"Official"ly 21 month photo...

Have you ever seen a sweeter face?

'Til next time,

21 already?

Where has the time gone? My baby is 21 (months) today!!!


Isla's sense of humour and silliness has certainly been shining through this month. Colin has already warned me that she has inherited his (toilet) humour! Oh help!

... and she still loves hats although we are having a bit of trouble with winter hats. I think it's because they are tight to her head whereas the summer hats are much looser. Anyways, this is Canada and she has to wear one and thankfully I did find one at Old Navy that she'll keep on without crying.

Her level of speech is getting better all the time. She can say her name when asked, she can say she's one (and hold up her index finger), "all done" and she says other words when you don't expect her too. The other night I brought her to her room to go to bed and she said "Dark" or should I say she shouted "DARK". She's also starting to count and she knows the colours purple and sometimes blue. We count as we go up and down the stairs and while she can't say all the numbers very clear, she can say "1, 2, 3, 4, 5". Smart little cookie :-)

So .... at 21 months they say -

"can say about 10 or 20 words but can become frustrated if people don't understand his pronunciation"...

I think that should read frustration will be shown at ANYTHING and ANYTIME!

She's actually not that bad. She does have her tantrum and whining moments but overall I think she's very good for her age. She listens really well, follows commands, picks up her toys and she eats like a horse. Since the end of September she's gained about 1.5 lbs and is now 24lbs. At this rate she may even hit the 25lbs. mark by her 2nd birthday in February.

She continues to be such a blessing in our lives and we are very thankful for her!

Off-topic now - we applied for Colin's Canadian spouse visa last week. The processing time is approximately 6 to 7 months and I've gotta feeling they could be a very long 6 to 7 months! Please pray the process is quick and favourable.

'Til next time,

It's about time...

I honestly don't know what I'm going to be typing about. Nothing exciting has happened, going to happen, that I know about anyways, but here I go....

The big and best news is that Colin is home tomorrow morning at 5:45 A.M. - that's right A.M.!!! Why anyone would book a flight that lands before the sun comes up is beyond me!? Guess who's picking him up? I love him, what can I say, I can't wait to see him...

The leaves are falling, little one is rolling in them. Yup, she loves them, I rake them but it's not a bad job, or at least not yet. Maybe next week after a few more trips to the yard will I be fed up with them.. I tell ya, mom and dad have ALOT of trees, the kind of trees that drop ALOT of leaves.... Maple, Oak, Elm and more... But they look pretty at this time of year. I wonder how many leaves I'll rake up this year? 1000's!!!!

Isla loves the yard and she loves to come out with me while I rake. If it wasn't for the unkid-friendly dog that patrols the yard it would be the perfect yard for her. The cats also get outside too and they always manage to find Isla and I...

Pearl and Isla playing on the gazebo floor (minus the gazebo obviously). Colin thought Pearl was about to attack but believe it or not, she's in the rolling motion, she loved it too. I think it's safe to say the cats and Isla are FINALLY mutual friends (as long as there is limited poking)...

Our beautiful girl! She's been eating like a horse lately and I've got a feeling Colin is going to see a "big" change in her. My guess is that she's gained about a pound since he left but I think it could've been two pounds if she wasn't so wiggly-piggly... Check this pose out...

Classic Isla! Perhaps a future yoga instructor? The girl doesn't stop moving....

One of her new hobbies is to help around the house. She loves to follow my mom around with a feather duster and "clean". She loves it and it makes her smile because she's a big "helper". I just hope she doesn't lose her desire to clean!!!

The broom is hot too - if you put it down, she'll grab it...

Like I said Colin is coming home tomorrow morning. Once we get home, I'll give him time to get reacquainted with his daughter and a cup of coffee but boy, we have loads to do. I've been itching to get the van registered in Ontario but since he's co-owner I can't do it without him so I've had to wait, something I'm not particularly good at but I didn't have a choice this time. Also, we're applying for the Canadian Child Tax credit and his visa application which he needs to sign. He is having a medical on Wednesday night and then we have to go to a special lab for a chest x-ray and blood work to make sure he doesn't have TB and other diseases. He's had his police check done and I'm happy to report he hasn't been lying to me, he's clean... He's living in Canada on a one-year visitor visa with the intention to apply for residency so I think he qualifies for a SIN as well but we need to look into that further too... There are a few other odds and ends we need to look into...

I think we're visa experts by now... This is the third country we're applying too - I applied in the UK, both of us in the USA and now he is in Canada... Maybe I could open up an immigration consultant agency???? LOL

While he was away I was able to arrange OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance) for Isla and I. We have to wait three months which means we won't qualify until December while Colin will qualify 90 days after the issuance of his visa (he has emergency medical insurance). It still burns me that refugee claimants qualify immediately and as a Canadian, I have to wait. It doesn't seem fair. I understand that the refugees are coming from countries that are obviously troubled and they probably don't have a lot of money but why do I have to wait after paying into income tax since I was 14 years old!? What's wrong with this picture? I said enough...

I leave you with a funny story - in May Colin and I bought Isla a pack of 8 new bibs from Burlington Coat Factory in Denver. Any parent of toddlers knows how many of those things you go through and how they get destroyed. We've been using them ever since on a rotation basis. Today I noticed that the bib I thought said "Diva in Training" actually says "Diva in Traning"... How did we miss that?

:-)

'Til next time,

20 Months Old!

Look who discovered leaves!

Yes, we will be back out there this afternoon to play in them... Having to go for a nap at 20 months old is such a drag, isn't it?

So, what is she up to lately? Well the "experts" say this:

Most toddlers should be able to . . .
Take off clothes without help
Pretend to help toys; imitates, such as feeding a doll
Know when something is wrong
Run well

Some toddlers will probably be able to . . .
Say 20 to 50 words
Start to learn words, possible 5 or more per day
Enjoy helping with things around the house
Start setting small goals

Some toddlers could possibly be able to . . .
Show better signs of bladder control
Walk up and possible down stairs with some assistance
Start to learn up to 10 new words per day

Umm, it looks like alot of emphasis on speech which is something we need to work on. She repeats alot of what we say but isn't saying new words on a regular basis or stringing many words together. I'll give her time, I'm not worried about it yet.

Otherwise I'd say she is doing well. She is petite wearing mostly 12 month jeans etc. but fits 18 month tops loosely - typically Isla. Mom and Dad swear that she's gained weight since moving in and perhaps it's a testament to Mom's cooking but I think she has as well.

I'm also semi-potty training her if you can call it that. I'm working on getting her familiar with the potty and beginning to understand what the potty is for. Right now she just thinks it's fun to sit on so yeah, we have a long ways to go but once she catches on, I plan on doing a week potty-training blitz hopefully before her 2nd birthday in February.

In the meantime, we are coping without Colin and he is coping without us. He is in Brazil and misses her as much as we miss him. It breaks my heart to see her kiss and hug the phone for daddy but only 11 more days and he'll be home until he has to leave again.

'Til next time,

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree....

... just like her daddy!

'Til next time,