Hysteria at the doc and tales of teething...

No, she's not crying.  This is her response when I asked her to smile for the camera.

"Dtar"

Her new favorite activity: taking the bottom out of her dolly 

cradle and sitting in it (on the floor). 

Amelia had her 15 month check up recently.  She weighs 23.8 lbs, 83rd percentile if I remember correctly, she's 31 inches tall which puts her in the 97th percentile for height (wow, I was surprised by this one) and her head is still off the charts.  No surprise there.  She's still got some cradle cap going on her scalp, stubborn stuff.  Not much to report as she's tip top as usual.  We are always so thankful for this report.  What we are not thankful for is the hysteria that ensues when the doctor simply walks in the room.  That's all he has to do is just walk in and one look at his long white coat and his black stethoscope wrapped around his neck and she's in full on hysteria mode.  He's not even the one who gives her the shots, for crying out loud.  We love doctor Frank but if I thought switching to a different doc would help the situation, I'd do it.  Unfortunately, we've found it's this way with all medical personnel.  So we pray that it's just a phase, a very sad one at that, and that will end soon!  It's terribly difficult to conduct any type of conversation with Dr. Frank while this goes on as she clings to me, and buries her face in my neck while screaming.  Amazingly, Ford has been able to be at every appointment so far and bless him, he does his best to distract and entertain her (though she won't let anyone hold her but me).  Sometimes this works, for half of a minute and as soon as Dr. Frank moves in his squeaky chair, she's clinging harder and crying again as if to say "mama, don't let that guy come near me!"  So sad, poor kid.  Doctor visits stink.

Onto teething.  Amelia has 12 teeth now.  Top 4 incisors, bottom four incisors, and 1st molars and she's eating chicken and turkey with the best of them.  She is now cutting her eye teeth, otherwise known as canines or cuspids.  I have heard and read that these 4 can be the most painful for babies.  She's certainly acting as if this is true.  Biting on things, chomping on her mommy shirt and wash cloths, even bitten down Ford and I a few times.  She's been displaying general crankiness and poor sleeping at night.  It's amazing how these poor sleeping spells come around again and again...just when you think you've got it licked, we're up 3 times a night or for an hour or two at a time.  And I find myself questioning myself all over again, just like I did when she was 6 months, a year...is it really her teeth or is she playing me for some mommy snuggle time?  After analyzing it all, this time I do believe it's teeth and am treating it as such and this has helped with the sleep trouble a bit.  But just a bit. So we take it a night at at time and pray for the best!  

The latest obsession in Amelia's life...toe jam.  Yes, she's discovered the sock fuzzes between her toes.  She spends great lengths of time sitting down and pulling her foot up as close to her face as she can get it so she can inspect between all of her toes.  In the morning while I'm changing her diaper, she sticks her feet in my face and spreads her toes...her way of asking me to do the inspecting for any footie pajama toe fuzz.  I do it.  Yes, I do.  And she's always so happy and satisfied when all is free and clear.  Clean toes, so liberating.