The Scarlett Letters: #11: we've taken a turn

Oh Scarlett. Sweet, little, innocent Scarlett. My, what a turn we've taken.

Apparently at age thirteen months, along with your molars, you found your inner deviant. Now, at fifteen months, you are nurturing the crap out of said deviant.

Don't get me wrong, there is still way more good than bad. You aren't a "bad girl" you are just a little fresh. We are working very hard to make sure that you don't become that cute little girl who appears to be a spoiled brat. Because you aren't spoiled. In fact, you almost never get your way these days. Mostly because your way means: touching the television, grabbing handfuls of dog-food, pulling your clothes out of your dresser drawers, taking diapers from the trash, standing on anything unstable, throwing food and sippy cups, throwing toys at the dog, playing with the humidifiers, occasionally hitting and most recently - and the most unacceptable of them all - biting.

We got our first glimpse at your darling, little temper on our trip to the Christmas tree farm. Sure, you loved strolling around the fields in the cold, fresh air but when we attempted to get you back into the Jeep you flipped your switch. The back-arching, the stiff body, the scream-crying. The whole shebang. Through it all, we crammed your flailing and livid body into that car seat, strapped you in and continued on our way. Once defeated, you sniveled up your last whimpers and got over it. So, that scenario revealed our previously unknown method and motto - it's going to happen, so get over it.

That has been your only full-blown tantrum to date. You've since resorted to lots of, "no-no-no-noooo"s, tears and your tricky piranha moves. The biting is actually pissing me off. I can deal with the food-flinging and the crying and the jelly legs but the biting is officially my least favorite. We are dealing with it, however, and it's not going to last long, Missy!! You hear me?! (wink wink)

No matter the mood, you are always the most amazing part of every day and night for me and for your Dada. Your laugh is so stinkin' cute we will do anything to hear it. That mouthful of teeth - while dangerous as hell - is just the most darling jack-o-lanterny display I've ever seen. I continue to take an insane amount of pictures of you every day maybe just because you look so cute in your pants or because your eyes look an even brighter shade of blue in that pink sweater then they did yesterday in the gray one. We had a blast playing with you in the snow for the very first time this past weekend. You couldn't get enough of being pulled around in your sled or the mouth-numbing bites of snow you kept taking. Thank God for video and photographs. We'll never forget that day.

You aren't a good napper but you sleep like an angel all night. Your mealtimes are messy but you always eat your vegetables. Your attention span is super short but you learn an immense amount every day. You sometimes try to bite me when you're angry but you always kiss me goodnight. You're my sweetheart.

Love forever,
Mama xo