Amelia, the Trouble-Maker

Just one month ago I had a sweet little baby who was content to sit and play with a few toys within her reach, or even just watch her big brother play.  Whenever I left the room to throw clothes in the drier, help Marley on the potty, or answer the phone, Little Miss Predictable always stayed right there where I left her. 

Of course, I knew she'd be crawling eventually.  But, I really wasn't prepared for the level of mayhem we're currently facing.  First, is her sudden ability-spurt.  She's now crawling, climbing, AND pulling up to standing.  She especially likes to pull herself up on things that roll, can't bear her weight, or easily tip over.  She pretty much needs a spotter all the time. 

Second, she's now able to "join" Marley in whatever he's doing, much to his dismay.  Building a complicated Lego tower?  She'll help destroy it.  Coloring a picture in a coloring book?  She'll break all the crayons and rip the page out.  Laying out a scene with tiny toy cars?  She'll see if she can't get one lodged in her windpipe.  She's not stable enough to withstand the force of a toy being ripped from her hands, so it usually ends in a tumble.

Finally, she's decided that all of her toys are boring and that if she can't have Marley's toys then she's going to play with (read: eat) things that are not toys.  Things such as shoes, garbage cans, phones, and bathroom scales.  Plus, she's gotten really good at picking up tiny crumbs from the floor.  And eating them, of course.  On top of all that, she's been extra cranky because she's had a cold and been teething (we're up to 5 teeth now!) for the last week.

The honeymoon is over.