Isla is 10 weeks

It's Isla!!

Visit from Uncle Wade!!

Visit from Heather!!...

...and Jon!!

Hanging out

Just reading about wild things!

Lazy Friday morning

This week has gone quickly. The weather has been very pleasant, if not invigorating. I can feel the fall slowly creeping in to town. We spent one afternoon sitting outside under the trees and chatting. It is worth noting that Isla is an impressive little sleeper, in our opinion. I mean not to say that she is sleeping through the night, because she certainly is not. But, she goes down to sleep each night between about 7:30 and 8:30, and stays asleep for a good while. This long stint of sleep allows mom & dad to relax together a bit and enjoy dinner. Isla is an incredibly cute sleeper, by the way. She sleeps with her back slightly arched, so that her chest is more forward than her head and lower body. I think she looks a bit like a sea-horse. Still she is sleeping mostly swaddled. We call her Houdini, because on many evenings she works magic to get her arms out of the swaddle. In fact, on most nights we leave her arms out of the swaddle to save her some time & energy. This week we had a visit from Heather & Jon, who travelled down from Vermont, and we also had a visit from uncle Wade. Isla absolutely LOVES visitors!  

9 weeks baby!

Talking

Over-bed

Post bath time: Sleepy daddy, wide-eyed babe

Cuddles

cute outfit from Aunt Nelly

relaxin- lookin at the light

All smiles!

Seeing Katie!

In Isla's 9th week, much time has been spent with the family just hanging out together & enjoying each other's company. There is truly something beautiful to be said for relaxation and normalcy. We are really starting to figure out as a family, what it means to be us, with all the wonderful idiosyncrasies that make us who we are. This week Isla has begun to LOVE her "paci," as we are calling it. It seems to help sooth her in just the right way she needs, sometimes. She learned how to scream/screech this week. Boy is it cute?! Luckily she reserves this for secretly self-determined special moments. We have 100% determined her love for a lamp in our living room that Taylor calls the "east coast-west coast" lamp. Isla spends a good bit of each day staring at it and talking to it, as if it is human. It may be one of the best baby toys that we inadvertently own. Isla is back to sleeping in her "snuggle nest" at night, as she has officially out grown sleeping propped on her side on the "boppy" pillow, which was her fav sleeping spot for the first 2 months of life. Isla's 2 month pediatrician visit revealed her at a healthy weight of 12 pounds & 7 ounces (yes, this is the 90th %). Go breast milk! Isla held her rattle for the first time this week, and made a sorry excuse of an attempt to shake it. She is loving being read to, and absolutely devours the pictures with her eyes. This week we read a lot of Where the Wild Things Are and Eloise in Paris. We also had a lovely, mid-week visit from Katie, up from NYC, and had to say a sad goodbye to friends Hilary & Fabian. Isla is growing and changing everyday, and we are enchanted. She is certainly king of the wild things & throws some serious rumpus when she wants!

A Week of Firsts! 2 months

Big smiles. Visits from family are fun!

At the park with Auntie Christina!

Special time with Auntie!

Hangin' with Chris

First time at the beach!

View from the top of the architecture school

First time visiting daddy's office!

I love my morning time with Auntie Christina!

Out & about

I just woke up! Cool it with the paparazzi.

Diaper changes all over campus: in front of the Brinecke Rare Books & Manuscripts Library

Sisters, downtown.

First time to Miller's Pond!

Sunny days at Nica's with daddy

Mom & Me

Morning smiles for my Aunt Christina & Chris!!

East Rock

Out & about with doggies!

I love my Auntie!

Saying bye to Bern & Todd.

All dressed up with no place to go

Bath time massage

This week has truly been a week of firsts! Isla's Aunt Christina & her boyfriend, practically her uncle, Chris came for a visit. It was so fun & we were so sad to see them go. Isla took immediately to Christina, as if she knew right away that she was family. It was amazing to see them together. I was also so very nice for me to spend such special quality time with my sister. The 5 of us explored a lot while they were here. Among Isla's firsts were...

-First visit to Miller's Pond, where she had her...

-First picnic

-First trip to the mall (she sure loved the lights there)

-First trip to the ocean!!

-First night out to dinner

-First time to the movies when her parents actually felt they could get & enjoy popcorn (2nd movie total)

-First long walk in her stroller

-First time stuck in New England's summer traffic

-First time in to see daddy's office at the architecture school

-First time to go over to dinner at a friend's house (Annelle & Alex!)- she slept in the middle of their bed the entire time without so much as a peep

-First time to meet her Auntie & Chris!!!

Of note this week, as Isla reaches 2 months (hard to believe!): She absolutely loves looking at lights of any kind, including the sun shinning through the trees. When we are on a walk outside she stares up at the light shinning through the trees the entire time, mesmerized. She continues to attempt to "talk," with a good portion of the day spent staring at others as they speak & moving her lips & tongue in unusual ways in response- with intermittent little "talking" attempts, in between the mouth moving. The noises are super cute! It seems we may have a talker on our hands...

P.S. Isla is enamored with her Auntie and misses her & Chris already!!

Isla's 7th Week

Getting so big!

Cute little fingers & toes!

Little sleeping Buddha!

Hey mom! Wide-eyed indeed!

Laughing!!

All snuggled up!

My p.j.'s are on- I am ready for sleepy time!

She loves the light!!

My first bottle!

Oh the tales of the 7th week! At the end of last week Isla survived her first tornado warning. Despite her mother's childhood fears which stem from her early days in Helena, Isla has hopefully come out of this exciting afternoon without a phobia. I was a mess myself carrying Isla, leashed dogs, flashlight, diaper bag & a bottle of fizzy water (a necessity!) down to the ridiculously messy maze of a basement. Needless to say, all this was for nothing- and we are fine. New Haven was tornado free. I personally blame the media.

Other exciting events of the week: Isla took her first bottle successfully! Yay! Taylor enjoyed feeding her and Isla didn't seem to mind it too much (so far at least). Isla also hung out with her first baby friend, Kaelyn, at LuLu's. It was super fun. Kaelyn & Isla actually met in utero at their mommy's prenatal yoga class, so they are used to stretching out together.

We have enjoyed some beautifully cooler weather this week, so there have been several afternoons spent outdoors catching up with friends. We ventured to a new farmer's market, which is right in our neighborhood. Very lovely & convenient. Bath time is really becoming Taylor & I's favorite time of the day. It is so nice to all be together & Isla seems to really enjoy it. She is super cute all naked in her tub, and afterwards all cuddled up in a hooded towel. This little ritual definitely seems to help her sleep at night. The longest sleep stretch she has had now is 5 and a half hours! Go Isla!!