Who's a Big Girl??

This weekend, my office had their Holiday Party. I know, Christmas seems like FOREVER ago, but we've found that with 20+ schedules to contend with, we have the best luck with attendance when our party falls in January. Me personally, I LOVE Christmas, especially the music, so any chance to stretch that out a little bit, I jump right on board with. We had our party at the Shadowbox Cabaret in Newport, KY and it was a BLAST. Their generally raunchy R rated show was toned down to a modest PG-13 for their Holiday Hoopla and everyone, from our twenty-something Newbies to our retired seasoned veterans enjoyed the show immensely. I highly suggest checking it out, if for no other reason than to hear the house band "Bill Who?"s rendition of Transiberian Orchestra version of Carol of the Bells and to see the Santa Babies.

But enough about grown up fun. I know you are here to hear about Sophie. As our big girl nears the big "1", she is getting smarter, craftier and definitely sneakier. Her latest trick??

Sophie....Are you a big girl??

Sophie, are you a big girl??
Come on, Sophie, show us how big you are!!

Of course this is followed by so many 'YAY's and applause that now the mere mention of the word 'YAY' invokes this response. Followed by her clapping for herself.

Daddy has always been fond of flying her around and calling her Super Baby. Here is super baby at four months, followed by Super Baby today. He has to use two hands now, but it doesn't make it any less cute.

At different points in a child's development, they favor one parent over the other. With us, however, I think things are pretty well evenly split between Daddy and Mommy. I can't help but think that this is partially due to the fact that we really make an effort to get Sophie worked up and excited to see the other parent. Until recently, I was the one that woke Sophie up and we enjoyed a little bottle and snuggle time while Daddy got shaved and showered. When she was finished imbibing, I would stand her up facing the back of the couch and we'd look for Daddy. From our couch you can see (and hear) the bathroom door and she'd wait in anticipation for the door to open and Daddy to pop out. Some days I got her so worked up that she was jumping up and down on the couch waiting for him. And the smiles and squeals when he finally appeared!!

We have since found that Mommy's day runs a little more smoothly when the shower is the first thing she attempts, so we have now switched roles in the morning routine. Who wouldn't rush to get out of the shower if you knew this would be waiting for you?? I'll admit, that some days she's a little nonplussed (like today when she cried from the time I took her from Daddy until she was dressed and back up in bed napping.) But I'm working on not letting it get me down. I know that the next time she falls and bonks something, 'ma, ma, ma' will be coming out of her mouth!! I am not jealous that they have a good relationship, though. I love it. I love that I can randomly catch them snuggling and talking together on the couch on a Saturday afternoon. I want her Daddy to be her hero....and I'm pretty sure that right now he is :-) Yesterday we visited G-G-Ma Marge at the nursing home. Mommy had consumed a few too many cocktails at the Christmas Party the night before and her head was telling her she needed something greasy, so we stopped for lunch at Wild Mike's first. When it was Mommy's turn to occupy Sophie while Daddy ate, I tried to make it a game and have her grab french fries out of my mouth. I had no idea she'd go 'Lady and the Tramp' on me...

Yes, that's right. She came at me with her mouth open and took the fry from me with her teeth. It was SOOO funny that we had to get a picture. She did this a few times before I thought we should stop so that people didn't think I was making out with my little girl. We hadn't gotten to visit Marge last weekend, so she hadn't yet seen Sophie feed herself her bottle. The biggest bonus is that now G-G-Ma Marge can hold Sophie and snuggle while she eats. They were very cute together.

But as she gets older, she gets sneakier. We've given up on mittens. No sooner than you wrestle those little paws inside does she have them in her mouth - even with a scarf over her mouth - and bites them off. And of course, giggles. For a few days I kept them on their string through the arms of her coat so that people would know that I was a good mom and tried. Of course, my husband thought that was super silly, but he has NO idea how much moms judge each other. I can't tell you how many times I've been told loudly "At least you have enough sense to put a hat on your baby in this weather....Not like that WOMAN over there!!". Oh yeah, that WOMAN was always in earshot. Whether it was a hat, a heavy enough coat, or the elusive mittens, other mothers (mostly those that are now grandmothers) have no problems putting you down to someone else's face and making sure you've heard them. As yet, these remarks had never been said about me, only to me, and I've been trying so hard to not be the target. But I know I'm only biding my time, because, in addition to the glove battle, her scarf is nothing but a fuzzy necklace since she instantly pushes it off of her nose and mouth, and her hat is merely a chew toy.

I tell you, the guy that thought to stick pom poms on a kid's hat is an evil genious!

That's all for now. Wish me luck in my ongoing battle to keep Sophie ear-infection and frostbite free.