I cannot believe that next week’s ‘Week in Review’ post will be recapping Christmas [insert little kid excitement!!!]. I love this time of year so much! I am finally done with gifts, but haven’t wrapped them all yet. I am a terrible wrapper, so I tend to procrastinate with this task or revert to gift bags at the last minute.

I really enjoyed this past week, as I got to catch up with a handful of friends. However, there was a tremendously low moment of the week: Isla’s 6 month appointment, which I braved alone. Four shots almost did me and Isla both in. I hate needles, and so far, Isla does too. Ugh. So terrible! She is the 94% for height – I cannot wait to see how tall she ends up being.

Some of the big highlights from the week include:

• Seeing sweet Simon (Mara of Hook Thread & Tinker‘s son) with his little menorah (see stolen Instagram photo below)! Happy Hanukkah!
• Exchanging gifts with McKenzie early, as she’s heading to Illinois to spend Christmas with her boyfriend’s family (most comfy J. Crew slippers ever!!)
• Watching Isla play with her new Xylophone (also gifted by McKenzie) – or as we call it, the Isla-Phone (lots of photos below)
• Seeing Isla pull herself up using her crib bars – which also scares me, but thankfully we lowered the crib last week!
• Meeting Santa Claus at Memorial City Mall (horribly unfriendly staff, but wonderful Santa!)
• Eating lunch with one of my closest friends at Adair Kitchen (love that lady!)
• Catching up with one of my parent’s good friends at the house – she gave Isla the cutest little tulle skirt outfit!
• Celebrating Isla’s Godfather’s Christening on Sunday – he had to get Christened before he could officially get the new title!
• Spending time with my sister-in-law who is in Texas for most of the month of December thanks to the recent launch of Google Fiber in Austin
• Breaking bread at our house (and by that, I mean mimosas) with my roommate from college – truly one of my favorite people ever! She’s wonderful
• Updating my annual Shutterfly book – I was 6 months behind, so that took quite awhile!
• Visiting my (super tiny and pregnant) friend Julie and her sweet daughter Evie
• Attending my niece’s Christmas performance of the 12 Days of Christmas (cutest thing ever)
• Singing Christmas carols and enjoying an early candlelit service (tradition discussed here)
• Witnessing Isla get very, very excited about her bedtime story (Good Night, I Love You)
• Spending much of Saturday at my parents house and strolling Isla around the neighborhood in her Balmoral Silver Cross Pram (imported from the UK upon news of my pregnancy)
• Finishing my very first set of wedding invitations (doing the calligraphy, not the design!)
• Enjoying a full night’s sleep – after numerous nights in a row, I can now say that Isla is sleeping from 6pm to 5:45-6am (ouch, still early)! It took some painful CIO nights, but it worked!
• Teaching Isla to drink from a sippy cup! So far, so good. And this week we will begin to teach Isla sign language with the Signing Time DVD (very excited about this!)