MIA

Hi Friends!

Sorry for being crazy MIA lately--I'm being completely fanatical over Isla's first birthday. I told myself that it is "only a first birthday party." I mean she won't even remember it....but in usual first-born, perfectionist fashion I have loaded myself up with craft projects, planned errands every day this week to space out my 'must-dos' and obsessed about everything from the invite that went out two weeks late to the photo booth that I haven't even started (don't worry- it will get done. It's not a 'Sandi' designed party without a creative photo booth). So that along with editing one.million.AND.one photos has bogged down my life....in a good way! I haven't even let myself think about the fact that we're going to Miami in two weeks--I'll leave that obsessing for AFTER Isla's party :)

I'm pretty convinced Isla found out she was turning the big o-n-e this weekend and decided to conquer fifty-five milestones and grow out of her baby face (sob!!) She has a big Toddler face now with lots of teeth (I think we're up to 4- since New Years Day!) and she's walking all over the place. If she was capable of navigating the internet I seriously think she'd sign up for the 60 MILE breast cancer walk just to get her practice in--(some day Isla!)

She's walking, talking, giggling crazy and I love it. Every sweet little second of it.

For a couple weeks now I've been suspecting that her nap schedule was changing. She always seemed tired for her morning nap but resisted her late afternoon nap. Last week she basically dropped her late nap and didn't seem tired at her normal morning nap time.

Over the weekend I decided to try out one nap instead of two so we did it and it worked like a charm. Even when we were out of town! (That's the real test!) So all this week she's been going down between 12:30 and 12:45. She is tired when I feed her and she always wants to be rocked. It's so nice to lay down a sleepy baby who rolls over and goes to sleep. Ah-MAZING!

She also had a pretty successful sleeping trend when we were in Long Beach over the weekend. It really helped that our room had a partition so she couldn't see us but she knew we were there. The beach was REALLY windy and the night was really loud. I was convinced she was going to be a restless sleeper but she did really well. (This is where bringing her noise maker made ALL the difference!).

She also wet through her diaper (and peed all over me at 5AM! Being a Mom is SO glamorous! :) so she didn't have her normal sleep sack that she usually wears to bed. I have been thinking about transitioning her to a small blanket for a while now because she walks around in her crib when she gets up and has tripped on her sleep sack and hit her head numerous times. I tried a small blanket during nap time when were at the beach (and checked on her like the neurotic first-time Mom that I am) and she did great. She kicked it when she didn't need it and laid under it when she first went down. I think she likes having just a little bulk to sleep with.

So yah- my girl is growing up (sniff, sniff)....it's so very bittersweet. When I thought she was done nursing last week I had a hormonal meltdown. Thankfully it was a false alarm- just some teething stuff she was going through but it really made me realize that I was going to have a harder time with that part of her growing up than I first anticipated. I'll have to write about that more- I'm still sorting out my thoughts on the subject ;)

Well friends- time to get back to my birthday craft projects, edit a session and try to sneak in an episode of Downton Abbey (I'm hopelessly addicted :)

Hope everyone is well! Stay tuned for Isla's one.year pics this Friday! I think I'll post early so I can post party pics on her actual birthday. Happy Tuesday :)

xo.
S