We haven't taken any pictures recently (though we are planning her 1-year photo-op soon) but there are always updates to share - so here we go:
Sign Language: Bella has learned "milk" and has actually created her own sign! She made the "eat" motion with her hand but tapped the table with it instead of her mouth - we think it means "cereal."
Naps: Have become a thing of the past. She's still sleeping like an angel through the night but her day-time naps have become very spotty. We still put her in her crib twice a day and sometimes she sleeps, sometimes she cries, and sometimes she talks to her stuffed animals and feet for 75 minutes before we get her out. Fun times!
Outdoors Time: Bella has been spending a lot of time outdoors lately because the weather has gotten a lot nicer. Renee will roll her around the backyard in her wagon or let her walk around and play in the leaves almost every day. We used to let her walk around in the front yard but she thinks the street is a lot of fun and doesn't understand the concept of yard boundaries.
That's it I guess. Hopefully pictures to come! Thanks for visiting!
Paul
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
She's Way Too Smart
Hey everyone - this is Dad and I'm taking a quick break at work to tell a couple stories. Bella has changed a LOT in the last few weeks so even if you saw her over the holidays, you'd only be able to pick her out of a lineup because she's still the cutest kid you've ever seen. Here are a few things we've witnessed recently:
1) She's starting to really master sign language. Tiffany and I wanted to teach her sign a long time ago and told Renee (our nanny) who took over. She now knows the sign for "eat", " more", "tubby", and "bye" (that counts as a sign). We're currently working on "thank you" and "milk".
1a) This has led to some pretty fun stories. The other day she finished her breakfast and put the "more" sign before the "eat" sign. Renee flipped out because she had two year olds at her day care that couldn't put two signs together.
1b) She also walked to the cupboard where we keep her goldfish the other day while Mom and Renee were talking, knocked on the door, and gave the "eat" sign.
1c) Just last night, after dinner, she gave me the "tubby" sign because she's starting to learn her daily routine. It wasn't quite time for her bath so I told her to wait and put her down in the living room. She walked over to the gate by the staircase, moved it out of her way, and flew up the stairs (yeah, she's climbing stairs now). She got about half way up and yelped for me to follow her.
2) As evidenced by the last story, she's getting a lot more mobile. Each day she gets more and more confident walking. She's getting a little faster each day too and it's not unusual for her to walk from the living room into the kitchen pretty quickly and without any help.
3) The Tiny One also understands a lot of English. Talking and interacting with her is very reminiscent of talking to an adult who has lost their voice. She's very responsive to things like "give Mommy her phone back", "put down Daddy's pen" or "can you give Welly a hug?" This morning she was eating her breakfast and had chipmunk cheeks but was pointing to her Welly's muffin. I told her she couldn't have a bite until she finished what was in her mouth - to which she replied by opening her mouth as wide as she could to show me it was empty!
4) She's done with formula and has started milk this morning. She's eating a lot of grownup food too and prefers food she can feed herself (whole green beans to green bean baby food). In the last couple of week's she's had corn, carrots, apples, pears, cake, hard-boiled eggs, hot dogs, mac & cheese, and today had her first taste of real chicken.
Anyway, time to get back to work. I just wanted you all to have those updates. I snuck it in at end of the last post and I'll sneak it in here too - but if you want to see any of this in person, get on skype and find us at "pneedham2" - Isabella really enjoys talking to people on Daddy's computer (ask Aunt Jen and Aunt Sara who are her most frequent online visitors).
Thanks for visiting!
1) She's starting to really master sign language. Tiffany and I wanted to teach her sign a long time ago and told Renee (our nanny) who took over. She now knows the sign for "eat", " more", "tubby", and "bye" (that counts as a sign). We're currently working on "thank you" and "milk".
1a) This has led to some pretty fun stories. The other day she finished her breakfast and put the "more" sign before the "eat" sign. Renee flipped out because she had two year olds at her day care that couldn't put two signs together.
1b) She also walked to the cupboard where we keep her goldfish the other day while Mom and Renee were talking, knocked on the door, and gave the "eat" sign.
1c) Just last night, after dinner, she gave me the "tubby" sign because she's starting to learn her daily routine. It wasn't quite time for her bath so I told her to wait and put her down in the living room. She walked over to the gate by the staircase, moved it out of her way, and flew up the stairs (yeah, she's climbing stairs now). She got about half way up and yelped for me to follow her.
2) As evidenced by the last story, she's getting a lot more mobile. Each day she gets more and more confident walking. She's getting a little faster each day too and it's not unusual for her to walk from the living room into the kitchen pretty quickly and without any help.
3) The Tiny One also understands a lot of English. Talking and interacting with her is very reminiscent of talking to an adult who has lost their voice. She's very responsive to things like "give Mommy her phone back", "put down Daddy's pen" or "can you give Welly a hug?" This morning she was eating her breakfast and had chipmunk cheeks but was pointing to her Welly's muffin. I told her she couldn't have a bite until she finished what was in her mouth - to which she replied by opening her mouth as wide as she could to show me it was empty!
4) She's done with formula and has started milk this morning. She's eating a lot of grownup food too and prefers food she can feed herself (whole green beans to green bean baby food). In the last couple of week's she's had corn, carrots, apples, pears, cake, hard-boiled eggs, hot dogs, mac & cheese, and today had her first taste of real chicken.
Anyway, time to get back to work. I just wanted you all to have those updates. I snuck it in at end of the last post and I'll sneak it in here too - but if you want to see any of this in person, get on skype and find us at "pneedham2" - Isabella really enjoys talking to people on Daddy's computer (ask Aunt Jen and Aunt Sara who are her most frequent online visitors).
Thanks for visiting!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Isabella's a Year Old!!!
It's been a crazy year! To celebrate the Considerably Less Tiny One's First Birthday, Mom pulled out all the stops and planned a really great party. Obviously, the party girl needed a great party outfit. The tutu above is courtesy of Charming Charlie and Bella's "Aunt" Trisha. The guest list included Mom, Dad, Welly, Abuelo, Aunt Sara, "Uncle" Tommy, one of the teachers Dad worked with last year and over the summer, and the vast majority of TFA - Oklahoma (+significant others). We had a cocktail hour prior to dinner, then we had a onesie-decorating contest before cake!
That cake is INCREDIBLE. You can't tell from the picture, but that cake is gold, not yellow. There's also a crown painted on the top layer that looks exactly like Mom's invitations.
Bella got a tiny cake to herself that she actually DESTROYED. She ate half of it without breaking a sweat. It was her first taste of refined sugar and, judging by her reaction, will not be her last.
Then we had a quick costume change before she opened presents. Bella's friends and family love her an awful lot because she got things like cars, savings bonds, activity boxes (like the one pictured), cute clothes, and LOTS of books! She had a wonderful time and sends her deepest gratitude to everyone that was there in both body and spirit!
Quick update: Today we went for her 1-year doctor's appointment. She's a little over 30 inches long now (75th percentile), her giant head is also in the 75th percentile, and her weight (18 lbs, 15 oz) is still really low for her age at the 15th percentile. Our doctor isn't worried (so don't lose sleep over it or anything) - she's just a future all-star swimmer. She's really starting to get the hang of Skype so if you're on it - find Dad at pneedham2 to say hi to her!
Thanks for visiting,
Paul
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