One Whole Year Old | Alice

My, my, my. The time just flies on by, doesn’t it? My little baby just turned one whole year old. We had her birthday party, and we did her one year check-up. What now?  Her first date? Prom??? She’s growing before my eyes!

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 Alice is definitely not like her sister. We always had a difficult time with Emma. She was never happy. It could have been that we were new parents and didn't have a clue what we were doing, or it could be that she was just always angry about something (I'm guessing the ladder because she's the same today). But Alice, she's the happy baby. She's always running around with a smile on her face. So active, and so full of love. She will give me kisses and hugs, and run to me like I'm the only person in the room. I love her more than words could ever tell, and I am so very lucky that God let me be her Mommy. 

She still has issues with chapped cheeks, and her ankles roll over so it causes her to have chapped and sore ankles too. She doesn't seem to mind really, but it itches her a lot when we put lotion or A&D on it.

She is very, VERY shy and she tugs at her clothes if someone other than the four people that watch her tries to talk to her. She cries when "strangers" pick her up too. She wants so badly to stay at school with Emma, and she loves to be out and about on the town. Alice also wants to do anything and everything Emma does, which causes more fights than anything. Emma can't stand for Alice to be all up in what she's doing. Poor Alice.

Grandma is Alice's favorite person, and if she's around then nobody else matters (I'm okay with that since Grandma is pretty awesome). Okie makes her laugh, and PawPaw is the one she runs to when she's either REALLY upset, or REALLY wants to play and giggle. I love that my parents love my kids; it makes it easier to leave them for a date night.

We took Alice to her one year check last week (I wait until a week or so after their birthdays because of shots).

Emma was always in awe of Dr. Murphy (their pediatrician). She’d watch his every move; she’d check out his tie, look at his long hair and beard, and she just loved everything he did (luckily it was the nurses who gave the shots). And then when she was old enough to talk she’d ask him what he was doing… all the time. Maybe she will be a doctor one day. Alice, on the other hand, hated him at this last appointment. From the second he put that “popsicle stick” in her mouth, it was on. Crying, screaming, and not settling down until we left the building. Poor baby.

Dr. Murphy is my favorite. I found him because he and my pediatrician as a kid were partners in the practice (Northwest Pediatrics). He has white hair, so I’m sure he’s counting down the days until retirement, but at each appointment I make it a point to tell him how many more years he has left (according to me). 17 more years to go; that’s unless I have another child. Seriously though, the day he decides to retire, I’ll probably cry just like Alice did with that stick.

The best thing that Dr. Murphy does, which is probably the exact reason I like him so much, is that he takes the time to explain everything. Why can’t I use Neosporin on the kids? They might develop an allergic reaction to it if we use it at such a young age. What is Roseola? Baby measles that aren’t prevented with the MMR shot. What is an early sign of asthma? Eczema. He goes over each and every thing. He also knows a lot of “practical” tips too, since he has five kids himself.

Anyway, back to my Alice.

Alice’s One Year Stats were good. Nothing to even talk about there really. Except she’s short and chubby. Lol!

• Weight = 23 lbs. 15 oz. (96%)

• Height = 29” (36%)

• Head = ?? (75%) *I can’t remember and don’t have my book with me.

She got her four shots (which Emma had to watch happen), cried for 5 minutes, and we were out the door. She is vaccinated from all the scary stuff, and I couldn’t be happier.

Wait, actually, and I’m probably wording this all wrong (but you’ll get my point), right now she’s only 85% protected. Vaccinations at such a young age can only offer 85% protection. Even with the booster at 4 years old, a child can only be safe up to 95%. So there’s a 5% chance that my child can still get something scary because other children are not vaccinated and can still spread the disease. And to boot, if we ever hit a point where 25% of the population isn’t vaccinated, it could almost guarantee an epidemic and our children, even those vaccinated, wouldn’t be safe. There’s a reason why vaccinations were created… because those diseases and illnesses are no joke. It’s extremely painful and a lot of those that contract them will die. Why even risk putting your children in harms way?

Take it from Benjamin Franklin: “In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.”

Very blurry picture, but she's just so happy here!