9 Months

The Little Miss is 9 months. Seeing how I delivered her about a week early, I guess she has been out of my belly longer than she was in it (and honestly, I like 9 month Penny WAY better than 9 months preggo Emily).

She has her "official" check up on Tuesday so I'm not 100% certain of her stats, but I can tell you that she has 4 teeth. If you lived at our house, she would tell you she has four teeth by biting your leg. Thankfully, she's not ripped into anyone's flesh yet (or gotten me while nursing), but I know the day is coming when Reggie is going to get what's coming to him (and believe me, it's coming. He's been a pretty onery bugger these past few weeks as he's starting to drop his nap. Penny is good to put up with the "abuse" for so long, but you can see it in her eyes--she's just waiting and biding her time for the perfect moment to strike back.).

I have been waiting and waiting for her to be the best sleeper in the world like Reggie, but I think I'm going to have to accept the fact that she's just an ok sleeper, probably above average, but boy were we lucky with Reggie. She naps for about 45 minutes in the morning and about 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the afternoon. Most nights she wakes up once thinking she needs to eat. When I hear her stirring, I usually stick to my guns for about 10 minutes thinking "I've seen those thighs. Girlfriend does not need a midnight snack. " But I usually cave in and selfishly revel in the cuddle time. At least she goes right back to sleep after nursing for about 10 minutes all on her own without anymore help from me. And she's got the Johansson early to bed, early to rise genes. I dream of a baby that will sleep until 8. :)

She thinks baby food is for the birds, and would rather spend her meal time scarfing down yogurt, cookies, crackers, or if Brandon's around, potato chips, frostys, whip cream, and all other sorts of contraband.

She is also "trouble" (said in a "Here comes trouble!" cutesy way). That girl will dart across the room to the Christmas tree/lights/lamp cord/junk on the floor/outlets/dvds/etc the second you turn your back. Brandon always says "She's just too fast!" and she really is. I feel like I watch her like a hawk, but then the next moment she's crawled under the table and is climbing up the chairs or grabbing the lamp cord and bringing the lamp completely off the table to the floor. She also is a dare devil and tries to cruise along the furniture with and without hands. I haven't found any gray hairs yet, but I'm thinking this girl might contribute a few here soon.

All in all, I love this girl. She is my little sidekick, and I love how she just goes with the flow and loves what she does. I love her independence, and yet she'll still nuzzle in and cuddle. I love watching her light up when Brandon comes home, and I can't wait to see her celebrating her first Christmas with us.

Love you lots Pen!