Four months already and with each month that passes by I pray that it is one month closer to us calling her officially ours and to getting to post her picture for all the world to see. It is probably the most difficult thing about this process… the waiting and the praying that all will go well and she will get to be ours forever. With the excitement and the joy that we experience each day that she is with us, it seems like a painful rule that we can’t share the images, the videos and the raw emotions of love we get from her in every moment we spend.
But with each passing month I must admit, I’m so thankful for the additional time we’ve been able to spend, loving her and caring for her. Isabelle continues to be truly a blessing in our lives. In the last month she has grown so much and is changing it seems daily. She is a happy baby, waking up in the morning with babbles instead of cries. On the mornings when I can sleep in (past 6 a.m.), I often times awake to her talking to herself in her crib and folding her legs up above her head, almost as if she is doing some crazy yoga pose. And when I peer down on her in her crib and say good morning, she always greets me with her wide mouth, toothless grin that goes from ear to ear. What a wonderful way to begin each day.
Although she’s starting to get the cute folds in her little legs as she puts on weight, she continues to get comments multiple times a day at how small she is. Just this past weekend as we were flying home from Lake Tahoe and I went through the invasive security search with her, the TSA agent insisted she could be no older than 1 month old. I said I promise she’s almost 4. I’m guessing this lady either had no children or hers were adults now.
Isabelle is becoming more and more vocal and perhaps the biggest development this month is that she laughs. She full out giggles and when she laughs she crunches up in a ball and her whole body shakes. It is completely contagious and melts my heart each time I hear her giggle. I’ve realized there are some things in life that never get old…. hearing a baby laugh is one of those things. I’ve started playing the “I’m going to get you game” where I ask her if she’s ready, tell her I’m going to get her and then make a silly sound as I put my head down into the crease of her neck and blow kisses on her cheeks and neck. It gets her every time and she knows what is going to happen when I ask her if she’s ready and that I’m going to get her. She now knows to protect the sides of her neck and face so she tries to turn her head even before I go to tickle her and then, when I surprise her and go to the other side of her neck, she bursts into laughter and her whole tummy shakes. If only I could bottle these moments and share them. In an instant, all the worries, the stresses and pressures of the world are gone, when I hear her laugh.
She’s also getting to be “SOOOOO BIG!” as we say it. She loves to try and stand on her feet when she’s pick up. She’s really strong and I have a feeling she’ll be walking sooner than I’ll be ready. The other thing she’s doing is rolling over. It happened when we went to Iowa a few weeks ago. She was on the floor on her blanket having tummy time. She pushed herself up and talked and before I could even realize what was happening she had rolled over. So much for mother of the year, I didn’t even have a camera in the same room. (Ha- my chances for mother of the year were lost a long time ago). But since the first action of rolling over we’ve seen her a few more times perform her skills. I think she only likes to do it when I’m not ready with my camera. It is funny when she rolls because so far it has only been when she’s on her back. And as she tries to push herself up, her one arm doesn’t go all the way up and so I think gravity helps her with the action… before she even realizes it, she’s flipped to her back. I know it startles her too because her eyes go wide and she gives me a look like, “What just happened?’
Some other recent developments are that she loves to pull hair, yep she found my hair and insists that the left side always be pulled out of the ponytail. She’s also started to develop a love for watching TV. Her eyes become glued to the images on the screen and she follows the pictures intently. I’ve told Daddy that
The Bachelorette is her favorite show but Daddy seems to think it is watching the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game. Were still in discussions to see who is right.
Isabelle has a variety of nicknames we call her. Everything from Belle, to Baby Belle, to Isabellie, and bugaboo. It is no wonder she’s confused when we say Isabelle.
And finally I want to mention her hair. She has some funky looking hair. Last month her hair was long around the sides and back and she had little to no hair on top. Since then the top of her hair has started to grow in and it is turning darker. I think it is really cute because the hair on the top of her head is like peach fuzz and decides to stick straight up. Even if I wet it down and sweep it to one side, moments later it is sticking straight up on top.
Isabelle weighs 12 lbs and is 26 inches long. To think that she has grown 6 inches in just 4 months is crazy. It is hard to believe it has been 4 months and although I thought my life was complete when Gabriel and Michael joined Jarrett and Jack, I’ve learned our life was not. She is a perfect addition to our family and we love her more than she’ll ever know.
Happy 4th month birthday baby girl!
Until next time,
mommy
