Sitting on the train

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

I'm sitting on the train on my daily commute home. It's been a long time since I've posted on a regular basis. It'll be a while. My house is still a disaster. We haven't fully unpacked and things we have we wished we hadn't as it now lies in an inch of dust. The remodeling on the master suite floor has taken over our house. The floors are covered in remodeling dust and our sheets constantly feel gritty. I'd take pictures but I can't seem to find our camera charger and our home computer is sitting under drop clothes and layers of soot.

Can I just say how much I hate picking paint colors. Ed and I bought 22 quarts of paint samples to test and the final result...we still haven't decided on colors.

Finding the Nanny.
We have word that she's still in LA. A source from work has several friends in the FBI and on the side has been having fun tracking her down. We have nothing new or substantial to report as of yet. I just gave them the info and stepped out of their way. But I smell victory.

On Isabella's Development.
Isabella has been so much fun lately. We found a wonderful family daycare. They are very professional with a nanny and teacher for the toddlers that provides the care daily. A preschool teacher comes in twice a week and teaches the kids things like the alphabet and understanding emotions. A dance teacher comes in every Friday. And then they have a music teacher. Every other day Isabella comes home with a new art project. I'll scan them in and do a show and tell. I was so surprised to see artwork so soon. It's been such a relief to have found such a nice place. It's been remodeled last year and is built specifically for a home daycare. They have a great backyard designed for kids with safety and fun in mind.

Last weekend we took Isabella to the LA Zoo. She got to see gazelles, lions, chimpanzees, gorillas, zebras and more. And for every animal she either made cat or cow sounds. Lol, but honestly...what does a gazelle sound like? We bought the family membership plan so we can go as often as we'd like. It's very close to our house so it's perfect. Plus, the line for regular passes was insanely long.

Isabella is such a talker. We've now added these words to her vocabulary:

• "Goodnight"
• "Ah-san-oo" is how she says I love you. I have no idea why, but its so cute when she says it.
• "Morning"
• "Enough!" - she just learned this one from daddy.
• Sit down
• "Be careful" - she learned this one a while ago, but it's funny when she uses it to warn other people or herself before she might fall.
• "Goodbye"
• "Color" - when she wants to color
• "Sophie" - for Merah and Jack's dog
• "Soapie" - when she wants to wash her hands with soap
• "Wash"
• "All done" - another one from a while ago
• "No more"
• "Icky" - she usually says this with "Ewww" in front of it. It's hysterical. She'll say it all on her own when there's trash or lint on the floor or bugs.
• "Melon" - she loves watermelon. It's her favorite fruit.
• "Stwah-berry" - another fruit she likes
• "Trash" - she learned how to throw her own trash away and loves helping around the house.
• "Cute" - she uses this when she sees a dress or a pair of shoes that she's about to wear. How does she learn this stuff?
• "Baby"
• "Lay down" - she tells her baby doll to lay down and puts her down on the ground.
• "Sit" - she also tells her doll to sit, but isn't as successful. The doll isn't really shaped that way.

She's starting to put several words together. I have her help me around the house. She likes to go under the sink to get out the floor sponge and clean the floors. She puts her own trash away. I have her help me put her shoes away. She's finally off the pacifier. We just did it cold turkey and it only took a week of adjustment. Although, I found out her daycare gives her one during nap time.

She loves playing with her baby doll that she got for Christmas. She likes directing her doll on what to do; I guess she's mimicking what she's learned from the adults around her. I really wish I could charge my camera battery to share some of these things. It will be a while before the house is in order. We're about to tackle the first floor with Isabella's room and the kitchen remodel.

Let's just hope its all done before the baby arrives!