Cheeeeesssseeeeee!!!!

Is it strange that Isabel is OBSESSED with watching videos of herself? She's 6 months old...this self-obsession started around 4 1/2 months. I discovered this new found love for herself while feeding her one night. As she ate, I began watching an iPhone video of her laughing. The minute she heard herself, she quickly stopped eating and whipped her head around to see where the baby sounds were coming from. When I held my phone up for her to see, she cracked up. Her grin was ear to ear. I figured it was a fluke, so I tried it again the next day. 2nd round, same result. I've shown her additional videos and pictures of herself. You name it, she loves it! 

Does this mean we're raising a future contestant of "Toddler's and Tiaras?" Will I be forced in to being a stage mom when what I really want is a field hockey playing, tom boy who also likes to shopping, wear Uggs, get manicures & reading US Weekly, much like her mother? Originally, this basketball dribbling mama wasn't sure I could even handle her being a cheerleader (no offense, spirit-finger friends), yet alone a true drama queen. Is her early love of cameras a sign that after all these years of making fun of Miss America, my daughter, who can't get enough of pictures, mirrors, or our Flip, is destined for the world of runways, center stage or beauty pageants???!!! 

Not that there's anything wrong with following in the footsteps of Heidi Klum, and I certainly want Isabel to be whomever it is she wants to be, but I think I'm creating a self-loving monster with all this crazy camera business. Yes, I probably took about 100 pictures a day when I was on maternity leave. Who am I kidding...I probably took 100 pics of day of myself pregnant, so this ultimately started months ago. And yes, a 4 week old old with limited range of motion is about as exciting as a rock, but she was my adorable, new rock, so I wanted to share every rockish moment with our friends, family & adoring Facebook fans. Plus, Miss. Thing had about 1 million teeny new outfits to burn through, so I might as well take a picture of each and every pink ruffle in her closet before our little super-model couldn't fit into the Baby Gap sample size no more!

Flash forward 5 months & this kids is a camera-loving maniac. The minute I pull out my iPhone, she cracks a smile. When the video camera lights up, so does she, as though someone has just screamed "Action!" and Isabel "American Idol" Agosto is ready for her debut. She plays coy, then bats her eyelashes, crinkles her brow, flashes a quick little grin, always making sure we're capturing her best "high chair" angles. She won't take her eyes of the lens, and suddenly goes into full on "I'm the cutest baby in the world" mode. What Tyra Banks would do for a "Smize" like hers?!

I'd hate to break her little heart so early on in her career, but if she takes after me, her dream of cat-walk legs may go up in smoke. Until that day arrives, I guess we should embrace the fact that she loves the camera, and we'll have a large collection of great pics to continue sharing with the world. And besides, if I can't handle the life of a stage momma, I'm sure Joe would look just as cute as a routine dancing stage daddy too. Say cheese!