19 Months

Isla is a bundle of fun right now.
She is really 'feisty' and exerting a lot of independence right now. I've been giving Isla lots of opportunity to be in charge and make choices, but she still 'has her moments." On one hand, it is a lot harder to be the parent ignoring your child screaming as you put her in the shopping cart than the therapist ignoring a screaming child, but on the other hand, I don't think Isla is capable of many of the behaviors I've dealt with in my profession. While these new behaviors have been more challenging, I am constantly reminded that when I comes to parenting I've been blessed, thus far, with a very light load.

I tend to avoid anything academic with Isla (a 19 month old doesn't need academics when there is a world of play, nature and socialization out there). Despite this, or perhaps because of this, Isla loves counting and is OBSESSED with the ABC's. I have to sing the alphabet song about 10 times a day and she can sing the whole thing herself too. She also pretends to read books by pointing to the text ans saying parts of the alphabet.

Other favorite activities right now are singing, pretending to put on make-up and talk on the phone, dressing up, wearing stickers, reading books (she has an amazing memory and recognizes most of her books by their cover remembers the title), going on the slide (over and over), and visiting with her friends & cousins.

Isla has an allergist appointment on Friday. I've been putting her allergies on the back burner for the past 6 weeks and I'm hoping the doctor will just tell us that she is completely fine!

18 Months...

The 10th was Isla's 18 Month Birthday.
How can 18 months fly by so quickly!?! (This is Isla contemplating her advanced months.)I have a favorite stage - her current stage! Every new age / stage is an adventure and while I will never forget special moments from each age (cuddly sleepy newborn yawns, gripping my finger with her tiny hand, first smiles and laughs, tummy time, watching her wobble like she was sitting on an exercise ball when she first sat, those messy early rice cereal days, crawling, first words, steps, sentences, songs, etc. etc. etc.) I really love watching her grow and watching her personality explode on the scene. Here's a visual:See - Exploding!!!
She is really loving the limelight right now. Right on target, she has clearly developed a sense of self. While an initial shyness has recently developed in novel social settings, once she warms up to her surroundings she hams it up and is becoming a bit demanding. (Don't worry God Mama, she is still using her 'Please' and 'Thank You' like a champ. For instance, the other day she chucked a book at my head and said, "Mama read book please!" She has taken to saying "Thanks" rather than "Thank you." It is spunky gratitude.)We've been having lots of fun visiting with family and friends this month and Isla also enjoys skyping with her Nor Cal Grandparents. Tonight at a family birthday party she ran around yelling, "Yoga Pose!" "Downward Dog!" and doing downward dog. The funniest thing is that we never taught her this...she picked it up from her yogi buddy, Charlotte.
Stats:
Height: 32 1/4" (65%)
Weight: 25 lbs 8 oz. (65%)
Head Circumference: 45.7 cm (25%)
Also Isla has inherited monkey arms from both of us, giving her super monkey arms. A few of her 18 month sweatshirts don't fit!

We celebrated with a 1/2 birthday party (and welcome Katelyn party) at Ethan's house two days before his Mommy had his new sister, Katelyn. As a party favor, Isla gave all the kids her cold. It was terrible. She trouble sleeping the night before and I was just explaining that she didn't seem to be sick when her nose started running and she started sneezing. Everyone decided that she had already infected her friends during our playdate the day before so we played on and the mommies had a potluck breakfast while the babies had a 1/2 birthday cake.The cold had no affect on her appetite.Each of these kids got sick within 24 hours of the party...isn't that nice of us! Ya'll owe us some germs - except Charlotte. Char Char, these germs were payback! :-)

17 Months & Smiling

Isla turned 17 Months on the 10th!
We measured her and she is in about the 50th percentile for weight and height and 25th for head circumference.
She is such a little "kid" now! Andrew and I constantly marvel at her ability to understand what we tell her and put complex ideas together. Her memory is amazing too! She loves trying new foods and will eat almost anything! Some of her favorites include raw onion and limes and lemons. She really loves 'art.' We've been coloring a lot. She also drew this 'cuh-cle' on the wall. I'm so proud that she can draw and identify a circle. Neither Andrew or I taught her, so we're not sure where she learned this.
She was happy for her Monthly Photo!
Note that minutes later she was back in her apron and on the move with Lamby.An improvement from last month, when she was very unhappy... Here are just a few of her 16 month photos. (Oh, she is so cute, even when she is sad!!!)

Our One-derful One Year Old!!!

(You know I wasn't going to let that pun slip by...plus look at that alliteration!)

Isla had her one year appointment today.  I wanted to bring the nurse and doctor a thank you gift for the wonderful care they've given her this year, but this morning Isla reached in the crack between the oven and the counter and shoved a handful of foulness into her mouth.  I looked down from the dairy, wheat and soy free cinnamon apple pancakes (cooking is becoming my outlet) I was making, to see a face smeared with dirt and flecks of ancient unidentifiable food that fell in "the crack" and a hand that looked like a giant dust bunny.
After stifling on my gag reflex I cleaned her up and went to finish her pancakes, while she went right back to "the crack" - apparently it had some tasty offerings.  I stopped her just in time and put her in her high chair, and while she ate her pancakes, I pulled the oven out, cleaned it, re-leveled it, and removed all the tasty offerings in "the crack."  I was so wrapped up in this that we barely made it to the appointment, so no gifts this time.

Our appointment went well.  I brought my notes and got all my questions answered.   Our pedi and his nurse make the perfect team and they are both such obvious Isla fans, which makes me fans of them.  As an anxious parent and behavior analyst I had some concerns about ASD - not specific, just general concerns.  Our Dr.explained "medical student syndrome" and said that if I didn't know so much about ASD I probably wouldn't have any concerns (agreed), and he didn't either.  He also used the moment to reiterate for the millionth time that we should do our vaccines on schedule - so far we have.  We are delaying Isla's 1 year vaccines by a week because of some medication she is currently taking and I mentioned spacing out the vacirella and MMR between 12 & 15 months.  He was not enthusiastic about spacing them.  After the doctor left, our nurse came back in and said, "Honey, she is your daughter and you only want to wait a few months, so if that is what you want to do, that is what you should do!  It is not like you are waiting until she is 6."  ...it's not!  So I am sticking to my guns on this one and doing chicken pox only and MMR at 15 months.  (And praying that we won't get exposed to any of the delightful M, M, or R bugs between now and then.

So Isla at one is my favorite Isla (every age is my favorite!).  She is zipping around the house, trying all kinds of new things, including stacking blocks, playing ball, trying to scoop with a spoon, lots of pretend play, and lots of language - over 50 words now and a few two word combos - "Nigh Nigh Dada" is the sweetest!  
She also really loves body part labels and animal and object sounds and she knows quite a few.  Trying to imitate us making new sounds makes her laugh, especially Andrew's great vehicle sounds.
Here she is showing you "BeBe's" nose and kissing BeBe. (We call him Teddy Bear - She calls him "BeBe")

Ok, here are the stats...
- Head Circumfrence: 43.6cm - a little over 10th percentile
- Weight: 21 lb, 0 oz - 50th percentile
- Height: 29 1/4 inches - 50th percentile
- NO TEETH!  (They are soooo close - her gums are teeth shaped, but no actual teeth yet.)
(The percentiles are all almost identical to her percentiles at birth: a little over 10%, 50%, 50%, and a little over 10%, and the stats are very close to mine at one year - 21lbs, 8 oz, and 29 1/4in.)  (Thanks for all the developmental info Mom, it is so fun to compare Isla's development to her mom, auntie and grandma's development!)

So this is Isla's last photo in the chair...the dresser will be our new photo spot, because I'm tired of the extreme photo shoots with me trying to snap a picture while simultaneously trying to keep Isla from swan diving off the chair.  (Check out suuuuuper long sock foot!)

What I've learned...

Happy Birthday Little Isla!  As I mention every chance I get, you have changed my life in the most amazing way.  I love you immeasurably and always will!
I wrote you a birthday letter, but it is a little too personal for a public blog, so instead I'll share just a smattering of the lessons I've learned from 1 year of parenting...

1. Carrying, delivering and nursing a child has made me love and respect my body like no 8th grade health course, Glamour magazine article, or pretty much anything else ever has! Finally!
2. Giving birth is better and worse than I thought it would be.  
3. Having a baby is better than I could ever imagine.
4. When you call the pedi and leave a message, bring your phone with you to pee, shower, change a diaper, answer the door, check on the laundry, or any 30 second task...the call is guaranteed to come as soon as you walk away from the phone...
5. Also, turn the ringer up on your cell phone - I learned that one today when I missed a call while sitting next to the phone.
6. Your own child's pee, poop, boogies, earwax, spit up and vomit are not as gross as anyone else (still gross though!)
7. When planning to go anywhere, add an extra 60 minutes to every time line, and if you are on time, consider it your lucky day.  My friend Jessica told me this before Isla was born and I thought she was completely unorganized...I was so wrong!
8. Your child is not a tiny baby version of you - ok, I know that sounds kooky, but when Isla was an infant I had this weird feeling that I was taking care of a baby me...this stopped around 3-4 months when her personality really started showing.  Too prove that I'm not crazy, I read in Brazelton, that this is a totally normal healthy developmental process for mommy and baby that ends at 3-4 months.
9. Write all your questions down for all pedi appointments and then don't beat yourself up if you still don't get them all answered.
10. It is not as boring to play the same game, read the same book, or sing the same song for the 500th time with your own child as it is with other people's children.  (The same tolerance applies to the way they act.  Other people may not find some of their behaviors as adorable as you do!)
11. There is no "best stage" - every new development is a miracle and wonderful.
12. It is your child, you are new at this, it is not ok for people (aka lame triage nurses) to make you feel stupid or paranoid.  Stick up for yourself and your baby, because you really do know them best and sometimes the health care providers are wrong.
13. My expectations for the parents I used to work with were way to high.  Sorry and Wow, I'm impressed with everything you do for your children!
14. All those jokes about parents obsessing about their child's poops aren't that funny when you are staring at a blood streaked poopy diaper - I have totally become a  poop-inspector. Ugh!
15. Sleep is gold - treasure and horde every bit of it (for you and your baby).
16. Money is nice, but not at the expense of family time and 24/7 cuddles.
17. I actually do sort of like exercise....sort of...
18. Baby clothes are an addiction - especially shoes
19. You will love your friends babies as much as you love your friends - it takes a village!
20. My capacity to worry is just barely outstripped by my capacity to love. Thank goodness!
21. Those earnest promises made during the pregnancy to always put your marriage before your children will be a lot harder to keep when there is an actual baby...they still need to be kept!
22. Mommy Brain really exists and it is so
23. Like all things worth doing, breast feeding comes with lots of pain and challenges, but it is worth it! (Who'd have thought that I completely abhored the idea of nursing just 3 years ago.)  
24. It is a lot easier to go on a diet for your child than for yourself .
25. Your parents didn't know what they were doing anymore than you do AND they loved you and cared for you more than you could ever imagine and they will love your child unconditionally - Thank you Grs!  We love you!!!
26. They really do "grow up so fast."
27. Sometimes you really do want to chomp your child's chubby cheeks - I always thought it was just and expression...and a weird one at that. 
28. Holding your sleeping child is the most peaceful feeling on earth.
29. To my surprise, I don't actually want Isla to be an Olympic athlete, Nobel prize winner, PhD, prima ballerina, 1st chair violinist, expert surgeon etc.  I want her to be loved, love herself, love others, enjoy her career, have passions, be happy and be healthy.
30. Watching your husband become a father is priceless gift.  Andrew, Isla is the luckiest child on earth to have you as a father!

PS - Has anyone seen the Procter and Gamble Olympic Moms commercial - grab a Kleenex and google it or click here.

BEST. YEAR. EVER.

11 Magical Months!

Isla and I are still coming down off of the high of tons of company and sugar...

We had a very quiet day today - lots of cuddling, playing and some grocery shopping.
On Sunday Isla celebrated her 11 month birthday by eating an entire banana at the Hotel Del.
For my sister's last day visiting we drove down to Coronado and walked on the beach and then had cocktails and appetizers at the Del. The stop was  unexpected and Isla got hungry - luckily they were well stocked with "buh-na-nuh"s.  I still can't believe she polished off the entire thing! 

Lately she has been obsessed with Bananas - she finds them in her books, delights in the piles of them at the grocery store, asks hopefully for them at every meal, tries to chew her way through the peel when she gets ahold of one, and even proudly identified a white and yellow surf board in Surfer Magazine as a "na-nuh".  We don't always hear all 3 syllables, but she has been using them all with greater and greater frequency.

This past month Isla has had an explosion of language.  She now says over 25 words, not counting the more questionable ones.  Of course her articulation isn't perfect, and many are adaptations -e.g. "Pah" for Paci and "wawa" for water, but are still very impressed   Most are nouns, but she uses "more," "eat" and "up" too, and although I don't count it as a word, she makes a funny noise with her tongue (it sounds like gargling) when she wants a drink. 

We are seeing a lot more pointing and gesturing lately.  Although she points with her finger more and more frequently, her signature point is with her thumb and the knuckle of her pointer finger, aptly dubbed the "Bill Clinton Point" by my sister.

She isn't walking yet, but she is using every available item she can get her hands on as a walker - kitchen chairs, laundry baskets, storage boxes and her high chair.  We just borrowed a walker from her little buddy Noah, (aka Isla's "Silver Fox" - we attended Noah's 2nd birthday on Saturday - here is our little party animal at her first kid party.  She was pretty awed and overwhelmed by the big cool two year-olds and the bounce house terrified her).

Back to the walker...after getting over her nervousness about the concept, Isla was zipping across the floor.  She is still pretty unstable, so I don't expect her to be walking alone soon, but that is just fine...it is hard enough to keep up with her as it is.

We've been doing more pretend play and it is so exciting to watch her put connections together.  Gr. & Gr.T-H gave her doll for Christmas and I was showing her how to pretend bathe it.  She found the doll's paci (it has it's own little paci!) and popped it on to the doll's mouth.  I grabbed a pop bead that looked like a bottle and pretended to use it as a bottle of shampoo.  Isla took it and pretended to drink with it and then took the paci off the doll's mouth and offered her doll a drink from the "bottle."  Her favorite pretend play activity is to feed her animals and kiss them and give them to us to kiss.  She also loves brushing her hair and our hair with a "hat" (hair brush - anything that goes on the head or is related to the head, including hats, bows, headbands, sunglasses, and hair brushes is a "hat").  She also loves imitating us.  She received a cloth tool kit from Gr. & Gr. A, and eagerly copies us when we demonstrate how to use the tools.

Isla, you haven't reached an age or stage that I don't absolutely love.  Right now you are so silly and full of joy!  We love watching you roam around and explore things.  Lately you have been extra cuddly - giving hugs and snuggles - and you also enjoy reading books with us.  I love waking up to the sound of your orations in the crib, and nothing starts my day off better than peaking in your room to find you standing in the corner of your crib with your head resting on your arms and a huge smile on your face.  I know Daddy feels the weight lift off his shoulders when your little dimple greets him after work.  We are so proud of your daily explorations and accomplishments.  You are proud too, which makes us even happier.

Here are the 11 Month Stats:
Weight - 20 Pounds (45th percentile - approximately)
Height - 28 Inches (30th percentile - approximately)
Head Circumference - 43.5 Centimeters (18th percentile - approximately)
Still no teeth!

Isla's Golden (Month) Birthday!

Happy 10 Months Little Love! 

We are having a blast sharing the holiday season with Isla.  Her Christmas Center is a favorite play area and she loves the santa and frosty finger puppets my Grandma Marie gave me the year she passed away.  Always on top of things, it is just like Grandma Marie to give a St. Nicholas Day gift to her great granddaughter 5 years early!

...and yes, she loves shoes just is much as her mommy.  "My red shoes ROCK!!!"

Here are the 10 Month Stats...

Weight: 18 lb, 12 oz (35th percentile)

Height: 27.75 inches (45th percentile)

Head: 43 cm (just over the 10th percentile)

Isla is cruising faster than ever and standing independently for a few seconds and then intentionally diving face forward (usually onto Andrew or myself).  It was just the prompting I needed to put the corner protectors on our low tables.  Isla is eating all kinds of new foods - a few favorites: black beans, carrot chucks and peas - however, she doesn't have any teeth yet.  I remember worrying at 6 months about getting her photo taken before her teeth came in so I could capture her sweet gummy grin.  Hmmm....no rush apparently.  Isla finished her prevacid on 12-10.  So far our medication free trial is going great!  She hiccups a little more than usual, but the frequency of her spit ups haven't increased.  It feels so nice not to give her medication twice a day.

Isla is paying attention to everything we do and trying hard to do it too.  It is time for Andrew and I to start behaving!  I have brushed her hair only twice before today (not very effective with her short cowlicked filled hair) but after brushing her hair today she reached for the brush and started "brushing her hair."   It was so cute and most of the time the brush connected with her hair rather than her face.  I leaned over and she "brushed" my hair (and eye) too.  Isla and I have never looked so good!

We are seeing more and more of Isla's sesne of humor. She loves silly faces and body movements and laughs out loud whenever we surprise her with something out of the ordinary, like putting my shoe on her foot, or using a cup as a hat or making Owlie suck on her paci.

PS - Check out the cute Chrsitmas shirt I made out of her halloween costume shirt.  A little felt, embroidary and a few buttons went a long way.

Happy 9 Months Isla!

Isla's 9 Month birthday is extra sentimental for me. Our lovely little girl has now been out of my tummy for 9 months...she seems like such a big girl now! Everyday takes her further from being the tiny newborn in my arms and closer to being the independent, spunky, bright and beautiful little girl that Andrew and I love getting to know. She is a blessing that just doesn't stop!

A perfect example of her budding independence...the 9 Month photos I tried to take today.

Isla has been looking very serious in her photos lately, but in reality she is as smiley as ever. She just waits to smile until she is launching herself towards me, and off the chair (well not actually, but almost!).

We are working on baby signs now. The primary signs I'm teaching are "more" and "all done." I was really trying to avoid "more," since it is a huge pet peeve of mine in the clinical setting (it gets completely overgeneralized and inhibits further vocabulary expansion). That being said, it is also a simple motor response and we have lots of response opportunities during the day. Isla can't do the signs independently, but she is very attentive to me when I'm signing looking and brings her arms together with some prompting. (Tonight when we were practicing during dinner she didn't do the sign, but she did start making an "Mmmm" sound before every bite, even when I didn't say "More"!)

We had our 9 month appointment today (Tuesday) and Isla is in perfect shape. We were worried that she may be getting a little chunky, but our Pedi reassured us that she is just fine. Despite getting two shots, Isla charmed everyone in the office, including the medical student who had a hard time being serious while examining Isla because she was being so wiggly, grabby and humorous.

Here are the stats:

- Weight: 18 lb, 14 oz (50th percentile)

- Height: 27.5 inches (50th percentile)
- Head: 42 cm (5-10th percentile - it has always been little, so this is not a concern)

In the words of her Dr., "She's absolutely perfect."

We couldn't agree more.