Expert Hands

Dear Isabelle,

You are getting better and better at using your hands! You have been flaunting your improved dexterity for a while now...little show off! So Mommy recorded mini videos of your expert hands for Daddy to see. A few mentionable things you can do with your hands include putting in and taking out your pacifier, reaching/grabbing things you fancy even though they are far away (then it looks like pointing), and holding on to your own sippy cup/bottle. You are doing such a great job!

Love, Mom

Learning Little Signs: Intro to baby signing

Dear Isabelle,

We went to another workshop at the Pump Station today! It was the Introduction to Baby Signing workshop. We learned quite a few different signs and Mommy is going to try to use it with you everyday so we can start to foster a 2-way communication.

It seems like you understand what Mommy is saying to you on occasion because you have the same reaction whenever we do, for example, nowadays when we tell you it's time to eat, you start smacking your lips together! And when it's diaper time, you lift both your legs up. It's very cute!

So we started the class out very nicely, you were sitting and playing with the toys Mommy brought you along with the other babies. After a while, you decided that the neighboring baby's toy was MUCH more interesting and so you rolled over and stole it! Mommy gave it back, and you rolled over and stole it again! You have been fascinated with this toy lately. It's called the Oball rattle by Rhino Toys. Your hands just gravitate to it whenever you see it! So after class, Mommy had to get you one. It's now one of your favorites, pretty much up there with Sophie la Girafe! Enjoy your new toy!

Love, Mom

Izzy and the Oball

Quack Quack & Splash Splash Splash

Dear Isabelle,

Like a true Pisces, you really love the water! You now can play in the water so Mommy brought out the bath duckies that our friends at The Heartland Institute gave us. You were instantly fascinated by them! Mommy hopes to take you swimming one day soon so you can kick your swimming legs!

Love, Mom

Happy 26 week birthday!

Dear Izzy,

You are 26 weeks old today. So what have you been up to lately?

You like to splash, splash, splash in the bathtub. Mommy always gets wet nowadays when we give you a bath. You are too long for your infant tub and you like to kick your legs like you are swimming! Sometimes we put you in the pail because you always want to sit up now. Also, you really like to suck on the wash cloth...what's up with that?? Is bath water really that tasty?

You cannot keep your hands to yourself, within seconds, if Mommy doesn't have her eye on you, you grab things and they always end up in your mouth. You have started raking things towards you and the using your pincer grasp to pick them up. You are able to pick up smaller and smaller things now which is scary because they can be choking hazards!

As for your food menu, looks like you are more of a fruity girl than a veggie girl. You definitely have a sweet tooth! Just like Mommy when we were carrying you in my belly. So far you have had oatmeal cereal, rice cereal, bananas, peach, sweet potato, potato and carrot.

For the past week, you have been such a great sleeper! Bedtime is around 6:30 pm and you barely have any night awakenings now. Only one and usually it's around 2:30 am-3 am. This is when Mommy feeds you, in addition to the dreamfeed, which we do at around 10 pm. Then you sleep through till about 6:30 am or 7 am. Naps have been good too...sometimes you sleep up to 1 hr 15 mins! Yesterday you had one LONG 2 hour nap but I think it's because you were super conked out from the shots.

Till next week!

Love, Mom

Izzy & Sophie

The BIG 6 months!

My dearest Isabelle,

Half a year has gone by. I wouldn't have believed time could fly like this, even though plenty of people told me this numerous times. Today you are six months old! I can’t believe how quickly you have grown.

With this last month has come new developments and changes every day. You are sitting on your own, you roll everywhere. Soon you’ll be crawling and walking. Your Daddy and I love you more than we ever thought possible. We feel as if we have always known you forever and cannot imagine our life without you in it. Each day you will take a step away from me. Each day you will need me less and less. Time and space will inevitably separate us.

In some ways I want to keep you the way you are right now forever. But I know this is not possible. So instead, I have captured the 9 months you were in Mommy's belly and your first 6 months on the outside world in a little slideshow so I can look upon it as you grow, and remember you as you are right now. Six months old. My little baby. Happy. Perfect. Beautiful.

I love you,

Your Mom

6 month Baby Wellness Exam and Vaccinations

Hi baby,

We went in to see Dr. Scott for your 6 month baby wellness exam and vaccinations today. You weigh 13 lbs 14 ozs (15%), your height is 26 inches (60%) and your head circumference is 41.75 cm (32%). Your growth is slowing and will stabilize as you get older.

You got your 3rd and final set of shots! Yippee...no more till you turn 1. Again, it was 3 owies but this time, no oral vaccine. You were brave, only screamed when they poked you and stopped once Daddy carried you. Mommy still cannot bear to watch you getting poked...I get all choked up!

Hopefully, just like all your other vaccinations, you don't get any reactions or fever. You are asleep now and it's been almost 1 hr 15 mins. Sleep it off, baby, sleep it off.

Love, Mom

Checking yourself out in the mirror at the doctor's office...

Weeeeee...supergirl!

Frustrated Crawler!

Dear Isabelle,

You are so annoyed that you can't crawl all around the room that you will scream in frustration.

This is how it goes:
We put you on the floor to play on your back. Within minutes, you've flipped from back to belly and your little bum is in the air, and your feet moving vigorously under you. You play momentarily with your toys and you attempt to crawl. When you realize you can't get anywhere, you become frustrated.

You need to have some patience! You need to strengthen your upper body first. And soon you will learn to coordinate your arms and your legs and Mommy has no doubt that you will be mobile in the very near future. And when that time comes, God please help Mommy because it's not like Mommy has time to rest at the moment now anyways, you are already a handful even though you're not mobile!

Love, Mom

Happy 25 week birthday!

Dear little busy bee,

You have been a busy baby this week! It seems like you are sleeping less and have more awake time between naps. You can stay awake for up to 3 hour intervals between your daytime naps. This tires Mommy out because we always have to find things to entertain you with. We take really long walks down Santa Monica Blvd. to the coffeeshops and the grocery store. You love the different scenery and will stay awake to see different things!

You have also started rolling on your right side and have found that being a belly sleeper is more comfortable than a back sleeper. You are like Mommy! Mommy loves sleeping on my belly too. It was so hard for Mommy to sleep when you were in my tummy because I was not allowed to sleep on my belly for a long time!

You now like to grab thing off the table and put them in your mouth and/or throw them on the floor. You are making a lot of work for Mommy when we have you on our lap while I am doing work on the computer. After I finish my work, I have to clean the floor up. You have also eaten a couple of the bills I have to pay!

Bills are supposed to be paid and not eaten!

But you are such great help at diaper changes. You hold up your own legs, so it's easy for Mommy to quickly clean you up and change you! It's your 2nd day of solids and Mommy hasn't seen a poopy diaper from you yet. I wonder how bad it will be?

Love, Mom

Milestone: Hello Solids!

Dear Isabelle,

Today you had your first encounter with solid food! Daddy made you some yummy sweet potato puree for your first taste of solids.

We started off the day with going to the farmers market to pick out some fresh organic sweet potatoes. Daddy wants you to know where all your food comes from. At first, we thought we would start you off with peas but since it is not in season, we decided to go with sweet potatoes instead.

Daddy picking out the sweet potatoes for you...

You holding on to your own sweet potato!

While we were at the farmers market, you also had a taste of peach and nectarine. You really LOVE your fruits, I guess it's because it is sweet like milk! You were sucking onto them and even wanted more when Mommy took it away from you. You are starting to enjoy your trips to the farmers market!

Tasting a nectarine...

...and a peach!

Before your meal, Mommy nursed you (because milk is still going to be your main source of nutrition) and then we sat down at the dining table (Ah Ma was watching on Skype) and fed you. I think for your first try, you did very well! At the first couple of bites, you didn't know how to keep the food in your mouth but after the 3rd spoon, you started to get the hang of it. Mommy gave you your own spoon to feed yourself...you are such a smart cookie, you knew to put it straight to your mouth! You even wanted more after we gave you your own spoon.

Messy eater!

It was a great day and Daddy cannot wait for you to taste his cooking...but for now, he's not looking forward to the next poopy diaper change!

Love, Mom

Happy 24 week birthday!

Dear Isabelle,

You are definitely ready for solids! When you see Mommy and/or Daddy eating, you start to salivate, make chewing motions and your gaze follow the food from our plate to our mouths. You have also started to sit up and once Daddy gets his Vitamix, he will be pureeing up a storm for you!

You are extremely aware of your environment nowadays. You stare, stare and stare at new people and environments. Take it all in, baby!

Yesterday, we went for our first Mommy & Me class. You fell asleep for a small part of it but when it came to the song and dance time, you thoroughly LOVED it! You really love music, Isabelle. I wonder if you are going to become a musician one day?

Till next week!

Love, Mom

Milestones, Milestones, Milestones!

So many milestones have happened in the past week, Isabelle! You never cease to amaze Mommy and every time Daddy sees you, he can see the difference in his little baby. You change very single day!

• You have started blowing raspberries! It's the funniest thing because you are like a water fountain of spit when you do it! Yet again, another thing that your dear ole'Dad taught you.

• If your head could spin around 360 degrees, it would. Nursing is definitely getting harder and harder. You are always interested in something else, especially when you hear Zoë come into the room with the soccer ball. You immediately break your latch and turn towards where the squeaky soccer ball sound.

• Look Mom, no hands! You sit momentarily without support while you play with toys. Mommy still has to be there to closely supervise you because when you get too excited when playing, you lose your balance and fall over like Humpty Dumpty!

Day 1: Sitting up straight with some support.

Day 2: No need for support! Getting pissed at Mommy for being a mamarazzi while you are watching Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.

Day 3: Starting to play with toys while sitting up straight!

Love, Mom

Be Careful What You Teach Her

Dear Isabelle,

After one day of Daddy teaching you how to jump in the jumperoo, you are now such a violent jumper. You learn TOO fast. Mommy hopes the jumperoo holds up to your violent jumping! Daddy is always teaching you nonsense and you are such a little tomboy. You know no fear!

Love, Mom

Bye Bye 奶奶

Dear Isabelle,

Your 奶奶 left to go back to Penang today. We are going to miss her, especially her cooking. As usual, she took great care of both Mommy and you! Hope to see her again soon!

Love, Mom

Self Entertainment

Dear Isabelle,

Some days you are so high maintenance and Mommy has to find a host of activities to entertain you with...but other days, you entertain yourself with the simplest things, like a piece of tissue and your toes. I love it when you do that so Mommy gets a little break!

Love, Mom

Happy 23 week birthday!

Dear Isabelle,

You went to your first party this week! We attended Mommy's friend, Amy's, baby shower...well it was supposed to be a baby shower but baby Ava is already here! She is so tiny and Mommy can hardly remember you when you were that small too...oh the memories!

You are beginning to sit up by yourself. You can only sit still for a few seconds at a time before you start wobbling and throwing your arms around. If only you weren't so hyper you would sit up for a longer time!

You are also vocalizing much more...you vocalize both pleasure and displeasure. It is so amazing to see your cognitive processes! You move around the living room by rolling, rolling and rolling. Mommy cannot leave you by yourself anymore because you get into trouble! You enjoy pulling yourself up into a sitting position and then into a standing position. Your legs and back are getting strong!

Till next week!

Love, Mom

The Discerning Couch Potato

Dear Isabelle,

You have developed a discerning taste for Ni Hao, Kai-Lan. You no longer sit and quietly watch the show, you only like the beginning part when there's music. Once that's over, you scream bloody murder and Mommy has to rewind and play the same thing over and over again. You enjoy the music so much you are all smiles and even bop to the sound of it!

Love, Mom