Alessi - 9 months

I'm exhausted.

I was warned by a lot of people that when Pip became mobile she'd be off and I'd discover a new kind of tired. Some of those people even told me with a hint of glee in their voice and a gleam in their eye, so to you I say this.
Bastards.

I mean this isn't exactly new, she was doing this last month, it's just that now she's gotten stronger and faster. I literally can't keep up. She spends the majority of her day on her feet and it annoys her no end that she can't walk unaided. As for me, unaided walking can take it's sweet time. Just having Pip cruising bombing around all day long is causing no end of trouble. We've had to block the Christmas tree in to a corner using both sofas. Our attempts at baby proofing have been a flop. They're simply not Pip proof.

She understands no. Does she always listen to it though? Ironically, no.
Most of the time, if I say no,she listens, but other times she'll just go ahead and do it anyway. And if she's feeling really cheeky she'll even turn around to me, smile, wave and then go back to whatever she was doing. It's all I can do not to crack a smile and start laughing at her goofiness. How do you start with the discipline when they just make you crack up each time??

Waving is her new favourite thing and if she hears someone saying "bye bye" on the TV she'll turn and wave to them She gives Dan a wave goodbye each morning. She's also learnt to clap so whenever she's done something she's proud of she'll give herself a little congratulatory clap. Like yesterday, she caught her own lunch. She spied a woodlouse, popped it into her mouth and gave herself a clap. This is the first woodlouse she's actually eaten. The other two I managed to fish out. Like I said earlier though, I can't keep up any more!

This photo has nothing to do with waving or woodlice, but it's here because I love it. 

She's a rowdy little goof, shouting and squealing to herself or blowing raspberries constantly. Noise is now a constant in this house and I'm trying to take it all in as this is our last month together before I return to work. It'll only be two days a week and I think it'll be great for Pip. She's so active and sociable, I think having a couple of days away from me and Dan each week will really kick start her independence and help her personality flourish.

But until then, I'll spend my time trying desperately to take photos of the little pickle that aren't blurry!