"Issee" and the beans.

After months and months of a complete refusal to say--or even attempt to say--her name, Miss Isabelle is finally calling herself something other than "Baby." She now will refer to herself as "Issee." Mind you, she wont always refer to herself this way. For instance, when I am trying to show her off to people to demonstrate her genius, she looks at me when I say "Say Isee" and says "No!" Occasionally, she will also revert to saying "Baby" when asked to say her name, but "Issee" is becoming the response more and more. She also will say "Belle" - but refuses to connect the Issee to the Belle....

In other news, at 18 months Isabelle continues to be a big girl:

30 lbs. 14 oz. = 100th percentile (plus)
32 3/4 inches = 86th percentile

She is wearing 2T pants and 3T tops (care of her giant Buddha belly). Se wears a size 6-6.5 shoe and is all over the place.

She is also doing well with her potty training. Which, frankly, is a good thing because she howls like a Banshee when you try and put a diaper on. Her face turns beet red, her legs flail as if there were 13 of them, she kicks you and says "no no no no no." Oh and she sometimes cries. Such great drama.

I keep telling her that she will stop having to wear a diaper once she goes pee pee and poop in the potty. As much incentive as this should be, however, the reward of a jelly bean is the true motivator.

Isabelle has been getting a jelly bean when she goes or tries to go pee pee in the potty. She will always try for you and very often will have success. She is no dummy, however, and now will sit on the potty (and legitimately try, to her credit) and then ask for a "bean." "BEAN BEAN BEAN" comes trumpeting out of her little mouth after each and every try. Of course, I have to give her a bean because she has tried, but trying every 15 minutes seems quite excessive. Such a clever little girl.