Toothy Giraffe

Brush your teeth!!!It's fun to brush your teeth.And this is how you do it!A toothbrush is also handy for beating zebras (or naughty big sisters).I went to my first Halloween party last week. I'm the giraffe in front in case you can't recognize me. I'm in costume, you know.This mummy loved me. He was the gentlest kid I've ever met. Chase just wanted to play with me and hug me.He patiently showed me how the toys work.Besides making friends, I enjoyed exploring.Mina was busy doing crafts.Punk giraffe!Mmm...cookies!I had to show the other babies who's boss. Melia was at my mercy.Neither one of us were particularly cooperative for pictures. Mama will try to get some better costume pictures in the next few days.I love my sister's rocking chair. I rock it really hard, but haven't made it fall over yet (not that I haven't fallen off).Mama discovered that I'm not a good grocery shopper this morning. I kept turning in the cart seat (while restrained) and trying to dive into the basket. It wasn't fun for her or me. I'm hilariously naughty.

I had my nine month check up on Tuesday and it went well. I weighed 17 pounds, 3 ounces and was 27 inches long. I'm staying about the same on my growth curves so Dr. A didn't give Mama any grief.

I can now climb stairs. Everyone was impressed with my speed on Monday night at Nana and Papa's house. I don't attempt the stairs at home because they're bigger and scarier.

I'm still working on teeth. My top two are really out, but there's another that wants to break through up there also. I sure look different with my pearly whites.

Mama took me outside the other day and took tons of pictures of me. Enjoy.Dimples.No more!I helped Daddy measure the house for Christmas lights. Way to plan ahead, Daddy!I love to eat leaves and rocks.Mama says I remind her of a raccoon. I get into things and then hiss and glare when I get caught. I particularly love the laundry/dog room.Toilets are perfect drums.Mina likes it in the dog room too.I've been working on my milestones. As you saw in the first picture, I can get into "proposal" position. I can say Mama, Dada, and hi (although no one is sure if I'm doing it on purpose). I love to do "so big" and drum. I'm learning to wave and clap and getting better by the day. I love to attack the camera. This is what most of the pictures of me look like these days (only even more blurry).Mama can't resist my neck.

My sleep has been just as unpredictable as always. Some days I take one long nap. Most days I take two medium naps. One day in the last week, I took three naps. I get up once in the night, but it's anywhere from 1-7am. I'm up for the day between 6 and 9am. I really make it difficult to make specific plans. Mina is still sleeping from about 1:30-4:30 most afternoons so we're shut-ins. At least we can go outside and hang out while Mina sleeps the day away.

I'm also learning to stand on my own. Daddy gets me standing up and then he lets go. I can stay up for a second. Mama and Daddy want me to learn to walk because they're sick of the human vacuum stage. I eat everything off the ground. Yum.

Even though my family left me behind last weekend, I'm a happy girl.Mama can't take a picture of me without getting attacked. I want to eat the camera.My version of standing. Sometimes I get into the splits or stand with one leg straight and the other leg bent.Funny face for Grandpa.My top teeth!Another funny face to make Grandpa laugh.Finger sucking is serious business.Nana and Papa took good care of me while my family was in Chicago. They balanced things on my head.They took me for motorcycle rides.They made me cook dinner.They had me watch a few movies in a chair.They made me play fetch.No, really, they didn't do all that. They took excellent care of me. I was so satisfied and happy that I slept through the whole night when my parents returned.
Mama has promised me that she'll take me to Chicago to go shopping for prom dresses when I'm in high school to make up for Mina's Yo Gabba Gabba trip. Sweet.

I helped do some artwork for Daddy's birthday last week.Did I do a good job?Mina drew a monster and the Gabbas.Her next task was to feed me some grass so that was the end of the picture taking.In other chaotic news, I managed to cut my face on a pop can yesterday. It was really bloody. I'm not sure why Daddy was so happy about it.While I was recovering from my gash, Mina was suffering on the couch. She has a terrible cold and feels really yucky. Rumor has it that she slept in bed with Mama and Daddy last night.
My fourth tooth has come in for those wondering. I'm getting better at cruising and holding onto things with only one hand. There have been a couple of brief episodes of almost standing unsupported. I even try to stand up from sitting without pulling up on anything. I can get up on my knees so far. I climbed up one stair today for the first time. I've learned to growl and grind my teeth. I love to chew on the handle to the freezer (on the bottom of the fridge). I'm eating more adventurous of food - cheese, meat, yogurt. I also figured out how to get water from a sippy. I continue to be on either side of the spectrum at most times - either hilariously happy or pitifully distraught. At least I can change from one to the other quickly?!