10/18/13

Miss Emma is 15 Months Old

It feels like forever since my last blog post. I guess because it HAS been forever since my last legitimate one. Man, I really need to somehow make the time to squeeze in the things that I enjoy.

Miss Emma is now 15 months old. It feels like so much longer. Haha. It makes me giggle just to type that sentence out. 15 months isn’t long at all, but in “baby time” it is more like 3 years. Each day feels like three. No, not because time drags on, by any means! It’s because each day with a toddler is like three on the body. Exhaustion. Sleep-deprivation. EXHAUSTION!


By the time I get home from work – which has been much more demanding and strenuous lately – I start my second job which is being a Mommy. While I absolutely love it, I notice the toll it takes on me by the time I put Emma to bed. In fact, I sit down just to take a breather and maybe watch a bit of tv, and before I know it I’m waking up at 11pm to an empty living room (Gene sneaks into the man cave in the basement) and a list of chores that will go undone because all I’m going to do is slug my way to the bed.

I still wake up numerous times throughout the night to go check on Emma. She likes to kick off her blanket when she’s hot, but either she doesn’t know how to cover herself back up, or she doesn’t wake up to do it and freezes through the night. You may think she’s just not cold enough to need it, but when I go in and touch her little arms and feet she’s ice cold! So I guess my brain automatically wakes me up to go check on her. Lately though I’m too tired and I elbow Gene to go do it – poor Gene.

Moving on to the real reason for my post…

I took Emma in for her 15 month “well” check-up on the 14th. It was Columbus Day so I was shocked that they were even seeing patients that day. Moving on. She weighed 29.1 pounds, and is 33 inches long. Both at 98%. Her head was 97% but I can’t remember that measurement right now. The doctor was so elated at her stature and composure. He kept using the term “advanced” over and over again. Ugh. While this is actually a great thing, it’s sad too. I’m losing my baby even quicker. Next month she’ll be 10 years old!

She says tons and tons of words. I lost count around 35. On a good day you can have a complete conversation with her. It’s insane. Her doc was over the top about this. She’d talk back to him for the most part too so he was getting a kick out of it. You can tell he really likes kids. I love that about him.

He talked to me about “screen time.” Anything with a screen needs to be limited to 30 minutes a day. Total. Not 30 for each. OY VAY! I did not tell him that the tv is on 24 hours around Emma. Literally. Even when she’s asleep the tv can be heard from her room because we sleep with it on. I have my ups and downs about his request because I feel like that’s how she has learned so many words. She can say Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Oh Toodle, hot dog and more just from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She knows the names to all of the shows she “watches” and the order they come on – Thomas, Caillou, Anne [of Green Gables], Peep [and the Big Wide World], Pocoyo, [Berenstain] Bears. She squeals with delight when it’s time for NanaLan’ too. She dances to the songs, knows the names of the characters, and watches with delight. She loves it! That show taught her the words frog and bird. Okay, so it was really us teaching her all the words from the shows, but it’s because we interact with her while they are on. Most of the time they are just on for background noise, and each of them are educational. Okay, she does know Spongebob and may even sing part of the song. So sue me. I only see laziness come from watching tv, so as long as I keep her up and moving I might just leave things the way they are.

She got four shots this time around. At her 12 month visit she got 3 I think and she didn’t flinch or cry. This time, instead of lying down, she sat on my lap and watched them do it! At first I thought that was why she started screaming, but then I heard that the flu shot burns very bad and that was her second shot of the four so I bet that was it. Then the next two were the icing on the cake so-to-speak. Poor baby. She only cried for about 30 seconds, but it was a heart-breaking cry. I made sure to feed her well before her appointment (my Mom says that a good meal gets the “juices” flowing) and I held off her nap a couple hours so she could nap after her shots and meltdown of sorts. I thought for sure a good nap would do wonders but she was restless for the whole nap, and after an hour and 45 minutes of off-and-on sleep she woke up cranky and it didn’t go away the rest of the night. I’m not sure if it was resentment from her shots or just a crappy feeling, but it was a bad night. Even while asleep that night she’d wake to cry for 5 seconds (long enough to wake us) and back to sleep. I’m glad that’s over.

*One more note about the shots. The MMR shot is the one that I was most afraid of. That’s the horror story shot that some say causes autism so I was dreading this shot day. However, it turns out she had had that one at her 12 month appointment! I have no idea how I got them mixed up, but I’m so relieved that I didn’t have to panic for days or weeks looking for “signs.” Yeeeeees, I know. Studies have shown that it doesn’t really cause autism. But, it was still in the back of my mind. I just can’t help but worry.

We talked about food, but only for a second. He said previously not to give Emma oatmeal because of her size (carb issue?) but we introduced rolled oats around 13 months and never looked back. So I wanted to double-check with him that it was okay and he said it was. He did say no popcorn, hard candy, hard nuts, suckers, or round foods that weren’t cut up for her (like grapes or hot dogs). We were already NOT doing those things. Yay!

The appointment was very quick because I didn’t have too many questions this time, but I did ask about her “girly part” as I was calling it. Lol. I don’t have much experience with what is okay-looking for a toddler’s “girly part” so I wanted to make sure I understood.  He said everything was just fine with hers, but he told me what to look out for if anything should seem concerning. And then he lectured me about how I need to be calling body parts by their proper name. Ugh. Anyone who knows me knows I do not use “dirty” words. Lol. I don’t know how to describe it, but I am very reserved and cringe at P words, V words, T words – the technical and slang ones. I think my parents always had the “don’t talk about it” mindset so that’s just how I work. So, I’m not sure how I’m going to get myself to use the proper terms.  I understand why he thinks I should (the world is a bleak place and every person needs to be able to firmly and accurately stand up for themselves and state what they do and do not want), but it’s just so hard for me. We’ll see.

At home we’ve been practicing putting away her toys, books and shoes since those are the only ones with a set place to take them and it’s working out pretty well right now. She still needs more practice, but I think it’s most likely because Gene and I are not consistent with it. We also try to read a lot. She loves books. All books. Her PawPaw reads to her every day she’s with him. Sometimes the same book multiple times! He is great with changing up the story to make it something different too.

We’ve been coloring a lot at home also. She has those color wonder markers and she’s obsessed. We have to keep them out of her sight otherwise that’s all she wants to do and for at least an hour. We need to buy more of those for her for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I’m already penny-pinching because I’m worried that I won’t have enough to get her everything I want. I almost feel like someone out there has been spying and has jacked up the price of everything I want to get her! I mean, why is a plastic kid-size house for outdoors so expensive?!?!? It’s plastic! So, beware that we won’t be doing much, and I’ll be super frugal because I want to spend my money on Miss Emma. You’ve been fairly warned.

Well, that’s all I have time for right now. Emma has a Halloween play-date at Dez’s house tomorrow that I am looking forward to we are looking forward to. ;-) Then Maybe Boo at the Zoo. Or maybe Momma will go to Bingo. Haha. Then Flea Market Sunday morning, pedicure Sunday afternoon, and pumpkin patch later afternoon. Lots going on this weekend.

If I don’t talk to you beforehand, HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!


Jenni