Isla is ONE!

Though a month has passed since her birthday, I still cannot get over the fact that our baby is ONE! A whole YEAR old! How did that happen so quickly?

We now have this spunky, chatty, amazingly observant, and constantly-evolving one year old confidently toddling all over the house and impressing us with new words and skills each day. Watching her grow and develop is truly amazing!

As far as physical developments, Isla finished out her first year at 22 lbs and 30 inches in length. She has measured in the 85th percentile for both weight and height pretty consistently throughout her little life, and Daddy is hopeful of a successful basketball career in her future. Isla took her first steps during our Hong Kong trip in the beginning of October, and has steadily gained balance and momentum. She’s moving all over the house now and absolutely loves to climb the stairs, and practice sliding off of the couch.

Several days before her birthday, Isla finally cut her first tooth… her top left front tooth, oddly enough. You can just barely see it in the above left photo. Teething has made for rough sleeping conditions for all, and Mommy and Daddy are awaiting the return of a full night’s sleep with great anticipation! (At 13 months she now has 5 little teeth, with that top tooth showing predominantly, which we have affectionately dubbed her “hillbilly tooth.” It’s too funny!)

Isla’s coordination and fine motor skills are quite strong. She can pick up teeny tiny crumbs, “cheers” her water bottle with our glasses, and turn the pages of her board books with ease. Even more impressive is her ability to pick up our chapter books and practice fanning the pages with her thumb. She’ll sit by herself, fascinated with a single book, for upwards of 10 minutes! She’ll examine it from every angle, giggling at the flutter of the pages. While Isla enjoys exploring books on her own, there is nothing she loves more than having us read to her! Snuggled together next to a small tower of books, we read for at least half an hour each day. Isla has memorized many of the stories, and she can anticipate when her favorite pictures or phrases are approaching. She often giggles, points, and tries to read along. Closely behind her love for books would have to be her love for cats. She absolutely adores them and kisses every cat- real or illustrated- that she can!

Incredibly observant since birth, Isla can spot birds, mere flecks, flying through the sky, and points out the tiniest ants skittering across the floor- from clear across the room! Her hearing is excellent too, and at the faintest dog bark in the distance, she’ll stop what she is doing, point her index finger straight up and say, “oof oof!” Even more humorous is when Isla hears Isaac blow his nose. She immediately claps her hand over her own nose and mouth and says, “Thpppp!” Oh, the days of mimicry are in full swing!

Isla is quite the social butterfly and loves to interact with others. Shyness occasionally takes over, especially if people are particularly loud or quick with their movements, but most of the time she is quite the little charmer. Isla recognizes many people I work with at the lower school from her daily lunchtime visits, and remembers the unique routines and interactions she has with each, such as playing peek-a-boo with one, or high-fiving with another.

Isla’s vocabulary is growing daily, and by her first birthday she recognized a number of words in both Mandarin and English. Her first spoken words have been mix of the two languages as well…

– “da da” and “ba ba” (Mandarin for Dad)

– “bup” (book)

– “No!” (You can imagine how much we love this word! Ugh.)

– “Uh oh!” (Her daddy’s first word!)

– “ga ga” (nangua, the Mandarin word for “pumpkin”)

Our amazing ayi, Sue, has taught Isla to respond to a number of Mandarin cues the same way Chinese children do, and it is too cute for words! Whenever we say, “xie xie” (Mandarin for “thank you”) Isla clasps her hands together and shakes them up and down. If we say “xǐshǒu” (Mandarin for “wash hands”) Isla rubs her hands together. When Isla hears “da pi pi” she, like the command states, pats her own bottom. She waves goodbye when she hears both “Bye bye,” and “Zàijiàn.”While Isla’s will is strong, and she is beginning to test the boundaries a bit, she has maintained her easygoing, joyful attitude, and for this we could not be more thankful! Her sweet smiles, cuddles and giggles bring us more joy than we ever knew possible, and we can hardly wait to see what the future has in store for our precious girl.

Happy first birthday, Little Pumpkin! We love you more than words, and cannot even begin to tell you how much joy you bring us! Each moment with you is an incredible gift, and we are so excited to continue this journey with you during your second year of life.