11 months old!

Beatrice has had quite a month this last month. She learned to walk, she (finally!) got some teeth, she's had lots of visitors, and she is growing up and into her PERSONALITY. The girl's got it in spades. "Who me?"

Her favorite game is still peek-a-boo, but now she insists on initiating and squealing throughout. And there is usually an element of running. She's also discovered she can flip her tongue over, and so she does it constantly. Not for the camera, mind you. So I had to demonstrate (see photo). I got all excited because I thought, "Finally, a trait from me!" But no, Daddy can do it too.

I must admit, Beatrice is a very happy baby. Until she isn't, of course. Anytime Mommy or Daddy walks in the room and Beatrice hasn't seen us in a while (2min+), she claps and smiles. She smiles at strangers. Everyone in the grocery store is fair game. They usually say, "What a cute little boy!" (NB: she's still mostly bald)

We went to a number of grocery stores today. Lazy Acres for eggs (and apples after she put this one in her mouth), Gelson's for regular shopping, and Mesa Produce for...guess. On the way back from Gelson's we saw this dog wearing sunglasses in the back of a pick-up truck. So Californian. And on our walk to Mesa Produce we passed our neighbor who is turning his house (and boat!) into a ghost pirate ship. Oh and it rained today - hooray!

Beatrice is also quite bossy. If you lie down on the floor she will eventually come and push her butt in your face and sit on your head so that you'll move so she can sit there - and then give you a backwards look over her should that says, "Well, thank you very much." Unfortunately sharing is not a concept she wants to understand at this point. She is the smallest and baddest kid at MyGym. All the other moms there comment on her "enthusiasm" and "strength." She does like creating puppy piles with Mommy and Daddy (note the drool on Daddy).

Beatrice is also getting a bit clingy these days, especially to "Mah-mah-mah-mah-mmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" - lots of holding onto my legs and whining. The days after I go to LA for the day are especially tough. No guilt there! The photos below are from when I've tried to take pictures of her and she just walks over and sits on me. It's not enough we're in the same room, we have to be TOUCHING, preferably with me holding her. Luckily this trend lessens significantly with Daddy around.

One of my favorite times is being with Beatrice first thing in the morning. She's still a bit sleepy and gets so excited to play with her toys, which her Daddy has arranged in some new, fanciful way the night before. So every morning it's like Christmas. With a sleepy and cuddly Beatrice.

Luckily, overall, Beatrice is still our angel baby. She mainly oscillates between being incredibly happy to pensive thinking (illustrated with photos below), though she still has her moments, of course, as screaming-unhappy-baby.

What else have we noticed this month? She obviously has her Daddy's joints - she sits on her legs like him, and I've just discovered she leans on her wrist with her hand bent underneath her like he does. Ewwww. No pictures of that, thankfully. Beatrice is also enjoying playing on her own more and more. And I swear, at times, I can hear the wheels spinning inside that little head of hers.

But mostly we think she's perfect. Oh except that now that she's really walking...she won't hold still for Flat Bear photos!! The exception of course is in photos that demonstrate the need for professional carpet cleaning!