Some days Samantha is just too cute for words. Last night was one of those days. I was giving her a bath around 7:00 or so and she was having a grand old time -- she loves her bath and is a real water baby -- when suddenly she decided she'd had enough. She tried to stand up in the bathtub (a big inflatable duck that sits on the bathroom counter) and grab onto my shirt to tell me it was time to get out of the bath.

So into her room we went, by which time she decided she was very tired and the best way to express this was to scream bloody murder and thrash around on the changing table while I tried to get some clothes onto her. Big fun for all involved, I tell you...

Finally dressed, I picked her up and let her lay across my shoulder with her pacifier (she's taken a sudden liking to them in the last couple of weeks after nine months of complete disinterest). She calmed down pretty quickly and I sat down in the rocking chair to read her a story and go through the bedtime ritual. As we finished the book her eyes started to drift closed, at which point she took out her pacifier, stuck the end of it in my mouth, smiled at me, gave a big yawn, and went to sleep in my arms.

Do nine month olds usually try to share their bottles and pacifiers with their daddies, or is she just special?