Has anyone noticed the COMMENTS function?

Okay, I admit that I like to write this blog. I think it more accurately captures Isabelle's journey in life better than a baby book (although I keep one of those too) and its very fun to look back on as the months go by. But, uhm, am I the only person who bloody reads this thing?!?! I admits, two or three of my friends will write me about the blog every so often and tell me about what they thought of a particular post, but that's about it. Family members???? HELLO! Do you read this?

If I am falsely accusing people of being lackadaisical about reading the blog (moi? falsely accuse? say it isn't so), I say prove it. Post a comment about what you thought of the blog or how your kids were at that age. I think comments are just as interesting part of the blog (well maybe not just as interesting) as the original posts themselves. So do it, damnit.

What is new? Paul took ITL to the allergist today (see previous entry with hive photos). It seems allergies are hard to detect in babies through skin tests. No allergies showed up, which is good because if they had it would mean she had some frightening uber-allergy. Luckily she does not.

Over the last few weeks we have been trying to determine her allergy or food sensitivity (read hives and burning-bottom-diarrhea). We believe her allergy is to eggs. Originally we though it was milk and/or cheese or eggs. However, we have successfully reintroduced milk and cheese. Eggs appear to be the culprit. Which is fine by me as I am not a fan of unfertilized chicken embryo-like-bits.

In other news Isabelle is continuing to walk more. Not everywhere and she is still extremely Franken-babiy-like, but more and more. She can walk down the entire hallway (maybe 25 feet) and she can turn corners walking and stop and start again without falling down. It's extra cute. I have been wanting her to walk for a long time because it seems like it will be freeing to her and us: no more having to sit in a stroller, she can go outside when its wet (always) and walk around etc. But I have to admit, I am going to miss her crawling. I think I mentioned this before, but Isabelle really twists her body when she crawls. My Mom very aptly described her and looking like a monitor lizard on the move. She also sometimes swings her head back and forth (very Stevie Wonder like) when she crawls and does this funny standing still on all fours, rocking back and forth thing. I will miss all of those funny actions.

It's funny how when you have a baby you are always looking forward to the next milestone, the next discovery, the next level of interaction. I am not begrudging any of that. But I need to learn to appreciate the now more -- where she is every day -- because it changes so fast, sometimes literally overnight.

Isabelle's changes and growth over the lat 13 months have been remarkable. I wish I could bottle and preserve all of those little moments and funny things that she does. I wish there were a way to record all of the firsts so that I could see and feel them over and over again. I suppose that this blog lets me do that, in some small way, and maybe that's why I enjoy writing it so much. Or maybe its because when I write in the blog my memories are new enough that I do get to relive again the moments that I am writing about.