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....