More Firsts...

The past few weeks, we have had many firsts!! Isabella has just crossed the '9 months old' mark and Daniel and I can hardly believe how fast time is flying by... It's pretty crazy how one day she is barely moving and the next thing you know, she is asking for the car keys and some money. The first thing that we have learned about Isabella in the last few weeks, she loves rice. Rice and black beans, rice and gravy, just plain rice... any way Mommy makes it, she will eat it. I think it's adorable and a sign that she will be a great eater!
Next thing, about 10 days ago Bella's first tooth appeared. Her bottom-right, center (incisor) is almost fully through now. She has been messing around with it and biting everything she can get her mouth on :)
Next- A couple weeks ago we had a play-date with Sydney (a little girl just a couple weeks older than Bella) and the girls had their first experience with swings. Surprisingly, they LOVED it! Bella especially... she was laughing and screaming with joy.
Next, we have caught Bella standing on her own every now and then. Just for 10 or 20 seconds at a time...but it's a start!
Next- we had our first car wash! Finally, spring and warm weather have made it to NC and Bella helped daddy wash the car (kinda)...mostly we just played in the grass. :)
The last big first has been this week- my family, is on vacation at Myrtle Beach and besides when Isabella was just a few weeks old, this is her first time at a beach/pool. She is definitely her daddy's daughter though, because she loves it! I will get some pictures up soon- now that school is wrapping up for me, blogging about all-things-Bella is my next project. I know that if the first kid is the best chance you have for remembering every little thing, so I want to try and get caught up. Before I go (the pool is calling my name)- I want to say one thing that I want to make sure I remember about my little girl: I love how when she nurses, lying down beside me, that she kicks her little feet up on top of me...and when she falls asleep, that she stays that way. With her legs up on my side...and she notices when you try to move them! I think it's sweet and just one of the ways that she says 'I love you, Mommy' to me every day.

Getting back...

Hi everyone!

There has been so much to be thankful for and Bella has done so much! But the past 3 weeks have been PACKED with new adventures in the world of Isabella. First, she started crawling like a big girl on all fours and can get anywhere she wants to go! She crawls up to all the furniture and toys she has and stands up on them. From there, anything she can reach is fair game for walking to. I love seeing her get braver when it comes to to switching from one thing to another. I know she will be walking before we know it!! Second, she started clapping and signing back to us! It was amazing! One day she just signed 'milk' and I said, 'Bella, do you want milk?' and she got the BIGGEST smile on her face. She also seems to be signing 'bye' or 'more,' we aren't sure really, but she is definitely exploring the signs as a way of communicating with us. And the clapping- it is so cute! She starts and we sing "patty cake, patty cake bakers make. Roll 'em up and throw 'em in the pan!!" When we say the last part, she throws her little hands down with emphasis!! HA it is so cute!! Lastly, she has made some new friends! Jaxon Crump finally arrived from Korea and we visited this weekend for the first time. He is 10 months old now, but they loved each other! She immediately crawled over to him, crawled up and gave him a kiss!! The rest of their play-date was "sharing" toys and getting to know each other. This week we have another play-date with Sydney (a little girl just a couple weeks older than Bella) and I know they will have a lot of fun together :) In short, I am so happy to be a Mom to a beautiful, smart girl who is constantly growing and surprising me. She even slept through the night last night- randomly. But it was a nice break from the usual nursing fest! Or should I say feast :) It will probably be back to normal tonight, but I am thankful for a full night of sleep when I really needed it.

that's all for now! be happy for the quick update, people! :) Hopefully more will come sooner and closer together from now on...