9 Months Old!

Happy 9-month birthday to me! It was good to be back in my big brown birthday chair. Speaking of big, I'm already wearing my 12-month clothes. At my last doctor visit, I found out I'm 19 lbs. 8 ounces (which is 50-75th percentile) and 29 inches tall (90th percentile). I still have a small-ish noggin' (17 inches -- 25th percentile) but my proportions are definitely America's Next Top Model caliber.

Chillin' on LSD

Went over to Creepy Uncle Vlad and Yelena's crib on Lake Shore Drive today to play with my pals Roni and Ashie (and Mysterio's daughter).



Asher wasn't quite as mad at the world as the last time I saw him but he did have his moments.



When he settled down, Ashie and I played nice and even held hands for a while. Hope Leo J and Tyler S don't get too mad that I'm holding around on them.



Welcoming me to the family, Roni gave me kisses and hugs -- which was a departure from her usual nose picking antics.

Hair-Raising Experience

My afro is coming in nicely. Still have a ways to go to catch up to Big Ben though.

Outfoxed

Today we spotted a fox hanging out above our backyard patio, just staring at us. He was out there for a good 15 minutes. Then Mommy scared him away but he came back to the same spot 5 minutes later and just sat there staring. Can we keep him Mommy, can we?!?

Playdate

Cousins Rachel and Sarah Milstein came over to visit today. This was my first time meeting Sarah -- she was in school back in August when I met Rachel. Sarah wasted no time getting to know me though, diving right into my playmat. Methinks she had more fun with my toys than I did.

Se Habla Espanol

Karina has been teaching me Spanish. She came over today to watch me while Mommy and Daddy went to dinner. She brought her son Matthew and we played Pat-a-cake in Espanol. It was muy beuno.

The Excorcist

I seem to be possessed lately. I do this weird thing where I tense up my hands and let out a shriek like I'm trying to pass a stone. It doesn't take much to set me off -- here Mommy just claps and the demon in me responds. Mommy and Daddy keep waiting for an alien to pop out of my chest... or worse... a squacoon!

Bobkitten

The college recruiting continues -- and Lord knows I need a scholarship since Daddy lost my college fund at Dreidel. Indiana University was the first to try and sign me. Then some Illinois boosters reached out. Now the Bobcats of Ohio University have come calling. These duds come courtesy of Grandpa and Grandma who are betraying their Illini roots by trying to sway me towards OU. I wonder if the Marching 110 does karaoke?

Oh Dreidel I Shall Play

We celebrated Hannukah at Great-Aunt Sue and Great-Uncle Gary's today. As is customary, we played a little high stakes dreidel. Sure enough, cousins Rob and Sarah cleaned us out. Guess we'll have to start over on that college fund.



Cousin Ryan's gotten a lot bigger (and hairier!) since I last saw him at his 1-year birthday party. He took a break here from eating his bagel to try and snag my barret.



Uncle Noah let me in on another Goldman holiday tradition... the wedgie!



When it was my turn to eat, Mommy made me work for it -- tossing the puffs into my mouth.



Here's a closer look.



Finally it was time to open presents. I made out like a bandit but the most popular gifts of the night were...



...the full-bodied calculators -- weeee! Ryan was nice enough to share his with me and Daddy taught me his trick to remember the order of math equations -- Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sue.



All the excitement wore me out. I was party pooped.



After the party, we went back to Bubbie and Zayde's where Uncle Noah resumed Project Wedgie...



... and Zayde cracked me up with his off, er... behind the wall antics.

The Courtship Continues

Today was date number 7 with Leo J. He may be over a year older than me but I'm almost as big as him.



Until now, Leo's been the perfect gentleman but, after seeing how my recent date with Tyler Schilt went down, Leo decided to stop taking it slow. It took some encouraging from his Mom and Dad but he finally worked up the courage to hold my hand.

Stay Puft

After playing at Leo's, the plan was to go to Lincoln Park zoo for zoo lights. Before facing the negative 20 below wind chill, we had to bundle up. This snowsuit is 18-months so I was swimming in it. We didn't make it far, though. After walking a few blocks we had to turn around cuz it was too darn cold. It was just as well, though... turns out zoo lights was closed on Christmas Eve. Poor Leo wasn't happy -- I left him freezing and crying at the end of the night. Date #7 goes down as a dud. As they say in Vegas, "Better luck." (And, after last weekend, his parents know all too well what I mean here.)

M-m-m-my Menorah

This tin's not just for banging, it also makes a tasty Hannukah treat. I like it a lot(ke).

Karaoke, My Crib 2 AM

You all know karaoke's in my blood and I'm more than comfortable with a mic in my hand, er... mouth, so it should come as no suprise that I'm hosting nightly sessions in my crib (followed by visits to the dentist 30 minutes later).

Merpy Chrismakwanzannukah!

Ever the shameless self-promoter, I convinced Daddy to put my blog URL on our holiday cards. Let's see if traffic spikes more than the holiday nog.

'Hop'py Hannukah!

Daddy and I made up a new Hannukah song to play using the popcorn tin that Great-Grandpa Irv sent us. It's sort of a comedy. Not Adam Sandler style though. More like if Stewart Copeland did Hip Hop.

The Whole Tooth and Nothing But the Tooth

My first couple teeth started poking thru a few weeks ago but Daddy hadn't been able to get a close-up pic until today. For what it's worth, I thought you all should know that my first dentist appointment will be scheduled for 2:30 -- get it, tooth hurty? :)

Oh Hannukah, Oh Hannukah

Tonight we celebrated the first night of my first Hannukah. We gathered around the Hannukah bush to light the Menorah and mumble the prayers.



8 days of presents!?! I could get used to this!



You all know how much I love paper. Needless to say, opening the presents was my favorite part.



Although playing with the John Deere toy Grandma and Grandpa got me was pretty cool too.

Creepy Crawler

I finally started crawling today. I do this pseudo army-crawl where I use one elbow to dig forward while my other arm stays limp and I use the opposite leg to push off while the other one flails around. In this video, you can see me taking a couple small scoots to get my book. You should see how fast I go when you dangle Big Toe in front of me. Talk about cutting a rug -- I practically hack the hardwood.

Big Toe

Far and away, my favorite toy right now is Big Toe -- a present Auntie Em gave me back in August. I'm also rocking a new outfit that Auntie Em gave me over Thanksgiving. I sure am lucky to have such a good Aunt. Without her I'd be bored and naked.

Rubbing It In

Great-Uncle Denny may be follically challenged but he doesn't seem to be too jealous of my luscious locks. That didn't stop me from making fun of him though and sticking out my tongue for good measure...

Pick on Someone Your Own Size!

It's been about 6 months since Cousins Jonah was last in Chicago. At that time, he still had quite a few LB's on me. But I'm catching up quickly (and already have more hair!) He also played a lot more nicley last time. This time around, he socked me good upside the head and I was scared of him for the rest of the day. Not sure why I didn't just wind up and give him my ole knockout punch. Guess that's reserved for Mommy.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

After order was restored, I shared my toys with Jonah (hands off my big toe though!) and we played a little hide and go seek with Cousin Andrea...

Smile Like You Mean It

Great-Aunt Elieen and Great-Uncle Denny also came over and us girls snapped a couple glamour shots. I've definitetly learned how to ham (and cheese) it up for the camera.

Roadie

As has become tradition, Daddy takes a picture for the road before we part ways. Can't wait to give thanks again! Although Grandpa is threatening to change it up and do prime rib next year. What a fowl idea!

Scaquarium

So you've heard of the squacoon but not the scaquarium? Well, silly, that's the South Carolina Aquarium. And it's a good place to get tanked.

A-bridged Version

Grandma and Grandpa's condo building is right on the river so we can walk to this pier. Like a bridge over troubled water, Mommy laid her head down.

8 Months Old!

It was tough to do my monthly photo on the road but we made do with the only brown chair Grandma and Grandpa have. There wasn't enough room for the sign though so Grandma had to prop it up behind me. You get the point though... I'm getting bigger!

Life's a Beach

Flew down to Charleston, SC yesterday for Thanksgiving with the Neimans. Took a spin around town and checked out the Isle of Palms beach, which is only 20 minutes away from Grandma and Grandpa's House. As little orphan Annie said, "I think I'm gonna like it here!"



There was a guy flying this crazy 7-tiered kite. I was winded just watching.

It Takes More Than a Hammer and Nails

Our tour of Charleston continued to downtown and Rainbow Row. This house wasn't part of that strip but made for a serviceable backdrop. I'll spare you the rest of the tour that included circling a park in Daniel Island about 15 times.

What a Croc!

Charleston is full of interesting wildlife. We saw a crocodile chilling on a golf course in Daniel Island. We really weren't this close. Daddy was making full use of the 32x zoom on his camcorder (which he had to use all weekend after a certain someone dropped his camera at Mommy's 30th birthday blowout bash).