points about ninja to remember her by when i'm old and grey

-she growls at me when i don't do what she wants fast enough and/or to her liking. i do not respond to growls! so i ignore her or laugh at her. she gets the hint eventually - hello, growing awareness of social cues! - and then she laughs and gives me a softer edge to her voice

-during the last few months she has become very shy unless she's in my ring sling. she especially despises my dad (and he loves her so very much!). i do not pass her to people if it upsets her. i've found that if i keep her in my sling and then, over the course of an hour or two, loosen it until it falls around us, she warms up to present company and won't cry. then, people offer their arms to her; she is hesitant at first but when i feel her tip herself in their directions, i know she's ok and i pass her on to the others in her life who love her so much.

-on a related note, she thinks strollers are so last year.

-she is still impossible to put to bed. this is not new. today i spent a total of 6 hours trying to get her to sleep. oy.

-she loves to grip my hands and swing herself from side to side on my lap. to her, it's really the happiest thing in the world.

-she also loves it when i: sing to her, dance with her, put on makeup in front of her.

-when i change her diaper, she chases my shadow on the wall.

-she is so close to crawling; when i put her on the floor she is already motoring around

-she loves Sophie the Giraffe (dumb looking toy!) and her handmade sock monkey (another goofy toy)

-she can't be bothered to nurse during the day, preferring still to snack every 2 hours at night although we had gotten her to go for 4-hour stretches

-she is obsessed with the TV. i don't let her watch anything and so when it is on, in odd moments, i can't possibly get her attention on anything else

-she despises her car seat and so i can't leave our town. she also as a rule won't nurse in public or nap outside of the house. i'm bound to our home. i am mostly ok with this but others in my life are not.

-nothing excites her more than having a bath

-she thinks clothes are dumb and that i'm a Mean Mommy for making her wear anything

-she is terrified of my elliptical trainer and so i can't exercise

-she has the best smile in the world. i asked dh where he thinks she gets her sparkly grin from - me? him? a grandparent? - and he said, "from herself."