footage

Isla loves jumping. LOVES it. So to spare our arms (and backs), we got her one of those spring loaded baby bungee things and set it up in the kitchen. This is what she has to say about it:



Quite a happy dancer, and doesn't she have a beautiful voice? Rather more like a grackle than a lark at this point, but she's our little songbird no matter what song she sings.

What we've been up to lately...

Enjoying being outdoors with all of this lovely late spring weather...
Birthday parties...

Accessorizing...
Picnics overlooking the water...

And very diligently fixing this milk carton. It needed a lot of work.

a day in the sun

return to Portland

Shelling peas: the breakfast of champions.

This is how Isla returned to Portland after her all-night flight from California.

Warning: This is what happens when your parents also take a red-eye and only get two hours of sleep.

And then this happened: (I hope someone can come up for a worthy caption for this photo, because it begs for one...)

Being upside-down didn't phase Isla.

She went out for a walk on the Eastern Promenade with Hope while mama and papa unpacked...

Got ready for Tai Chi...
And then spent time just being herself: the all-around happiest baby on the block. Seriously.

pictoral catch-up from two weeks ago

The month of May was a busy one! Here are a few more images of life in Portland after 10 days in Vermont, and before flying to California for another 10.

More news: Isla has revised her opinion on car rides for the most part.

This pillow is fascinating!

Isla has the cutest sleepy face when she wakes up after a nap...

Hope taught us how to make pupusas and curtido after spending loads of time in El Salvador, and we had a great meal in a smoky kitchen with friends. Isla is developing an interest in the food the rest of us are eating, despite the fact that she won't be trying it for a while yet.

It has been a lovely spring so far.

And Isla is full of smiles and laughter. Some things that are particularly funny: the names of sushi, mama's goofy dancing, being tossed in the air ("Isla bella pizzetta" is particularly fun- we'll post a video sometime soon), tickly bearded kisses from papa, other people laughing, and being surprised.

making up for lost time...

Oh my goodness, it's good to have them back! Isla has changed so much over the past ten days. Most notably, she has gotten really into laughing. Big laughs. For long times. Especially when mama is being goofy. It's wonderful.

So, for all of our benefits, I found it imperative that I document heavily this afternoon... you know, to make up for everything we might have been imagining Isla was doing while in Vermont. These photos might give you some idea of what she has been into lately.

As you can see, putting stuff in her mouth is still very popular. Most notably these days, she enjoys sucking on two (to four) of her fingers. She even seems to have an upper right tooth getting ready to come soon. Jefe pulling lint out from between Isla's toes is not so fun, but...

making faces at each other is still very popular...

as is chillin' outside with pops...

We didn't know it until today, but apparently Isla is a big fan of tarragon...

and peppermint...

Look out tarragon patch!