Crawling*

*more like a movement that is akin to crawling, but with a distinctive Penelope twist to it.

The crawling comes near the end of the video, but I included just some of her being cute, which is what she does best. Well, eating, sleeping and pooping are close contenders, but cuteness is the only thing most people see.

I'm off to San Diego tomorrow for work as is my custom these days. I have been on loan to another engineering firm for the past two months and it requires me to travel, either to San Diego or San Francisco, each week for at least a day or two. Mostly, I'm up in San Francisco as that is where the main office is, but I also go down to San Diego if they have the need. The traveling has been pretty brutal and has put a lot of strain on our family. We have kind of settled into the situation, but it still kind of sucks and I'm not sure when it will end. Jenn really depends on me at night to give her a break and I miss out on being with her and P. Also, including the hours I spend traveling, I am logging 50-55 hours a week for work and that is burning me out quickly...gonna have to make a change in the situation soon.

Anyway, back to P. She is moving around a lot these days and getting into all sorts of stuff. We are quickly finding out things we need to baby-proof in the very near future. Anything she can get to, she will grab and pull on -- she already pulled out some board games, tugged on some power cords and got a picture or two. She still prefers to stand and move around by holding on to things, and she has become quite good at stepping. Does she ever move fast, too!

Here is your gratuitous Penelope picture of the day...

"I'm not so sure about this guy..."

Nine Months!

Penelope fell asleep on the way home in her carseat (the bucket) and it reminded me of when we brought her home, nine months ago, today. So, here she is, then and now:

About fifteen hours old, 6 lbs, 13 oz, 20 inches

Nine months and about fifteen hours old, probably about 19 lbs and 29 inches

Needless to say, her days in the bucket are almost at an end; we are waiting until the end of the summer heat (we like to be able to bring the carseat indoors when it is so dang hot outside) to change it out for her "big girl" Britax seat.

She might be bigger but look at that sleeping face...she hasn't changed that much. That makes me happy...even when she is thirteen, maybe at least when she is sleeping, I will be able to catch a glimpse of the baby girl we brought home, nine months ago today.

Standing

Well, I've been trying to capture it for a couple of days now, but I've just been unlucky and/or unprepared. What am I trying to capture? Well, Penelope can now pull herself to standing and I've been trying to get video of the event. It's pretty fun to watch and she is so happy when she stands herself up. Someday I will catch it and then ya'll will get to see it.

Still no crawling nor any interest in doing so. She loves to roll, stand, and bounce, but that is about it. If we put her on her stomach she'll just stay there or end up rolling over. We've tried to coax her with toys, but she'll just lean over to grab the toy and if it's too far away she'll lose interest. Oh well, it will happen sometime.

Update: Finally! Here it is...

For Granny LaBouff

Penelope met her great-grandmother Maxine LaBouff last March, when Granny came out for Penelope's Naming and Dedication Ceremony. Like any loving grandmother, Granny spoiled Penelope with many cute clothes, including an adorable summer outfit complete with a bow. You know the which ones I am talking about: the bow/headband thingies that seem to look so goofy...mostly because they are on bald baby's heads?

I think they are silly and, at least until Granny gave her one, had no interest in putting them on Penelope's head. But despite my aversion to headband bows or whatever you want to call them, I promised Granny that I'd put the bow on her head and take a picture. We love Granny and would do just about anything for her. That's what we grandkids do for our grandmas, you know? And it is a darn cute outfit so, for Granny, just this once, no problem.

Here she is, Granny! And, okay, I'll admit it: she actually does look pretty cute in that darn bow.