As she gets older, of course, Isabelle's personality shines through more and more. She has some wonderful traits (inherited, largely, from her father) and some not so wonderful ones (inherited solely from my family!). So....what is Isabelle like?
She is shy. When we go somewhere, even if it's to people we see once a week, every week, she is always shy. She prefers to sit with me and watch others as she gets to grips with who is around her, what they are doing, and where exactly she fits in. We went to our breastfeeding groups for 15 months, every single Monday, with the same core of mums and babies, and every week, Isabelle stayed on my lap for the first half an hour or more, simply watching the others. If someone she doesn't know speaks to her, she will hide away from them. She is just a shy girl. She comes round, but she does it in her time. This is something she inherited from her dad.
She is affectionate. My little girl is extremely affectionate. She loves being in our arms, and she will say "Tuddle!" and then wrap her chubby little arms around us and say "Ahhh!" which is her cuddle noise. She gives us kisses, and just generally loves to be cuddling and held. She is equally affectionate to her babies, the dogs, her cousins, her grandparents, herself in the mirror, her books...she isn't that fussy really. She loves to cuddle, and is just generally an affectionate little lady. Not quite sure where she gets that...!
She is easily frustrated. If something isn't going her way, she very quickly starts to tell us about it. She has a pretty specific whine which means "I can't, it's not working the way it should!' which alerts us to help her figure out whatever problem she has gotten herself into. It doesn't take long for her to reach that point eithe, as she has a short fuse. Sadly, she gets this from me!
She is nosey. Above I mentioned how she likes to sit and watch. Oh my gosh, does this kid watch. She is the nosiest child I have ever met. If we are out for lunch, quite often she doesn't eat anything as she is too busy rubber necking at the goings-on around us. At home she loves nothing better than standing on the windowsill yelling "Boys! Boys! Ball! Car!" as she watches the kids playing out in the street. Again, I think she gets this one from me!
She is a chatterbox. This girl never stops. Not even when she is asleep. From an early age, Isabelle has babbled constantly, and now she has such a great grasp of words and is starting to put them together in sentences, she is just an unstoppable force. My mom did say, after their first full day together while I was at work "She never stops talking!" and it's so true. She wanders round blabbering away to herself, to me, to the dogs....to anyone who may listen. Her tone, hand gestures and facial expressions would give the impression that she is always confident of what she is saying....if only I could understand! She definitely gets this one from me!
She is determined. Although this contradicts her frustration a little, Isabelle will always give a task her best shot. I have seen her sit and try numerous times to do something that will just never happen for her, but she doesn't give up all that easily. She may leave something and come back to it later that day, or another day, but once she knows something has foiled her, she will not rest until she CAN fit into that gap that is clearly too small. Her determination is a trait I admire, and I hope that it means in later life she will continue to be determined, and work hard for what she wants. This one is a mystery - Simon or I?
She is independent. Again, that seems to contradict her being shy, but she is actually a very independent girl. She can play by herself for ages, and will sometimes bat me away if I try to help her do something (she is so determined to succeed!), and will always do things in her own good time. Although she likes to be close to us, it's on her terms, and her terms only. Another thing she gets from me.
This little person, with all these big traits, is just such a joy to have in our lives. I can't wait to see how her personality develops and changes as she grows
