Traveling with a baby is hard. All of the extra baggage, planning, time and energy it takes to bring your child along for a "vacation" is exhausting to say the least. So when I decided last minute to go with my mom to Louisiana in hopes to be there when my niece arrives was a bit bold. I had to pack for two, find a cheap plane ticket back to Jax and hope that I wasn't forgetting anything.

We left Saturday morning for our eight-hour drive to Louisiana. We only had to stop once that entire time. That was for a lunch picnic at one of the rest stops along the way. We wanted Isla to be able to crawl around instead of being confined to a highchair. She napped at her regular nap times, she ate at her regular times, and she was her general happy self. I read books, played music and dangled toys in front of her to keep her entertained. And it worked... until the last 15 minutes of the car ride where she had a complete fit. But once we were out of the car she was happy again.

We were there in hopes to meet baby Steele, but we weren't so lucky. However, we did get to see a bit of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Stacia was our tour guide at 39 weeks pregnant. haha. Despite the heat, humidity, constant in and out of the car, being strapped to the carseat, stroller and carrier, Isla barely complained at all. She was happy going along for the ride. The only time she would really get fussy was when we were in the apartment too long and I wouldn't let her get into anything.










 She drove us to lunch.

Isla is finally interested in food! She eats solids, purees, mamas milk, anything really. She used to hate fruit, especially bananas, and now she eats it all! She is a pro with using her pincher fingers and putting the food in her mouth. She prefers the puree pouches to being spoon fed, so she's learned how to suck down a whole one of those pretty quick. I try to feed her three times a day now because she is so hungry lately. We are still primarily breastfeeding, and she wants the boob any time she sees me. It can be super frustrating at times, but I try to remind myself that she isn't going to be breastfeeding for long, and I am so lucky that we are still able to still do it.

She is standing for longer periods of time on her own without holding onto something. Still only seconds long, but it's still progress. She is also transferring between pieces of furniture and using her push walker a lot more. I really thought she would be walking on her own by nine months, but I don't mind at all that she isn't. She was reaching all of her milestones too quickly before, so I like that she's taking her time with this.

Her super blonde hair is still growing like crazy and is sticking straight up. I feel like her eyes are getting more blue. You can see them from a mile away. We still only have two teeth, but it feels like she's been teething forever. I really do think we are close to having a top tooth come through.

She now refuses to say mama. Only baba, mmba and, her favorite, dada. We actually have a fun back-and-forth came where I say mama and she responds with dada, over and over again. She will make other sounds, but blowing raspberries is still her favorite. My dad thinks she will make a good brass musician one day.

Isla is sleeping through the night, and it is wonderful! She goes to sleep between 7 and 8, then sleeps till 5 AM. Robby will bring her to me to eat, put her back in her crib, and then she will sleep for another hour or two. We are all early risers, so it doesn't bother us at all that she wakes up early. She will take two to three naps a day. One around 9 in the morning and another around lunch. If she is really tired she will take a third around 5 PM.

I would have to say one of my favorite things from the past month is how much her personality is coming out. She is goofy, independent, bashful, sweet, loving, cuddly, sneaky, curious. The list goes on. I just love her more than I imagined possible. Even when she is pulling at my shirt all day long, beating me up, refusing to sleep, or trying to stick everything in her mouth, my love for her only grows.


Height: 27.35" She is in the 35th percentile.

Weight: 19.13 pounds. 70th percentile. She is in the 70th percentile for head circumference. 

Loves: When her dad comes home from work, playing with her friends and being outside.

Hates: When I won't give her the boob right away and when we take things from her.

Milestones: She lifts things up to see what is underneath/behind. If I take something from her and put it behind my back, she knows. She is imitates sounds and movements we make. Cruises on and transfers between furniture. Also, learned to bounce and sorta, kinda dance?

Clothing/diaper Size: size 4 diapers and size 9 month or 6-12 month clothes. 

Looking Forward To: Going to Louisiana and meeting Baby Steele whenever she arrives next month.

This month we...