Times, They Are a Changin'

I've asked a lot of people, and the consensus is that Mira is not testing us. They say she's too young to understand the manipulative nature of her recent temper tantrums and that she is merely expressing her needs in a way that we find less than enchanting. That said, I find that my patience is waning. There has been a change at daycare which may explain this shift in temperment: baby Myles has moved in on Mira's territory (that being Dina's arms). Add to this the fact that she's teething once again, and that we've also tried to move away from bottles, and I'm finding that perhaps all of these events are too much for her to handle simultaneously. We're down to one bottle each morning, and that seems to help her start the day on a happier note. The bottles will disappear soon enough, so I'm not worried.

I think I mentioned already that Mira had her one year doctor's appointment. What I failed to mention is what happened at that appointment. Her doctor had just finished examining her and was attending to my never-ending list of questions when Mira cruised over to him. She clung to his pants, standing along side him for a while. I'm certain his yelp of "OUCH!" was clearly heard in the waiting room. Yes folks, she bit him. In the shin. While I'm certain that it's entirely inappropriate, I can't talk about it without laughing. He had just poked and prodded her.

Mira's bond with Ruby continues to grow. In fact, I'm a little concerned. Mira has now been seen carrying her baby around in her mouth from time to time -- just like Ruby carries her toys. She'll even shake her head from side to side while doing so (again, like Ruby does). Again, probably inappropriate, but all I can do is laugh. I anticipate a lot of that in the next few years.

We had Mira's pictures taken again this past weekend. Brenda has been taking Mira's pictures since she was three months old and had to laugh at how independent she's become. We attempted to take a family portrait as well, but Mira was having none of it. As long as we were in the picture, Mira was in a state of tantrum -- arched back and balled fists. As soon as we stepped out of the picture, she was an entirely different child. She hammed it up, even. The teenage years should be fun, right?

We've been the lucky recipients of many more of Mira's kisses lately. She's been throwing them around quite freely. Unfortunately, she's also been flashing her belly to the boys at daycare. Again with the teenage years . . .