Easy Rider: The Scarlett Years

Christmas Candy

Scarlett has finally discovered she likes sweets ... and I have to hear about it every single time she sees chocolate somewhere.

Today she discovered the Christmas lights next door. Apparently she thinks they are candy.  :)

Hello!!

Our Little Shopper

Scarlett got a box with a handle, loaded it up with ribbon and walked off with the box hanging off her arm.  She made a beeline for the same collection of ribbons when we went that store again a few days later. The girl knows what she likes!

Slippers in Public

Slippers on an adult in public?  Absolutely not!  Slippers on a little princess in public  at her insistance?  Absolutley!

Our Little Secret

Unbeknownst to Christian, Scarlett gets to play with his treasures when we drop him off at school.  Shh .... He would absolutely flip out if he knew!!

Scarlett's Follow Up Gastrointestinal Appointment

Today we took Miss Scarlett for her follow-up gastroenterologist exam.  At the last appointment - or any doctor appointment for that matter - she gets hysterical to even have her heart listened to.   However, this time, she let the tech weigh her, measure her, listen to her heart, etc. without any hysterics.  We couldn't believe it.  We knew it was a good sign.

The LPN, Shantel, had the same good fortune - a well-behaved Scarlett during the exam.   In fact, Scarlett was a little monkey - climbing all over the place, and also very talkative.  I was thankful, because it demonstrated that despite the concern for her petite statue, Scarlett is developing quite normally in all other areas. 

Scarlett had gained hardly a pound since her last appointment on 9/11/13.  We discussed, at length, what Scarlett eats, how much, when, etc.   And thankfully, Shantel never mentioned giving her meds to make her hungry.   She simply sent us home with the same list of calorie- and fat-rich foods to feed her.  We also got small supply of more nutrition shakes to try, and a request to come for a follow up visit in February.

Scarlett is still well-below the curve on the growth chart, but Shantel's comment is that she'd simply like to see Scarlett progress on her very own growth chart, and that made me happy.  The standard growth chart is just that ... standard.  If we follow that chart, she'll never be on it.   

For his part, Christian was Captain Hook and had a grand time talking all about his adventures with Shantel.

Scarlett's Followup Gastroenterologist Appointment

Today we visited the gastroenterologist (Shantel) again.  Should have seen her back in November, but um, Mommy remember the appointment time incorrectly.  Ugh.

But moving right along ...

Scarlett's weight is currently in the 19 pound range (at almost two years of age) and she gained barely a pound since her last appointment on September 11th.  We had cut back on the breastfeeding, as recommended, and we feel she has been eating much better in the past two months.

Scarlett was remarkable well-behaved for this appointment.  She didn't fuss one bit when the assistant weighed and measured her (in the past, she's been very upset).  She didn't fuss when Shantel examined her, either.  In fact, Scarlett was in great spirits, full of energy, and had lots to say.

And that was a very good thing, because I think Shantel was able to see that Scarlett, while very petite, has no developmental issues.  And happily, she made no mention of medication to make Scarlett hungry.

Shatel's conclusion is that Scarlett simply isn't getting enough calories (still).  She suggested we stop the overnight nursing, because it is probably impacting how Scarlett eats during the day.  She suggested the usual round of high calorie, high fat foods and beverages.  We were sent home with another brand of nutritional shakes for Scarlett to try.

They'd like to see us back in February. Shantel (who is a nurse practitioner) is moving, so at our next appointment, we'll see an actual gastroenterologist ... it will be interesting to hear what he has to say.  We're hoping he'll just accept that Scarlett is a petite princessa.

Christian's thing these days is to make sure HE gets in the pictures and videos at every opportunity. :)

Scarlett is playing her favorite game, "Tag! You're it!"

 

Scarlett and the Pumpkin Patch

 

Our annual pumpkin picking pics! :)

 

First, remember what she looked like last year?

 

She wasn't even walking this time last year: 

http://loslucerosdeux.blogspot.com/2012/11/miss-scarletts-first-pumpkin-patch-visit.html

 

And now this year!! :)

Scarlett is 21 Months Old

 

 

 

 

Here's some of what she's saying these days:

• "What?!"  Much like Christian, when you ask Scarlett something of interest to her, she'll respond with an enthusiastic, "What?!"
• "Go away!" Scarlett says this when Bella is around.
• "Stop / Stop it!"  If she doesn't want us to sing to her, or touch her or talk with her, she'll let us know.
• "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!" Her sweet, precious, "No" has become long, and LOUD!
• "Bella" Scarlett says Bella's name perfectly now.
• "Hug"  Scarlett is so very affectionate.  Sometimes she'll just walk up to one of us and say, "Hug" and give us a sweet hug, and sometimes pat our backs as she hugs.  Afterwards, she'll look at us with big ol' kissey lips and give a kiss, too. 
• "Shhhh ..."  Sometimes, if we tell her Christian is sleeping, she'll say, "Broer seeping ... shhhhhh ..." as she puts her index finger to her mouth.
• "Hi!" and "Bye!"  Practically every person Scarlett comes across gets an enthusiastic hi or bye.  And if they don't respond, Scarlett will keep saying it until they do.  Ha!
• "Bass you!"  Every sneeze, and some coughs, get a "Bass (bless) you!" from Scarlett.
• "Amen!"  At the end of our prayer at dinner, Scarlett gives a loud, "AMEN!"  And if you haven't said it - or she missed you saying it - she will look at you and say, "AMEN!  AMEN!" until you do.  She's the little "Amen Police." :)

And here's what Scarlett is doing:

• Christian has become rather emotional over things lately.  Many times, as he's crying and carrying on, Scarlett will just stand there and observe him.  And then she'll walk over, look him in the face and give him a hug and pat his back.  She loves her big brother!   And likewise, if we're around other kids and one does something to upset Scarlett, Christian comes over and looks at her so sweetly, puts his arm around her and says, "Sister, are you okay?"
• Suddenly, Scarlett has strong opinions over what she wears some days.  If she catches me in her closet, she'll come over to lend a hand and I will point to something, and she'll say, "No!"  I point to something else, she ponders for a moment and then, "No!"  I keep trying and trying and eventually, she finds something she likes.   I love her independence, but it can take a long time for her to make a decision, so I try to get her an outfit when she's otherwise occupied. :)
• She continues to love shoes - and socks.  She doesn't care whose they are, or how ill-fitting they are.  She makes me laugh when she comes walking into the room with one of Jonathan's socks, pulled all the way up to her knees.
• Scarlett is Mommy's "Mini-Me" and imitates so much of what I do.  We were at the salon recently and there was some hair mousse at her level and she picked up the bottle, shook it, acted as if some was in her hand and then rubbed her hands together and ran her hands through her hair. 
• Scarlett loves to color and draw (unlike Christian).  She is amazing because she actually holds her chosen writing implement correctly - I never showed her.  She gets so focused on what she's drawing, too. 
• Her favorite movie these days is, "Tangled" (Disney's Rapunzel movie).  The moment I put it on, she's completely focus and doesn't move.  Every day, she chases me around the house, "Tagnoood!  Tangoood!"  and if I deny her the request ... whooooo ... look out! 
• Scarlett continues to go pee-pee on the potty nearly every morning, and often at bath time, too.  I haven't tried random potty excursions throughout the day just yet, though.  I'm so pleased with her do-it-yourself potty training that I'm just going to let her do what she's doing.
• She LOVES to wash her hands.  If she sees me washing my hands, she runs over, "Hands ... HANDS!!!" while sticking her hands up.   She loves soap, and is great at scrubbing her hands and turning the water off.   Alas, if only Christian were as into washing his hands.
• Scarlett has figured out what hot is ... and when she touches something rather warm, she says, "Hot" and blows. 
• Scarlett LOVES to swing in the big kid swing, and slide.  If she goes down the slide by herself, she always goes on her belly - it is so cute!
• And finally ... the tantrums.   Oh boy, the tantrums.  They have become very regular, and very physical - moving her body all over the place, throwing herself down to the floor, etc.   On one hand, it is frustrating because when she gets like that, there seems to be no end and it is impossible to understand what has her so worked up.