Under the Radar

We are always amazed at how shy Isabela can be around most people outside of our little family. It actually makes me sad to see how uneasy Isabela seems to be to not be herself, or at least in the multi-faceted way we get to see her at home. I pray that I am not the one who inadvertently hinders any desire to be more extroverted. At the same time, I wonder if it is cultural or hereditary. I talked to her pediatrician about it some time ago, and she assured me that it is ok and explained to me that her 3 year old son is the very same way and might have taken on her childhood tendencies. Then I, too, remembered how I had always been so shy as a child. My general disposition has been on the shy-er side (really!). I still remember my elementary school teachers explaining to my mom what a quiet angel I was. My mother would always be shocked and without hesitation share with them how different I was at home. But, being Latina in the USA, we are sort of groomed to be timid....."don't make trouble, don't let them hear us, don't be noticed". That may be because some of us had parents who were so thankful to have made in the "country of the free", that they wanted to stay under the radar and just be grateful to share the same space with Americans. But, I think what saddens me the most about Isabela's shyness is that none of you get to see her in the light we get to see her in. Such a sparkling one.

However, Isabela just may be pulling our leg and just be super selective as to when she's forthcoming about her thoughts. If you ask Crystal, she will tell you how Isabela loves to fool me when ever I am teaching her anything. She likes to lead me to believe that she doesn't get the concept. Then out of the blue, on a different day, when I least expect it, she pulls out her tricks...like the pics displayed on this page. All by herself! I had never even thought about using pretzels to form letters, but she did! There is even the one where she is trying to hide herself, as to show that it wasn't her. What I would like to know from Isabela is.... WHY?!?!?!

By the way, she LOVES the letter "T", completely fascinated with it and likes the way it can become an "I".

As for the other lady in my life. Crystal is also "under the radar" about something this week. I do not have permission to blog about this milestone, but I can tell you this....she had her very first date last week!!! So cool! But, honestly, this is new territory for me. Talk about stressful!