Busy Week!

It seems like a lot happens with Isabelle from week to week as far as learning goes, and I try to catch most of it here with intentions of putting it in her baby book when I finally get around to it (ha ha). This last week has been no exception, but it seems like what Izzy discovers is growing at an exponential rate....can you imagine what we would be like if we would continue this rate of development into our 20's? Or even just into the 2nd or 3rd year? Things we've noticed this week that are new:

• If you hand a toy to her she will concentrate on it and grasp it with both hands....then usually try to put it in her mouth
• She likes sweet potatoes
• She does NOT like yellow squash
• She is starting to act "shy" sometimes if you look her in the face and talk to her...she will let out a playful screech and hide her face against your shoulder. Where in the world did she learn that?
• I've heard her move on from the normal aaahhhboo and goo to other sounds....'dee' is one she seems to be interested in lately
• She holds her own bottle sometimes....with varying degrees of success.
• She is very interested in anything that you are putting in your mouth when she's watching you
• She ALWAYS has her fingers in her mouth!
• She's mesmerized by the TV, although we try to not let her get too much of it
  
• She wants to touch faces, especially noses and mouths
• One of her favorite things to play with is someone else's hand
• She's beginning to discover her FEET!!
  

Since it's a short week, and we will see most of you this weekend, I only have one picture to post. Isabelle is keeping me company while I empty the dishwasher and playing with one of her bottles. Does she look ready for a beer mug to you? Just kidding. See you soon!

What? I was thirsty!

We've got Mobility!

Well, we knew it was going to come sooner or later. Isabelle is now mobile....to an extent. Saturday we were playing around on the floor and she was holding a toy away from her in the air with her hands and feet and rolled to her side. We've seen this before....however, this time she dropped the toy, picked up her head and rolled on over. So, she'll roll from her back to her belly and promptly piss herself off because she doesn't like being on her belly. However, after a few days of rolling, she's figuring out that maybe the belly isn't all THAT bad....especially if she puts herself there. She no longer stays put in bed either.....the last 2 mornings Dad has found her rolled up to the back wall of the crib. Not unhappy or stuck....just hanging out.

She's also started to reach out and want to touch my face....kind of to explore it. So I goof around when she does it, she gets these wide eyes and then we end up chuckling. She is definitely starting to know whether you are playing with her, or if your attention is elsewhere. Just now for example I talked to her and she lit up with a grin, but as I started typing again things clouded over. She's starting to become aware that maybe she can affect her environment.

Izzy also attended her first engineering conference call today. She joined us about 1/2 way through the meeting....let's say I am very thankful for the mute button on my phone. She did very well, even chuckling at some of the talking (she must have a built-in B.S. indicator......that will help her in years to come!)

Where did that toy get to?

Wha? Huh? Oh....you're taking a picture....

In that case, I'll make a face for you.

I got here all by MYSELF! I guess my tummy isn't that bad!

Isabelle and her First "Solids"

"Solids" is in quotes because quite honestly, the rice cereal wasn't very solid. Anyway, yesterday I decided that we'd try to start Isabelle on her way to getting used to real food. Rice cereal seemed to be a likely candidate, as well as recommended by the doc, so we gave that a shot. The box said for the first feeding to mix 1 Tbsp of cereal with 4-5 Tbsp of water. Honestly, after 4 Tbsp of water, it looked like just water with flakes floating in it...gross, huh? But we went with it. I think more ended up down the front of her and on the towel than IN her as she tried to figure out how things worked (and the watery consistency didn't help matters). Brother Magnum, of course figured that what I was feeding HER should be fed to HIM as well....so we had to tell him to go lay down. I have visions of Izzy in 3 years or so, slipping Magnum her veggies. At the bedtime bottle, I added a tsp of the cereal to that as well. That was a hit! Thankfully we got to SLEEP aaaaaaaaaallllll night last night. *knock on wood* Was it the cereal, or Isabelle feeling better? Who knows. Tonight, Dad fed her some cereal with a spoon, but kept the cereal more like oatmeal consistency. She did much better with that. The 8:00 bottle also had a tsp of cereal in it. Here's hoping mom and dad get another full night's sleep...that would be awesome!

Isabelle in her seat, "What'cha got, mom?"

What IS this thing? Can I chew on it?

4 Month Appointment, Another Fever, and Pictures - Oh my!

Well, this morning Isabelle and I headed into the doctor for her 4 month check-up. The doc said that she was perfect, and he couldn't see any reason for her fussiness last night and today. However, since that was abnormal for her, and she had a fever the weekend of Aug 2nd, he decided to not give her the 4 month shots today. We get to go back in for those next Friday afternoon. :( Since the appointment this morning, she's been either crying, eating or sleeping...it's been a rough day of 'vacation' for mom. I just took her temperature awhile ago, and it confirmed what my lips had thought...she has another fever! I called the nurse and was told just to monitor things and give Tylenol to bring the fever down. That seems to calm her fussiness too.

Anyway, back to the doc saying she was perfect. She granted him one of her smiles this morning, which have been a rarity yesterday and today. He checked her over; ears, eyes, chest, gums, put her on her tummy, made her stand up with him and sit for a bit, etc. Our "little" peanut is now 26" long (95th percentile) and weighs 15#8oz (85th percentile). He says he doesn't see any sign of pearly whites, so she isn't teething just yet. I just wish I could get her back to her sunny self faster. These grumpy days and awake all night nights are hard on mom (and dad).

The next thing he told me is that we can start introducing her to solid foods. Oh my. Just thinking about the responsibility of another person's eating habits boggles my mind. So, we'll start slow. When she feels better, we'll try some rice cereal, yellow veggies, applesauce and bananas...one at a time over a few days. At least she will still be getting most of her nutrients from formula for now. I know that I don't eat the best, so I'm a little skeptical about my ability to get her to pick up good habits. Maybe it's time for a change on my part as well, eh?

Onto the pictures. No big smiles this post, Izzy wasn't feeling the best today.

Future Biker Baby?

Tried a 4 month picture sitting up...I will need a new plan next month...I'm running out of blanket.

Can I chew on the bear?

Mom, do you HAVE to take my picture today?

An icky feeling Izzy. She is like a furnace when she's sick!

First Fever and Waking Up Again!

It's been an interesting week in our household. Many more firsts. This last weekend, we had our first low-grade fever. It started Friday and lasted thru Sunday morning. Izzy was a pretty good sport thru it, but you could tell she just didn't feel good. Even before the fever started, she just wasn't herself...and hadn't been for about a week and a half. Not many smiles, cranky and just generally not the sunny, talkative little person that we've come to know. She started to get better Sunday, was about 50% Monday 75% Tuesday, and today she seems about back to normal. I've never been so glad to see a smiling face as I was hers today. I mentioned to Dan that you really don't think about your baby having a personality until it changes or disappears for awhile. I'd never really thought of Isabelle as a particularly sunny little gal until she clouded over and didn't feel well.

What she's up to this week: playing with BOTH her hands at once, using them both to play with something, and learning more about her 'stern' voice. I'm not sure if you've ever heard a baby sound like they're giving someone what-for, but we're getting a kick out of it. Other developments: She SO wants to sit up. She can't do it herself yet, but she tries really hard if given the chance. My friend Jen found us a bumbo-like seat for a steal at a rummage sale and Izzy loves that, although I can tell she will have no time for it once she doesn't need it's help. She's also starting to position herself differently when I carry her sometimes. She will grab onto my arm with one arm and push herself away with her other arm so she can see what I'm doing and where we are going instead of what's behind me. This is a pose I usually see older babies in...I keep telling her that she doesn't need to grow up so fast....that usually earns me a big gummy grin.

The not-so-great development is that she has been getting up at night. We have been SO lucky to have had a sleeper since 6 weeks of age, we're not used to the getting up thing. Monday night she was sternly talking to her mobile for what seems like all night, and last night she was fairly upset....usually around 1:30 or 2. We're not sure what's up with that, if it's her new developments or if it's partially getting over the bug or what. One thing that could be a contributor...we switched sitters on Monday. Our original sitter is back from maternity leave and ready to take over Izzy's care from her mom, Marlene. I will miss Marlene dearly, I was just getting really comfortable with her and I could ask her anything child related. Izzy was crazy about her too. Hopefully 'like mother like daughter' will be the case here. The new baby girl our sitter has is 1 month old. I can't believe the difference between her and Izzy...and it hasn't been that long ago! Anyway, that's a pretty big change in Izzy's world, so that could be messing with her sleep schedule too. We'll see what tonight brings.
And now on to some photos:

Isabelle checking out her Prince Lionheart seat.

Working on tummy time. Sometimes it isn't so bad these days, especially if you can squish the fish in the floor gym mat!

However, we aren't always happy....usually those little hands are waving when she's this upset too. Ah, the beginnings of tantrums.

In the seat with the weeble-wobble and the linking chain. Sitting up is serious work!

Yay! Grins with wrinkled noses and everything today. Our Isabelle is re-surfacing.

After her bath tonight. We were talking after putting on the lotion and she tried to do a sit-up, so I took her hands and pulled her up! She kept her head in line with her spine on the way up and sat right on the edge of the counter. Mom was only there for balance. What's next? Rolling over? Crawling? College? :P

End of July Update

Last weekend 2 of my sisters came to visit. It was a great weekend. Not only did I get to see some of my family, which I have been missing lately, but Isabelle got to spend a lot of time playing with someone different than mom or dad! She was really entertained! Aunt Traci and Trudi play different games than mom does! (I could use a few new tricks...hee hee)

Izzy has definitely figured out that there is more than one tone to her voice. She's been playing a lot with the lower register of her voice, which mom and dad find hilarious. It just sounds comical to have such low sounds coming out of such a peanut. If she is locked on to you and really talking to you, she will imitate some things as well. Last week I asked her if she wanted to be a pirate, and she answered back with a very convincing "Aaaarrrrrrrrr."

Isabelle seems to still be uncomfortable sometimes, and she chews on her hands a lot. I'm not sure if that is just her exploring or if she's starting to lay the groundwork for teeth. I do know that she was fussy and uncomfortable at the sitter yesterday and a day or two last week, and that's unusual...so something must be up. I thought she was too young for teeth, and there's no bump there yet....so maybe growing pains? Her next doc appointment is Aug 12th, so I'll make sure to ask him then. I can't wait to see how much she's grown...but I'm not looking forward to those shots!

Isabelle talking to Aunt Traci

Sassing the exersaucer...

Sassing the camera.....I swear she looked totally different than this a few days ago! How fast they change!

The fam - I have the suspicion that Izzy's eyes might remain blue. Any guesses where those dazzling blues came from? ;)

3.5 Months and Counting

This last weekend, I learned the greatness of garage sales and the power of going with a group of friends. Let's just say that Isabelle made out like a bandit, all for around $45 including a Christmas present that retails for over $70, almost a full laundry basket of perfect clothes, and a few other small toys for misc. entertainment. It was a great Saturday morning!

I got to hear a second set of giggles from my girl this morning, what an awesome sound, especially since she has been a little grumpier than usual in the evenings lately. We're not sure what's up with that...she's a little young to teethe yet, I think, although she is seeming to drool a lot and likes to chew on things when she can get them to her mouth. She's still figuring that out for the most part, and gets frustrated sometimes when her hands and arms don't obey her right away....anyone see a future sass pot here? lol

She's also seeming to work on her abs a LOT. She'll be playing on the floor and pick her head up and try to curl! I keep telling her she has her whole life to do crunches, but she tries anyway. ;)

What a ham. At least you can see her big grin around her little fist...

Improvising! Who needs a bumbo to sit up and play? Here's Izzy enjoying her morning "paper."

First giggle!

Yesterday on the insanely popular changing table I heard Isabelle giggle for the first time. Now, I'm not sure if it's the FIRST first time she's done it...but it's the first time Mom has heard it.....luckily Dad was there too! It was like a drug......now I'm just waiting anxiously until I hear and see it again.....and pulling all sorts of pranks to see if I can trigger it. What is it about the giggles of a child that makes them so magical? (and what makes us act like idiots trying to illicit them???)

Also, thanks to craigslist, we are now the proud owner of an exersaucer that's like new, but paid 1/3 of the new retail price for it. We only spend short periods of time in there supervised at this point because she's a little young for it yet, but she loves to look at all the toys. It takes a little blanket support, but she does a good job!

Recent pics:

The onsie says it all....

Izzy checking out the exersaucer

It was a rough day....I had growing to do!

Taken this morning....'You think I'm playing, Mom...but I'm really watching you!'

3 Month Pictures

Finally got a few smiles with the bear, although it seems like the bear might be a little more interesting to chew on than hang on to... She still has her baby blues! We're still guessing what they'll turn out to be.

Isabelle and the Kick Chair

This has got to be one of the best $10 I've ever spent. Notice that it is serious work making the bar light up and the music play!