Dear Isabella - trying to catch up!

Dear Isabella, Oh my dear. I keep falling further and further behind in my posts. Guess what, sweetie! You're turning over (and over and over and over) like a pro now! And you can swim yourself in circles on your blanket on the floor too. Daddy and I got a new entertainment center (actually a dresser) so you can't get into the DVDs and electronics when you start to crawl. You still haven't sprouted your first tooth but you're sure working on it. I can tell some days your gums are just so, so itchy. You want to put everything in your mouth all the time! You're much more aware and interested in things lately - if that was even possible. You've always been an alert little Curious George. Your personality shows more and more each day, and once you've made up your mind about something you're pretty hard to convince otherwise - if you're hungry, you're HUNGRY and if you want a particular toy a substitute will only distract for a few seconds. You keep going through different sleep stages. This week you've been a great sleeper, waking up only once or not at all, and even then only for your pacifier. But I know that won't last long - you keep tricking us into thinking you've learned to sleep through the night only to start waking up several times a night for a week or two! I have to bathe you in the big person tub now (even though we put your baby tub inside the big person tub and use that), because you're such a daredevil. You can't quite sit up by yourself yet but you can get yourself into the sitting position from semi-reclined (like you are in the baby tub) and then all bets are off as to what direction you'll launch yourself. Bathing you up high in the kitchen sink was getting too risky. And now you love your bath so much! You could kick kick kick in the water all night if I let you. In fact your feet and legs are always on the go! You are going to be a soccer player or kick boxer or just a really good hopscotch-er or something, I think. And you twirl your feet in the air in circles. When you're excited or upset you kick kick kick! I bet you're going to have pretty dramatic tantrums! When I hold you before I put you in bed at night I look down and think how amazing you are. It is just mind-blowing that you are growing so fast! You're very tall. Your cute little hands with the dimples where your knuckles should be, resting on my hand or arm, I want to capture that forever. Your contented sigh as you fall into dreamland makes me feel so good. That and your cute little laugh. You're 5 months old, my girl. You are still such a happy baby. I love you so much. I don't know if you'll ever really know how much I love you - maybe if you have a little girl of your own one day, you'll understand what I really mean. Love always, Mommy