Brooke at 9 months

9 months is always a little milestone for me. It always seems crazy that they were growing in my belly for the same amount of time that they have been on this earth. To go from a teeny, tiny bean to a "cruising" little one that laughs and smiles in 18 months is amazing! Brooke is still so happy all the time. Well, so happy all the time during the day...the nights are still rough times! She loves to watch her sisters be silly, she gets so happy whenever she sees Cory or me. Besides us, Ryan is her favorite person. The girl lights up when she sees him! Brooke is a mover. She is everywhere! The minute she started crawling, she was off and moving. She is quick, and she is always getting into stuff. I think she might be our crazy one! I can clean the floors and think that I have absolutely everything up off the ground - the next thing I know she is finding a bead, piece of paper, or tiny toy. Of course, the minute she finds that, it's right in her mouth! She started cruising a couple weeks ago, and she had totally mastered the art. I don't think the girls were ever as talented at cruising as she is! I looked up today, and she was cruising on the wall of the cabinets in the kitchen. She wasn't even holding on to anything, just using the wall for balance! She might actually be the first of our girls to walk before their 1st birthday. She can also pull up on anything. I saw her pull up on Willow the other day!
If I could change one thing, it would definitely be her sleeping! She wakes up all the time, and I have no idea why! She rarely sleeps for more than 4 hours at a time. Right now, she usually wakes up somewhere around 12am, 3am, and 6am. And that's a good night. :( I don't know if her teeth are bugging her, if she is hungry, if she just wants to snuggle, or if she doesn't know how to "self-soothe" or what. It's so frustrating! I hate trying to figure out what's wrong, what to do to not make is worse, and how to get her to be a better sleeper. I am not one to let them cry it out forever, and when I do let her cry she gets so upset that it makes it even harder her to calm  down. Also, she has woken Kacy up a few times in the middle of the night when she cries, so then I have two kids awake at 3am. No fun! I don't think she is hungry, but I usually end up feeding her so she will go back to sleep. I am trying not to obsess about it, but I would LOVE a full night's sleep. Hey, I would just take 6 straight hours :) I am sure we will figure it out, but I just don't want to be doing things now that will make it harder on all of us later down the road.
Some other things about my little 9 month Brookster...
*She is always in the middle of the action. We were at a play group at Dana's house, and there were some boys about 3 years old playing legos. She kept going right over there and sitting right in the middle of them.
*Anytime she falls down on her back, she panics! She cries, she moves her hands like crazy, and she lifts her head and her feet like she is stuck on her back. It's not like she can't roll over, but I guess she just forgets.
*She grinds her 4 little teeth together. Yuck! I am not a fan of that sound.
*She is getting better with eating. She still gags on food if she doesn't like it, but she likes almost all fruit, squash, sweet potatoes, and everything but peas and green beans. I have started giving her little bits of food, and she is great at grabbing her food. She was getting after the broccoli the other night. That little pincher grasp is working!
*It seems like most of us call her Brookie more than just Brooke, wonder if that will stick?
I love this kid, and I am so incredibly blessed and happy that she came into our family. She makes me smile everyday, and I love being able to be home with her everyday!