Fast Fwd...Halloween 2011

Hi everyone,

So it's been a while since I've blogged. Since the last blog, I've gone back to work, got pregnant again and having a baby Dec 26th. I won't be blogging about the above, but I thought I would post some Halloween photos. I'll try to Blog again, but can't promise, especially when the new baby is born.

Isabella had a few costumes. For school, she was dressed as a ballerina. On Halloween eve, she went trick-or-treating for the first time with her friend Amira. Bella was dressed as a pumpkin. She also a snake costume that she only tried on as her mom thought it was too hideous too wear. Halloween weekend we went to a birthday/thanksgiving/halloween party and Tony's aunt and uncle's house in Burlington. We were dress as Popeye, Olive Oil and Sweet Pea.

Vacation

So it's been a while since I've posted. I am back at work, so is Tony and Bella goes to daycare. Our days are busy. I thought I was busy while I was on maternity leave, but that was a beach compared to balancing everything now that I'm working. I have much more appreciation for what moms do.

Here are a few photos from our vacation. Time is limited so I can only wait a limited amount of time for the photos to upload before I have to move on to marking assignments, packing lunches and sleeping of course.

Isabella surprised us with how great she travelled. We had no problems on the airplane. On the way there we got lucky and had an empty seat in our row. Isabella slept when she was tired and there were absolutely no cries from her. We were worried about her sleeping in new environments, cribs that looked like they were from 1920s orphanages but she fared very well. She even fell asleep when Tony and I ordered room service and watched TV, even though we were all sharing a room.

On the first day we were in Hawaii, Isabella started walking. And not just a few steps. She had taken a few first steps in Toronto, but then held off. Tony and I were unpacking our bags in the hotel room on Oahu and Isabella started walking around the room, inspecting everything. She walked to the bed, then the dresser. Checked out the washroom and looked out the balcony. It was as though she knew how to walk all along, but was just keeping it a secret. We suspect she was so tired and jet lagged that she didn't even know what she was doing. As each day went on she became more and more confident with her walking. She also wanted to walk all the time. It would take as 15 minutes to get from our room to the elevator because she wanted to walk. If we tried to carry her to speed things up, she went rigid in our arms. She was definately on Hawaii time.

Isabella also survived a tsunami! Where we were staying was not affected the same way as the big island was. We were lucky to be staying in a resort high above sea level that we were not evacuated. Other than the beaches being closed for a few days after the tsunami, we didn't feel any negative impact on our holiday.

That is all for now. I have more things to say, but I'll save it for later.

One thing Tony and I did learn is that vacations are not the same when you take them with a child. We also learned that the climate in Hawaii gives Isabella the cutest curls!

Mommy's a sucker for toys

Isabella went for her 1 year shot last week. She didn't even cry, and was fine overnight and the next day. After the doctor appointment I took her to Indigo and Yonge/Eglinton. They have an amazing kids area there. She played in their kitchen with some other kids. She went in a giant teacup. Did I spend any money you ask? Of course I did. Isabella walked out of there with a toy stroller and super bouncy ball. I had to stop though. They had the best stuff there and she got spoiled at her birthday. Having a kids play area inside a store is a genius marketing idea.

Isabella's Presents

Here are some photos of Isabella playing with the some of her birthday presents. We played with a lot of them when she was still really sick, so don't mind the snotty face.

She likes to play with her Stella doll. She burps her and puts the soother in her mouth. She's very gentle with her doll, except when she chucks her over the edge of the couch and laughs.

Isabella knows the names of a lot of things. She got a purse from her aunt Kelly. In it there is pretend lipstick, a bracelet, mirror, money and keys. If you ask Isabella where her lipstick is she goes right to the purse, pulls it out and applies it to her lips. Luckily it is pretend lipstick. She still has to master proper application, she thinks lipstick gets rubbed all over your face. I explained to her that only "crazy" people do that. The rest of us just put it on out lips. She also likes to put on her bracelet. Too cute!

She got a baby backpack from Amira and her family. She likes to put things in and take them out. She's taking it to Hawaii. She said she needs a bag to keep her passport and snacks in. Tony and I agreed, as long as we don't have to pay a weight surcharge for it. She also got a play iPhone. Isabellas has a lot of toy phones. Take a look at the picture of her toy phones compared to the real cellphones we have around. Technology changes rapidly. Isabella's been through the same number of phones in 1 year that Tony and I have gone through in 10.

The white chair she got from Babcia. Most of these photos were taken before she fell off of it. Since her fall she gets encouraged to sit in her chair, which she was doing for a while but as of late she thinks it's hilarious to climb on it again.

She got a beautiful raincoat from Chris, Julie, Owen, Kurt and Kim. I know 5 people splitting the cost of a raincoat? Kim and Julie have good taste and picked out the same gift. I exchanged one of them for a terry cloth coverup for the beach.

She got a growthchart from her Great Grandma. I put it up a few days after the party. She measured 28.5 inches.

The day before Isabella's party we went to visit Carol-Ann and Matt and their friends house. They have a 16 month old girl name Ryland. Isabella and Ryland had fun playing. Ryland pushed Isabella on the car and in her toy stroller. It was too cute.

Dear Mensa....here comes your youngest member!

Isabella is becoming more and more independent and grown up. Some of the skills she's picked up lately include blowing her nose (which she does every chance she gets). She has yet to distinguish between a hankerchief for blowing your nose into and clean laundry I just folded and put in the basket.

She's pretty inconsistent with her eating. One day she'll love beef stew, the next day she hates it. So I tried something new. I gave her a fork to hold to distract her while eating. She now stabs toast and other food onto her fork and puts it in her mouth all by herself. Feeding is no longer a battle, just a bigger mess.

For the past week I've been putting Isabella on her potty. In the last potty blog I wrote that she hadn't gone in it yet. Well, she goes everyday now! #1 and #2! A lot of it is by chance. She doesn't have any signal she gives me when she needs to go, I just guess, although it is easier to tell when a #2 is happening.

She also knows a few words. She consistently says ball, mama, dada.

(More Photos to come later)

Why were at the hospital Sunday Night

So Tony, Isabella and I spent Sunday evening at Sick Kids Hospital. Totally unrelated to her fever/cold as you would expect. As you can see in the photo, Isabella likes to stand on her new chair. Well, she fell backwards off it when Tony and I were preparing dinner. She smacked the back of her head on our wood floors. She started crying right away. When I picked her up she was crying so bad that she wasn't breathing, thus briefly losing consciousness. She seemed like herself afterwards, however I was worried. Did she lose consciousness because she held her breath or because she had a concussion? So we packed up and headed to Sick Kids. Once at the hospital, Isabella was acting fine (with a cold). We were going to leave, but then got called in to see the triage nurse. While in the nurse's room, Isabella started vomiting (a sign of a concussion). So we stayed. 6 hours later we were seen by the doctor. Everything was fine, but she still has a cold.

Bella's Birthday Party

If you were at Isabella's birthday party on Saturday, you know she wasn't her usual social, crab shuffling self. The night before she came down with a fever. She was fashionably late to her own party, and if we hadn't woke her she would have been more content sleeping through it.

The party was a success. There were lots of kids playing, adults eating and talking. Thank you to everyone who came. Your gifts were all very generous and thoughtful. Here are some photos from the event. Unfortunately I did not get that "Kodak" photo of Isabella enjoying her first taste of chocolate. I will have to stage it once she is feeling better.

Special thanks to the security guard who kept the crowd tame. Couldn't have done it without her.