Isabelle's Wish List

Ed & I created a wish list on the Toys-R-Us website so we can "save" some of the toy ideas that we want to get Isabelle this year. Most of the toys are for the 3-4 year old range (since she is SO ahead of the curve, hehehe).

Toys on the wish list include a wide range of prices, categories, and characters. So if anyone wants ideas on something to get the Princess this year (Easter, Just Because, etc.), you can access the list on the Toys-R-Us website. Click on Wish Lists and you can search for her. I am the "creator" and Isabelle is the "recipient".

This is by no means a request for gifts, the wish list was created for Ed & I to keep a running list of things we want to get her. But I thought it might be useful to those of you reading this blog in case you want to know what she is interested in at this stage. I will delete items from the wish list if they get purchased by us, so we don't run into duplicates.

Click here to check out her list: Isabelle's Wish List

Snow Angel

Isabelle learned how to make her first snow angel on Christmas Eve 2009 at GeeGa's house. Uncle Don gave her the lesson, then took her on a high speed tobaggon ride (OK, not really that high speed, Uncle Don is kinda old) and then schooled her on the fine art of throwing the perfect snowball (and picking the perfect target).

Today, four weeks later, we got our next installment of snow, about 3 inches on the ground in this video taken this morning. Isabelle didn't waste a second, and didn't need a refresher course on how to play in the snow, she remembered everything Uncle Don taught her last month.

Our little angel...(talking about Isabelle, not Don)

Daddy's Vacuum

We used today's naptime solitude to scrub and disinfect the house. I've gone through 2 cans of Lysol and a whole bottle of vinegar this week, cleaning the most-used surfaces. But after all the sick germs this week, we needed to really scrub the whole place down.

Izzi just woke up from her nap, and when she came out of her room, the vacuum was standing in the living room. She pointed at it and said, "LOOK, Mommy! That's Daddy's vacuum!"

Clearly, she hasn't ever seen me use it...

The Viral Wave

I wanted to report that Isabelle is feeling better. Her appetite finally came back (with a vengeance). She's eating everything she can get her hands on. She lost 3 whole pounds with this little bugger, and since she only weighed 30 lbs. to begin with, that's 10% of her body weight. (The contestants on The Biggest Loser could only HOPE to lose that much in one week)!

She's on two different meds now, and just like the doctor warned, one of them is causing a hyperactive, irritable child. I plan to catch one of the little drug-induced tantrums on video this weekend so I can show you what I mean. It's almost humorous when she catches us in the right mood (which is difficult after 9 days of this bull$hit).

However, The Viral Wave has swept up the next member of the household. ME! I started with the same symptoms that she started with last Wednesday. So I am on day 3 of her 9-day illness. So glad to know I have 6 more days to look forward to, UGH! I guess I will call my doctor next week to order a chest x-ray for myself to rule out pneumonia.

Ed had a touch of a stomach thing this week (which is only 1 of the many varying symptoms that us girls have). But he was immediately better the next day and he is fine now (knock on wood). Let's hope this ends with me and we can do the viral wave buh-bye!

Are you KIDDING ME???

Went to the pediatrician this morning for our 9:30 appointment. We got home at 12:30 this afternoon. The doc did a urinalysis (you don't want to know how they get a sample from a 2-year-old) to check for a UTI. That was negative, thankfully. Then she told us she was sending us over to the Lab for a chest x-ray. WHAT? Sure enough, that news wasn't so good. Isabelle has pneumonia!

The good news is that she "just" got it and it's very minor. This last week has not been pneumonia the whole time. Whatever she's had this whole week got her immune system out-of-whack and the pneumonia is a development/complication that came after the fact. A chest x-ray just two days ago might not have even showed pneumonia, that's how minor it is.

But, they still need to treat her with the full antibiotic regimen since pneumonia can be tricky to get rid of. She has to have two days of shots (today and tomorrow) followed by 10 days of oral antibiotics. She also has to take the liquid form of Albuterol (which I take through an inhaler for my Asthma). She takes that until the cough subsides. The problem is that the side effects are extreme hyperactivity and irritability. Greattttt! As if Ed and I aren't already at the end of our rope this week!

So, send some happy thoughts and prayers for our little Bean. The doc expects her to be fine after one round of antibiotics, but she'll probably need a few follow-up appointments over the next weeks and months to be sure it stays away. I guess pneumonia has a tendency to linger and/or re-appear for weeks or even months after it's been treated.

Jinx! (You owe me a beer)

OK, so Ed & I stopped patting ourselves on the back. We're going to the Pediatrician tomorrow morning. Turns out that Isabelle took another downward turn, spiked another fever yesterday afternoon and last night, had a few other dirty symptoms flair up, and now we need to go figure out what the heck is going on. It's been 7 full days of this @#%@#$@$@% and we really need our daughter back. So, Mister Virus Man, whoever you are...release her NOW or else yer gonna have to answer to ME! Oh yea, and you'll have to answer to ED TOO!

I'll let you all know what the update is tomorrow after we get home from the doc...

The Perfect Storm

A "perfect storm" is an expression that describes an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically. Think of the movie with George Clooney in 2000 when three storms came together and wiped those fishing boats out.

In our case, a perfect storm is what happened last week when our two-year-old was exposed to three different viruses over the course of three days, and then got sick with all three of them in one week, on a rolling wave of destruction.

Our little bugger has been sick since last Wednesday. We had hours at a time when we thought we were out of the woods, but then she would spiral downward again with new symptoms and a worsening of the existing ones. I won't go into the dirty details (literally) of all the symptoms she had this week, but let's just say that she pretty much had every symptom that any typical toddler virus on the planet might cause.

And I give Ed and I a huge pat on the back because all three of us made it through without one call to the doctor, since her fever never got above 102. Yippee! Maybe we're getting this parenting thing down after all!

As of today, Iz is feeling much better. She's her sweet, smiley, silly self again. And oh how we've missed her! Welcome back, little Bean.

Peace of Mind

We enrolled Isabelle into the Maryland Prepaid College Trust today! We should have started two years ago, but at least we finally started.

We purchased two full years of a University education and will pay that off over the next five years. We just paid off both of our cars, so this is sort of like buying another car with 5 years of payments.

If we run into additional money, we can add additional semesters or years with lump-sum payments or another Trust account to add another year at any time...there are options galore.

But at a minimum, by 2015 we will have two full years of a Maryland college PAID FOR and then we will enroll in another trust account to get the other two years prepaid at that time. If she goes out of state, which I hope she does, then the tuition for her school of choice is partially covered on a weighted-scale. So eventually we'll use some other investment vehicles to sock away cash for those 'extras' like additional tuition, books, and her living expenses.

And when Isabelle gets that full scholarship to Boston College in 2025, she can use this prepaid trust to help with medical school, law school, or graduate school.

Ahhhh, maybe I'll get some sleep tonight.

It Takes a Long Time to Grow an Old Friend – John Leonard

"Your friends will know you better in the first minute they meet you than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years." ~ Richard Bach

It was a sunny September morning in 1979 when Day One of First Grade at St. John’s the Evangelist Roman Catholic School started. The administration decided it would be easiest to seat the class in alphabetical order. That meant, at the time, that Miss Theresa Dettor would sit next to Miss Jennifer Egan. The administration realized about three days later that they had made a HUUUUGE mistake.

Theresa and I are attending a fundraising event for our high school tomorrow night (Bingo Night). It’s the one time of year that many of our classmates get together to catch up. Theresa lives about 90 minutes away from me (which is certainly no excuse for the infrequency of our contact) but life is fast-paced these days, so it’s pretty much the norm for the busy family in 2010.

I called Theresa to ask her one simple question about tomorrow night’s timeline and we ended up chatting, reminiscing, and laughing hysterically about life events, both new and not-so-new, for over an hour. There were so many stories, and so little time, we kept saying that we’d “catch up about that tomorrow night”. God help the other 6 people at our table if we actually get to any of those stories.

The fact is, I could spend a week with Theresa and never truly get “caught up”. Our history is too long, with too many memories, and too many stories. I wish we lived in the same neighborhood so we could share a cup of coffee every morning. Every time I talk to her, I have a grin on my face during the entire conversation, and for many hours afterwards. Theresa brings happiness to my life!

I hope and pray that Isabelle finds a friend in her life that makes her smile as much as Theresa does for me. And I want to teach her that you don’t make friends, you earn them. That is a quote I found (which is anonymous from what I understand) but I think it’s an important lesson.

Attention Merriam-Webster

Izzi had her first marshmallow a few months ago at Aunt Jamie and Uncle Jeff's house. The gang enjoyed them roasted over a fire pit they had in their backyard on a cool Autumn night.

I wasn't there that night with Ed & Izzi so I wasn't aware she had been exposed to her first taste of these delectable little nuggets of sugar. Apparently, they were a HUGE HIT - eyes as big as saucers, savoring every new taste carefully, asking for MORE immediately after finishing each one, you get the idea...

A week went by, and she and I were hanging out on an early weekend morning while Ed was at the gym. (I was still unaware of the marshmallow incident at this point.) She very politely asked me, "Mommy? Me have some MARSH PILLOWS?".

Ummmm, what????? I spent about 10 really focused minutes trying to decipher exactly what she was asking for. Ed finally got home, he filled me in on the events from the previous weekend, and we decoded Izzi's mystery request.

Fast forward a few months.....

I just bought a new bag of mini "marsh pillows" at the grocery store this week for my hot cocoa. I got them out of the pantry tonight and shared a "very special treat" with our Izzi for dessert. The sheer excitement on her face and the sparkle in her eyes makes me think that she'll get more marsh pillows out of this bag than I will, and it will be worth every moment.

So, Merriam, Webster, and whoever else makes those "new word" decisions every year.....

This is an official request to add a new word to our lexicon, and to your official publication. Because, honestly, I think that "marsh pillows" really says it much better than the original, don't you?

Daddy-Daughter Day Out

Today was MLK's Birthday so Ed's office was closed, as was daycare. The weather was really nice here today for January (60 degrees and sunny) so Ed decided to take Isabelle on an adventure. They ventured into D.C. on the Metro (chug-a-chug-a-choo-choo!!!!), and went to the D.C. National Aquarium. It pales in comparison to our beautiful Baltimore Aquarium but the $9.00 entry fee versus $30 for Baltimore certainly wins out! And it's much smaller and less imposing than Baltimore's huge expanse so it's a bit more amenable to the 2-year-old with the short attention span.

They saw sharks! Alligators! Frogs! Fish! I got to hear most of the account in detail when they got home. It sounds like they had an awesome day, I just wish I could have attended. But I, working in the commercial world, had to work today, holiday or not.

Now we settle into the doldrums of mid-winter. No football. No warm weather. Several months to wait until we can get outside to play. We are starting our robo-calling of friends to visit so listen closely for your phones! I'm heading to play Bingo with my HS girls next Friday at our old old haunting grounds (school cafeteria!!). Then we're heading to Delaware for a visit to the Tourge's. Ed goes on a biz trip in February so I'll have several Mommy-Daughter days to figure out. All ideas are welcome :)

Kid's First Swim School

We just signed Isabelle up for her first swim lessons. There is a great place about 30 minutes from our house that has 6-week sessions throughout the year. We heard from a friend of ours that the school is truly fantastic and we're hoping to swim away our winter blues for 30 minutes each Saturday morning.

Our session is from Sat Feb 20 through Sat Mar 7th. We head to Tampa in April for vacation so perhaps we'll get to use some of our newly honed swimming skills in Pop-Pop Bill's Pool!!

Purple Haze

Well, the Ravens season is over. Our little good luck charm (Izzi) was asleep last night before the game even started. Maybe I should have kept her awake. Ho hum. Couldn't we have lost to ANYONE but that team in Indiana?

Winter Fun

Just testing how the images work in my blog posts.

Still learning how to use this whole Blogger thing...

Butterfly Garden

Izzi saw an episode of "Dora the Explorer" this week that included a Butterfly Garden as one of their three milestones they had to find before they reached their final destination. Izzi was enthralled with the Butterfly Garden, and asked Daddy to help her build one with blocks!

So Daddy dutifully sat down with her and built a big fortress type structure out of Mega Blocks and called it a Butterfly Garden. Isabelle was overjoyed. But where were the butterflies, she asked?

We don't have any toy butterflies lying around so I ran upstairs to my art box, grabbed some colored computer paper, and started cutting. I made one BIG blue Daddy Butterfly. One MEDIUM yellow Mommy Butterfly. And then 4 small pink and green Baby Butterflies. They were simple little paper cutouts, I didn't even color them in or enhance them (yet).

I can't even explain the absolute AMAZEMENT on her face when she had a whole family of butterflies for her Butterfly Garden. She played with these silly paper insects for over an hour before it was finally time for bed. Then she threw a fit because she wanted to continue playing with her new Butterfly Family.

They were waiting for her this morning when she woke up. She fed them part of her breakfast, let them take sips from her "OJ Juice" and then put them to sleep in her dollhouse bed so they could take a nap while she was at school.


A lesson to me...sometimes the best toys are born from just a little imagination and some spare supplies lying around your house. Who needs overpriced lead-laden toys from China to keep a kid happy?

My Inner Child is born again!

25.5 month checkup

Izzi had her 2-year checkup today (a month and a half late). Thankfully she was in a good mood, and she turned on the charm, talked with the doctor, showed off her multiple talents, and was generally very personable. (You never know what a 2-year-old might do when they are expected to 'turn it on').

She weighed in at a mere 27.5 pounds, placing her in the 65th percentile for her age. This is actually higher up the scale than she had previously been, she was below the 50th percentile for weight up until this visit.

Her height is 37 inches!!! That puts her in the 99th percentile. So she's a tall skinny little thing, no wonder clothes just don't fit her right!! She's currently wearing a 4T top and only 18 months or 2T pants (depending on the brand). One-piece outfits like footie pajamas, dresses, etc. just don't fit her very well.

She also got her 2nd dose of the H1N1 vaccine today. She didn't even cry, and was so excited about the "purple sticker" she got afterwards that she didn't even pout like she normally does.

We don't have to go back to the doc until she turns THREE! Now if we can just make it through the rest of flu season unscathed...

My new BFF

When I was getting Izzi ready for "school" this morning (aka, daycare), she was in a very cuddly, snuggly, lovey mood. She petted my head and said, "Mommy, I like your hair." Then she pulled the zipper up higher on my sweatshirt and offered up, "Mommy, I like your shirt."

To which I replied with the obligatory, "Thank You, Izzi" ("You're Welcome, Mommy.")

Then she put her two hands on my cheeks, held my face still, looked me in the eyes and said, "Mommy, you're my BEST friend."

I think she was buttering me up for later today when she'll be a holy terror after getting home from school (you know, the witching hour?).

In my mind, I'm not her best friend at all, but her parent! And that's a very big distinction for me and Ed (we want her to fear us, even if just a little bit). Either way, she's still the coolest person I know.

ESP? Or maybe just wishful thinking...

When we were in Puerto Rico this past November/December, we visited our beloved "Beach Club" at Palmas del Mar. The Beach Club is a private club that we have free access to since Ed's dad works at the resort. Each day we visit the Beach Club, we show our pass and they give us one of those paper bracelets to wear for the day. Each day, members get a different colored bracelet.

As we drove in the golf cart to the Beach Club on our 2nd day in PR, Izzi announced matter-of-factly that we would be getting a GREEN BRACELET that day. And to our surprise, she had guessed correctly! We spent time at the Beach Club 5 times that week, and Izzi guessed the correct color 3 out of those 5 visits. Not bad odds!

Yesterday (Sunday 1/10), the Ravens were playing in the Wild Card Playoff round. When I woke Izzi up yesterday morning, I was dressing her in her new Flacco Ravens jersey, and telling her that the Ravens were going to be on TV today. She exclaimed, quite excitedly, "YAAAAA. The Ravens are going to WIN today, Mommy!" (From your lips to God's ears, I thought to myself at the time).

As it turns out, she was RIGHT once again. Or, she's simply living "The Secret" and putting those good vibes out into the universe! Either way, we were certainly happy that she was right, once again.

Now, if I can just get her to tell me what the Mega Millions numbers are going to be this Friday???

Be Careful What You Say...

Isabelle just turned two at the end of November, a mighty milestone indeed. She's growing up so fast and amazes us every day with the new things she learns. The funniest moments are when she pulls a phrase out of NOWHERE, that she may have heard days or weeks earlier. It's like she sits and stews on it until she can drop it at the perfect timing.

This week, the three of us were driving home from running errands, and we passed by a tattoo shop. I jokingly said to Ed that we should both get tattoos for his big 40th birthday this year (yup, the old man is hitting his own milestone this year)! I told him I wanted RAVENS INK. The next day, Isabelle proudly announced that she wanted "Ravens ink on her bum bum". OOPS! When wise parents warn to "be careful what you say", they really do mean it!

Baseline

This is just a snapshot of where Isabelle is at the two-year mark so I can document her new accomplishments accurately…..

She got herself dressed all by herself last week, so we're one step closer to potty training potential! (not that we are in ANY rush though, we're waiting until she's ready).

She is already saying please, thank you, you’re welcome, and god-bless-you without being prompted. So PROUD! Monkey see, monkey do!

She knows all of her friends and family by name, and who belongs with who (who? whom?). She knows that Uncle Don and Aunt Susan live in Chicago. She knows that Kora's mommy is Aunt Jamie. She knows that Clare-Clare's dog is Saddie. She knows that Noah's brother is Gavin. She's a smart little cookie.

Speaking of friends and family, she has to say good night to everyone before going to sleep. We run through the list: Daddy’s family, Mommy’s family, Edgewater friends, Daycare friends, Jesus and God.

We say good night to Jesus and God every night, we’re starting to learn the real good night prayer. She’ll probably have that down by next week, hehe.

She's counting to 20 in English and 10 in Spanish. She knows all of her colors. She can sing her ABCs but doesn't quite recognize her letters when you point them out yet. But she gets that certain words start with certain letters. If you point out the "letter B" she will continue to say: B like in BALL, B like in BEAR, B like in BOY.

She can sing other songs like Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells, the Cleanup Song, and a few others. ABCs is her all-time fave, she even dances to it. We taught her to sing Jingle Bells while we were on vacation in Puerto Rico in November. We changed the lyrics a bit so instead of a one-horse open sleigh, it’s…oh what fun it is to ride on a golf cart all the wayyyyyy AY!

Her favorite show is Go, Diego, Go! She's learned a lot of new Spanish words and a lot about animals, so I'm all for it! You won't catch the Wiggles or Barney in this house, not gonna do it!

She’s weighing in about 30 pounds right now, she’s been in the 40-50^th percentile since she was born for weight. She’s a skinny little thing. But she’s SO TALL! She’s a full meter now, 36” tall. She has to wear 4T shirts now because her torso is so long. But I think she has Daddy’s legs, they are really short. She’s still wearing 18 month sized pants. Thank God for Old Navy and the adjustable waist-banded pants!

I think that’s the main stuff, we have her 2-year checkup with Dr. Tierney next Friday 1/15 so this was a good refresher for me before we go in there!

Inspiration

Thanks to my friend, Erin, who inspired me to start my own blog. I'm emailing funny stories about Isabelle out to family and friends often enough, that it's time to document these things all in one place. Our family and friends can now follow along at their own pace if they so choose, rather than be bombarded with emails from me!

I write Isabelle a letter every 3 months or so. I type it on my computer since my handwriting is no longer legible (thanks computers!!!). My letters document her vitals (height, weight, etc.), her milestones, current events in the news, things our family has done in recent weeks, etc. I print each letter out, put it into a sealed envelope, put the date on the front of the envelope and put stickers all over the envelope. Then it goes into her memory box that I started when she was born. I'm not sure when I'll give these to her, maybe on her Sweet 16? She's going to have hours of reading when it comes time. And if I can keep up with this blog, perhaps even days!

Thanks for following the Wonderful World of Iz......