A good indication you might be tired is when you wake up in the morning and you brush your teeth thinking that the sunscreen tube you are holding is actually the toothpaste. Not only did I squeeze a good dollop on my toothbrush, I actually worked up a furious lather in my mouth before my brain computed that it wasn't some god-awful European licorice flavor-gone-bad brand but actually sun block. I thought for a moment that I was going to have to call Poison Control for myself. Blegh. My tongue was UV protected to the count of 45, thanks to my anti-aging Neutrogena sunscreen.
That was the final straw. I decided to start taking better care of myself this week, because I realized the hard way that my energy and "focus" batteries were at an all time low. I started by addressing my back pains and carpo-tunnel aches that were a result of going from carrying zero to sixteen pounds, as I did, when we adopted Makena. Yeah, I know, I should have done the sit-ups. Whatever. So I marched myself into the chiropractor's office thinking that I would get one adjustment and be out of there, but the guy was slightly dumbfounded by the state of my back and told me that it would take a minimum of five sessions before he could have some effect on my posture and pains. Nice. In any case, I lay face down and I swear I've never heard so many "cracks" come out of my spine and neck (as opposed to the wise cracks that come out of my mouth). I think I may be an inch taller since the first session!
I also decided that I needed to dig up my "What to Expect The First Five Years " book because after spending several sleepless nights over the Thanksgiving holiday, I finally realized that Makena's "one year" molars had come in (duh) and those suckers are big. When the bottom ones appear, I won't be sticking my finger in her mouth anymore -- unless it's to pull out a live worm -- as I did recently. It was a "catch and release" and she pitched a crying fit because she didn't get the pleasure of swallowing it.
It takes a special skill to extract theses things from her and I have discovered that she has a cruel streak and that she derives a certain pleasure from locking her jaw around my index and clamping down. If I scream, as is usually the case, she giggles with pure delight. Thank god I'm not squeamish though, because when it comes to dealing with bugs in this family, I am the spider and moth relocator. I'll even give the odd earwig another chance at love, life, and the pursuit of moisture -- but as long as it heads outside. If you are cricket and you are in my house, you are out of luck, you get fed to Jack's geckos.
Makena had her "one year" check-up at thirteen-and-a-half months because the pediatrician wanted us to spend more time with her (between visits) so that we could better discuss her development. As far as statistics go, she weighs 19 pounds and stands 29.5 inches. She is creeping up the charts in height, closing in on the 50% and coasting at a 12% for weight. She babbles incessantly, continues to point, and I am beginning to suspect that the word "dat," that she always says, may be her attempt to call out "Jack."
She claps. She shakes her bottle on command and she likes to gouge babies' eyes when she meets them. She also has a good enough sense of balance to sit on a skateboard and be pushed along for a few feet. She loves her rice porridge, any kind of meat or fish, steamed carrots, green beans and yogurt. She is partial to pineapple, rice crackers, seaweed and noodles. She does not do well with any soy products. She doesn't digest them or sleep well if she has eaten them so they are no longer a part of her menu. I am inclined to think that wheat may cause her similar problems. The doctor also gave us permission to run out of formula and start her on whole milk, so I guess she is getting the nutrition she needs, but part of me wants to keep going until she is about 18 months. Mostly because we will be traveling and milk tends to taste different in other parts of the world and I want to keep things the same. I may just put milk in a sippy-cup and see how she likes it before I let formula go completely. Yes, I'm talking to myself.
On the downside, Makena continues to be fascinated by the toilet -- which is such a drag because now I have to get those seat locks. I'm not so concerned about her diving head first into the bowl, as I am worried about the "souvenirs" Jack's friends leave behind when they come to visit. It's very frustrating. Not everyone, it seems, has been taught to put the toilet lid down, let alone flush!
Finally, she took her first three steps this week and I think that she realized how monumental this milestone in her development was because she is now determined to practice every chance she gets and insists on holding our hand for balance. She is on the move everywhere, to the point where she is starting to pitch fits when we carry her. I am seriously worried that the minute she knows she doesn't need our help to go from point A to point B, that she will be off and running without looking back. I also have the sneaking suspicion that this precise realization will happen on the flight to Hawaii in a couple of weeks. I am inclined to book Jack and my husband on separate rows and have them pretend not to know us just to ease my stress. Which brings me to another "Isabelle is penitent" moment: I was always shocked, and I'll admit, that I also looked down on people who "harnessed" their children and "walked" them about in crowded places. I thought they were paranoid. Well guess what? I'm paranoid. I think Makena's "active" disposition may have won me admittance into that club and I can't believe it but I do understand those people because I now know where they were coming from. I hope I am wrong about Makena's "don't look back" attitude because if I wasn't able to leash-train Tiger, what the heck am I going to do with her?
Help!
Is - not all that I am cracked up to be.
We spent the first week of Jack's winter break up in the mountains and it was fantastic, we got there just ahead of a snow storm that left us with a few feet of snow and a good base for skiing. I managed to squeeze Mak into the same fleece one-piece Jack had worn when he was a baby (one of the few things I kept) so she was somewhat weatherized to have fun in the elements and loved it.
Jack's friends Conner and Olivia came along with us for the week and it was a blast. We always had to have our guard up because we never knew whether we would be assaulted by a barrage of snowballs or not.
We were also joined by Mak and Jack's Uncle and Auntie who showed up with a new fleece for Makena in girl colors. 
