Izzy Bo-bizzy Bo-bizzy Bo-bop

Dear Isadora,

In just a few short weeks, you have learned how to crawl forward.  I'm not sure how it happened, but when I came home from work one day, your daddy told me to "Watch this..."  He put you on the floor in a crawling stance and had you crawl to me.  It was a very exciting day in the Patten household.  You've been using your new moves to get into all kinds of things -- your shelf of toys, daddy's floor treasures (a.k.a. his drink cups, his bag of Doritos, and the remote controls), and the occasional basket of laundry.  Sometimes, you and daddy have stand offs in the living room and crawl to each other until your heads touch.  (It is very cute to watch.)







In addition to eating bananas, you've started to eat quickly dissolving baby crackers and Japanese potato biscuits, too.  Even though you only have two bottom teeth, you know how to use them and can manage eating these snacks pretty well.  (However, being able to put them in your mouth on your own is another story.)  You're getting to be such a big girl!



At the moment, one of your favorite toys to play with is your baby basketball hoop.  I think you like hearing the crowd cheer for you when you pull down on the basket.  (The toy plays music and has a crowd of voices that cheer, "Yay!" when you pull the basket down.)  It makes you so happy.











To commemorate our first six months as a family, we had our first family portraits done by Portrait Innovations in Cary.   Here are some of our favorite shots from the session:









I can't believe you're already seven months old!  Where has the time gone, I ask you?  Thank you for making my life so much richer, Izzy Bo-bizzy.

Love,

Mommy

Eatin' and Sittin' and Sassin'... Oh My!

Dear Isadora,

You are growing up so fast!  You have moved on from eating rice cereal mixed with formula to eating stage 2 (sitting without support) baby foods.   These new foods have really allowed you to expand your pallet.  These foods tend to consist of a lot of combinations (e.g., apples and prunes, chicken and rice, mixed veggies), which sometimes grosses daddy out, but you seem to like them.  Mommy has even been giving you pieces of banana rolled in graham cracker dust during meals so that you can practice chewing.  You probably get about 50% of the banana in your mouth and 50% in your high chair seat.  Practice makes perfect, I guess.




You've now also progressed from rolling over and crawling backward to getting yourself to a sitting position from your stomach.  Sometimes you are successful...








And sometimes you end up in the splits.  If you get stuck in the splits, you whine and wait for mommy or daddy to lift you up and situate you correctly on the floor.




You've been in daycare for a while now as we wait for your babysitter to come back from vacation.  It has been a little bit of a transition for you, but I think you're really starting to enjoy your time in daycare.  Even though you are enjoying yourself, you still haven't been able to successfully take a long nap in daycare, so you usually pass out on daddy when you get home.  (Daddy secretly enjoys that time since you haven't slept on his chest since you were a tiny, tiny baby.)








Mommy and daddy have also noticed lately that the older you get, the more quickly you get bored.  Mommy asked daddy to pick you up some more challenging toys to play with on his way home one day.  This is what he brought back for you...






A ball pit!  And you LOVE it.




Finally, the newest thing you are doing now is what I like to call your sassy face.  Observe...



It's a cute face to make for now... but not when you're older.

Love,

Mommy

Things Are a Changin' 'Round Here...

Dear Isadora,

This week was your first week of daycare.  Your favorite sitter is on vacation for a while, so in the interim, we have been sending you to daycare.  On your first day, you cried a little when a stranger had to change your diaper, but you are starting to enjoy yourself a little more.  The daycare has a nifty feature of allowing me to watch you online via a webcam, and for the couple of times I've checked in you, you seem to be happy socializing with the other babies.  But by the look on your face in this picture right before dropping you off, I think you still might prefer the individual attention you get from your sitter.  Maybe when you get older (maybe when you're two or three years old), we'll start sending you to daycare full-time.  But in the mean time, there's no rush for us to change anything for you.




This week, mommy and daddy had to use the real tub to give you a bath instead of your baby tub.  You're just getting too darn big for the baby tub.  Mommy and daddy ordered you a tub seat, but it has not arrived yet, so daddy decided to throw on his swim trunks and join you for a bath to keep you safe.  It was hilarious for mommy to see daddy in the tub with you, but I think you enjoyed having the company.









Oh, Izzy.  You are just growing up so fast.  You are starting to eat more foods and have started to become a little scuttle butt, scooting your way across the floor... and eventually backing yourself into furniture and walls.  This week was the first time where mommy felt like time was just passing by too fast.  Every night when I come home from work, I give you lots of hugs and kisses and sigh at how much you are changing.  It makes me proud and sad at the same time.

I love you, my growing girl.

Love,

Mommy

Happy New Year!

Dear Isadora,

Akimashite omedetou gozaimasu! あけましておめでとうございます。 (That's how you say "Happy New Year" in Japanese.)  As we start the new year, I think about how far you've already come.  You're six months old and can sit up unassisted and you are starting to crawl (sort of).  When I say crawl, you are able to drag your body around the floor... backwards.  You get so frustrated because when you try to get a toy, you move farther and farther away from it and make raspberry noises to show your displeasure.

Wrong Way, Izzy

Before the new year, you got to see your Aunt Barbara, Uncle Chucky, Uncle Grant, Aunt Megan, Aunt Megan's mom, Ann Yo, Mimi, Pop Pop, and your cousins Lennox and Piper.  You enjoyed playing with your cousins and sitting on your Pop Pop's lap.



On New Year's Day, mommy made toshikoshi soba using Mimi's recipe.  Mommy makes this every year on New Year's Day.  It is believed that eating the long noodles in the soup will give you a long life.  You're a little too young to be eating long noodles right now.  But when you get older, I'll teach you how to make it and eat it.  Until then, you'll have to settle for your baby spare rib appeteether from  your Aunt Megan.








Mommy and daddy's hope for you in the new year is for you to be healthy and happy.  So far, so good.  No matter who spends time with you, everyone always says what a happy baby you are.  I hope that means we're doing something right with you.  As long as you're happy, I'm happy.






Happy New Year, Isadora.  We love you!

Love,

Mommy 

Your First Christmas

Dear Isadora,

Everyone was excited for your first Christmas.  In fact, daddy's side of the family referred to it as "Izzymas."  During the week of Christmas, you had many firsts.  You got to meet your Uncle Grant and Aunt Megan for the first time.  Your uncle is in the Airforce and lives in Tucson, Arizona, so it's hard to see him and your aunt all the time.  Even though it doesn't show in these pictures, you really did like your uncle.  You got to meet your Aunt Megan on Christmas Eve morning and adored her, too.  (I'll have to remember to get a snapshot with your Aunt Megan next time...)



You also got your first cold this week.  You had a pretty stuffy nose.  You hated when mommy had to suction out your boogies so that you could breathe.  I felt so bad.  I had to practically put you in a head lock to do it... But who could blame you for hating it so much?  Hopefully, your cold won't last long.




For Christmas, we traveled down to Columbia, South Carolina, on Christmas Eve night.  We went to the 6:30 p.m. mass at St. John Neumann Church, the very church your daddy went to as a child.  Your daddy was so proud to show you off to everyone.  He even picked out your outfit just for the occasion - a reindeer suit.  You were so adorable in it.

 


For Christmas, we stayed at your Aunt Meredith and Uncle Kevin's house.  We got to share Christmas morning with your cousins Taylor, Emily, Jack, and Charlie, and with your Uncle Josh, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Meredith, and Grandma Joyce.  You were so excited to see everyone that morning and especially liked opening your own presents.
















That night, your Aunt Meredith prepared a lovely Christmas dinner of roasted beef, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and vegan lasagna.  Your cousins Jake, Thomas, and James came later that night as well as your Uncle Terry, Aunt Jeanine, and Aunt Kristie.  Oh, it was so much fun spending time with everyone!  We even opened Christmas crackers during dinner and got to wear paper crowns on our heads and tell corny jokes.






I think you really enjoyed your first Christmas.  And guess what?  We get to do it all again when we see your Mimi and Pop pop later this week.  You lucky little girl.

Love,

Mommy

Adventures in Teething and Eating

Dear Isadora,

You've been teething like crazy lately.  You gnaw on anything you can get your hands on -- mommy's shoulder, daddy's finger, blankets, sleeves, your toes, and all of your toys.  If its within hands reach of your face, you will chew it.

Nothing is safe!

And with all this teething comes drool.  Lots and lots of drool.  Sometimes you go through three to four bibs a day because of the drool.  But it hasn't been for naught.  You now have two bottom teeth to show for it!

Mommy's failed attempt to get a picture of your two bottom teeth

You've been using your new teeth for eating more, too.  You love rice cereal, especially when it's mixed with baby food.  Your favorites are prunes and peaches, but you make gagging noises when I feed you green beans.  (Maybe you'll grow to love them later.)  You are indifferent to carrots and butternut squash.  And for some reason, you like to slurp bananas from a spoon.





This new phase in your development has been fun for mommy and daddy.  Mommy can't wait to get a picture of you eating spaghetti and getting sauce and noodles all over the place, but I'll probably want to wait until you have more teeth for that one.  Until then, bon appetite, babe.

Love,

Mommy

Your New Cousin - Piper Quinn!

Dear Isadora,

On Dec. 15th at 1:07 p.m., your newest cousin, Piper Quinn, was born!  Mommy got to be in the delivery when she was born and be a part of a very special miracle.  Piper was already a week late from her due date, so Aunt Barbara's doctor decided to induce her.  When Aunt Barbara told me, I made arrangements to be there for the birth.  (Being mothers is a special bond that your Aunt Barbara and I have, and we have been there for each other when our children were born.)

On the day of the induction, mommy got up very early to drive to the hospital in Morehead City for Piper's birth.  The nurse at the hospital began giving your Aunt Barbara pitocin to induce labor.  A few hours later, she was ready to deliver!  Mommy watched as your Uncle Chucky, the nurses, and the doctor helped your Aunt Barbara bring Piper into the world.  Once she started pushing, Piper was born in record time -- delivered in three minutes without the assistance of any drugs.  (Mommy is still in awe of Aunt Barbara for delivering without drugs.)






It was one of the most amazing things I had ever witnessed.  Holding your little cousin almost made me want to have another baby right there and then... Almost.



When I returned home that night, I started reminiscing about your own birth.  Holding you close to me, I couldn't believe how much you've changed and how big you are getting.  Time sure does go by so fast.  I'll try to hold on to every moment and memory that I can.

Love you to pieces,

Mommy