Happy Halloween!

Last year she was a superhero, this year she was straight out of the Old West... say hello to Isabel the Cowgirl!

This year Halloween was a huge success... except for the hat. Isabel wanted nothing to do with her adorable cowboy hat. That didn't seem to stop people from guessing she was a cowgirl though. To celebrate Halloween at school, the kids planted "magical" pumpkin seeds. When they woke up from nap, their seeds had turned into pumpkins and each kid got to pick one.

Then, at home I explained to Isabel that we'd be going out trick-or-treating and that kids would be coming over to our house to get candy. The only part of that story she understood was "kids". She raced over to the window and started shouting "KIDS! KIDS!". I thought she was going to explode she was so excited.

She's a natural trick-or-treater, just like her parents. She wasn't scared going up to strangers and asking for candy, although a few of the older kids' costumes freaked her out. She just walked up to someone's door, batted those big eyes, and took some candy. Then she took a bite of each piece and determined that she doesn't in fact like chocolate. That didn't stop her from taste testing each piece though.

The Windy City

Last weekend we finally took Isabel to Chicago to see her Grandpa. Thank goodness it's a short flight; that little girl does not like sitting still! We had a great time visiting Dad and Pam. We got to eat at new restaurants (hey, we never eat out anymore so that's a big deal for us!), visited the Lincoln Park Zoo several times, played at various parks, went to the Shedd Aquarium, and I even got to go SHOPPING. We had Dad's place to ourselves at night, so it was as if we were test-driving what it would be like to live in a big city instead of out in the 'burbs. It was so convenient to be able to walk to grocery stores, restaurants, and the zoo!

Pumpkin Carving

We bought three pumpkins when we went to the Circle S farm a few weeks ago, and 2 weeks ago we carved them into jack 'o lanterns. Isabel thought this was pretty cool although she got bored during the tedious and kinda gross scooping pumpkin guts portion of the activity.

Around the House

Priming the office walls for an as-yet-to-be-determined new color:

Some Halloween decorations:

The Last Days of Summer

We had a gorgeous weekend a few weeks ago, with record highs for October. We took advantage of the weather to do some outdoor activities. Saturday, we went to the zoo. Isabel loved the train ride and the petting zoo. The Columbus Zoo is really great; big (and they're planning on expanding further), tons of exotic animals, even a park for when the little ones get tired of animal-watching.


Sunday, we went south of Columbus to the Circle S Farm. This is a working farm that opens up in the fall for people to go pick pumpkins, get lost in corn and sunflower mazes, and enjoy hay rides. We must've looked like such city slicker yuppies with our camera, video camera, snacks, sippy cups, diaper bag... I didn't hear the farm hands laughing too hard.

Beginning of the End of Diapers

Warning: Our more timid readers should skip this post.

Isabel has seemed so interested in anything related to going to the bathroom recently: toilet paper, flushing, wiping, you name it. She follows us into the bathroom when we need to make use of it, and even offers to... errr... help us out (eww!). So we thought it was high time she got her very own potty. As the picture shows, it was a big hit. Now we have trouble getting her OFF the darn thing.

And yes, I know she's got her clothes on. This is Phase 1: Introduction to Potty Etiquette. Phase 2 will involve actually using it.

Scarlet and Gray

We got Isabel her 2007 OSU outfit. Kyle also taught her to say "Go Bucks!". I'm working on "Vanderbilt Commodores"... Six syllables? That'll take a few months for her to master!

Language Arts

One thing that's really cool about having a child is watching all the "firsts". Not just the big ones, like "first word" or "first step". It seems like every day Isabel is doing at least one new thing. Kyle and I will look at her and say, "Where did she learn that?". Right now, her biggest area of growth is in language. Just within the last two weeks, she has shocked us with an occasional sentence. Well, sentence is pushing it; let's say sentence fragment instead. For example, the other day she said, "Read book". Now she's said "read" and "book" separately plenty of times. But together? This is heady stuff for us doting and wide-eyed parents.

Another grammatical feat she's mastering is her name, either "Isa" or "Isabel". A month ago she seemed to have no interest in her own name, being satisfied with saying "mama" and "dada". Now she not only points to herself and says "Isa", but this week actually combined her two new tricks and said "Isa school", to remind me she was going to school that day.

We need to take more video/audio recordings of this phase, before she starts speaking in perfect English. We are really enjoying this time of "ca-ca-ca-ca-ca" (crocodile) and "pi curl" (big girl). At this rate, it's not going to last long!

Labor Day (aka "Flying with a Toddler")

We spent the last several days on vacation in North Carolina. This is the first time we've flown with Isabel since she was around 6 months old... it was a completely different (and much more difficult!) experience this time around. To top it all off, she was getting 4 teeth at once. Until we figured out what was causing her to act like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, we were seriously considering keeping her an only child! But then it was infant Tylenol to the rescue. Still, she wasn't her normal self until Sunday, the day we left.

Nevertheless, we had a great time in NC. We spent a few days at Mom's new house and then headed off to Atlantic Beach, with a quick stop in Wilmington to visit my aunt, uncles, and Grandma. The condo at the beach was awesome, and very family friendly, with both an indoor and outdoor pool as well as a playground. Isabel loved the pool and had fun building sand castles on the beach. She even got in the ocean, but only while being held. She also got reacquainted with "Gaga" (Grandma) and "Tito" (Isabel's version of "Tio", or Uncle, Danny).

Words

We recently recorded Isabel saying a few words from her rapidly expanding vocabulary. We all understand each other, but if you don't speak "toddlerese", here's a translation:

• mamadada - Those silly but adorable people who feed, bathe, and lavish Isabel with attention
• cago? - Chicago
• opaopa - Oma and Opa, Isabel's paternal grandparents
• pizza - She knows this word quite well, and asks for it often
• rahhhh (whispered) - This is what a lion says
• wahwahwahwahwah (accompanied by hilarious facial expression) - This is what Cookie Monster says
  

IsabelTalking.wav

Daily Drill

So what's an average day in the life of an 18th month old like?

Schedule

• 7:40 AM Time to wake up! I usually do this by tickling Isabel's feet and singing her "good morning" song


• 7:50 AM Isabel eats breakfast and feeds her (toy) dog


• 8:05 AM Wrestle Isabel into her clothes


• 8:15 AM Drop Isabel off at school, where she does a combination of indoor and outdoor activities, book reading, toy playing, eating, and napping


• 5:45 PM Pick Isabel up from school. She is always happy to show me the toy she's been playing with


• 6:10 PM Dinner (and if we're lucky, Kyle and I get to eat, too!)


• 6:30 PM We head outside, where we color with chalk, pet the neighbor's dog, explore the yard, and cruise the neighborhood looking for kids and/or animals


• 7:45 PM Bath time


• 8:15 PM Wrestle Isabel into her pajamas


• 8:25 PM Read books


• 9:00 PM Isabel's bed time

Here's Isabel playing outside after dinner. She always likes to make a statement with fashion!

Another Month Bites the Dust

It's the last day of July and I thought I'd better get in one last blog post. The last one was July 6th... I've really been slacking! Here's a summary of our activities this month:

• My Dad and Pam came to visit. We played some frisbee golf, grilled, played bocce ball, saw the latest Harry Potter flick, and had an all-around great visit. Dad chose that weekend to begin an experimental diet consisting only of tubular foods.
• Isabel turned 18 months old! She is transitioning to the 18-24 months room at school.
• I just got back from a girls-only trip to Las Vegas/Zion National Park where we hiked, lounged poolside, ate, drank, ate, ate, ate, and got pedicures. Meanwhile, Kyle's parents came down from Cleveland for some quality grandparenting time with Isabel.

My goal for August: more than two blog posts!

Stars & Stripes & Swimming Pools

We had a nice, low-key 4th of July. It was a little overcast and drizzly, so we decided to take Isabel to the community center pool. She was so fashionable in her swimming ensemble.

We had a great dinner of roasted sweet corn, Trader Joe's mac 'n cheese, and kielbasa (because nothing says "America" like Polish sausage). Kyle loves manning the grill; he doesn't realize he's being tricked into cooking.

For dessert I even made something with a 4th of July theme (and by "made", I mean "plopped store-bought ingredients on top of each other").

Like all kids, Kyle and I used to love the excitement of fireworks. Now, with a child who goes to bed at 9 PM, a full hour before the local fireworks shows, we HATE fireworks. Each booming explosion caused us to cringe in fear that Isabel would wake up. She goes to sleep easily, but if she's awoken in the night, well, hell hath no fury like my Isabel. Luckily she slept through it all. Maybe next year we'll all be emotionally ready to actually watch the fireworks together.

Stylin'

Isabel was in dire need of a haircut. Her hair had reached dangerous redneck levels and we were concerned. It was time for her first professional haircut.

Some friends told us about a place called Cookie Cutters that specializes in haircuts for kids. It was a neat place, with a mini indoor playground to keep the kids occupied while they waited, plus a few computers with video games. All the barber chairs were shaped like cool cars; Isabel got the taxi cab. They even had a dvd to match her stuffed animal (Elmo).


We were prepared for tantrums and tears galore, but Isabel did great! In addition to the dvd, the stylist had a little toy that distracted her most of the time. She didn't shed a tear. The stylist was awesome and really put Isabel at ease, and gave me great tips on how to work with a child's hair. We had a great experience; I only wish I could remember the stylist's name so we can request her next time!


And Isabel's haircut? We're so pleased with it. Here it is, after being styled with a side ponytail...

NYC, Baby!!!

For Kyle's 30th birthday, I surprised him with a trip to New York City. Am I an awesome wife or what?!? The trip was a short one, 2 1/2 days over Memorial Day weekend, so we had to pack in many sights in a short time. Even Mr. Marathon's legs were tired!

We stayed in an apartment on the lower east side. The apartment was great, and we felt like "New Yorkers". We took the subway everywhere, it was so much cheaper than cabs or renting a car, and very convenient, too. There are pictures below of some of the things we saw, but nothing can convey the experience like being there in person. There were so many different kinds of people, so many languages spoken, so many skyscrapers... I'm sure I was walking around with my jaw open half the time! We could go back every weekend for a year and not see everything.

Meanwhile, Isabel was staying with her Oma and Opa. Her first night was a little rough, but after that she made herself at home. She had a great time playing with her cousins and all their pets. We were so happy to see her when we got back! For about a day and a half afterwards, she wouldn't let me out of her sight... I think she was concerned I'd take off again. I hope she knows we will always come back!

Poop In The Tub II: Revenge of The Turds

Did you miss the first "Poop In The Tub"?

Happy 30th, Kyle and Kevin!

They look great, don't they?

Bed Time

Just over a month ago, Isabel happily went to bed at 7:30 PM. This was great. Really, really great. We would put her to bed, eat dinner, tidy up a bit, watch some tv, and then read before going to sleep. It might not sound too exciting to you child-free readers, but those were the good ol' days.

Now our active little girl insists on staying up until 9 o'clock at night. Where did our down time go??? Our dinners are chaos and usually involve her sitting on one of our laps while the other gulps down food. We play and read, and play and read some more, Isabel creates a huge mess, and finally she goes to sleep. That leaves us a measly hour and a half before bed!

Of course we love spending time with her and she is getting cuter and more interactive by the day. She loves hugging, kissing, wrestling, pushing her stroller, and all sorts of other adorable things. But coming home to a disheveled house after a long day's work, sometimes I could really use that extra hour and a half to get things done!

Here's what our little night owl has been up to:

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Isabel in the tub! We have her Oma and Opa to thank for this happy tub toddler. A few months ago, she became inexplicably afraid of the bathtub, and would just stand, screaming, through the whole ordeal. While Kyle and I were in Boston, they were able to tempt our timid little girl into our master bathtub with the promise of bubbles, toys, and splashing galore. Now she loves taking baths again! The only problem we have is getting her OUT of the tub.

Pigtails!

Boston Marathon

As most of you know, Kyle participated in the 111th running of the Boston Marathon! His body has almost fully recovered, but his mind is still swirling with thoughts of new races to conquer.

This was our first long distance trip away from Isabel, but we handled it like pros. We only called home maybe 6, 7, hundred times! She was in good hands and enjoyed being spoiled rotten by her Oma and Opa. There were quite a few new toys in her possession when we got home!

But back to Boston... Saturday was gorgeous, so we took a "duck" tour. This is a tour on a WWII era amphibious vessel, meaning it can travel by land or water. This is a shot of our duck reflected in a building we drove by:


And this is what a duck looks like in the water:

Sunday we did a little more exploring and then attended the pre-race pasta dinner. We got to talk to some other marathoners and Kyle got some tips from people who'd run Boston before. The dinner was held in a government building, but to entertain us while we waited, the organizers had the line go through the visiting circus tent.



I wasn't able to snap photos of Kyle actually running (marathonfoto.com did a much better job of that than I ever could), but I did get a few shots of the awesome marathon crowd. It was a blast cheering on the runners.

In between all that we managed to squeeze in dinner in Harvard Square, an uninterrupted movie (hallelujah!), and even a little shopping. And when Isabel saw us after we finally returned home, she greeted her hero, Daddy! It was tough being away from her but it was a great experience for us and I'm so glad we went.

Catching Up - Zoo

It seems like the older Isabel gets, the harder it is for me to find the time and energy to make a blog post. But enough bitching and moaning, it's time to make some headway on this backlog of entries. So cast your mind back, back in time to the end of March...

It was the beginning of a wonderful week of freakishly nice weather, and Dad and Pam were here to enjoy it. For once, Columbus didn't greet them with rain! It was so nice, in fact, that we were able to go to the Columbus Zoo. Although not all the animals were there (they go someplace warm for the winter), the Columbus Zoo is so big that we couldn't have seen them all anyway. By the time Isabel had napped and gotten into her sassy, leopard-print zoo outfit...
...it was 3PM, and the zoo closes at 5 in the spring. However, we found out that zoo guests who are already in the park at closing time get to stay an extra hour. This was great, since at that time some of the notoriously lazy animals are starting to get more active. We all had fun watching the dueling bear brothers, Pam's favorite was the gorillas (who were pounding the glass and laughing at us silly humans), and Isabel really liked the aquarium. My favorite part was the kangaroo exhibit, where people and roos can mingle freely.

Here, Isabel discovers a new species:

Easter Eggs

The last week has been pretty rough. We went from lovely spring weather to cold and snow. Isabel got sick Tuesday and is still not herself. Easter came along just in time to help brighten our moods.

We spent the weekend in Cleveland where I found out the real meaning of the term "snow belt". The day was sunny, if cold, until we got to the east of Cleveland. Then it was as if we were transported back in time 3 months; we were greeted by dark skies, snow, and even some unplowed highway lanes.

Finally we arrived at our destination, and soon after Isabel and her cousins were treated to an early Easter egg hunt.




Unfortunately, all the fun and excitement, combined with being sick and sleeping in a strange place were too much for Isabel and she (and her parents) had a rough night. Or maybe it was the Easter bunny that kept her awake. Whichever the cause, the basket she found the next morning helped her mood.



And last but not least... the Easter dress!

Special bonus! See what a difference a year makes!