Who is this Hooligan?

A few days ago, I was talking to a woman on the subway with her 3 year old. (I always talk to people now, thanks to E.). Anyway, she made a comment along the lines of, "Well, at least she's out of the blob stage now."

I didn't really say anything in response but in my head I was thinking, "I kinda liked the blob stage!" E's not fully out of it (i.e. crawling and getting into everything) but she definitely seems to have become a different baby all of a sudden. No more setting her down in her gym and expecting her to be happy automatically. I have to be armed with toys and other distractions and then maybe she'll consider it. And, what's worse, she seems to be exhibiting all the signs of becoming a baby hooligan.

Exhibit A: Caught in the Act (kindly ignore Mom trying to sleep). Not sure what she's doing, maybe just plotting her mischief.

Now for some written evidence.

Yesterday, when I turned my back for just a second to get her a toy, she grabbed for the cat. Now, Ariel was asking for it by sitting just on the edge of E's blanket but still. And she responded as you would expect--with that aggressive paw move that doesn't connect but if it does, it couldn't be her fault.

And the other night, while eating her green beans, which she normally tolerates and/or sings about, E. flung a handful on the wall. How she managed to get a handful is another story. She's now started eating like a piglet. Mommy feeds her with a spoon and she responds by pushing some out of her mouth onto the edge of the high chair tray and chawing on it like it's her trough.

In a previous post, I showed E. eating books. Well, that has risen to a whole new level. She can not be trusted with any written material within grabbing range. At the doctor's, she tried to grab her chart off the desk. (Which makes me think the crying on the table was just a plea for paper). And, she tried to take her lovely doctor's pens and other medical instruments. At church, she's decided that the bulletins were designed for her to crumple and chew. Paper pulp can be created in the blink of an eye.

Finally, she now bites. And without warning. She bats those eyelashes, pulls your finger, or arm, or nose into her mouth and sinks those two little teeth in. Yowza!

To close, here's a final picture of the little bruiser:

Doctor's Visit

Tuesday was E's 6 month doctor's appointment.  She seems to have figured out a lot about going to the doctor.  She now cries when she goes on the table scale--she knows she doesn't like to be naked on a table.  The nurse had the nerve to ask if she sees many people when we're at home, as if E. was dealing with stranger anxiety rather than doctor visit anxiety!  She sees tons of people and little kids at my mommies' group, at the homeschool co-op, at church, on the subway, etc.  

Also, she can deal with the doctor examining her in my lap but once she has to go on the table, she cries again.  It's just unsettling, I guess.  But she doesn't seem to mind her doctor holding her.

The most interesting thing to me is that she seems to remember the shots from last time.  They always give her the oral vaccine first and in the past she has just gulped it down.  This time, she started crying when she got it.  Then she calmed down a bit until the nurse wiped her leg with the alcohol pad.  She really started screaming and my guess is that she knew what was coming next.  She didn't try to squirm away but the shot was not a surprise to her like it's been in the past.  

She had a flu shot this time and it didn't seem to affect her at first.  But then Wednesday afternoon, right before I had to leave for tutoring, I noticed that she felt a little warm and her cheeks were pinker than usual.  Sure enough, she had a fever.  At first I thought I should stay home but then I got all the doctor info and the medicine together and left it for R. and he handled it very well.  E. did also, except that she didn't want to eat unless she could put the spoon in her mouth herself.  What a time to decide she needed to feed herself!