nine months to grow

This week was Juniper's 3/4 year birthday!  In honor of her ninth months in the oven plus nine months in the big wide world, here are eighteen random, entirely true facts about nine month old Juniper:

• When she sneezes, she looks around expecting a "bless you." 
• She hasn't crawled yet, but she can creep around on her belly like a chubby little inchworm, hoovering up all manner of household detritus - lint, crumbs, carpet fuzzies.  On bare floor, her moving belly gathers dust and dog hair better than any Swiffer product.

She is utterly fascinated by, in no particular order, crickets, Paula Deen, the conversations of strangers, red blocks, the sound of the wind in the trees, toes, and raindrops.

She has gotten over her aversion to peas, but now asparagus makes her cry.

She steals silverware from restaurants.

She adores her puppy.  The puppy adores her.  They share a taste for paper products and a distaste for waking up early.

She sleeps for a long time at night, but her naps are very short (too short!) and unpredictable.

I sing all kinds of songs for her, but she is most soothed by her daddy's "Rock-a-Bye Baby."

Her third tooth is halfway out.  Her fourth tooth is just poking through.  She uses them with gusto.  Should your nose venture near her chompers, it will get bitten.  Likewise your fingers.  Or elbows.

She loves her books much more than her toys.  She spends long stretches of time yanking them off her bookshelf and thumbing through the pages.

She cries during most diaper changes.  Often she reaches earsplitting levels of hysterics.  What?  I must lie here on my back for a minute without rolling/eating/creeping/getting into trouble?  mweeeeeee!  mwaaahhhhhhh!  She also hates having food wiped off her face.

Her favorite stuffed animal is a big round bee that her Uncle Jon gave her. 

 

Itsy Bitsy Spider has not gotten old.

She is a goofball.  Her giggles are neverending.

She will get upset if you are eating something and are not sharing.

She sits in her stroller with one foot stretched up onto the crossbar and the other foot splayed out to the side.  My little lady.

She never wears socks or shoes.  Ever.  It is possible that our little barefoot hippie baby will not adjust well to cold weather.

She is huge.  Truly.