Yes, she fell asleep standing up tonight. Roberto and I are trying to teach her how to put herself to sleep... for real this time. It's so hard but all the books I've read and pediatricians and friends I've talked to reassure me that this will help her teach herself to put herself to sleep which is an important skill. So...we had the monitor on, she went down in the crib just fine, but woke up about an hour later...Roberto started the gradual extinction approach where he would wait 10 minutes, then soothe her for 10 minutes, then again and again..well this went on for 2 hours. We were confident this was behavioral and not because something was wrong. So we then waited 15 minutes this time and she kept crying and crying until all of a sudden- SILENCE. I looked down at the video monitor expecting her to be laying in a little lump fast asleep. However, to my shock, she was far from being horizontal. She was standing up in her crib (which she has done a few times in the last few weeks) quiet as a mouse...I looked a little closer because it was the weirdest thing seeing her standing there so still, not making a noise or moving an inch...and then I saw it. Her head moved to the right, and I realized..she was nodding off! She continued standing there and nodded off again, and then again. Roberto and I decided to take action right away so the poor thing wouldn't completely fall asleep, fall and hit her head on the crib. I ran upstairs and gently laid her down in a normal sleep position, and she continued sleeping safe and sound. Too cute. Roberto and I can't stop laughing about it...it was very cute and maybe reveals a little bit of a stubborn personality =)
Besides standing up in her crib, she is crawling 90 miles an hour and tries to pull herself up on everything imaginable. She is brave (or naive!) and will let go and standing completely by herself for a couple seconds before returning her hands to the surface in front of her and banging them wildly up and down. Isabella is also the social butterfly when we are out in public. Whenever we are in line, sitting somewhere, or I'm just walking around holding her in the store, she will end up flashing a big happy smile to someone around us throughout our outting. It's very sweet and I appreciate how happy she can make other people, even if I don't have a clue who they are. It's funny how a baby smiling at you can make you feel so special. A lady in line at the Starbucks the other day told me that Isabella can sense who the good people are and will smile only at them. It's comforting to think that that's true.
As long as Isabella isn't hungry or tired, she is really easy-going and seems to light up around people...especially other kids. She loves Addyson, my friends' daughter, and Paisley, a little girl who is at the babysitter's with her, and when she sees one of them goes crawling towards them full speed ahead shrieking with laughter. Anytime hunger or sleepiness strikes however, Mommy better get her act together right away or she becomes very unhappy. But, give her her bottle or snack, or get her ready for bed & all is well. I guess that's the same for most of us adults too though we may hide it better. Some things never change.
She has been quite the mommy's girl lately too. Poor Daddy. She does like to be with Daddy and he makes her laugh quite easily, but I guess it's me who she wants those times she wants comfort. I keep reassuring Roberto she will be a Daddy's girl in time. He is way more fun to climb on, cuddle with and laugh at then mommy is...but I sure am enjoying her special attention in the meantime =) Makes me melt.
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