October: Orange

Inspired by An Offering of Love's Color Photo Project 

Happy Birthday, Isobel! A Year in Pictures

The first birthday club!

Yes, it's true, Isobel is one! Even if I can't get the date stamp on Blogger to say October 17th, it is exactly 12.18am on October 17th, gosh darnit!

We celebrated her today by baptizing her at church ( where else, I suppose - except the big Lake M - but a little chilly for that I venture?) in very interesting but probably not literally holy water from Lake Michigan and some sacred place in Turkey whose name I have forgotten, in a font that came from England but is now ensconced ( or enfonted?) at the very front of our church sanctuary.

Isobel in her Halloween costume, as Blackie the Cat!

The only way to keep Isobel happy when she is out and about seems to be to put her down and let her make her way around by herself by her various modes of self propelled transportation - either the crawl or the one handed butt scoot. The scoot is very convenient for carrying objects around while moving forward. Recently she has scooted and crawled in a very busy and very loud Top Shop, Target, the Lobby of the Peninsula Hotel where a friend and I went for afternoon tea after the aforesaid Top Shop. No I didn't buy anything at Top Shop and I have to say it was very very loud and full of extremely trendy 12 year olds who were masquerading as shop assistants. They were actually very sweet but it was a bit much. When I was growing up in England, Top Shop was where you went for cheap, slutty clothes. I guess not much has changed except the prices. And the proclamation above certain clothes racks that this is "available in a size zero" which was never in evidence in my youth when I might have even fitted into a single digit size. But I digress.

Isobel has crawled in many places and cleaned the floor with many very cute pairs of cotton leggings, which are her parents preferred mode of dress for her, especially if they are on sale at Target.  She has also nursed in many places too,  which is just another exciting  list  that I am compiling, with the most fun and exotic location so far being the top of the John Hancock Tower.  But today Isobel crawled around in the sanctuary in her sweats and hoodie while we prepared for the service and rehearsed with the choir. Then when she had been changed into her pink corduroy pinafore dress ( jumper to you yankees) and white tights, she crawled around holding her new sensory nubby orange  ball for all to see. It bounces, it's tactilely interesting, it's a bright color. And it kept her occupied and unfettered until it was time to pick her up and hold her ( mostly squirm free) by said font where words were read, promises were made and water was splashed thrice upon her head. She didn't seem to mind the water a bit. She was  fascinated by it as well as the minister's beard, which though recently tamed and trimmed, was still quite substantial. She managed to hold it together until after she  was formally  introduced to the congregation - who also made promises.  At that point I put her back on the floor and she played with the microphone chord as the minister did his last  pronouncements. Phew. Sigh of relief. Now Isobel can go downstairs to the nursery and play with her tights off and her hair down ( figuratively of course - there were no fru fru bows  in sight).

So what is Isobel doing these days that is new and interesting, you ask? She is busy scooting, sorting clothes and putting them over and behind her head, playing peek a boo, trying to say my name and possibly Susan's. Her most recent interest is in toy strollers and the baby dolls that go in them. We actually bought her one for her birthday. She likes to put the doll into the seat head down and then pull the stroller over and wrestle with the whole contraption for quite some time. When we go for playtime at a local child development center she likes to play on the slide (trying to climb up it and smiling when I hold onto her and slide her down it), spend time in the library examining all the books - and often readin them upside down - I think we have a theme here. She loves circle time where the teachers take it in turns to roll the ball to each child singing a little song and saying each child's name, as well as rocking up and down, forward and back to the songs we sing. I think she has started to do the actions for Itsy Bitsy Spider a few times without any prompting. She can do bits of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. When she is with other kids she often wants to be with the big kids, or else by herself, carefully examining something, or engaging adults in flirting, conversation or peekaboo. She is quite partial to the toy work bench and tools at the play center too. At the park she loves the baby swings and giggles and smiles when she is being pushed.

Her new DVD favorite is Fifi and the Flowertots, which was given to us by one ofour Croatian friends.  It is actually a British Show and comes with Croatian or English dialogue. I found the US show online, but the version we have has a very quirky Jane Horrocks, of Mike Leigh films fame, playing Fifi with a lovely Yorkshire ( or is it Lancashire?) accent.

We are all very excited because Isobel's Grandma Margaret is visiting unexpectedly. We thought she wasn't going to be able to come until next spring,  but she is coming on Sunday for a week! We are really looking forward to showing her a good time -which mostly will involve hanging out and doing fun things with Isobel.

I am working ( with Susan doing all the clever stuff) on a post with pics from all twelve months of Isobel, but I-Photo did some nasty trick and ate our file and spat out lots of other pictures instead, so that will have to wait until we have more time and patience.

I am also working on Isobel's birth story post - only slightly delayed by the wonderful events of the last year. More anon. Thank you for watching and cheering us on. We love you all. Even those we don't know. xoxo

September: Purple!

Clockwise from top left - Isobel McGorgeous wearing her purple headscarf and about to board the Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry on the Isle of Tiree, Isobel in her purple outfit, the ubiquitous purple baby store, Isobel's auntie Chayley in an English country garden, a favorite rummage sale toy that plays Oh My Darling Clementine in short bursts as you punch its tummy.

Ten and eleven months

It's been way too long, and the longer it gets, the worse it feels. Posting, I am talking about, of course.
SO much has happened over the past two months and I had so much to talk about and now, where did it all go.
In my queue for posts at a later date - which I hope will come:

• Scattering our parents ashes
• Visiting our home town and taking part in a memorial service for my mum
• Visiting our old house, which was sold three years ago, and peeking in through the front window to see what it looked like
• Flying with Isobel plus, trains, ferries and automobiles, oh my!
• Funny, weird and great things about being back in the UK, including beds AKA torture racks from HELL
• Introducing Isobel to her 7 year old cousin, Murray. He and his mum christened her Isobel McGorgeous and doted on her the whole time.
• Going back to work and leaving Isobel in the capable hands of her other mom.

And much much more...  ( I know, exciting isn't it?)

But back to the subject of the post: Isobel's last two months and the march ever forward to her first birthday!
There have been some huge strides forward. Mostly in engagement with the world, understanding of words and how things work, and crawling towards standing and maybe soon walking. Teething did not happen practically the whole month of August when we were in the UK. Which was good for everybody. But more teeth are in and on their way. She now has three visible top and bottom. And more coming in.
She surprised us all with her first non mama word - cat!
We were reading her a book about a black cat ( similar to ours ) called Slinky Malinky, and she pointed to the cat in the book and said, "cat", three times while pointing at the cat. That was followed by endless exclamations of the word  at all times of the day and night. Now she usually reserves it for when there is a cat in the vicinity. Next words were "toes" - as in, "where's Isobel's toes?" a game her cousin Murray and her auntie Chayley  we liked to play with her. Since then she has said "down" - as in "get down" and "go". This is all to her other mom's credit, because she talks to her a lot and is always looking for teaching moments. Me, I tend to be much more  of a quiet companion for Isobel. Good job there are two of us, or Isobel may have never uttered a word. Oh and the  other day she said "hi" to a passer by in the street.
In motor skills news, she is a fantastic and avid crawler and now loves to stand up, pull herself up, get in corners that she has no business to be in and crawl under chairs and tables. She crawled under a big heavy chair at the hospital the other day when I had an appointment and had to be rescued. It hasn't deterred her from more exploring.
When we were in the UK we discovered a childrens  TV series called "In the Night G.arden",  which is like the Telly Tubbies but a lot better, and she got really interested in it, especially as a bedtime ritual. Now she knows all the songs ( it's very repetitive, which is good) and claps and wiggles and dances when Makka Pakka's song comes on. If you haven't checked it out, google it. There is even an "In the Night Garde.n" app for the I Pad and phone.
The biggest highlight of the trip for me was Isobel's equanimity at all the traveling. She didn't mind being pulled in and out of the carrier so we could go through security, she made lots of friends along the way, and she loved being on the train and standing up on the seat while I held her so she could look out of the window. The Er.go carrier was an absolute lifesaver and helped her to take naps when we were on the go, and helped me keep her close and secure when we were changing trains, or walking t the store, or in the park. She never christened her little surfer dude suit that we got her for "swimming" in the sea, but she did have a ball on the beach, crawling and throwing sand and eating it as well.
She makes all kinds of sounds as she explores her verbal ability and one of these is clicking with her mouth, which we refer to as her  African Clicking Language.
Oh and the kicker - tonight she picked up the TV remote, pointed it at the TV and turned it on. She looked back at her mommy to show how pleased she was with herself. Classic!
Okay it's late and I am wiped, so here is a link to our September pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybersue/sets/72157627576601465/

Very late but very green

Here are our green photos - taken mostly on our holiday in August in England, Scotland and Wales. When I say we, I really mean we. Susan is the mastermind behind these photos. I mostly nag her to take them and to download them and to make them into a collage. I should have said this before. I have taken some of the pictures on these posts, but most of the credit should go to Susan.

You can find a link to all our "green" photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybersue/sets/72157627738248802/

Nine months, a fortnight, and 50 percent

Something about the weather getting so hot (and stormy too) has caused me to look back on what life was like this time last year. I remember going to the grocery store a lot and as time went on, I would say yes more and more to the offered help out to the car. I walked slowly. I sweated. I had all sorts of icky symptoms that I would have forgotten if it was not for the list I have in my I-phone that I made prior to some of my midwife and OB/ GYN visits. It makes for hilarious reading (in retrospect). At risk of a big fat TMI, my favorite note was "funny vulva" - who knew? I was doing most of the shopping at that time and I "lifted" a lot of big boxes of cat food cans at Sam's Club by not really lifting them so much as pushing them off the shelves until they dropped into my cart. On my last visit as a pregnant lady I gave in and asked a stranger to help me get the boxes into my car. Those days are over. I am back to being the lifter in the family.

And here we are, in the middle of summer, many months later, with a baby, who has the most energy of anyone I have ever met. Boy am I glad Isobel is out of my tummy! And that she came out unscathed. Especially when I think of how scary my pregnancy was, and how scared I was.

Back to Isobel and her milestones. Not sure what to call her, but infant she is not. She is getting to be a really avid crawler. Some of the fun things that she is doing are growling louder than ever before, and giggling and cackling as she crawls around. She also loves to do this thing that is half way between a shout and a drone, and often Susan will join in with her, and they will drone away together. When Susan changes note or key, Isobel will often follow suit. She loves to wave. Often at appropriate moments, like when we say bye-bye, sometimes for no apparent reason and at nothing that we can see in particular.
Her word recognition is pretty interesting. We are pretty sure that she understands mama, bouncy bouncy ( one of her favorite activities ), avocado, banana, some simple commands, and her name. When we encourage her to touch something she usually follows our direction. She has moved on from just chewing at books to opening and closing them over and over and turning the pages.
One of her favorite toys is a large chain of huge hollow colorful beads about the size of a kiwi fruit. They pop together and she can pull them apart. I have no idea what they are called, because we got them loose at a rummage sale. I was not very impressed when I first saw them, but Susan picked a winner and Isobel loves them. She especially loves to blow and call into the hollow end of the beads and make a kind of echoing sound. She will also do this with her empty happy baby cheerios container. After a search online, Susan has found out that they are called F.isher Price Snap Lock B.eads. Wow. We need to buy shares in them.

In our limited space in the apartment she usually hangs out in her room, which is basically a play room and almost completely babyproof (she sleeps with us), and the living room, which is not so baby proof. It has two features that fascinate her. One is the small flight of stairs that go up to our front door. The other is our faux fireplace that has a brick hearth and an iron "curtain" that leads to the very enticing logs and the small pieces of gravel under them. We have on our list to get a barrier for the fireplace, which we don't even use, as our tv is on the mantelpiece and we don't want to melt it. But in the meantime it's watch her like a hawk because she always gravitates towards them. We have covered the hearth with huge cushions, which she just sees as something to climb over.

Isobel loves music, loves to dance to it in rhythm and to do what we call "rock and roll" -which is when she moves backwards and forwards in time to the music and also bounces up and down. We have a drum that she likes to play and she is pretty good at banging it in time also. We have noticed that with almost every new object that she picks up, from a baby doll, to my keys, she likes to put them behind her head, and wave them side to side and back and forth. It's comical. She hasn't done it with the drum yet, which is a good thing.

On the eating front, she still loves watermelon - well, she is actually crazy about it. She also loves peaches and plums. She seems to catch more of the food in her bib than in her mouth but every morning without fail we behold the evidence in her diaper that she is indeed eating food and digesting some of it. She really enjoys going outside - whether it is sitting in a garden chair with one of us, or being pushed in her stroller. She absolutely loves the beach, especially enjoying the sand and the warm breezes. She sits down in the sand and grabs fist fulls of the stuff, and raises them up high and lets the sand fall down her shoulders and her back. She closes and squints her eyes and giggles and cackles.

We went to the pediatrician for what seems like our monthly pilgrimage - our shot schedule is basically one a month until 9 months. She declared her extremely healthy. Physically she is in the 50th percentile. Our doctor does not usually get over-excited about these numbers. She did volunteer them this time however. I have to say, I was very pleased to find that Isobel is by all measurements, average. I am not sure why. I know that she is not average in my estimation. But I wasn't upset that she wasn't higher up on the charts. To me it really doesn't matter. Average is good. She is extremely healthy, happy and apart from some teething troubles, has little to complain about.

The doctor did say that she was advanced in her social development. ( Thank god, she's above average at something !!) She said, "oh, yes, she's not in her own little world anymore - she's very aware of everything that is going on." We thought that was a bit odd, because Isobel has been social and interested since she was about two months old. We have decided that Isobel is an extrovert. She has been a social butterfly for a long time. She loves an audience. If she can't find one, she looks for one. She is social and interested with her little baby friends. Yesterday they were playing a game where they were all drinking out of each others' sippy cups. Well, we thought it was a game. We have had some lovely cuddles in the morning -especially when there have been storms and we are snuggled up together listening to the thunder and watching the lightening.

We are still trying to teach Isobel to be gentle with our black cat, who is featured in the June's Black photos. However, she just does not get it yet, and can't wait to sink both fists into his fur. So we run interference between them because we are sure that one day he will run out of patience.

If you look in the pictures from July of Red you will see Isobel with a baby doll. She really was fascinated by the baby doll at a friend's house. She picked it up and shook it and gave it mouth to mouth resuscitation. She really dominated that doll. Susan decided she needed her own baby doll, so we got her one from BabysRus. We don't think she has dominated it in quite the same way that she did the other baby doll. However she is fascinated with the tiny sippy cup that comes with the dolly.

And that's all the numbers on Isobel for the moment. She is nine months and a fortnight ( and some change, as I have been writing this post for quite some time ) and in the fiftieth percentile. Perfect!
And now for the pictures...

look at my toys!

weighing the odds

washcloth acrobatics

feet up and tongue out!

letting the sand fly!

bucket and spade!