my independent little princess

I don't even know where to begin when trying to describe Isabel. She's like a tiny adult in a three foot tall body. She's sassy but sweet, confident but shy when someone else initiates contact, and, above all else, she's fiercely independent. "I do it myself" is her mantra.

We have a rule that whenever we go into stores with lots of breakable items or things that would be extremely hard to resist touching, that the kids may look at everything but they must keep their hands in their pockets. Izzie has really taken this to heart, and decided that while we were in New York, she would walk a couple feet in front of us, hands in her pockets, chest out and head held high. She was quite a sight to behold, and inspired commentary and laughter wherever we went.

Izzie loves life and begins each day with gusto, standing up on the bed and proclaiming "I'm awake!" She (acutally both of the twins) loves to dance, and will drop everything to break out her moves if a good song (or commercial) comes on. (They are especially fond of the "free credit report . com" commercials.)

She remains very cerebral, and catches on to new concepts, words, and songs very quickly. She knows all her shapes and colours, can state her full name and spell "Isabel", she knows her address, and has committed a remarkable number of books and songs to memory.

Iz has a flair for the dramatic, and has an entire repertoire of faces corresponding to different emotions. She can be a little bit bossy, but always does it with a disarming smile, so she seems less threatening. I'm a little bit worried that my 2.5 year old has alreadyfigured out how to play the game..

Despite her independence and can-do attitude, Isabel also has a sweet and compassionate side. If I'm upset about something, she always offers hugs and kisses.