Isabelle is 1!

And I can hardly believe how a whole year can have gone by so fast. I feel as though I will hardly have any memories of Isabelle's babyhood because life has just whizzed by in a blur of too much to do. It feels like I have spent the past year leaving her sitting on her own while I got on with other stuff.

But still, here she is. Poised on the boundary between baby and toddler. Which brings such mixed feelings in me. My last baby, just about gone ... but another adventure ahead as her personality grows and the interaction between the two sisters brings fun and joy (and aggro!). I have loved the 'baby' stage so much more than I ever believed before I had them and am so sad that that time is passing away, but with all the factors I do feel it's right for us to stop now.

So, here's a snapshot of Isabelle around her first birthday. She's so thrilled that at last she's got the hang of moving around. It's an idiosyncratic type of crawl, but it does the job and she's chuffed by it! She's even more excited when she's on her feet, though, and today she walked pushing a walker alone for the first time with no parent supporting or steadying. She stands very steadily but doesn't realise she could do it alone yet and only lets go when she doesn't realise what she's doing. She now wants to be in on the act of whatever her adored big sister does, and is in no mood to be left out of anything. She makes her feelings very clear - she's developing a scary line in shrieking and yelling. It still feels so surprising to me that she has real opinions, wants and preferences and makes them known. But best of all is her sense of humour, mostly laughing at Tamsin's antics but also, like the other day, at her own, which is wonderful!

She's practising eating with a spoon, has fed me with her spoon, and yesterday brushed my hair with the hairbrush. Despite 4-5 months of signing 'milk' and 'eat' to her, she is not showing any inclination to sign herself, but communication is pretty clear nonetheless!

She loves music and does a gorgeous little bounce when she hears it. Her favourite activity is pressing buttons of all types, so today we've covered up the front of the hi-fi ... In fact, while feeding from me she pushes on the ends of my fingers as though they are buttons to press too. She loves to press noses and chins, and is fascinated by eyelashes and is very good at gently feeling them without poking me in the eye!

She is thrilled when Daddy comes home from work, and is always excited to see me even when just returning from the other room, which is heart-warming. I love her very much, and am so grateful she came to live with us. I am excited to see what sort of a person she will turn out to be, but whatever she does or doesn't do I hope she always knows she is very special to me.