Isabella celebrate celebrate her week-long birthday and the 2nd Sedar. After a rough night with Isabella waking up crying several times for us in the house and a long day of driving for her Grammy and Jiddo, we managed to accomplish an impressive feat: we got through the entire Sedar in less than 20 minutes! It was the greatest Sedar EVER! We'd made a very multi-cultural meal and I think we were all anxious to get to the "eating" portion of the Sedar. While my matzo balls turned out terribly, the other courses were divine. Isabella enjoyed the meal a little earlier in the evening, but she liked it as much as we did - you could tell.
Side Note: If I haven't mentioned how much I appreciate the fact I married into a Sephardic family, let me take this opportunity. You don't realize how much easier Passover is when you can eat rice. Thank you Tawils!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Happy 1st Birthday to Isabella!
Has it really been a year? There are days it feels as though I gave birth about 2 months ago, yet I can't remember what life was like before she was a part of it. Lucky for Isabella, her birthday fell right, smack dab, on the first night of Passover. Her Mimi (my mom) came in town in the late morning, we cooked ALL day (not to mention the days of cooking I'd spent prior), and Isabella had her second 1st Sedar of her life. Other than her birthday, this is the first repeat holiday she's had!
David came home early from work so we could celebrate the big day with a little "leavened," sugary goodness :) I'd purchased a single cupcake from Tom Thumb for her to enjoy during the day of her actual birthday (before sundown). I ordered my favorite: white cake with white icing. As it turns out, the cupcake was just that; my favorite. I thought for sure after never giving her a sweet food of any sort before today she'd be chomping at the bit to eat it all. Boy was I wrong. She took one bite and was done. She picked up a big piece of cupcake, looked as if she would eat it, and threw it on the floor. I guess there are worse things in the world than a child who is indifferent when it comes to sweets.
Isabella opened a few presents before the Sedar, and as usual, was more interested in the wrapping and tissue paper than the gifts themselves.
We made every attempt to get Isabella involved in the Sedar, and despite unofficially moving the start time up an hour, it was still a little too late for her. She did like the food, however. My kinda girl; she likes gefilte fish AND mazto ball soup. Here are some photos and videos from her birthday:
P.S. Happy Birthday to my Dad Randy and to Aunt Fonda (both on the 8th)!!!
David came home early from work so we could celebrate the big day with a little "leavened," sugary goodness :) I'd purchased a single cupcake from Tom Thumb for her to enjoy during the day of her actual birthday (before sundown). I ordered my favorite: white cake with white icing. As it turns out, the cupcake was just that; my favorite. I thought for sure after never giving her a sweet food of any sort before today she'd be chomping at the bit to eat it all. Boy was I wrong. She took one bite and was done. She picked up a big piece of cupcake, looked as if she would eat it, and threw it on the floor. I guess there are worse things in the world than a child who is indifferent when it comes to sweets.
Isabella opened a few presents before the Sedar, and as usual, was more interested in the wrapping and tissue paper than the gifts themselves.
We made every attempt to get Isabella involved in the Sedar, and despite unofficially moving the start time up an hour, it was still a little too late for her. She did like the food, however. My kinda girl; she likes gefilte fish AND mazto ball soup. Here are some photos and videos from her birthday:
P.S. Happy Birthday to my Dad Randy and to Aunt Fonda (both on the 8th)!!!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Meal-Time Success
I am proud to say Isabella can now communicate a complete meal with me. From start to finish, she knows the signs (well, at least her version of the signs). She can tell me she's hungry (she uses the same sign as "more," but I know what she's saying). Once she's eating and she wants more food, she uses the sign again. She can point to which food item she's referring. She can tell me "please" before I give her the food and once she's had enough, she gives me the "all done" sign. It's amazing how we can communicate without words. I know all parents believe their child is more intelligent than the norm, but mine really is. Here are the videos to prove it:
Monday, March 30, 2009
Shower Weekend in San Antonio
This past weekend was the pre-wedding festivities for Rachel (Randy's fiance). We left for San Antonio Friday morning. Despite a 40-minute traffic delay in Dallas, stopping for lunch in Hillsboro and the usual inexplicable slowdown in Downtown Austin, we made in to San Antonio in less than 6 hours. Isabella still hadn't fully recovered from her illness and on top of that was in the process of getting 4 new teeth. That said, she was an absolute angel in the car. She slept 80% of the ride and didn't cry until we were seconds from the Tawils' store. Not bad. She was so excited to see her cousins from McAllen. She hadn't seen them since June. She even got to take a bath with her cousin Allison. Because she was sleeping in the same room as David and I, none of us slept very well the first night (nor did we sleep well the second night for that matter). As tired as we were, we still managed to have a great time. Saturday afternoon was Rachel's shower hosted by Dawn, Sandy and myself. It turned out perfectly. I think it's safe to say everyone enjoyed themselves. While I was at the shower, David was at his grandmother's house attempting to recreate a picture of him and Sara in a green chair as babies, but with Isabella and Rachel (Sara's daughter). The girls are precious, but weren't as keen on the recreation idea as Sara and I were. They made their own version of the "green chair" photo. Later that evening were the bachelor and bachelorette parties. Dawn, Sandy and I stayed out as late as possible - 11:30p. I was so exhausted I couldn't keep my eyes open. It was sort of embarrassing. We had a really good time, though. Sunday morning was Rachel's second shower at the same place I had mine. It was beautifully done (as was mine) and everyone had a good time. We hit the road immediately afterwards and got back to Dallas around 7:00p. We all slept really well Sunday night...
Here are the images from the weekend:
Here are the images from the weekend:
Monday, March 23, 2009
Visit to KC
For the first time in recent history, we had a planned trip to KC where we had nothing scheduled for the weekend. We were planning on relaxing and enjoying being with family. It was going to be perfect. Apparently, G-d had something else planned. The night before we left, I completely lost my voice and it didn't return until several days after we got back in Dallas. Within hours of our arrival in KC, Isabella's nose started running and she began running a 101 degree fever. Woo Hoo!!! I don't know what it is about traveling that makes Isabella sick EVERY TIME. Is it the plane ride? Is it the stress? Whatever it is really sucks. As bad as it sounds, however, we still had a great time. Isabella was her usual "social" self and her only downfall was her inability to get a good night's sleep. When Isabella doesn't sleep, no one sleeps. Despite our sheer exhaustion, we enjoyed almost every minute of the trip. Here are some pictures and video from the trip:
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Isabella made it through a week of yogurt with no adverse effects. Not only is she sleeping through the night again, she's napping better too! She's back to taking 2 naps a day. It's fantastic! She started cheese a couple of days ago and once we get through 5 days of that with no reaction, we can try real milk! She's been drinking soy milk in the afternoon and at night until we're sure she can handle whole milk. She LOVES it. I've never seen her take a bottle like she does with soy milk. It's great.
Last Sunday we went to Josselyn Schuler's naming. Isabella got dressed up and had a great time. She wasn't interested in the ceremony, so I took her in another room to play so she didn't disrupt the festivities. Once the serious part was over, she came back out and played with everyone else. She LOVES people.
Saturday night we decided to go out to dinner, just the 3 of us. We went to Houlihan's. It was so much fun. We ordered off of the kids' menu for the first time. They have a great kids' menu there. Each meal comes with a drink and applesauce. We ordered Isabella some chicken fingers (no fries) and took the breading off. She loved the moist chicken. She also learned (very quickly I might add) how to drink from a straw (which she loved). It was just so much fun. She's great to take out. She flirts with all of the people in the restaurant. She's such a social butterfly.
Last Sunday we went to Josselyn Schuler's naming. Isabella got dressed up and had a great time. She wasn't interested in the ceremony, so I took her in another room to play so she didn't disrupt the festivities. Once the serious part was over, she came back out and played with everyone else. She LOVES people.
Saturday night we decided to go out to dinner, just the 3 of us. We went to Houlihan's. It was so much fun. We ordered off of the kids' menu for the first time. They have a great kids' menu there. Each meal comes with a drink and applesauce. We ordered Isabella some chicken fingers (no fries) and took the breading off. She loved the moist chicken. She also learned (very quickly I might add) how to drink from a straw (which she loved). It was just so much fun. She's great to take out. She flirts with all of the people in the restaurant. She's such a social butterfly.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
11 Month Update
As it turns out, Isabella's ear infection had cleared. That begged the question: Why isn't she sleeping through the night then? It's been a good 3 weeks since she slept through the night. She's been waking up around 3 or 4 and staying up for at least an hour or so. I asked the Dr. what the cause might be. Apparently she isn't getting enough calories throughout the day. Isabella IS over the 17 lb. mark, but because her percentile has dropped in the last 3 months, the Dr. has suggested I add yogurt to her diet to put on a little bit of weight. She really seems to like it so far. Let's just hope it doesn't mess with her digestive system like it did with mine when I was little...
Sunday, March 8, 2009
11 Friggin' Months Old
Isabella is almost a year old. I think that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. At 11 months, Isabella has added "MaMa" to her vocabulary (although she's only said it twice...it still counts), is now cruising a bit, but still seems to be a ways away from walking (doesn't really seem all that interested since crawling gets her where she needs to go), she mimics "head shaking" if I nod at her, and is starting to imitate sounds and facial expressions. Believe it or not, I think she may finally be 17 pounds. We go to the Dr. tomorrow for an ear check to see if the infection has cleared (which I suspect it has not). I'll update her current weight tomorrow after her appointment. Isabella was patient enough to let me take ONE picture of her this morning. You'll notice she is sporting a pretty cute outfit...David and I had a bet yesterday that the winner of the Texas/Kansas basketball game yesterday would get to dress Isabella in that school's colors today. We all know who won that bet...
Some of you have expressed an interest in a video of Isabella waving and blowing kisses. She was nice enough to let me capture both this morning:
Some of you have expressed an interest in a video of Isabella waving and blowing kisses. She was nice enough to let me capture both this morning:
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I Saw the Sign...
For those of you who may not be familiar with the new fad of teaching sign language to babies, let me clue you in on something: By G-d it actually works. It's amazing. Even before babies can say their first word, they can communicate. I'd been teaching Isabella how to indicate she wants "more" food. I've shown her the sign for it for a couple of months and two days ago, she did it. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but she then did it several more times. Here's a video of her:
Isabella has also discovered the wonders of crawling into the breakfast room. Before today, she was content sitting in the den playing with her toys. But when one of her toys rolled into the breakfast room she actually crawled after it. She liked the new scenery so much she decided to check out the rest of the room:
Isabella has also discovered the wonders of crawling into the breakfast room. Before today, she was content sitting in the den playing with her toys. But when one of her toys rolled into the breakfast room she actually crawled after it. She liked the new scenery so much she decided to check out the rest of the room:
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Lunch with Friends
When I went to get Isabella from her nap, she was already sitting up playing with her "Cuddles" and an old Cabbage Patch Kid of mine. I picked her up out of her crib and she leaned down to grab the two dolls. It was lunchtime, so I sat her in her highchair and set the dolls on the table to "watch" her eat. She insisted on holding them during lunch, so I sat all three of them in the highchair together. It was too adorable so I took some pics. (there are also a few pictures from Saturday of her just being cute)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Food and Fish
Isabella has these plastic fish that are part of a boat bath toy her Great Aunt Julie gave her for Chanukah. Since she still bathes in a small tub in the sink, she can only use a few pieces from the set, the fish being some of them. She absolutely loves the fish. She plays with them even when she's not in the tub. She even likes to bring them to meals. It makes eating a little difficult...check it out:
Weekly Update
Last Saturday we hosted the first "Family Playgroup" at our house. It was so much fun. It was a chance for the husbands/dads to get to know one another and see what us moms do every Monday from 11-1. Isabella wasn't feeling up to par. We really thought she was teething. She was drooling a lot, cranky, and constantly chewing on her hand. By evening, she wouldn't eat dinner and was running a mild fever. When she woke up on Sunday morning, her fever had spiked to 103. Poor thing was miserable. We went to the Dr. on Monday and were told it was just a virus and that it would have to run its course. Her fever finally broke on Tuesday afternoon. She's just like her daddy. They both sweat through the sheets when their fever breaks. She appears to be mostly back to normal. The congestion she had for those 4 days is now finally making its way out, but a runny nose is a piece of cake at this point. She's still sort of cranky, but I have a feeling that's due to her opposition to naps. She fights tooth and nail every time we try and put her down. She eventually realizes how tired she is and falls asleep, but it takes at least 10 minutes of crying to get to that point. Because she wasn't feeling well earlier this week, I didn't take any photos of her. Now that she's better, I pulled out the camera again... The first set of pics are from "family playgroup" and the next are from the past couple of days. (and a bonus video just for fun) Enjoy!
Friday, February 13, 2009
The week in review:
Today Isabella and I ran errands after lunch. We would've done it in the morning, but she decided to randomly take a 3 hour nap. She's down again right now, but I'm not sure how long this one's going to last. Before she ate her lunch, she gave me several adorable reasons to grab my camera:
Yesterday I just felt like taking some photos of Isabella in action. She's up so much now that she gives me ample opportunities to get good shots of her:
Wednesday I went (reluctantly) to the Mommy and Me class at the synagogue. You can tell by the pictures how enthused Isabella was:
Monday afternoon, some friends of ours, Seth and Jodi Weisblatt, brought into the world a new baby boy. No, that's not a typo, they did have a boy. Of all the people I know that have had babies in the last 6 months, this is the first boy. He's going to have his pick of the litter when he's older. SO many girls to choose from. Anywho, I went to visit them at the hospital on Tuesday evening. Here's their family photo:
Yesterday I just felt like taking some photos of Isabella in action. She's up so much now that she gives me ample opportunities to get good shots of her:
Wednesday I went (reluctantly) to the Mommy and Me class at the synagogue. You can tell by the pictures how enthused Isabella was:
Monday afternoon, some friends of ours, Seth and Jodi Weisblatt, brought into the world a new baby boy. No, that's not a typo, they did have a boy. Of all the people I know that have had babies in the last 6 months, this is the first boy. He's going to have his pick of the litter when he's older. SO many girls to choose from. Anywho, I went to visit them at the hospital on Tuesday evening. Here's their family photo:
Monday, February 9, 2009
10 Months Old
Double digits, my friends. That's right - double digits in months. I can't believe it. Then again, I never can believe she's a month older. Isabella just went down for a nap (which are unpredictable and sporadic) so I'm taking advantage of the "free" time. At ten months old, Isabella is a little less than 16 1/2 lbs, right around 27" (I don't care what the Dr. said...she's not 26") is crawling EVERYWHERE and now pulls up onto EVERYTHING. She's starting to cruise around a bit from one place to another (holding on, of course). She even stood on her own for a couple of seconds. We are so proud of her. She's added "p's" to her limited vocabulary, but still hasn't uttered the "m" word (mama). I know it'll be worth the wait. She is eating table food (as you saw a couple of posts ago) and although it takes FOREVER to eat, she is loving every minute of it (so are the makers of Swiffer - most of the food ends up on the floor). Here are a few pictures from yesterday. Please excuse the food on her face in the first couple of pics. She'd just had mango and I made the mistake of letting her loose before wiping her mouth...that won't happen again :)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
9 Month Checkup Part 2
Ok, so it's closer to 10 months...
Because Isabella had a severe ear infection at the last appointment, she couldn't have her vaccines nor could she get her ears pierced as I had hoped. Her appointment was rescheduled for today (she had to be completely finished with her antibiotic). Her ears checked out perfectly thus she was able to get her shots and her earrings. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. She was a great sport. She cried while they did it, but was fine immediately after they finished. Here's how they look:
**If her ears look weird it's because they had to mark them with a Sharpie before piercing to ensure they were even. It'll fade...
Because Isabella had a severe ear infection at the last appointment, she couldn't have her vaccines nor could she get her ears pierced as I had hoped. Her appointment was rescheduled for today (she had to be completely finished with her antibiotic). Her ears checked out perfectly thus she was able to get her shots and her earrings. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. She was a great sport. She cried while they did it, but was fine immediately after they finished. Here's how they look:
**If her ears look weird it's because they had to mark them with a Sharpie before piercing to ensure they were even. It'll fade...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A "Real" Meal...
Isabella is officially being weaned off of her pureed food. For dinner last night, she had baked chicken, green beans and water in a sippy cup. She did really well with the chicken (but with only 2 teeth, it took her FOREVER to chew it enough to swallow - better than choking for sure!), but had a difficult time with the green beans. I ended up giving her some of her pureed peas instead - to ensure she got her vegetable. For lunch today we tried it again. This time she had chicken, mixed veggies, sweet potato puffs and apple juice. She had a great time. Instead of her usual 5-7 minute lunch, this one lasted 35 minutes. We actually ate lunch together. It was great! Here are some photos:
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Visit to San Antonio/Visit From Mimi, Papa and Aunt Meagan
Isabella had a very rare opportunity this past week/weekend. She got to see both sets of grandparents in the same week. She's a very lucky girl. David had a conference in San Antonio Monday and Tuesday of last week, so we flew down on Saturday and left Tuesday afternoon. Isabella had a runny nose for a few days and had been unusually cranky, so I decided to call the Dr. on Saturday morning, a few hours before we left. I had a haircut appointment, so David took her to the Dr. As it turns out, she had an ear infection. This pain-in-the-ass infection is the same one she had 2 months ago. She's on her third round of antibiotics. Hopefully this latest prescription will get rid of it for good. Anyway, we got permission from the Doc to go ahead with our travel plans. We thought for sure the flight would be a nightmare (the pressure in her ears), but much to our delight, she was her normal angelic self. She slept most of the flight and played the rest of it. She never ceases to amaze me.
As it turns out, Isabella's "separation anxiety" is even worse when she's sick. The entire 4 days we were there, she would go to no one but me. Not even David. It was flattering and endearing at first, but just downright annoying by the end. I couldn't even walk to the refrigerator to get her food without her freaking out. Poor Faye couldn't even hold her without her crying until the very last day.
Isabella did enjoy playing with her cousins Aaron and Arianna. She lit up when she saw either one of them. Here are a couple of pictures of her and Arianna:
We ended up having to bump up our fight time because Dallas was expecting an ice storm and we didn't want to be driving in the chaos. While in the gate area, she flirted with some nice women sitting across from us. She loved the attention. She was perfect on the flight home (slept from take off to landing) and even prompted a gentleman to tell us she was a perfect, quiet baby (which of course we already knew).
We did end up getting the ice, as predicted, but it came later that night. The roads were bad the next day so David worked from home. It's always fun when he does that.
On Thursday evening Isabella and I drove to the airport to pick up her Mimi, Papa, and Aunt Meagan. I'd put her to bed at her normal time and woke her up around 9:45 to head to the airport. She was still sleeping in the car, thankfully, but woke up as I opened the trunk to put their bags in. She didn't fall asleep again until after 1 am and even then didn't stay asleep very long. It was an awful night and none of us slept but maybe 3 hours. We ran errands on Friday morning/afternoon and went to Cafe Amore for dinner (yummy!).
Saturday I bought a new sewing machine (finally) and then we went to the park. Here are some pictures from the park:
After taking everyone to the airport on Sunday, Isabella had fun playing with my keyboard I pulled out from the closet over the weekend. She really got into it:
As it turns out, Isabella's "separation anxiety" is even worse when she's sick. The entire 4 days we were there, she would go to no one but me. Not even David. It was flattering and endearing at first, but just downright annoying by the end. I couldn't even walk to the refrigerator to get her food without her freaking out. Poor Faye couldn't even hold her without her crying until the very last day.
Isabella did enjoy playing with her cousins Aaron and Arianna. She lit up when she saw either one of them. Here are a couple of pictures of her and Arianna:
We ended up having to bump up our fight time because Dallas was expecting an ice storm and we didn't want to be driving in the chaos. While in the gate area, she flirted with some nice women sitting across from us. She loved the attention. She was perfect on the flight home (slept from take off to landing) and even prompted a gentleman to tell us she was a perfect, quiet baby (which of course we already knew).
We did end up getting the ice, as predicted, but it came later that night. The roads were bad the next day so David worked from home. It's always fun when he does that.
On Thursday evening Isabella and I drove to the airport to pick up her Mimi, Papa, and Aunt Meagan. I'd put her to bed at her normal time and woke her up around 9:45 to head to the airport. She was still sleeping in the car, thankfully, but woke up as I opened the trunk to put their bags in. She didn't fall asleep again until after 1 am and even then didn't stay asleep very long. It was an awful night and none of us slept but maybe 3 hours. We ran errands on Friday morning/afternoon and went to Cafe Amore for dinner (yummy!).
Saturday I bought a new sewing machine (finally) and then we went to the park. Here are some pictures from the park:
After taking everyone to the airport on Sunday, Isabella had fun playing with my keyboard I pulled out from the closet over the weekend. She really got into it:
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