New tricks!

Isabelle's latest and greatest feat is the wave! Not sure if she understands the difference between hello, and good-bye, but she does it just the same! She's smart as a whip with anything to do with hand gestures; speaking of which Gilles has also said that he's heard her say "clap" properly, and in context. Her first real true wave was to a little 9 month old boy in the Walmart......She got her big "OH" face on (also a new thing, see the enclosed photo) and promptly started waving when I told her to say "Hi". The other Mom was suitably impressed since he just stared and she went to town chatting away with him. Such a little butterfly when there are other wee ones around. I was very proud, silly as that might be. I also realized that she does have a lot more hair than other babies her age, and yes, she is also bigger - in height and weight.

She had a lot of fun in the shopping cart as usual, and was relaxed as can be tooling around the Walmart on the hunt for the BIG box of diapers. She threw her first mini tantrum when I got a bag of licorice and wouldn't share. I finally relented and gave her a piece to suck on, and when she discovered she loved it, I decided that I was an idiot for promoting sugar and took it away. Okay, I guess the tantrum was mostly my fault in the first place. Anyway, as soon as she had the Cheerios in her little hands, she was good to go once more!

I'm going to go slightly nutty if we don't buy anymore children's CD's. If I hear "Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring...Bananaphone.........It grows in bunches, I've got my hunches", one more time, I may lose my mind. Her favourite is "If you're happy and you know it". She really knows the word clap and so she gets right down to dancing when it comes on. I'm sure there are other great ones, but for now I bought the standard "Best of Raffi".

She is way over the top when it comes to the mirror though. I mean, ANY activity is even better when she can look at herself at the same time; if she's fussy, get out the mirror and within 2 seconds, she's playing with her image. Gilles bought her a sun hat and a jumper online and it got here yesterday morning. The sun hat, unfortunately, has no tie and so she can pull it off, and does anytime you put it on. I was determined though and kept trying, and she kept taking it off. UNTIL I put her little mirror in front of her and then she was absolutely enamoured...Who was that gorgeous thing with the hat on? She didn't touch it again. Good Grief.

We've also heard back from the fabulous daycare. They will have a spot Mon/Tues/Thurs and Fri as of November. We don't know what to do now? Thinking of asking my boss whether he can wait until November for my return and then give me Wednesday's off to spend with her. I may have to work a compressed week, we'll see. Agh, I wish we were somewhere full-time for a day in the future, not that I care if it's not until November since going back later suits me just fine. May help to alleviate the anxiety that plagues me when I consider that I have 2.5 months left and then I'm back to the real world.

She spent last night from 8:30pm-3:00am in her crib. Longest stint ever, and though she woke up a few times to be cuddled, she went back to sleep and stayed without trouble in it for longer periods. We will make it happen, I swear, even if it's taking longer since the "cry it out" method would seriously traumatize us all. Maybe not her, but her father and I in any case.

More later - we start our swimming lessons this evening. We'll see if Isabelle's desire to splish and splash in the pool is as fun for the other tots on the receiving end of the splashes as it is when she's in her bath with her Dad.