Isabelle: One Year!

Dear Isabelle Leigh,

We made it!!! You are a year old and officially no longer a baby.  I cannot believe it.  While I would never claim that the past year has been easy, I'll admit that I am sad to not have a baby anymore.  Although this is the most fun age!  You love to laugh and clap and crawl and wave.  You throw your arms up in the air when we say "How big is Izzy?".  As soon as you lay eyes on us you start crawling over as fast as your little legs will carry you with a huge smile on your face.   You make us laugh every day, and we utterly adore you :)

Speaking of crawling, you are a crawling machine now.  You're like a little motorboat and you can get around just fine, which I think has made you happier in general.  Once in awhile you will pull up to standing as well, but no cruising yet.  And you haven't been too interested in steps, but I know that day is coming.

You love to pretend that everything is a phone, which is hilarious!  You are always putting things like a brush or a toy up to your ear and saying what sounds like, "Hello?"  I love it!

Your big answer for anything we ask is "Uh uh".  Your sisters get a kick out of asking you all kinds of questions, knowing that your answer will always be the same:

And while we are on a roll with videos, you love to talk!  You have full on conversations with hand gestures and everything... we just wish we understood your language!

And you are so loud!  So, so, so LOUD!  We always say we never met a louder lady.  You love to squawk, and squeal, and yell.  Maybe that's what you have to do to be heard in this house.  But every morning you are up before your sisters and it is impossible to keep you from yelling and waking them up.  Maybe that's all part of your plan.  You are getting up around 6:30 or so, which I am trying desperately to push back to 7:00.  But sometimes you are so loud in there, that I have to go in to try to prevent you from waking your sisters with your squawking.  But you're still a good sleeper.  You sleep 11-12 hours at night without waking up, and you take 2 naps during the day for an hour or two each time.  So I truly can't complain about your sleep.  We are just a 7:00 hour family, not a 6:00 hour family.  The sooner you learn this, the better.

You love books, and I am always finding myself feeling guilty that I don't read to you more.  When Addy was a baby her bedtime routine was so, well, routine I guess.  She got a book every night without fail.  I will admit the same is not true for you.  By the end of the day, it's all Daddy and I can do to get all three of you bathed and in bed.  We do read sometimes, but not every night.  You love Goodnight Moon, just like your sisters did.  I know it won't be long before you're pointing out everything in the book.  (Sidenote: We do read during the day, so don't go thinking that no one ever reads to you ;) )

Big news this month is that you got your first haircut!  So very desperately needed, ha ha!

Before

During

And After!  (You would not cooperate with a picture at the salon, so this was taken the next day)

You still have six teeth, and though it looks like you might get some molars soon, none have pooped through yet.  You were at the doctor a few weeks ago for your first ear infection :(  Our first girl to get an ear infection (of course it was you, ha ha!).  So you had a 10 day course of amoxicillin, and now you are good as new.  But it had to happen while Mommy was away for the weekend and your poor self was so miserable the whole time.  I felt so bad for you.... and for Daddy.

We are officially done with nursing, and we stopped about a week before your birthday.  You were so over it by then.  Most of the time it was a struggle getting you to nurse for even a few minutes once a day, so rather than keep fighting it, I figured you were almost a year old anyway, so we threw in the towel.  I'm lucky that all three of my girls ended the nursing process without a fight.  It was never a big emotional thing for me, as I know it is for many mamas.  You were over it, so we quit.

At your one year doctor appointment you FINALLY reached the 50th percentile for weight!  Yay!  It makes sense because you eat like a horse these days.  You are definitely a better eater than both of your sisters.  You're still in that wonderful stage where you eat almost anything that is put in front of you.  But we have such a hard time getting you to drink.  You won't finish a whole sippy cup in an entire DAY, and even bottles are a struggle.  You maybe get 10-15 oz of fluid a day.  We have still been giving you a 5-6 oz bottle of warm whole milk in the morning and night, and you drink that OK, but throughout the day you won't drink much.  You always just push it away.  We need to start weaning away from the bottle soon, so I wish you liked a cup a bit more.

But Dr. Zimmerman wasn't worried, so I guess I won't be either.  Also, we had your hemoglobin rechecked, and you are no longer anemic, so that's great news!  Your hemoglobin came up from 8 at your nine month appointment to 11.8 now!  No more iron supplements :)  

Here are your stats:

Weight: 20 lbs (50th percentile!)

Length: 30.75 inches (91st percentile)

Head Circumference: 47 cm (92nd percentile)

So all good news there!  You got four shots at this appointment (including the flu shot), which was awful for this poor mama's heart, but you tolerated it like a champ, as always.  You never needed Tylenol or anything and you didn't get any weird reactions or fever.  

The five of us went to OC, MD for the weekend this month, so Mommy got to see you play at the beach, which was great!  You are not a fan of the ocean, but you liked the little tide pools and you liked playing in the sand :)

You loved the surrey cart!  The wind whipping through your hair was right up your alley :)

Other random notes:

You have your own toothbrush and you love it!  If you are cranky we can just hand you your toothbrush and you're happy as a clam:

We went to two amusement parks in a week's time and you were a trooper!

Dutch Wonderland

Knoebels

And last, but not least, we have your 12 month pictures:

You are always fine in the beginning...

And then it progresses...

We had a little family birthday party for you on your actual birthday, so that will be my next post :) 

I can't believe my feisty little baby is one year old!  This year has been a complete whirlwind, and the jump from two to three kids has been a large one for us, but you make it all worth it Iz.  You are fun and funny and loud, and shall I say, spirited ;)  You keep us on our toes and you have the whole family wrapped around your finger.  I could smooch your cheeks all day long... and sometimes I do.  I love you to the moon and back Busy Girl.  Happy first birthday!!

Love,

Mommy

Isabelle: 11 Months!

Dear Belle Belle,

Wow!  You are almost a whole year old!  This is the last blog post that I will write about an infant!!  I cannot even fathom that.  And it makes me sad.  Not that this year was a breeze or anything, because whew, you are a tough cookie, that's for sure.  Aunt Tina and I always joke that you are so easy breezy... the key word being, "joke", ha ha!

 No, breezy you are not, but I love, love, love this stage!  One-year-olds are so much fun!  You are so excited every time you see me.  You get a huge smile on your face and put your arms up for me to pick you up.  Then when I pick you up you pump your little legs with excitement.  You can give "kisses" (which are always open mouthed and slobbery), you can wave in that wrist-twisting way that you do, you clap, and.... drum roll please.... you CRAWL!

Yup, you heard it right, you have started crawling.  You decided to give it a go over 4th of July weekend at Derek's cabin.  Slow at first, but you are really a mover now.

You started by prepping yourself, saying "Go. Go. Go".  Ha ha!

And in a few short days you were on the move!

And speaking of moving, this is the first month that you were able to go from laying down to sitting up all by yourself!  Yup, a little late on the physical developments just like your sisters.  But, also like your sisters, you are a talking machine!  I just lowered your crib from the newborn highest setting a few weeks ago!  All of my friends are amazed by that fact.  So for now your crib mattress is on the middle setting, still not on the lowest one yet since you can't stand up.  I'm sure that'll be coming soon.

You love, love, love your blankie that Dani made you, just like Emma does.  As long as you have that blanket, you are ready to sleep.  I lay you in your crib awake, put your blankie over your head (which you love), and off to snooze-land you go. 

You are also a thumb sucker, just like your sisters.  I only catch you doing it when you are asleep, but here's proof.

You still like your jumper, but I have a feeling those days are nearing their end as well.  Once you are really moving, you will say " So long!" to the jumper.  One of your favorite things to do this month is roll a ball back and forth with someone.  It makes you giggle and you have so much fun with it :)

You are still very verbal, and we laugh at the full on "conversations" that you have.  You love to pretend to put a phone up to your ear and just chat away.  I will have to get a video of that sometime.  I wouldn't say you have any real new words except maybe "uh-oh".  You have started to say that one appropriately.  And you have discovered how to make the "ssssssssss" sound, which you really get a kick out of.

Here is a little video of you chatting before you could crawl this month:

You got your two front teeth, so you no longer have the fangs, ha ha.  Now you're up to 6 teeth.  Four top and two bottom.  You love most "big people" food, and you love pouches, puffs, yogurt bites, and Mum Mums.  I nurse you just once a day in the morning now, and even that is a struggle.  You just are not interested in liquids in any way, shape, or form.  We try breastfeeding, bottle feeding, sippy cup feeding.  We try breast milk, whole milk, water, juice.  We try warm.  We try cold.  You just are not interested.  I'd say you're lucky if you get 10 ounces of fluid a day.  And I think you are supposed to get a minimum of 24 ounces.  We just cannot force you to drink any more.  So we'll see what Dr. Zimmerman says at your next appointment.

You hate to lay on your changing mat... I mean HATE it.  You scream like we're killing you every time we lay you down.  But occasionally you'll be OK with it if we give you your bottle there.  And sometimes you will only drink your bottle on your mat.  Quite the particular little thing, I must say.

 

You went on your first beach trip this month!  I wasn't there because I stayed home with Aunt Tina since she was sick, but Daddy and Grandma took videos and pictures for me.  Here is your first taste of the ocean: (You were not pleased.)

You were a little happier in the pool:

But apparently, you really loved your bucket :)

The ocean?  Too much.  The pool?  Decent.  A bucket of water?  That's more your speed ;)

We took you to your first movie this month!  Finding Dori in the IMAX theater!  Daddy had to walk outside with you a few times, but you did really well, considering your age!

A little summertime pool fun:

I had to throw this photo in because I have this very similar one of Addy at your age.  Big eyes and everything.

You

Addy

No denying that you two are sisters!

Fourth of July weekend with Daddy's hat:

You are so lucky to have two big sisters that adore you.  Addy is like your second mama the way she totes you around. 

And Emma loves to be silly with you:

And, of course we will end with your monthly photos.  It's like clockwork.  You are OK with the Bumbo photos, but you are so over it when I try to lay you on the blanket.  I cannot get you to smile there.  Oh well....

"I hate laying on this blanket!!!"

"Hello?  Is this a phone?  Can anyone save me?"

"NOOOOO!!"

Izzy Leigh, you have such a big personality and we all love you to bits!  You never let us forget that you are there, as you give your sisters a run for their money with the sheer volume of your voice.  Our house is never quiet and certainly never calm, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  You are our littlest nugget and I just love scooping you up and toting you around.  And you love it too.  You love nothing more than having Mommy and Daddy hold you.  You are our last baby, and though this time is crazy and chaotic, I try hard to savor those little moments with you as I know they'll be gone in the blink of an eye.  I love you Isabelle!

Love,

Mommy

Isabelle: 10 Months!

Dear Belly,
 
Boy oh boy, you are getting so big!  Every day I am witnessing your "babyness" slip away, and I'm watching you transform into a little girl!  It's so wild, wonderful, and heartbreaking all at the same time.  Where is my baby going?

You are really starting to communicate and you're becoming more interactive every day.  You can wave in that cute, funny, wrist-twisting way that babies do.  You clap when we clap, which always makes you laugh.  You have your very own language, but sometimes I swear you say, "All done".  Maybe I'm crazy but you often say it when you are done nursing, so it fits.

You are still nursing three times a day, but you're becoming less and less interested in it, and you are so easily distracted that I think we're going to wean to just morning and bedtime soon.  You have started using a sippy cup, but you don't love it and you won't drink very much from it.  You really prefer food to liquid.  Here you are with your bottle, which this picture proves that you CAN hold for yourself.  You just usually choose not to ;)

You eat anything that we eat, and you let us know that it is NOT OK for us to eat if you are not.  If we're eating, you're eating.  And if you are in your highchair, we better have food in front of you within 30 seconds or else!  Finger foods are what you prefer.  No more spoon feeding you.  You are so over that ;)  I would say that yogurt bites are your current favorite food.  Every time you see that yellow bag come out of the pantry you start banging your tray with excitement.

You have four teeth right now.  Your two bottom ones and then fangs on the top.  Yup, you don't have your front top teeth, you have the ones on either side of the front teeth.  And yes, they look like fangs!

I never got a great picture of the fangs, but I do love this pic.  This was taken when you had a breakfast date with Mommy and Daddy while your big sisters were at the beach with Pap and Meemaw.

We are not quite as regimented with your diet as we were with your big sisters (Really we aren't even close to as strict), as evidenced by your first taste of Frosty at 10 months:

Your hair is as long and wild as ever, so it needs to be in a barrette, or ponytail every single day.  It looks so cute like this:

Now when we don't do your hair, you literally cannot see, and you look like this:

And it is always, always tangled in the back:

We moved into our new house this month!  Here you are on our first day, in front of the huge fireplace.  You're so mini!

You still love to be outside, and swinging is one of your favorite things to do:

Here's a little video with your sweet baby giggles.  You are still stingy with the giggles, but when I can get them out of you, it's the sweetest sound in the world!  (Please ignore my annoying baby voice)

We went to a Memorial Day picnic at the Dunn's house, and here you are loving life at the water table:

I'm telling you, put you outside and you're happy as a clam:

At this point you are still immobile, and I think that just makes you so frustrated.  You are close to crawling, and you rock back and forth like you're about to go, but you just can't get there yet, so you revert to crying...which is what you do best ;)  I do think that one of the reasons that you're so cranky is that you want to move but you just can't yet.  I'll be so interested to see if you are generally happier once you can crawl.  

And here is a little video showcasing what your talking looks like these days:

And last, but not least, your 10 month pics.  You were not at all happy to have these taken, so you were a cranky mess ;)

It started out beautifully...

And went slowly downhill from there...

And that's the end of that ;)

Oh Iz, you are just too much!  You are a spitfire and you always keep us on our toes.  I just can't help but laugh and smile and smooch that sweet little baby face of yours.  You are our last baby, and you are ensuring that these baby years go out with a bang!  I love you to pieces you loud, lovable, crazy haired girl!

Love,

Mommy

Isabelle: 9 Months!

Dear Littlest,

I feel like all of the sudden your first birthday is right around the corner!

Despite the fact that you look so big these days and are doing so many fun new things.... you are still immobile!  Yup, you can sit up for a long time, but you stay where we plop you.  And you often cry about it, which I think is due to frustration at not being able to move.  That, combined with the fact that you are getting more teeth.  As of right now you have three teeth.  The two bottom and your right lateral incisor on the top.  That incisor was your second tooth to come in, which is kind of funny.  You look a bit like a vampire ;)

You have started eating finger foods and are really into feeding yourself these days.  I think we are officially done buying baby food (at least the kind that we have to spoon feed you), because you have no interest in that anymore.  You just want food that you can pick up.

 Your first taste of puffs!  (P.S. Wild hair, don't care.)  This was at Pap and Meemaw's house about a week after you turned 8 months.  They bought them and I remember saying, "I don't think she can pick them up yet."  You proved me wrong right then and there!  And it's been fingers foods all the way since then.

Speaking of Pap and Meemaw's house, here is your first ride in this little car that they have.  You LOVED it!  Gahhh, you are looking so big!

Back to food.  Your favorite foods these days are grapes and meatballs.  You could eat both of those all day long.  Oh, and bananas.  You have a banana almost every morning for breakfast.  And if you are ever cranky while I'm getting food together (AKA: every time), I put you in your high chair and dump a bunch of Cheerios on your tray.  And that occupies you for awhile.  

I have weaned you to nursing three times a day since you are so distractable now.  You nurse anywhere from 2-5 minutes per side and then you are done.  Which is kind of nice, because we are done quickly.  So I nurse you when you wake up, before your second nap, and before bed.  It's a nice little schedule, but the only problem is that you are completely uninterested in a cup of any kind, so that's literally the only liquid that you get all day.  I keep offering it, but you haven't started using a cup at all yet.  I've tried a sippy cup and the straw type.  I've also tried sticking a bottle on your tray, but you won't drink that by yourself either.  So we'll keep working on it.

You have started to wave and clap your hands on demand which is so cute.  And you always mimic your sisters if they are doing either of those things.  The love and adoration you have for your big sisters completely melts my heart :)

You do lots of babbling, but no real words other than Mama and Dada.  I really do think you know us by those names now.  And you will often say them on demand.  Here's a little video:

And, call me crazy, but sometimes I swear you say "All done".  Like when you are finished nursing.  You turn your head to the side and say the same thing every time, which sounds like "All done."  But, I may be crazy ;)

You haven't been shaking your head "no" as much lately, but you still do it from time to time.  Your newest fascinations are clapping and waving.  And you have started reaching your arms out for us when we come into the room!  If I am holding you and Daddy walks in, you reach your arms out for him to hold you and it's so cute!

You still love the baby carrier and are always pretty content in there.  I put you on my front and face you out, and you are happy as a clam.  I guess I could put you on my back too, but I haven't tried that yet.  The LilleBaby carrier is what I use ( I bought it when you were born) and I really like it.  Much more comfy than the Bjorn in my opinion.  

Oh my gosh, you had your first taste of ice cream this month, and boy did you love it!!  We were at Pop and Grandma's cabin for the weekend, and we didn't want to leave you out of the ice cream festivities :)

You and Pop

Lots of firsts this month... First real pigtails!

Where's Izzy?  This is how we entertain you these days.  Dump your entire bucket of toys in front of you and let you have at it.  Because, of course, you won't crawl to get anything, you need them all within arms reach ;)

All dressed up for a Mother's Day family photo shoot :)

And a little video of course:

Your 9 Month stats are as follows:

Weight: 17lbs 2oz (28th percentile)

Length: 28.25" (67th percentile)

HC: 45.5cm (87th percentile)

 And here are your 9 month pics:

You are at that stage where it's getting harder to take the pictures because you are obsessed with the sticker, and you are trying to peel it off and crumble it constantly ;)

This was not your happiest of photo shoots.  I had a hard time getting a smile once I put you down on the blanket.  I think you were mad at me because I wouldn't let you have the sticker.  But, as you can see by the crumple factor, you managed to get it a few times ;)

I even brought Daddy in to get you to smile, and this is the best he could do.  You were pretty much on the verge of tears the whole time, which we are kind of used to with you in general ;)  But this month you have been a bit more cranky and needy, probably because you are so uncomfortable from those darn teeth :(

Well Izz, you are 3/4 of a year old!  You are so interactive and you love to be entertained.  It's a good thing you have some amazing older sisters to fulfill the entertainer role ;)  Your biggest loves are your family, food, and being held.  For as much as we fretted over you not eating well in those first few months, you are more than making up for it now.  If there was food on your tray all day long, you would eat all. day. long.  

You hair is as long as ever, and you are in desperate need of a trim, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet.  For now we'll just live with barrettes and hair ties to keep your hair out of your face.  

You can sit up and play for a long time.  You can stand up while holding onto furniture.  But you are still immobile.  You won't even roll more than one time.  You make sure to get off of your tummy, and that's it.  But you are following suit with those sisters of yours, so it's all good.  I'm happy that you'll stay where we put you for now... although I do think you will be happier once you're mobile.

You're still a pretty good sleeper, napping twice a day and sleeping from about 7:30PM - 6:30/7:00AM.  Your naps are variable in length and sometimes the morning one is longer, sometimes the afternoon one is longer.  We never really know how it's going to go.

You smile at us whenever we look in your direction, but we darn sure better be picking you up once we've glanced at you.  Or you will let us know that that is what we are expected to do ;)  As long as you are held or you're outside you are pretty happy.  I'm so glad the warmer weather is coming so we can hang out outside more.

My littlest lady, I love you to pieces!  As I say to you every morning, every night, and multiple times in between, "Your mama loves you Iz!"

Love, 

Mommy