Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I trust you all have stuffed yourselves with turkey and stuffing and gravy. Isobel loved her turkey, sweet potatoes and ravioli. We had a great time at Aunt Tracy and Uncle Wayne's house. I can't believe we didn't take any pictures - sorry. 

On Friday night we went to the Christmas tree lighting in Vinoy park. Isobel loved the lights. Here's a video of the lighting.

On Tuesday we had Isobel's 12 month check up. She weighs almost 19 lbs now. Most of us are in shock that she isn't over 20 lbs yet, but she's close. She's also on the tall side for her age - 31". So now that she's a year old we have switched her to whole milk (no more formula - Yeah!). We also stopped giving Isobel a bottle. We made the switch to only sippy cups cold turkey and she's done great. I think she missed the bottle the first day but now she probably doesn't even remember them. Next is no more pacifier at bed time - that one will be a little tougher. We are going to wait a week before we make that change. 

Isobel has been getting much better at walking. She took about 10 steps Friday while we were at Gymboree. Here's a montage I put together of some her first attempts. Hopefully I'll get more video to add to this.  Today Isobel developed a runny nose and a slight cough and was extra sneezy. I'm listening to her snore in her sleep right now. Here are two other videos of our sweet baby girl. One is of her riding her pony. The other is of us playing peek-a-boo. It's really dark but her laughter is infectious. (here's a lighter version although it's not much better) 

Isobel's First Birthday Party!

Saturday was Isobel's first birthday party and it was fantastic. It was a beautiful day at Crisp Park and it only rained for a few minutes while we were opening presents. Isobel was an angel and she looked like one in her pink ladybug dress. She was surrounded by friends and family that love her very much. 

She wanted to walk and walk and walk all day. And she had fun playing peek-a-boo with Nana and Grandpa. 

Now the cake. The cake came out great if I may say so myself. It took Tim, Grandma and Nana to help me but I think it looked

 great. And we made cupcakes for all the kids to decorate themselves and it was a success. 

I couldn't be more pleased with how the party went and Isobel seemed to have so much fun. I think she knew the day was all about her. And I look forward to Thursday when she actually turns 1. One year old! I can't believe she's going to be one year old. 

Bad Mommy!

I know it's been several days since I have posted any pictures or updates of our precious Isobel. I have been consumed with getting ready for her birthday party this Saturday.

Isobel has had a great week. Gymboree is now corporately owned so they are open again and we went back this past Saturday. Isobel really enjoys going and meeting the other children. She made a new friend Claire who is 15 months old and just a cutie-pie. I'll have to get a picture of the two of them. And on Tuesday Isobel went to the zoo with Nana and Grandpa. It sounded like she had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect for a day outside. And yesterday Nana took Isobel to the library for Mother Goose story time. Oh, and the big question - No Isobel is not "walking" yet but she is continuing to get her feet under her and takes up to 4 consecutive steps sometimes. Its so random and unexpected that its next to impossible to get any pictures or video. But I'm working on it I promise. Well, I will try to be a better mommy and post some new pictures and video soon. Take care.

Breaking news alert - Isobel took several unassisted steps today for Grandma. Tim and I caught one or two (video coming soon). Now comes a whole new adventure. 

Happy Halloween! It's Isobel's first Halloween and we had a great day! We got dressed up and went to John & Katie's house to play with Connor, Cameron, Logan, Katie, Lola and Phoenix. Nana and Grandpa came over to go Trick or Treating with us. We went to a street in the Old Northeast Neighborhood where they block off the road to traffic and decorate the entire block. It was quite impressive. They staged a car accident with smoke and victims and even had a hearse with a coffin and skeleton (see picture with Isobel - Daddy thought this would be cute). Oh and yes, I was dressed as a flight attendant. Here's video of Isobel and Tim trick or treating at her very first house. So exciting.

Earlier in the week we went to the Hunsader Farm Pumpkin Festival with Nana and Grandma. We saw all kinds of animals, tons of pumpkins, played with butterflies and went through the corn maze. That was Isobel's favorite part, the corn maze. She smiled and laughed the whole way through.

Only 20 more days and Isobel turns 1 year old. We are in the midst of planning and the party will be here before we know it. Remember, you can visit http://isobelsbirthday.blogspot.com

for more information. 

Isobel's 11 months old today!

Isobel is 11 months old today. Only 1 more month and she will be a year. It amazes me every day how quickly she is growing and learning. She's been touching her nose and clapping and while she can't say a lot of words, she is definitely trying. And she eats more than I do. You can tell because she's getting the chubbiest little legs. They are so adorable.

On Saturday we all drove down to see Grandpa Bob in Ft. Myers. We stopped at a rest area to give Isobel lunch. Believe it or not she did manage to eat more than she wore. But she was so interested in our sunglasses I thought she could wear mine (since she won't wear her own).

Here's a cute video of Isobel playing with Riley's tail. And here she is chasing Maddy around. Enjoy!

Another busy weekend for Miss Isobel

Well it was another busy weekend for Miss Isobel. She had Gymboree class on Saturday, we had brunch with some girlfriends this morning and this afternoon she was busy standing up. And I swear she woke up from her morning nap and she looked different. She is growing so fast. 

Here are some videos from Gymboree class: Isobel slides, Isobel walks the incline, and playing with mommy.  If you notice in the video with me she is standing on her own. My hand is there but I'm not holding her up. She's getting better at standing and finding her balance every day. As you can see in these videos she can stand up now with very minimal assistance: Isobel standing up, Isobel stands up. These videos are from this afternoon while she was hanging out with Daddy.

This morning we had brunch with some of my girlfriends: Laren, Elena, Cheryl and Bonnie. Laren brought her 6 mo baby girl Juliet (who is adorable and at 6 mo already weighs the same as Isobel at 10 1/2 mo).  Juliet thought Isobel was great. Isobel wasn't sure what to make of Juliet. I think this one picture says it all - "hey, who is this girl over here and why is she all up in my space?" So cute.