Isabella Marlena

Isabella has spent most of the past two weekends with her grandparents.  The weekend of the 8th I had to go to a wedding near Hot Springs, so the baby and I just spent the night there.  Last weekend Ronnie and I had a concert to go to, so I dropped her off with them again, overnight babysitters are not easy to find.  Isabella had so much fun there.  Now that she is a wheeled terror thanks to her walker, Isabella runs in circles through their house, which is much larger than our home.  She also terrorizes poor Figaro, the family cat, who spends most of his time hiding from her.  I got a few pictures of her playing there.

The cat is on the other side of the door glaring at her.

Figaro is fleeing the scene

Her new little cousin Nico is going to be here this weekend so I took some toys there for him.  Isabella loved “unpacking” the toys for him.

Standing on her own because she is distracted.

Isabella is so attached to her Cozy Coupe.  She likes to play in it, outside of it, pushing it.  We keep the floor in it so that she is contained, I am so glad that the door locks.  She loves the “sunroof” especially when you play peek-a-boo through it or hand her toys through it.

Let the pictures begin

LOOK at all those teeth!

This last month has been fun, and hectic, she really keeps you on your toes!  Her christening is in just 10 days!  As is Ronnie’s Birthday!!

Isabella is still not walking.  She now lets us walk her around for short periods, especially if we are chasing Nicco.  Isabella just wants to do it all on her own, and she is very cautious and stubborn.  She usually lowers herself to the floor slowly so she does not hurt her bottom.   Isabella likes to make sure of her next handhold before letting go of anything.  We have caught her standing all on her own when she is distracted by toys, I do not think she realizes she is doing it.  She recently got tall enough to reach the floor well while in her walker, she was still going just backwards in it until last week, but she really didnt spend much time in it.  Isabella is all over the place in it now.  She is a whiz at turning around and getting through obstacles.  Isabella grips it tight and runs on her tip toes at top speed.  Poor Nicco cannot lay on the floor anywhere while she is in it.  She loves to be chased in the walker, her new favorite game.

I would say she is fairly well behaved considering her age.  Isabella will “talk back” when you tell her not to touch something, and gives her grouchy gremlin face, but she listens.  She definitely knows what “No” means, and after a few repeats will leave things alone.  Not that she does not periodically test you later to make sure it is still a “No.”   She has already outsmarted the cabinet door safety locks, and even manages to open them when in her walker.  When she is fully walking we are in so much trouble.  I think we will be investing in more baby gates.

Isabella is a great eater.  Last week she had pasta with zucchini, breakfast sausage, steak, rib meat, hummus……….  I love the fact that she eats pretty much whatever we give her.  She is entirely too active to put on any weight though, she is never sitting still for long.  Isabella does not watch tv, though she does look up whenever she hears music she likes.

Loves her Mac N Cheese!!

Her favorite toys right now are her Cozy Coupe (though we leave the floor in it), her stuffed dog, and her TV remote.  I picked up a cheap remote a few weeks ago and that is one of her new favorites.  She still loves bathtime and gets mad when I take her out of the tub.  Isabella really likes her ball popper, I just cant keep track of the ammo!  She still hugs her Mickey and Minnie dolls, and usually at the same time.  It’s like she knows they are a pair and does not want one to feel left out.  She loved her VTech Winnie the Pooh book so much she has actually killed the batteries in it.

Ball Popper

Mickey and Minnie

Still the one-socked wonder, now with Pooch!

Isabella is such an animal lover, especially dogs.  She has been around several cats, but are smart enough to run away from her for the most part, not that she has given up chasing them.  Nothing makes her happier than being around a dog though, she shrieks whenever she sees one.  Mine have not been raised around kids,  so it will be a long time until she is allowed to play with them.  She has so much fun playing with other people’s dogs.  Isabella has two special dog buddies,  Harvey and Zues.  Harvey is a little Brussels Griffon, and belongs to Sherri and Eric.  Zues is an old, large boxer and belongs to Cliff.  Last time Ronnie went to Cliff’s to play guitar,  Isabella chased down Zues and cuddled up to him when he lay down for a nap.  I really wish he had taken a camera with him, maybe next time.

I have so many cute pics  I cannot decide what to post!  I have so many of her in the coupe that I think it deserves its own blog!

Isabella recently had a “playdate” with Macie and Ashlyn at Macie’s house.  Isabella loves Macie’s toys, and got to take a few home.  Her new VTech Winnie the Pooh book gets a lot of use.  Isabella really enjoyed the company, she would get all hyped up and laugh whenever they would run past her playing.

This progression is funny.  Ashlyn has toy, and Isabella eyes it

Isabella decides she wants it,  Ashlyn is enjoying it way too much

Now who has the toy?

Not even Ashlyn could resist those big pretty eyes.

Macie and Isabella.

I tried to put Isabella in a swing, but she does not like them anymore.  Not even a bench that swings while she is in my lap.  Hopefully she outgrows that, she loved the swing before.

It was a fun playdate, we will have to have another one soon.

Isabella  is already 13 months old.  Still haven’t gotten her first year pictures taken, sorry folks.  Things have been a little frantic, sickness in family, and being on call for most of this month and at least the beginning of next.

Isabella is simply amazing.  She is still very sweet and easy-going.  Still not walking, not that she isn’t very mobile .  Isabella will walk at her own time, and as clever as she is, I am in no hurry to unleash a walking Babyzilla on the house.

Isabella’s diet has changed a lot since her first birthday.  She still usually has cereal with fruit for breakfast, and she loves the Organic “Cheerios,” though she seems to like anything crunchy.  She eats Yobaby yogurt like its ice cream.  The cats are very excited we have started feeding her sliced turkey at lunch.  Whenever she eats it they run and wait for her to drop some from her tray, which she does frequently.  She will sometimes take a bite out of a piece, then throw the rest of it overboard to the waiting sharks, take a bite out of a second piece and throw the rest of that…  When she is full she cleans her tray by throwing what is left to the cats.    Dinner is usually steamed veggies, and whatever we are eating, as long as it isn’t too spicy or otherwise not baby-friendly.  Surprisingly she will eat brown rice, asparagus, lentil soup and other foods most children do not like.  Her favorite snacks are Cheddar Bunnies, an organic take on Goldfish.  Isabella now will drink watered down fruit juice, and lactose free whole milk, but still usually from a bottle.  She has sippy cups she likes, but she still treats them more like toys.  When she is seriously thirsty she gets mad at them and swats them away.

Her Aunt Michelle bought her a ball popper.  Isabella was afraid of it at first because of the noise it made, but now she loves it.  Unfortunately she hates to let go of any she has caught, so it soon runs out of ammo and makes her mad.  The other day I caught her trying to stuff her round bath toys into it.

Our real holiday was friday, when Ronnie had the day off work and we had an entire day together as a family.  There are not many of those, so we cherish them.  We did a little running around, nothing big.  We ate at PF Changs since Isabella likes it there so much.  Once again she had the tables around us laughing and making ridiculous faces at her.

Then we got Isabella’s kiddie pool ready and let her play in it for the first time.  Ronnie filled it on the concrete driveway, then it was too heavy to drag into the grass, and I was afraid if she slipped she would hurt herself, so I had to climb in with her.  I was obviously not dressed for it, as you can see.  Isabella had fun, she was a little too obsessed with the floaty toys that came with the pool.  When she started a new game of throwing them out and then having to retrieve them herself, it was time to call it a day.

Ronnie had to work on Saturday.  I was trying to decide what the baby and I were going to do when she decided it for me.  She had a very cranky day, and every time I turned around she was knocking her head on something.  Days after the last post two of her top molars came in, and this Saturday it looked like her bottom canines were coming in.  Luckily there was no fever to go with the teething, but Isabella was not in a good mood.  Cranky pants and I stayed in that day. My mother said Hot Springs was packed all weekend anyway.

Sunday Isabella woke up happy and stayed that way the rest of the day.  I put her in baby jail while I got her breakfast ready, and when I walked by she was hugging her favorite stuffed dog and was playing with her activity table at the same time.  It was so funny I had to grab the camera.

Then she decided to crawl around with her little stuffed duck, and decided holding it by the peak in her mouth was a good solution to certain transportation issues.

She took an excellent two hour nap before lunch, and we played and went grocery shopping, then played some more.

Her only cranky face of the day, and I am not sure what even brought it on.

I tried to use the bubble machine I bought for her in the tub, but it sounds a lot like a hair dryer, and she was not happy about the noise.  Loud guitars and music she is fine, but vacuums and hair dryers, and she is not happy.

Isabella went to the doctor Monday for her one year old check up.  I am in TN, so Ronnie had to deal with the shots alone again.  She gets boosters in three months and then she is shot free until kindergarten.

Stats:

Weight: 19 lbs 10 oz.

Length: 18.5 inches

Head Circumference: 17.25 inches

Teeth: 10

Isabella was in perfect health, not even an ear infection.  I was so relieved, it seems like she happens to have one just in time for a check up.  The doctor approved her diet, said we had her on the right track.  She is perfectly proportioned, and just barely in the “petite” range.  I didnt pay attention to the percentiles, they do not really mean anything anyway.

Isabella is getting closer and closer to walking.  I have a strict “no new tricks while mommy is gone” policy, so she had better not take a step until I come home this weekend.  She spent last weekend with my parents and had so much fun.  Figaro, their cat, is probably still traumatized from her chasing him under the dinner table.   Isabella will be at Sherry’s this weekend, I come home on Saturday.  I am sure she will be happy to be reunited with Harvey, her favorite furry friend.  I cannot wait to see her.

Random cute photo

Sorry it took so long, I have been busy and everyone has been asking me to post these pictures.  I also found out that an email invitation I had sent out somehow did not make it through cyberspace, and I am very upset about it.  To those that did not receive the invitation to the birthday party, we will just have to have another party when I come home from TN.

On Sunday morning Ronnie took Isabella to church, and I used the baby-free time to get as much done as possible.  My parents spent the night Saturday so they could have more time with the baby, and so my mother could help.  Things were really hectic so I did not get all of the pictures I wanted to take, but we still ended up with plenty.

Ready for church with Daddy

The Dallas Keislers came in for the party, and so did some of our friends that are family, plus local family.  I think the total was around 20 people.  I don’t know how they all fit, but they did.   I was so scared there wouldn’t be enough food.  Ronnie grilled ribs and italian sausage, I made baked penne, some kid friendly food, plus some sides… we sent food home with people  and were still eating it for dinner two days later.

Haylee became  swarmed with the kids, so we stuck them all in “baby jail.”

Isabella with her Nonna

We opened the presents before serving the cake, because we knew it was going to be messy.  Isabella had so many wonderful gifts.  She got her own Little People toys, the zoo and ark, plus the minivan and dump truck.  She also has her first bathing suits, and several adorable outfits.  One of my favorite gifts though, was the Cozy Coupe.  I had one when I was a child and remember it well.  My brother used the same one and then it went on through several of my cousins.  They were larger then, so I could still fit it in it at 6 years old.  This year was the 30th anniversary edition of the Cozy Coupe, and my parents bought it for Isabella. That also means mine must have been the first year they came out, scary.

I made Isabella a cupcake cake for her to destroy all on her own.  I also bought a second cake for the rest of us.  You can of course tell which one I decorated, but in my defense I was in a bit of a hurry.

Fabiola had gotten her a birthday crown so of course she wore it for her party.  The dress my sister Diana had bought months ago, and it was perfect.

We sang Happy Birthday to her, then I let the girls blow the candle out for Isabella.  I was afraid she would start crying from all the singing and clapping, but she just clapped right along with everyone.

I am not sure if it was the unaccustomed sugar, or if she stuck her fingers in her mouth too far eating the icing, but Isabella made herself gag, and threw up.  So we changed her, and since it was already way past time for a nap, I left her in her crib.  Ashlyn wanted to sneak in there and make sure she was asleep before she left, and Isabella was wide awake just playing by herself.  I think she needed the alone time as much as a nap.  So I let her say her goodbyes to everyone and play a little while longer.

While she was napping I got some of her toys ready, and she latched onto the lion from her Little People Zoo and would not let go of it.  The next day she took it everywhere with her.  And even now, days later, she grabs it the moment she sees it, and does not like to share it.

The next day we had lunch, and she still wouldnt let go of the lion.

Isabella turned 1 on Wednesday June 10th, I still cannot beleive she is already a year old.  I decided to take the day off and to spend her first birthday at the zoo.  We invited some other adorable children to join us so that Isabella could be surrounded with other kiddies.  Danielle with Maggie, Mimi, and Ruby met us there along with Lili and Ava, and Kathy with Sam and Amelia.  They were so much fun to be around.  There are so many great pictures, it is hard to decide which to post.  It was a hot day, but I think the adults were tired long before the kids were.  Ronnie and I  had not been to the Little Rock Zoo in years, the last time it was much smaller and not very impressive.  It has improved so much.  We are members now so Isabella will be going there alot this year.

Looking for the elephants

Ruby and Mimi

Ava

Watching the tiger

Ruby

Sam ran around alot, it took pizza to get a good pic of him, he was so much fun

Amelia

Ava

After the zoo we went home to rest and to let Isabella get a nap.  Ronnie did some work in the yard, and then we took Isabella to one of her favorite places, the mall.  She is always happy to be there, she always gets lots of attention.  We got her a Build-A-Bear, and I couldnt resist the Hello Kitty.

Isabella and her first Hello Kitty

After the shopping we took her to the chinese restaurant at the mall.  Ronnie eats there all the time so they know her well.  There were two other couples eating and she had the entire room laughing at her.  Isabella was clapping, singing, and using those big eyes and long lashes to charm them all.

It was a long but wonderful day, and all three of us crashed when we came home from dinner.  My baby is officially no longer a baby!

Sunday the 7th, was Nico’s baptism.  We went by my uncle’s house early so that Isabella could spend more time with the family.

My cousin Tina is Nico’s godmother, so Isabella got to meet her.  Tina just graduated high school, and is off to culinary school, I am so proud of her.  There are a lot of great cooks in our family, so she has a great head start.

Before they got Nico all dressed up for the baptism, we let him play with Isabella.  She leaned over and gave him a big hug, it was so sweet.

Isabella and Nico

Isabella did very well at the church.  If she made noise they were happy noises, even though she really did need a nap.  Salvatore was such a big help, with the car seat and stroller and giving us rides, it would have been much more difficult without his help.  I got her to take a short nap at the restaurant before the reception started.  Isabella ate some of my dinner, had some of her first canoli, and really enjoyed the party.  Leave it to my family to celebrate a baptism with lots of food, dancing, and an open bar.  We had so much fun,  I really missed the whole Chicago family.  My cousins just became entertaining adults and I am missing out.  I danced around with Isabella on my hip, and she danced with other people also.  Christopher (the new godfather) dedicated a Justin Timberlake song to her, of course.  Isabella just loves music so much, whenever I would sit down she would bounce along with it.

Isabella with Christopher

Isabella with her great-uncle John

It was funny watching him dance around with her, 30 years ago that was me he was spoiling.  They got along really well.

Isabella with her great-aunt Fabiola and her great-uncle Nick

Some down time with Minnie

Proud Uncle Nick with Nico

We had such a wonderful time in Chicago.  Christopher was nice enough to take us to the airport, such a big help.  Isabella did so well on the return flight.   The seat next to us was thankfully empty, so I let her sit in the window seat and bounce around a while.  The hardest part was keeping her still, she refused to nap again.  Isabella was so excited to see Ronnie, the reunion was sweet.  I think we will have to make the trip at least once a year, and hopefully Ronnie can go with us next time.