Ticks

Cora had her 9 month checkup yesterday. I called weeks ago to get an appointment but they couldn't get me one until the end of the month. Then they called and changed my appointment time without even asking. I called to change it just on principle and was able to get a sooner appointment without a problem. My favorite pediatrician is being deployed so we had to see somebody else. He was worried about Cora's lack of verbal skills. He suggested that Bohdin and Nyla should stop getting her things she points to and make her say it instead. Cora has never pointed at anything in her life. I'm not concerned about her verbal skills at all. She says lots of stuff just not the right stuff for this doctor apparently. Cora doesn't really ask for anything verbally either. If she wants something she just gets it. She's not one to sit around and wait for things to come to her. That's not quite true. She can be incredibly patient (or perhaps stubborn) when waiting to eat or sleep. I think those are the two exceptions.

Cora has become fascinated by the stairs. She has climbed them several times and wants to go down them as well. We've taught her how to safely get off the bed and how to go down the one step from Bohdin's room. She does well with it but we don't trust her yet. I don't know why. She gets off the bed fine by herself but we always reach out anxiously to be nearby just in case. The problem with her going down the stairs is that she has no clue about sitting too close to an edge. She has fallen off the bed that way and would likely do the same thing on the stairs. In the meantime she thinks it is a fun game to crawl quickly toward the stairs with me chasing her. She even looks back to make sure I am coming. I do not think it is a fun game but it makes her giggle.



Not in the mood for picture taking.



We had one day without rain but more in the forecast so we went outside to keep working on the garden. Bohdin has been pushing me to plant seeds for days but wasn't interested yesterday. He was out there for just a few minutes before going inside. The rest of us made a little bit of progress. Cora has learned how to escape the trellis run and happily steps on pea plants and pulls up lettuce. She finally stayed still for a while when chewing on the handle of a shovel. Nyla woke up really early yesterday so we came in earlier than I hoped. Nyla, Cora, and I took a quick bath. I think I had a tick on me but didn't pay too much attention. It may have been a stubborn spot of dirt. I found a dead tick on the bathtub ledge. When I was drying Cora off she had her first tick bite. I checked Bohdin and Nyla just in case and Bohdin had a tick bite on the middle of his back. The ticks are so bad this year. I've had three bites so far. Bohdin, Nyla, and Cora have all had one. We are going to start using insect repellent every time we go outside. Our lazy chicks aren't helping at all yet.