Smiling Pictures

This, my blog friends, is one of my most favorite pictures of Caris. Some might find that unusual. Granted, it's a good picture, but if you look closely, you'll notice something. Something most "good" pictures have that this one doesn't. Can you see what's missing? Think really hard. OK, I'll tell you - she's not smiling. Isn't it funny (no pun intended) how a picture with no smile can make you happy? I see so many things in this picture. This is Caris's face 90% of the time, so, to me, it looks most like her. Notice how her hair is NOT arranged perfectly like it was when I fixed it for school that morning? Notice how it doesn't matter? Notice how the expression on her face could be interpreted so many ways? Is she about to ask me to go swing on the swingset AGAIN? Is she about to burst into crocodile tears because I'd just told her we had to go back in the house and start dinner? Is she about to crack a sneaky smile and take off running like a banshee to avoid going into said house? It could go so many different ways, just like any given day being her Mom. It's like the Mona Lisa - noone but da Vinci knows why she has smiled all these years; noone but me knows why Caris ISN'T smiling here. My point is, smiling pictures aren't always the best pictures. I see so much life and possibility in this picture - just like EVERY time I look into her sweet face. I love being her Mom.

Elephants and Cucumbers!

OK, I know at least some of you Moms out there have at least heard about the "Your Baby Can Read" DVDs. I know I run across at least 2 infomercials every weekend for the things. Well, anyone who knows me well knows that this is right up my alley. Of course, I ordered the set for Caris way back at the first of the year. The premise is if your child watches the DVDs twice a day eventually he/she will be able to actually READ the many words and phrases in the movies. As you would expect, the manufacturer/inventor is quick to caution you that every child develops any skill at his/her own pace, so just because you saw the 6-month old baby on the infomercial reading Moby Dick, don't expect that from your child. (Obviously, they haven't heard about Caris!) I will admit that I was skeptical once I actually saw the videos. Don't get me wrong, they are very good quality DVDs. It's just that after Caris had been exposed to movies like Veggie Tales, Tinker Bell and Sponge Bob I didn't think that these movies would be "flashy" enough to hold her attention. Thankfully, I was wrong. I will also admit that I had been falling down on her viewing schedule of late; what with moving and all. Be that as it may, she's still into it and asks to watch the videos all the time. She can read "hi", "dog", "cats", and believe it or not "elephant". She doesn't even watch the videos twice a day, as suggested. That's my girl!

I am about to embark on the task that I have lived in fear of ever since I found out I was going to have a child. Yes, Moms, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Never ending loads of laundry (as if they really ever do end at this point); changing sheets EVERY morning; strategically planning ANY and EVERY outing with a restroom ALWAYS within eye shot; constantly asking "Do you need to go" to the point where the repeats in my head keep me up at night...you've got it - POTTY TRAINING! If I could only put into words how much I am not looking forward to this....I would not only appreciate but I am BEGGING for any advice from you Moms out there. I have bought the "3 Day Potting Training" guide and am going to attempt that the weekend of the 4th since I'll have a 3-day weekend. I would love for this to be as painless as possible, but my hopes aren't real high!

Since most of you know that Caris is her Daddy made over you must understand that I jump at any chance I get to "claim" any feature/trait/behavior of her's as coming from me. As I've said before, it's most assuredly not because I think I'm anything spectacular - quite the opposite, actually. However, any Mom out there can understand how left out I feel when I've left no visible mark on this wonderful being, yet I'm half the reason she's here. Don't get me wrong, I don't dwell on it. It's just disheartening sometimes. Anyway, I am officially claiming Caris's love of cucumbers as something I have passed on to her. Granted, Patton likes cucumbers too, but not as much as I do. If you didn't know, there's almost nothing finer that peeling a home-grown cuke, cutting the ends off and munching away. In my opinion, it ranks right up there with chocolate, bubble baths and lazy Saturdays. So, please enjoy the following picture and remember - SHE GETS THIS FROM ME!!

Facebook addict, Blog slacker

Well, for those of you still hanging with my severely outdated blog, thank you. I apologize for slacking so much for the past few months. Truth is, I have become addicted to Facebook. Well, addicted is a really harsh term that should be reserved for more serious problems, so let's just say that I have been extremely active on Facebook the past few months. However, I have come to the conclusion that I can't (and wouldn't want to) go into great depth on the ever-facinating subject that is Caris on Facebook, so I'm back blog world! Back to a place where I can expound endlessly on this miraculous little critter that seems to change daily, much to my dismay! Let's see...where to begin....


Caris is now a little over 19 months old. She's still in love with the outdoors and would live out there if we'd let her. Her favorite person is still her Daddy (can't really blame her there). She still loves watching Veggie Tales but has recently added Dora to her repetoire. (Which I wasn't a big fan of at first until I realized that as much as we eat at Mexican restaurants, a spanish-speaking toddler might come in really handy!) She can count to 10 and almost has her ABC's down pat. The tune is definitely solid but some of the letters are hard to make out. For instance, from L to P kinda sounds like one long letter. She's started talking in complete sentences and that has thrown me for a loop. As if she wasn't grown enough already, now she and I are carrying on conversations. The potty training thing is fast approaching. She'll tell me when she's gone in her diaper and everything I've read and heard says that this is one of the best signs to know if a child is ready to be potty trained. I am SO not looking forward to that.

I have to relay what happened the other morning if for nothing else that the fact that it totally blew my mind and I hope to (one day) put it in her baby book. (You know that ridiculously expensive, beautiful pink book that has not ONE word in it yet - and she's almost 2!) But I digress...First of all, a little background info. One Saturday, Caris was playing in the kitchen while I was cooking (yes, I have started cooking, now gather yourself and move on). She had gotten into the drawer where we keep the spare batteries. She brings about 4 or 5 AA batteries to me and asks "Momma wha dees?" (Translation: "Momma, what are these?") I tell her "Batteries, Baby". She puts them back in the drawer and moves on to something else. Fast forward to the following Thursday. Caris, Patton and I were sitting on the couch and she was "helping" Daddy do some work on his laptop. (Actually, I think she was "helping" Daddy look at hog-hunting websites, but, I was told it was work and I have no actual proof other than my gut feeling.) Anyway, Patton looks at her and says "Daddy's batteries are low so we'll have to close the computer now." She looks at him and says "Ballarees?". His response: "Yes, Baby, the batteries are low so we'll have to use the computer later." Well, the little dickens hops out of his lap and heads off to the kitchen. I'm thinking "I know she's not!" Sure enough, she trots in the living room with a big ole D battery and says "Here, Daddy, ballaree." Stuff like that just happens daily with her. I don't know what we ever did before she came along.

We're Still Here

I am such a slacker! So, I apologize. Let's all move on.

Caris is now 15 months old (again, I apologize) and is the most amazing creature that God ever put on this planet. She had tubes put in both ears about 2 weeks ago. We fought the idea for the longest time, but eventually decided that it wasn't about our hang-ups but about getting her some relief. She did remarkably well and we found out she is allergic to milk and eggs in the process. We also changed pediatricians since I have been horribly disappointed in the doctor here in Columbus that we had been using. She now sees Dr. Sheffield in Amory and I am VERY pleased with her. She was in the 98th percentile on both her weight and height at her 15 month check up, so she's gonna be a very healthy girl. Now for the fun part: the following is an abbreviated list of various odds and ends up until this point. Enjoy!

• Caris knows just about all of her body parts. You can ask her where any part is and she'll point to it. Her most favorite one is pointing to other peoples' eyes, especially while they are open. Watch out!
• She knows all of her classmates' names. Granted, there are only 4, but still....
• The child still loves music. She's got rhythm, that's for sure. She'll stop whatever she's doing when she hears a tune and she'll just break out into what I like to call the "Caris shake". I can't really explain what it looks like. It has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
• She is an early riser and loves the outdoors. Wait, let me emphasize that correctly, she LOVES the outdoors. She is just like Patton in both respects. No matter what time she goes down for the night, she's up by 6:30. Sometimes 7:00, but that's only on weekdays because sleeping an extra 30 minutes on the weekend is just crazy!!! I cannot tell you how many times in a day I hear "owside" and it's the most pitiful thing I've ever heard. I'm going to have to convert to being a nature lover or learn to drown her out!
• She has 12 teeth. Yes, 12!! I don't know how she fits them all in her little mouth but I sure am glad she has them! They come in quite handy now that she HAS to eat exactly what Mommy and Daddy eat.
• She can drink through a straw, but hasn't quite mastered the art of the spoon yet. Her Daddy taught her the straw thing. I was very impressed because I had spent, like, 30 minutes trying to impart that knowledge and failed miserably. All she wanted to do was bite the straw. He had her doing it in about 10 seconds. Maybe I'll had the whole potty training thing over to him too since he seems to be the "teacher" of the family.
• Playing with her ears or her hair puts her out like a light. She gets that from me. I have long been a proponent of a good "head-rubbin'".
  
• She's still in size 18 month clothes. She wears a size 5.5 shoe. (You probably don't care, but one day I AM going to update her baby book, so this is primarily for my benefit.)
• Her hair curls around the nape of her neck in the most gorgeous way and I don't know if I'll ever be able to bring myself to cut it. She has this one sprout of hair on the top of her head that's been with her since day 1. All of her hair but this one bit fell out when she was a few months old. This spot is absolutely straight and is a stark contrast to the curls in the back. Precious!!
• She'd rather sit and examine a book than play with a toy. I'm getting a kick out of this because she'll "talk" to the pictures on the pages and it is so entertaining. I wish I knew what she was saying.
• We are experiencing "terrible twos" about 9 months too early. I don't know where the temper comes from because Patton and I both are pretty even-tempered people. It may have something to do with the red hair....

Well, those are the high points. She's such a blessing and I am getting such a kick out of watching her grow. More to come later....