Fourth of July!

We had a lovely 4th of July.  Hope you did, too!  Our little Munchie was all decked out in patriotic gear.  I wanted to say the Pledge of Allegiance every time I looked at her.  We grilled out at Nana and Grandpa's house, and then went to Auntie Em and Uncle J's house for ice cream sundaes.  So we got to spend time with the whole family!  Izzie actually loved the fireworks.  We were quite surprised!  The noise didn't bother her at all--she really enjoyed watching the pretty lights!  Her little arms would get to flapping when there was a good one--Izzie's stamp of approval!  (As a side note:  Izzie is not afraid of fireworks or the noise, but she cries every time I sneeze.  If you've heard me sneeze, you might understand.  But still!  It's hard to believe I'm scarier than fireworks...)

As you can see from the pictures, she continues

to get better and better at sitting up

(and she was really enjoying the audience

at Nana and Grandpa's house!)

Then it was off to Auntie Em and Uncle J's house.

She clearly out-dressed me and Bryan.  Hands down.

It is pretty much impossible to hold anything in your hands without

her attacking it these days.  Especially when there is food involved. 

She destroyed my bowl as I tried to eat.  Who can blame her?  That

looks a heck of a lot better than formula...

Mmmm...Feet

Izzie's feet have recently become a new source of entertainment for her.  She loves to grab them and pull on them and (when flexibility is working to her advantage) chew on them.  And she is sitting up very well now.  Does a tripod sit (with her hands on the ground between her legs supporting her) and can hold that position for awhile as long as she stays centered.  If she leans slightly to either side it's all over.  But she is much less of a bobble-head than she used to be!

 Wait for it...

almost...

(p.s. she is wearing a diaper,

she's just so folded you can't tell!)

 There they are!  Delicious!

Little Miss Opinion

Most of the time, Iz is the calm, cool and collected baby she started out as.  Most of the time.  However, if she a) drops a toy she's playing with, b) wants a different toy that's just out of reach, or c) decides the toy she has is not doing what she wants it to, this chick gets mad.  M.  A.  D.  Cries which sometimes turn to screams which sometimes turn to body shakes.  We laugh now, but we know we're in for it someday...

Poor little Caden discovered just how opinionated Isabel is now.  He is very used to running the show as far as the activities for the two of them go.  It used to be that he could give her any toy he didn't want, and she'd happily play with it until he took it away because he decided they should play a new game, and she'd just sit and smile at him like he was the best thing since sliced bread.

Well, the other day we were over at my sister's house getting a pool set up for the kids to play in.  I asked Caden to sit by Izzie on the chair and keep her company while we worked.  She had a toy in her lap that she had been playing with, and when Caden hopped up on the chair next to her he decided to take a look at it.  This was not ok with the Iz.  She screamed at him, and he was completely shocked.  Never before had she not been okay with anything he'd done, and he didn't know what to do about it.  We explained that she was upset he took the toy when she was playing with it, and he hesitantly set it back in her lap (just to get her to be quiet).  It was hilarious. The picture says it all.  Izzie's still irritated that she only has half of a toy and Caden's not sure he likes her all that much anymore...

4 Months Old, continued...

I promised an update after we went to the doctor.  Miss Isabel is 16 lbs, 2 oz and 25 1/2 inches long.  Not much else to report, really.  She's doing great!  Izzie is definitely becoming more aware of the world around her...and what she wants from it.  She was eyeing my water bottle, so I handed it to her so she could see what it was.  And then I took it away, and she screamed.  I think she's finally realizing that she can exert her opinion about how she thinks things should go.  And it cracks us up. 

Just hanging out on the couch

A pool day at Grammy and Grandpa's house.  Her

first time swimming.  She was a little unsure at first.

But she got used to it!  Sweet face!

Don't you just wish you could be 2 years old?  Caden's suit got

dirty while we were swimming and this was the solution.  Duh. 

Why not swing while naked?  He is so funny!

This is a very Izzie pose.  When she's happy she will stick her little foot up

in the air and point her toes.  She does it when she flirts with Daddy, when

I get her out of the crib in the morning, or when she's just so darn pleased

with herself (like when she convinced Mommy to give her the water bottle...).  

Tell me you haven't done this to your kids...

4 Months Old

Miss Isabel is 4 months old as of last Friday.  Her doctor's appointment is next week, so stand by for an update on that. 

Our latest adventure is a jumperoo.  I told Bryan she was getting bored just laying on the floor, and convinced him we needed this.  It's so fun and so cute!  It makes lovely little noises when she bounces and has all sorts of toys.  Of course, as you can see in the picture, her favorite thing about it is the seat cover fabric!  But she really does love being able to look around and see what's going on.

Also, (some) bows are finally staying in this girl's hair, so we love accessorizing. A lady at the Farmer's Market told me to put a dot of Karo syrup in her hair to make the bows stick...but I'm avoiding that as it seems likely to invite bugs (and suspicion from others that I'm gluing things to my child's head).

The first time I put her in the jumperoo, she looked a little offended...

In case you're a new parent like me, here's a tip: when they say the child's feet need to touch the floor, they aren't kidding.  I thought Iz would be fine, but noticed her legs turning purple a few minutes later. This ottoman lid turned out to be the perfect height, though! Live and learn...luckily no permanent damage!

And then she found the seat cover...

Her second time in and already a pro.  Doesn't

she just look like she's up to no good?

A new favorite spot.  She loves to

drool and chew on Daddy's head.

Swmsuit Time!

Grammy and Grandpa invited us over to enjoy a Slip n Slide.  We couldn't resist the chance to squeeze the Iz into a swimming suit.  And she thorougly enjoyed watching Caden flop all over the place.  The pictures say it all...I was happy we caught quite a few of her funny little faces.

(I admit, I overdid it on the cover up at first.  But really, as a pasty fair-skinned person myself, I am all too familiar with what can happen.  Since she's not supposed to wear sunscreen yet, I couldn't bare to burn my Munch.  But I loosened up in the shade.)

Stop It!

Isabel and I have had numerous discussions about how unnecessary it is to grow up.  Walking and talking are for losers--just coo and snuggle with your momma.  Not to mention going to the movies or learning to drive a car some day.  Lame.  However, Izzie is apparently asserting her independence in her refusal to listen to me.  Regardless of all of my lectures, she is still insisting on developing.  Pshhh. 

Munchie nows sits in her high chair, holds her own bottle (for short periods of time), takes her binkie in and out of her mouth, and plays with toys.  And she also does her own version of sit-ups.  If she's laying down and wants to sit up she will lift her head and shoulders up off the ground and grunt--she's trying so hard!  But my new favorite thing is the laughing!  I wish I could post the video I took of her a few days ago.  She was sitting in her high chair and I was making silly noises at her, and she was all-out, deep in the belly giggling.  There is nothing cuter or sweeter than a baby laugh.

Here's a few recent pics...

This is her new go-to spot when I'm

cleaning or doing dishes.  It's pretty exciting.

But sometimes it's exhausting watching

someone else work...

 Look at her go!

This is a boy's onesie (from the movie Monsters, Inc).  Caden bought it for her before she was even born.  He was barely 2 years old, but saw this at Target and wanted to buy it for baby so bad.  Emily tried to explain it was a boy onesie, but it didn't matter to him.  It finally fits her, and I figured if we pair it with a jean skirt people are less likely to make the gender mistake.  More importantly, Caden was really excited she wore it.

This chickie wears real shoes now.  Size 1.

That's right.  She has a size.  No newborn booties here.

No need for a monitor.  This is Izzie's door, and this is

what Maya does when she makes even a little peep.