10 months

Isabella's latest measurements were 17 lbs. 14 oz. and 28 inches tall. She's in the 50th percentile for height and 20th for weight. The doctor wasn't concerned because she's much more active now. When I say she's much more active, she truly is. She's crawling everywhere and pulling up on anything within reach. She opens every cabinet and drawer she sees and as a general rule, everything in her hand is eventually in her mouth. The latest thing I've caught her with is Rocky's food in her mouth. (She pitched a fit when I removed it and told her it was for Rocky.) Isabella has two more teeth coming in on the top, which are making her a little more irritable. As a general rule, though, she's a very happy baby (or do I start calling her a little girl soon?!) She's given up walking (with assistance) for the speed of crawling. I feel like steps could be coming anytime though, because she will occasionally stand with very little assistance. She's putting it all together.

One of my favorite things lately is when Isabella wakes up in the morning. I pick her up and take her to the rocking chair and she lays on my chest and we rock for a little while. This all started because she gets really upset when I put her down to change her diaper immediately after just picking her up. So, we sit and spend a few quiet moments just being together in the morning. I hold her and cherish the feeling, becuase I'm told so often that it'll end someday and she'll be too big for mommy to hold and cuddle with her. I'm just going to enjoy our time to rock in the chair for as long as it lasts.

(These school pictures were taken at 9 1/2 months but it's a good time to post them, since I just got them back.)

Hang in there bow!

I've been on a quest to find bows that will stay in Isabella's fine hair. Many times I've been defeated, but today Lauren stumbled upon the perfect bow for Isabella. Here it is, staying in her hair despite the activity. The perfect bow, it goes completely unnoticed by Isabella!

Showers, Parties, and Family

My cousin, Matthew, is getting married in June. This weekend he and his fiancee, Kasey, came into town to enjoy a weekend of fun and wedding showers. On Friday we went to a teahouse in Wilsonville called the Densler House for tea/lunch. I LOVE this place. You can play with hats, boas, and gloves and just be silly, and then you get the BEST food and tea. It's so much fun.

Me, Kasey, and Lauren

Me and Kathy in silly hatsReady to eat!!Lauren and me

On Saturday, we had a family wedding shower for them. In the style of our family, we had a giant potluck dinner and then cake and an ice cream sundae bar... and of course, presents for Matt and Kasey. Again, lots of fun and good food. the happy couple, ready to open gifts
Aunt Lauren and Isabellamy family

Sunday was the church bridal tea, so more cake, punch, and good food. It really was a great weekend even if I am a little heavier than before. I ended up with a huge amount of cake from the family shower, which then ended up at my workplace. My coworkers were really excited when I brought it in, so I even made my work environment happier... all in all a good weekends work.

Learning to drive

Isabella's been learning to drive at Publix. Sometimes she gets in trouble for parking in the middle of an aisle, but she's actually a fairly good driver.

Gulf Shores

This was a more successful trip than the previous two. I sat in the back seat with Isabella and entertained her. We also packed a little less, so at the last minute we made the call and allowed Rocky to make the trip with us. He was very happy to get to come along and John enjoyed having someone join him in the front of the car. Isabella and I had a great time on the way to the beach. We didn't even have to stop! Way to go Isabella!

Ready to go!

My sister, Lauren, her husband, Cody, and my dad all came as well. My dad was staying at the Grand Hotel in Fairhope, so we went to eat lunch out there. While John, Cody, and dad played golf, Lauren, Isabella, and I enjoyed the pool. It was beautiful. I guess I should say that Lauren and I enjoyed the pool, because as you can see from the pictures Isabella didn't like it so much. I tried to put her ankle deep in the pool and let her play with the fountain and she wasn't happy with me. She liked the pool a little better as long as I was holding her, but it was a little too cold to have much fun.

the Grand Hotel


Isabella checking out the sand

Isabella's not too sure about this

And she really doesn't like it

The beach itself ended up being overcast and windy, so we never actually made it down there. Instead we enjoyed the indoor pool at the condo. Isabella appreciated the warm water and seemed to have a lot more fun with John and Aunt Lauren playing with her. Afterwards, we met up with Sally and Hannah Cate at the outlet mall. Sally and Hannah Cate came back to the condo with us and the girls enjoyed playing together. I love watching Isabella making friends. Her and Hannah Cate were so cute together. We ended the day with a dinner out at Lulu's with Cody and Lauren and then a movie to relax.

Playing in her duck float

Isabella and daddy

Aunt Lauren and Isabella playing in the pool

drying off

Isabella and Hannah Cate having a snack

dinner at Lulu's

We REALLY enjoyed the trip. It was nice to have some time with John before finals start and he has to start the serious studying. When we got home we had a surprise visit from John's mom and Aunt Donna.

Isabella and Aunt Donna

Bath time

Since Isabella doesn't eat baby food anymore and instead she likes to eat with her hands to feed herself, it goes without saying that she makes a HUGE mess. Thankfully, Isabella loves bathtime. Here are a few shots of her playing in the bath and playing with daddy afterwards.

my escapee

Isabella looking guilty because she was told "no" when reaching for daddy's shampoo.


Isabella playing with her one of her favorite toys since mommy and daddy don't let her play with their cell phones.

John's been teaching Isabella all about golf, and she already loves the sport so much that she wants his new Master's hat.

Happy Easter!

Isabella's had an ear infection and virus and she hasn't been the happiest baby to be around this week (to put it mildly.) She's started throwing her head back and crying at the top of her lungs just to let us know how unhappy she is. It's kind of funny, if I weren't so worried about what might be wrong. You'd think she was dying by how dramatic it is. Here are a few Easter pictures. I tried to get as many as possible before she started crying again.

Isabella

Here's a good representation of our last few days.

me and Isabella

Four generations

Little angel?

The little rascal you see here, yeah, the one that looks like such a sweet angel, well, she's become an independent woman already. She has let me and John know that she can feed herself and she doesn't want baby food anymore. She will purse her little lips together, turn her head away, and, for good measure, wave her arms in front of her face if a spoon so much as comes close to her mouth. Let me tell you what a terrifying day this is for me. Now, I'm frantically searching the house for things that are soft enough for her little gums to "chew" up, as well as nutritious enough for her growing body. Don't get me wrong, as a parent, I realize that my job is to help her become more independent. I obviously don't want her to rely on me to feed her for the rest of her life. It's just very hard to find the perfect finger foods to meet her needs. When I think I've found just the thing, I go to the store, cook or heat it up, cut it into small pieces and proudly place it in front of her, all the time thinking this is just the perfect thing for her... only to find her pushing it across her tray with this cute little scrunched up face clearly letting me know that she doesn't want it. It's extremely frustrating. And daycare isn't making my job any easier. Nope, she's eating cinnamon toast (yes, with sugar added), hot dogs (choking hazard? not to mention the non-nutritious factor), and fish sticks (loving the fried foods.) I mean, who wants mashed green beans when you eat pizza for lunch?! So, I'm just venting a little, just letting you in on my current frustration. Who knew I'd get so excited when she'd willingly finish a jar of apple/apricot baby food? And yes, I did yell across the house to John that she ate a jar of fruit without crying. So, just be thankful all you parents (Sally and Matt) when your sweet little angel finishes all her food without a fuss. I can't help but be envious.