Isabel is 17 Months

Isabel is 17 months today. Who knew 17 months could develop such a vibrant personality and so many new interests and talents. 

Isabel loves to sing and dance. One of her favorites is Ring Around the Rosey. She is fun to watch doing Ring Around the Rosey because she kicks out her leading leg really high as she walks around in a circle. She also loves to sing I’m a Little Tea Cup. The other night she was playing with one of her singing bears. She would squeeze the bear to make it sing and then she would try to sing along with it. So cute to listen and watch.

Isabel has the warmest and sweetest six-toothed smile and I cannot get enough of her laugh, both real and fake. She is so energetic and is quite active. She can now climb on and off the couch with ease and she uses her new skill quite frequently. She is also caught climbing on top of coffee tables and just last night the kitchen table. She is quite proud of her climbing accomplishments even though I am have shown disapproval.

Isabel’s interest in animals is really something. I’m not sure where she got it but she just loves horses. She also stops in her tracks when she sees cats and/or dogs. Lucky for Isabel, our new nanny, Candice, has a dachshund named Frankie. Frankie and Isabel have become quite the little buddies. They follow each other everywhere. Apparently, Frankie loves Isabel just as much because as soon as Candice turns into our neighborhood, Frankie starts wagging his tail really fast and can’t wait to get out of the car to greet Isabel.

Isabel is also quite an eater. She will eat anything. When I say “anything”, I mean anything. Her favorites are blueberries and mandarin oranges, which see eats with a fork. It really is quite impressive how quickly she can inhale mandarin oranges. What is most funny about Isabel’s eating is that she could have just finished a big dinner and if she sees Matt eating, she has to get right on his lap to help him finish his dinner.

Isabel is finally sleeping better. We went through a stage where she was getting up 3 – 6 times a night. That was really rough. Within the last couple of weeks, she is going down at 7:30pm, waking up at 3:30am and then for good at 6:00am. Now THAT is a manageable schedule and I am starting to get my head back on straight. She takes two naps during the day, one at 9:30am and then another at 2:00pm. So far, the routine seems to be working, so we will stick with that for awhile.

Isabel’s most favorite places in our home are Mason’s bedroom and any of the upstairs bathrooms. You can always tell when Isabel has been in Mason’s room because you will find one or more of the following: all of Mason’s trains on the floor, the first level of Mason’s book shelf empty with scattered books everywhere, and/or all the puzzles in the closet on the floor. The girl likes to make a mess. We have also had to make a habit of closing bathroom doors. She has already thrown two trains, a toothbrush, pancakes, my blush brush, and hairbrush in the toilet. She is fast too. If she has hold of an object and access to the toilet, you can kiss that object goodbye. She sees you coming and she will get that object in the toilet one way or another. Thank goodness she can’t flush the toilet otherwise we could have had another plumbing bill. One odd discovery is that she will actually leave the downstairs bathroom alone. No idea why but she just doesn’t go into that particular bathroom.

Isabel for the longest time would not wear shoes. She would scrunch up her feet to the point that you could not get them on. She has since discovered slippers. She has a pair of Disney princess slippers from her Auntie Tracy. She loves them and will wear them all day long. Finally, something to keep her feet warm throughout the day. Knowing that she has warm feet everyday will make Gammy feel much better, I am certain.

Isabel is finally able to keep up with Mason. If Mason does something she does not like, she lets him know with a raised voice and babble. She may not speak with clear words but you know by her tone what she is getting at. She also challenges Mason. She was caught pushing him the other day and then running. No more playing innocent for this little girl. The only way I can tell if Mason is the guilty party is if you hear Isabel crying and Mason taking off running the other way. Perhaps that is where Isabel got it in the first place. Isabel really does want to be around Mason. She gets excited when Mason’s bus arrives home from school and yesterday I watched her go up to Mason to find his belly button. Mason showed her and then gave her a hug. That was the first time I saw them have a kind moment together. They did not know I was watching until I let out an “awwww” and Mason looked at me with disgust. Makes me happy that they are finally getting along. I’ve been waiting for this for 17 months.

Happy 17 months, Isabel.