Teeth

Here comes tooth #5! Each tooth has taken its time to come down, and up until about two weeks ago she looked like a little jack-o-lantern with only one chicklet-sized toother on top. Now, they suddenly seem to be coming faster and I see several more spots where teeth are probably soon to make an appearance.

With the teeth comes an aversion to spoon-feeding. She only wants finger food - little sandwiches, string cheese (a favorite!), and fruit, as you see above.

She almost ate that whole pear before it was squished into the plush carpet of that pub. We leave a trail and a big tip in our wake!

Cornwall Trip

We are back from my birthday trip down to Cornwall, in southern England. It's almost a six hour drive from where we live, but it was well worth it. We brought the dogs and packed our jalopy to the rails with our junk, but still could have brought more. We rented a small cottage in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, but managed to be close enough to everything we wanted to see.

We did hikes along the coast and in the countryside, but our favorite walk was from Talland Bay to the fishing village of Polperro. It's not tourist season yet so we got to experience gorgeous weather and beautiful beaches with hardly anyone around.

We made the essential pilgrimage to the Eden Project (click here to visit their website). It was amazing. We actually felt like we were back in Puerto Rico's El Yunque when we were in their huge rainforest biome. I think we were literally the last people to leave. I can't wait to go back some day.

Isabella loved exploring the new territory and as always, she loved being out and about with opportunities to flirt with every stranger who walks by. Her latest thing is throwing a fit when we don't let her walk. Once we put her down again, she resumes singing the song from where she left off and continues on her merry, wobbly way.

The daffodils are everywhere now, the photo you see above was actually taken near home. Their yellow is so bright that you can't even see the detail of the flowers themselves. Isabella enjoyed smelling the perfume-free blossoms.

Overall, we had a great time. England is such a beautiful country and we're very lucky to live here!

Isa Dogs 13 mo funny

13 Months

There isn't any real point to this video, but I love it because I captured one of the many daily moments in which Isabella just sits and examines something. It's a little thing but I'm glad I don't have to miss out on it while being at work.

A Good Day

I'd like to put up a really positive post. Isabella has been developing by leaps and bounds - she's walking now, she's somewhat talking, and she's using sign language. She's been able to say dog, bird, baby, and can make signs for bird, baby, all done, poopy, more, and hello. Dog comes out like "daaaaahhhhh", bird "biirrhh", and baby is "baybay." Bird was her first sign, even though it's a bit more complicated than others. I wasn't sure if she really knew the sign corresponded to the animal, but when a huge hawk flew over us she pointed to it and then made the sign - I was blown away! Like most babies, she's really interested in learning everything and pays close attention when I'm trying to teach her something. I have a lot of videos I have yet to upload and share and will try to put a few more up here as I can. For now, please enjoy this video of Isabella walking on this bright, sunny, English morning.

Hold Your Little One Tight

Last week we had a terrible tragedy in our village. My neighbor lost her little boy, Harry, who was only two months older than Isabella. They just played together at a birthday party a few weeks ago. He had an problem with his heart they didn't know about. I don't feel right saying much more than that. But for whatever it is worth, please send your prayers to our little corner of the globe.