Isabelle Bentley

Getting closer & closer to walking! She'll even walk holding only 1 hand.

Isabelle's newest word is "all done" which she pronounces "ee dah". You might be thinking - how is that close? So, first, I am not sure it IS a word.  There are two kinds of words kids say: things they repeat but don't know the meaning of (imitation) and words they know the meaning for. I am 100% confident she is repeating it. I know it doesn't sound like "all done" but when Jack first said all done it was "ah dah". When I say "all done" she ALWAYS says "ee dah". And 90% of the time she has the same hand motion for it. Now, she doesn't necessarily say it when she's done doing something means it's likely imitation but she does sometimes. It's mixed. As long as a kid is saying something consistently - it doesn't matter how close it is to the actual word. Same with signing.  She follows directions really well too. 

Isabelle got her 4th tooth! Top left!

Walmart is letting us fundraiser outside o August 27 from roughly 8a-4p. We'll be outside the pharmacy entrance. Looking for people to sign up in 2 hr shifts if possible. ALl the money raised will be donated to MDSC for team Isabelle. 

We are having a fundraiser at UNOS in Millbury on September 6 & 7. If you come in and bring this ticket/coupon or tell them you're there for this fundraiser, they will donate up to 20% of the bill to the MDSC buddy walk in honor of Team Isabelle. 

Isabelle started a new playgroup today at Kennedy Donovan Center. She will be bused from daycare to there once a week for 2 hours and has a 1:1 aide. 

Isabelle and Jackson have now been to the same number of states: 16, plus D.C. Maine was the last state she needed to catch up.  We stayed in wells, ME at Carriage House Motel Cottages  & Suites. They had a playground, shuffleboard, a pool and a hot tub. Pretty cool. We first hit at the York's Wild Kingdom. Jack won his first stuffed animal plying the game where you shoot water into the hole. He had fun.   Jack played mini golf for the first time.  He loved the donuts at Congdons. We still found time to hit up the home depot thing where Jack made a truck.  And of course we went to the Trolley Museum. Jack now loves trains - we bought him a train table & set.   We chose to try Old Orchard Beach. It was Izzie's first time in the Atlantic.   And finally we walked along the Marginal Way. Gorgeous. 

Izzie got her orthotics today! They were specially molded to her feet in June. 

Isabelle spiked a random fever that came on around 8:30 and got to 103.3 so I took her to the ER.  She also has a weird rash and what I think were two small febrile seizures. It could have also been rigors. They checked her urine and concluded it was a virus not bacterial. She left with a 98.4 and hasn't had a fever since. 

Isabelle's crib has a new motif - zebras! My favorite!

Isabelle's first official word - with meaning - is "hi". When she sees people she waves and says hi. It's wicked cute.  Her pediatrician thinks she says "all done" and "I did it"... but I am seriously doubting it. 

Isabelle has been cruising furniture for a little more than 2 weeks but she's taking much bigger steps now. <3

Isabelle is getting her 5th tooth - top left molar. (this is posting late)

Our family is doing the buddy walk on September 17 in Westborough. To donate, click here .  Also, Scott is doing the 13th annual Bruins alumni game fundraiser. To donate, click here .  Both help fund the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (MDSC). MDSC was there for us when we found out in utero Isabelle had DS. They provided us with a family to talk to and meet. We could ask these people anything. They invited us to playground while still pregnant to talk to families and experience kids with DS so it didn't seem so scary. They sent us care packages/gifts both at birth and for both of her heart surgeries. They hooked us up with hearts for Down Syndrome which gave us support and gifts during her surgeries. They set up conferences to get us more information on how to help Izzie throughout her life. They give advice on how to get the most for her - such as the fact that she automatically qualifies for mass health because of her diagnosis, regardless of...

Izzie had a dentist appointment today - her first. They found out that her back right molar is coming in. She only has 2 other teeth - the bottom 2. Kids with DS's teeth come in later and in a different order, often. Other than that, her teeth look good!

I forgot to post that she got her 3rd tooth. Back right molar. 

Here are some more professional pics - they finally came in. 

Although not always 100% accurate her current measurements are 26.5 inches and 18lbs 13oz. She is in 9/12 month clothing. She's starting to look like a toddler and her hair is growing. 

Her canvas pic came in finally. I love how the are in the same position. 

We finally got the results of Isabelle's sleep test from April. She has mild sleep apnea and snores. However her score was lower than they think because she was up for a hug portion of the night. She didn't go to bed until 10p (because she wanted to pull all the wires off). Then she woke up from 12-2. Then she slept from 2-5. So likely it's worse than mild. They recommend tonsils and adenoids come out but they can't do it before 2 years because adenoids can grow back before that - and honestly they can still grow back after it's just less likely. 

Izzie ate this thing like a champ!

Isabelle is a huge fan of the boat. She almost always falls asleep on it. 

Isabelle so far this summer has HATED swings but not today - especially with Jack pushing her:

Isabelle got measured for her SMO orthotics. They should come in 2.5 weeks.

Isabelle started a playgroup at the early intervention place she sees twice a week. It went really well. Jack loved it.