Little Sitter

That's SITTER, not SHITTER (although after her first go-round with prunes, she was that, and then some). Our little girl has reached another milestone: sitting! Now before anyone gives her too much credit, this does not mean she can sit up on her own or for any long period of time. Nevertheless, it is an undeniable fact that when placed in a seated position, Isabel remains that way until 1.) the weight of her big head overwhelms her and she topples forward, or 2.) something off to the side catches her attention and she topples sideways.

No Peas, Please

Once Isabel got the hang of food, she's been great at trying new things. Rice cereal, sweet potatoes, squash, prunes - she's never turned up her nose at any of them. Until now...


But honestly, can you blame her?

New Stats

Isabel had her 6 month checkup this past week (although she's 7 months... oops, a little late on that one). In addition to being amazed to discover that she hates shots, we also found out that she is:

• In the 45th percentile for weight*


• In the 60th percentile for head size


• In the 90th percentile for height (umm... did we take home the wrong baby?)

*Except for her thighs, which my dad claims are in the 100th percentile

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Well, there's a good reason for why it's taken me so long to update the blog... we went on another vacation! This time our destination was El Paso, Texas, and since it's so far from Ohio it meant we had to take Isabel on her first plane ride. We were terrified! We've heard all the stories about how the change in air pressure causes babies to scream and cry, which in turn causes other passengers to glare menacingly at the parental source of the problem.

So it was with much trepidation that we boarded the plane. We sat and waited for the inevitable wailing. And we waited. And waited. And guess what? It turns out Isabel is a SUPERBABY! She barely made a peep the whole time, and that was only when she was hungry. Several strangers commented to us that they didn't even realize she was there (which, in this case, was the highest praise we could ask for).

Many hours later we arrived in El Paso to meet up with the Pando clan. Isabel was "oohed" and "ahhed" over constantly and spoiled prodigiously. We had a good time shopping, kicking Danny's butt at Mortal Kombat (or at least that's how *I* remember it), and gaining several pounds thanks to Grandma's delicious food. The only bad part of the trip was saying goodbye at the end.

About the pictures: Notice how Isabel's feet hardly ever touch the ground. She was spoiled rotten the whole trip!

Little Tadpole

Today was Isabel's first swimming lesson. I won't say she hated every minute... maybe just 75%. The lesson was half an hour long and involved splashing the kids around in various exercises while singing songs to try to convince them they were having fun. Actually most of the kids were having fun, and the instructor was great. Isabel just isn't too sure about all this wet stuff yet.

Neither is her mother, for that matter. The instructor must have sensed this, because at the beginning of the class she said, "It doesn't do the kids any good to let them cling to you", as she pointedly stared at me. Doh!

Meanwhile, Kyle worked as photographer from the sidelines. That's how he was in position to watch, horrified, as I accidentally managed to let Isabel's head dip underwater for a brief moment. What can I say, the instructor was mesmerizing! Isabel took it all in stride. Actually it was good practice for her because at the end of the class, the teacher picked on us yet again. She came over and said, "I see you hiding over here!". She calmly explained what would happen next and then, taking Isabel from me, dipped her gently underwater and floated her to me. Isabel was terrific!

Of all the things we did at the pool, however, I think this was her favorite...

Beach Bums

We just returned from a weeklong trip to North Carolina to visit family and vacation by the sea. We rented a minivan for the trip and we found ourselves saying to each other multiple times, "We DON'T want a minivan... but this thing is awesome." And so the downward spiral towards suburban Martha Stewart-hood begins.

Isabel did great in the car; she was a trooper on such a long trip. We got to NC last Tuesday and spent two nights in Durham where we stayed with my mom. Isabel was introduced to my brother, stepdad, and old pals of mine for the first time. Despite screaming, "Get it off me, get it off me!" the first time I made him hold Isabel, I think she and Danny got along swimmingly.

Thursday we drove to Carolina Beach. We had great weather, although it was too hot and sunny for Isabel to go out during the middle of the day. Needless to say, this severely impacted my tan time. Instead, we took her out in the early morning or for an evening walk when, as my mother pointed out, the whitest of the white venture out to the beach. After modeling her sunglasses, Isabel managed to squeeze in a little pool time.

Here's a picture of Kyle threatening to feed Isabel to the gators if she didn't start behaving. Now that's parenting for you! Only joking. He's just letting Isabel get a closeup view of the alligators at the Wilmington Aquarium. I swear that the alligator scurried closer to Isabel when he saw her... she must have looked like a tasty, tender morsel to him!


We also spent a lovely evening with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmother. We had an awesome dinner and it was just nice to hang out with everyone. We also got a great picture of four generations of beautiful, smart, and humble (ahem) women...

My Baby's Got Teef!

That's right, two pearly white nubs have wriggled their way out of her bottom gum. We discovered them a few weeks ago by accident, although it shouldn't have surprised us since she'd been making crazy grimaces and sucking on everything in sight.

So how did we greet this news? With joy? Delight? Exultation? Nay, my friends, with sadness, for it means that our little Isa is growing up before our eyes, and much too fast for our liking.