Happy Haloween!

This is really the first holiday where Isabella seems to be old enough to understand that something different is going on, even if she's not quite sure what it is.  I've tried to squeeze in some fun Halloween activities, even when Daddy has kind of rolled his eyes at me. You've already seen our pictures from the pumpkin patch, so I'll give you a peek at what we've been up to since then.

Isabella "helped"me carve a pumpkin.  I thought she'd like digging around in the pumpkin goo, but she decided she'd rather pull everything out of the recycling bin.  I carved her a pretty fabulous Mickey Mouse pumpkin, but forgot to get a picture. :(

Isabella and I headed to our playgroup's Halloween party, where she fell in love with this ride-on toy.

We decorated a pumpkin with markers.

We went trick-or-treating at the mall.

Finally, we passed out candy to trick-or-treaters.

We don't really have any good pictures of her in her costume because, well, toddlers are insane.  She never sits still so the photo thing is a challenge.  Maybe someday.

Busy Weekend

We normally have very low-key weekends.  This weekend was a little different.  Saturday night, Clint and I went to my cousin Josh's wedding.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, but it was a beautiful wedding.  Congratulations to Josh and Jenny!  I hope you're enjoying your honeymoon in Hawaii!

Today we took Isabella to the pumpkin patch.  Clint wanted to go this morning, but it was a little chilly at 44 degrees, so we had to wait until after her nap.  When we got there we had to wait in a very long line for the hayrides that take you out to the pumpkin patch.  Isabella did pretty well; she wanted to get down and run, but we were able to keep her occupied by letting her hold the camera.  The girl loves her electronics! 

She seemed to enjoy the hayride and looking at all the scenery.  When we found a pumpkin that we thought would be a good size for her I put her down to check it out and she loved it!  You'd never no that since she isn't smiling in a single photo.  She also took out her pigtails in the car ride over so her hair was a mess.

Nice, huh?

After the pumpkin patch we stopped by my dad's house to meet his new puppy, Eli.  Toddler + puppy = fuzzy pictures.

Ok, so it was more the toddler's fault than the puppy's.  He was surprisingly calm.

Now that you've read the rundown of our weekend activities, are you ready for our really exciting news?  Isabella peed on the potty!  Twice!  In the evenings she's been tapping on the bathroom door, and when we sit her on the potty she goes!  I really don't know how she's figured this out since we haven't really been working on potty training.  She does have a potty chair, but we just sit her on it before bath to get her used to the seat.  It's amazing how much they pick up on without you even realizing it. 

Of course, she is only 14 months old so we don't expect her to really be potty training soon.  I can't help but be a little excited though!

14 Months Old

Isabella was 14 month old.  I intended to blog about it yesterday, but didn't think about it until I was already in bed.  Oops! 

It feels like she learns and changes so much every day.  She is an absolute pro when it comes to walking.  This is making it challenging to run errands with her because she want down to walk, but refuses to hold my hand.  I've been doing the grocery shopping after she goes to bed when Clint is home.  The plus side of all of this that we have more options when it comes to outings/activities.  She can now really enjoy a park or playground.  We're looking forward to taking her to the pumpkin patch, trying out Snappers, and a possible trip to the Children's Museum this month.  I'm also bound and determined to make it to the zoo before the end of the season.  Of course, I've been saying that for years now.  Sigh. 

Her vocabulary is really expanding  and she's finally starting to sign more.  She's picking up on so much.  I'm looking into some type of parent-child toddler program and mom's day out programs to get her out and into a social environment.  I'd take her to toddler storytime, but she'd just run around pulling books off the shelves.  We haven't made it to many playgroups lately because they usually conflict with her nap, but she hasn't been napping well lately, so maybe it's time to adjust things a little.

New this month:
-More words!  She now says:  mama, dada (can mean daddy or dog), cat (without the "t"), cup (without the "p), all done (ah da!), more (mmm), Bianca (Conka), thank you, and uh oh are what come to mind.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some though.
-Signs milk, more, all done, and eat
-Walks to her room when I tell her it's time to change her diaper
-Has 10 teeth, including four molars
- Loves her Priddy book, My Little Word Book, and can point to many of the appropriate pictures when asked
-Can find her eyes, nose, teeth, tummy, and hair
-Likes putting on hats, and wearing a purse cross-body style; I think this girls is going to love playing dress-up
-Figured out the cat door.  I've caught her pocking her head through and am now finding strange objects in the laundry room
-Wearing mostly 12 month clothing, but moving into 18 months is PJs and onesies and she wears a size 4 shoe
-Tries to sing the "Hot Dog" song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Ha Da!)
-Still not a fan of cow's milk.  She seems to take 2% a little better though, so I'm going to try that.  She's nursing twice a day and eating plenty of dairy to make up for it

I feel like I am forgetting so much.  It seems like everyday she's doing something new.  As usual, I haven't taken enough pictures, but here are a few recent ones.


I tried to take a picture after her first haircut, and this is what she gave me

What? Audrey wears it like this.

Playing outside

More

Trying to make a break for it

New Photos

Picasa is updated.

$500 worth of cloth diapers? Yes please!

A fabulous cloth diapering, Diaper Junction,  site is giving away $1000 (total) worth of cloth diapers!  The grand prize is a $500 gift certificate, but really all of the prizes are pretty fabulous.  I mean, 3rd prize is a 6-pack of bumGenius 4.0s.  We use mainly bumGenius diapers on Isabella.

This is a great opportunity for cloth diapering mamas or those considering making the switch, but a little apprehensive about start-up costs.  It's definitely worth checking out.  

Diaper Junction Giveaway

The Great Outdoors

We've hit a bit of a rough patch in our house.  I can feel six new teeth under Isabella's gums, Clint's classes started up again last week, and I've started looking for part-time evening/weekend work (which is depressing for a number of reasons).  I thought I'd share a few photos I took last week while playing outside.  Isabella LOVES being outdoors.  She's fascinated by plants, and now rocks.  Maybe she'll be a Botanist or a Geologist?  I wanted to take her to Horticulture Park this weekend, but Saturday was rainy and there was no way I'd be able to drag Clint away from the tv on the first Sunday of football season.  You'll have to settle for photos of her playing in our front yard.

Sporting her White Sox cap.  Clint bought this the day we found out we were having a girl, and it's finally starting to fit!

Checking out one of the bushes

"Ooh rocks!"

"I better get in there for a closer look."

"I think this would look better over here."

Her little collection

"Oh, hi Mom!"

13 Months Old

I'm debating whether I should stick with monthly updates or switch to quarterly, what do you all think? Let me know in the comments.

Isabella is 13 months old today!  She is walking everywhere now and getting quite good at it.  You can tell she's really proud of herself and her mama is pretty proud too. :)  She is working on more and more words too.  She is just growing up so fast.  All of a sudden she looks so big to me.  I think she must have had a growth spurt recently.  We're having a hard time pulling some of her 12 month tops over her head.  What can I say, the child has a big brain.

I feel like she's changing and learning so much now that it's hard to keep track, but here are some new things going on this month:

-Walking!

-Saying "thank you" frequently and appropriately

-Says "uh oh" when she drops something

-Purposefully feeds Audrey from her tray, and tells her thank you when she accepts it

-Not a fan of cows milk, at all.  I'm only offering it once a day right now and water the rest of the time.  I want to make sure she gets plenty of liquids.  She still nurses each morning and we're giving her lots of cheese and yogurt to make up for the milk she's not getting.

-She's starting to enjoy the zoo!  We took her to Columbian Park this weekend and she got so excited seeing the animals.  She was jabbering non-stop.  I think the monkeys were her favorite.  I'm hoping to make it to the Indy Zoo sometime this month.

-Giving hugs all the time.  If you ask her for a hug she snuggles up close to you,  pats your shoulder, and says "Aw." Adorable.  She likes to give her toys hugs to... and a box of raisins. 

-"Talks" on the phone.

-Absolutely loves to go outside.  If she's cranky all you have to do is head outside and her mood improves instantly.

I've been seriously slacking when it comes to photos lately, but here are a few for you to enjoy.


On the carousel with Daddy at Indiana Beach

checking out the goats at Columbian Park

The Singing Dogs

Swinging at the park