June was a busy month for us with family in town and then our trip up to Oregon and Washington. So although we observed Isaac's 10 month mark, I didn't get around to posting it. Here's a little flashback...
At 10 Months we were breaking into the new world of fingerfoods. This was the first time I could actually shared my snack with Isaac. It was too cute - I had a couple of Sun chips and an apple as Isaac looked on with great interest. So I got his Graduates puffs out and gave him a couple. He slowly chomped on his puffs while I enjoyed my chips. And then I got to my apple and gave him a wedge. There we sat, side by side with our snacks, having a mommy-son moment. That's a simple but really special memory for me...
At ten months, Isaac was honing his skills in crawling and exploring, which was fun to watch. Once he realized this newfound freedom, he was unstoppable! Also soon after he discovered crawling, Isaac started to practice pulling himself up. He was getting really comfortable with it by the time we were up in Washington, and was cruising along the furniture with some effort.
It was at ten months that Isaac really spoke his first word - DADDY. We knew it was his first word when we noticed that he understood the meaning and only used it for Kevin. Anytime we mentioned Daddy, he would turn to Kevin and either point at him or grab him if Kevin was close enough. It culminated one evening when Isaac and I were playing together in the living room. Kevin was in our bedroom when Isaac stopped what he was doing, looked around, and suddenly yelled "DAAA - DEEEE!!!" at the top of his lungs. Kevin came around the corner asking, "Did someone call me?" Oh Isaac's face lit up like a candle, he was so thrilled that he was able to call Daddy to his side. And now he does it all the time. If Kevin doesn't come right away, Isaac will keep calling until he does! So... the word Daddy definitely became very different from da-da or da. And there you have it... now we're working on MOMMY. :)
Now at 11 months... Does he look older to you? Good, then it's not just us....
Isaac is definitely exerting his personality and testing his independence. His determination and sometimes strong willed persistence are in the forefront, while his sense of humor and happy-go-lucky nature is always just under the surface. He loves to laugh and chase us through the house. His favorite game is our variation of hide-and-go-seek / peek-a-boo. It's so much fun - for all of us! Our favorite sound is his deep-belly laugh. Once he gets going, he'll laugh at just about anything! Makes our hearts melt every time.
Speaking of chasing, Isaac is getting around very quickly these day! The pitter-patter of our little speedracer through the house is another one of our favorite sounds. He's getting very skilled at cruising along on his feet as well and loves walking back and forth through the house with our help or with the help of his toys. We suspect he may very well be walking by his first birthday! But we'll see. :)
Gone are the days when my little guy will sit still and cuddle in my lap - unless it's bedtime and he's spent. Although one perk is that he hits the hay with little to no effort now that he's using so much energy getting around. He's actually taken to putting himself to bed! We don't have to rock him all the way to sleep anymore! Just another way he's showing his independence... and growing up.
The countdown begins.... to being one year old!
Isaac took a 3 1/2 hour nap this morning!! Never mind that he woke Mommy & Daddy up five times last night... Ah, well, I got a lot done around here during that stretch anyhow. And good ol' Huey, what a friend, acting as Isaac's pillow. But it's a wonder Isaac didn't wake up with a kink in his neck! 
"Da-Dee, Da-Dee, Da-Dee" This is practically all Isaac has been saying for the past two days! It's no wonder, Daddy is a pretty fun guy. I did get him to say "Ma-mee" a couple of times today, so that satisfied my need to be included. haha...
They're looking at Isaac's favorite book here. Next to his binky, Isaac's ABC book is his #2 lovey. He'll sit and look through it for time on end, and as he points to things, we'll tell him what they are. He's getting the hang of it. We got to the S page where there is a picture of some strawberries. The other day I asked Isaac, "Where are the strawberries?" and he pointed right at them. That shouldn't be any surprise, however, because that's his favorite fruit! But then we got to the H page, and when I asked him where the horse was, he surveyed the page and then pointed at it. What a smart boy!
Hey everybody, I'm Italiano! Isaac had my own creation of Meatball Marinera tonight, and he loved it! In it was hiding a vegetable medley and shredded zucchini. He gobbled it right up!
And there we have it - Five teeth and one more working it's way through! One is hiding behind his upper lip, but it's there alright.
I love this picture. Isaac was about as excited to check things out as we were!
Complimentary flip flops!
We waited until the sun was low in the sky before heading to the pool. It worked out great because we had the pool all to ourselves while everyone else was out to dinner.
... and saved us from sunburns. 
This is the view from the luxurious casas higher up. 
