Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Happy 2nd Birthday Izabel Grace

My Darling Izabel, Happy 2nd Birthday! Two years ago I lay in a hospital bed on the 3rd floor of the Maternity Ward awaiting your birth. You were hesitant to join us in the world and fought very hard to stay cozy in the womb. After 9.5 hours of laboring and a c-section, the doctor took you out screaming. You were pink as can be and crying, although your cries were very quiet. To this day you prove to be quite rebellious. Even when you were a baby, we were on your schedule not ours.


In the last year, a whole new you has evolved. You are a walking, talking, imaginative little Princess. Playing is what you were meant to do. You have a room full of toys which you entertain yourself with. Your trains seem to be on your favorites list as well as your baby dolls and blocks. You love to read your books and I often find you sitting quietly in your rocking chair reading them. Reading is a lot of fun because you interact with the story. Pointing out animals and objects, making sounds, and identifying colors. You play very well on your own.

Izabel, your little brain stores more and more information everyday. You are great at identifying shapes, colors, numbers, animals, and other objects. You can draw a circle and a square too. You know how to count to 12 (by way of skipping 11) and you know most of the alphabet, just out of order. Colors are coming to you daily and for the most part you always get the color right. Animal sounds are no problem, you know many animal sounds. You often run around the house shouting one quack or another.

Four days after you were born, your Daddy and I brought you home. You were so little and so quiet, even when you cried. You loved your swing and your bouncer and spent a lot of time in each. You constantly had to be moving. You never really slept in your bassinet, nor your crib when you got older. As long as you were moving, you could sleep. The car was also a blessing for as soon as I shut the door, you were asleep. Feeding was always an issue with you my dear. Your tummy could never tolerate milk and soy proteins. It took some time for us to figure that out, but at least we fixed the problem.

Two years later you are finally able to tolerate milk products. You enjoy 2% milk and cheese and sometimes I can get you to eat yogurt. Most of the time however, you want nothing to do with food. It's very challenging to get you to eat much. Yesterday, you ate 6 whole Rotini noodles at lunch and I was so delighted. That was a major accomplishment. You like crackers and munchies like that, you love apples, cereal, and toast. Meat is very low on the list and so far pork is about the only thing you will take a bite or two of. Hamburger is still not an option.


It has been 14 Months since you last slept in your crib or in a bed. You grew to hate your crib at 10 months and then never really cared to sleep in your big girl bed. You always wanted to sleep on the floor or on the couch. Currently, you make your bedtime on the couch. When it's time for bed, which is 10 o'clock each night, you run to your room, grab your pillow and blanket and return to the couch. It takes you only minutes to fall asleep, but moving you to your bed has proven to be disastrous. You sleep until 8:30am each morning, just in time for your favorite cartoon to start before breakfast. Nap times have changed and I have forced you to sleep in your bed in your room. After lunch we go straight into your room to nap. It takes you a little bit to go to sleep, but as long as I sit there with you (and ignore you) you fall asleep. The downside of you sleeping in your bed for naps is the amount of time you stay sleeping. One hour and fifteen minutes is about all I can get from you before you awake crying and running from your bed. We are working on this though and I think with time you will learn to like it and we can start bedtime in there as well. Your Daddy and I do not worry about you on the couch. You sleep very well there and besides, no one uses the living room at night anyway. We all go to bed at the same time.

Potty training has been in the works and so far I think you are doing great. You go pee pee in your potty when you awake in the morning and after your afternoon nap. Those times are definite, but sometimes we can get you to go randomly throughout the day. We are not rushing you but hope that you pick it up before school starts this fall.

There are so many wonderful things about you my dear Princess that bring joy and happiness to my life everyday. I am grateful to be woken by you in the morning and told I love you before bed. Your vocabulary is out of this world! I can longer keep a list of the new words you learn each day because you pretty much repeat everything you hear! You speak in sentences, ask questions, and know just what to say to make my heart melt. You are very shy though and most people do not get to hear all of what you have to say until you have had a chance to warm up to them.

I could go on and on about you Izabel; the good and the not so good. You have truly been a blessing to your father and I. You are the prefect reason to get up in the morning! I wish you the very best of 2nd birthday's and hope that this next year will bring you new adventures, more laughter, and tons more love!


**2nd Birthday photos will be in on the 14th. Izabel also saw her nutritionist today. She had to be poked on her birthday of all days. She hated the little finger stick to check her hemoglobin and actually fussed enough to spray blood on her new white sweater. (Her hemo numbers are great.) Izabel weighed in at 27 pounds and 8 ounces and is 35 and 6/8 inches tall. I think she has finally caught up to Cousin Linda. Percentiles are unofficial yet and when Izabel has her annual doctors appointment on Monday, we will know. Such a little person now...not a baby.**

Thank you to MANY people who sent cards, e cards, emails, presents and called to say Happy Birthday. Izabel was thrilled to open some of her gifts yesterday and the calls and cards just made her feel that more special. Thank you so much!

1 comment:

Donna said...

Happy Birthday Izzy!!! Hope you had a wonderful day. Hope to see you at your party.
Love,
Cousin Donna