isabel now opens doors. this happened this weekend. need we say more.
we will elaborate as this is a major developmental milestone in isabel's life and has literally opened countless doors of opportunity to a whole new world of exploration. above is isabel caught in the act after opening and closing, opening and closing, (repeated tirelessly) doors. that is a rather proud look on her face, isn't it? she is seen here employing the one-handed door pull to close a door. her seemingly unplanned path is easy to follow, as she joyfully romps from room to room, leaving a wake of destruction behind. no door is left closed, no contents of closets, drawers, or any other storage receptacle are left untouched. and she does not clean up after herself, much like a natural disaster spinning out of control and fueled by unpredictable forces.
opening a door requires much more dexterity and sheer rotational and grasping force, thus the two-handed approach (and the need for sunglasses?). this photo was taken shortly after apprehending isabel, who had barricaded herself into the master bathroom. she smelled faintly of men's deodorant, which had been dumped into the sink, and had a reddish streak above her top lip. upon questioning isabel confessed that she had applied some of mom's "lips" (bonne belle dr. pepper lipsmackers). shortly thereafter, isabel's efforts were thwarted and mom was referred to as a "bad girl" by the little culprit. 
prior to the discovery, isabel had dashed off into some shrubbery to evade mom's grasp and ultimately escape being entrapped in her car seat. she was caught, but not before she flailed and flung her shoes off of her feet. her poor little footsie got attacked while it was exposed, unbeknownst to all but herself. isabel wept and wept for much of the way home. the wound was noticed after much questioning during the car ride. at home, and only after getting a bandage on her foot and being propped up on a pillow, was mom even allowed to touch the foot to elevate it. amalea brought her extra blankets, her 2nd sheepie, a stuffed animal, and a snack as well. of course, magic kisses were administered to isabel's foot by both mom and amalea. later, isabel told dad that she was "wounded". oh, the suffering and the drama of isabel's most major injury thus far. (even this morning, she refused to stand up and walk until her injury was properly re-bandaged. and then again when dad got home, her bandage had come loose and she cried out until dad reattached it - my oh my.)
