Isobel's 13 months old

Isobel turned 13 months old yesterday.  It's been a very busy month for our baby girl. She's walking, eating with a spoon, trying to say more words (most recently she's been trying to say stairs and stinky), and today she said perfectly clear Mommy and Daddy. Of course she only did it once, but it's progress. 

Here are some pictures of Isobel with her best friend Riley. She's always trying to sit next to or lean on him. Thankfully Riley is patient and tolerant. Here's Isobel looking out the window at her Daddy while he was doing some yard work. She loves her Daddy.  

Isobel hasn't been feeling well this weekend but I think she's starting to feel better now. I certainly hope so since Christmas is just around the corner and there are fun times to be had. Cookies to make for Santa, presents to open, pictures to take, new toys to play with, you name it. 

Isobel Feeds Herself

Silly mommy. I totally forgot to upload this video of Isobel feeding herself. She's gotten very good at getting food on her spoon and putting it in her mouth. She's growing too fast. 

Oh, and Grandma took Isobel to the park this afternoon and said she was walking all over the place and rarely fell. Such a good girl!

Isobel Walks

Well we all know Isobel's been taking steps for several weeks now. And she takes several steps at a time.

But this weekend she's really been walking. And if she falls down she tends to get back up and keep going instead of crawling. It's very exciting - and exhausting. She's been a very tired girl lately. 

So I put together this montage of Isobel learning to walk. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

Isobel has been growing and changing so much. She has become a 

little diva and is completely spoiled rotten by Grandma, Nana and Grandpa. She still loves her books and as you can see in one picture she likes to read to her "babies". Bath 

time is always fun - especially with her ladybug towel. 

We are really looking forward to the holidays since Grandpa Bob will be here too. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures. Hope everyone is well.

Christmas pictures - yeah right!!

We went and got our Christmas tree on Saturday. For those of you that know Tim, you will be shocked to learn that we got a small tree this year (at least relative to what we normally get). Of course it was only for Isobel's safety. And we did not use any ornaments, just ribbons and bows. It's a beautifully simple tree. 

Saturday night we had a birthday party for Katie. It was a pajama party and so much fun. They had the microphone set 

up for karaoke and Isobel wanted in on the action.

So we tried to take some Christmas pictures of Isobel in her adorable dress & hat but as you can see she wanted nothing to do with it. Even still, she's the most beautiful little girl and I love every moment with 

her.

Christmas is Only 20 Days Away

Well Christmas is quickly approaching - only 20 days away. Isobel is still fighting a runny nose but she's getting better. She went to the library on Wednesday and had a play date with all the boys on Thursday. We have a big day planned tomorrow - Gymboree, then we're getting Isobel's Christmas dress and then we are going to get our Christmas tree. I'm so excited to see her enjoy this holiday season. Here are some pictures - Isobel has been fascinated with shoes lately. Here she is with mine. And she loves playing with her Bee Bop Band.  She loves playing the drum.

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.