Nine months old

My very littlest sweetheart is nine months old today, and I can hardly believe it. This has been the fastest nine months of my life. And not just because we've been busy with moving and a new baby but because time just continues to move more swiftly with every year that passes. Each of my children has seemed to grow a little faster than the one before. The irony of the situation is that while they're growing faster each time I'm also wiser to how quickly it passes and more anxious for them to just slow down and stop growing up on me! I can't believe Brandon's nine months old, but at the same time I can't imagine how we managed to live without him.

Brandon has the sweetest temperament and continues to be the Easiest Baby Alive. It really should be his official title. I'm not kidding. We've all been sleeping through the night for months and months. I'm really glad that he was my third baby and not my first because if I'd had Brandon first and then I'd had Kyle I'm afraid I would have lost my mind. Though, to steal a little of the credit, I think third babies know you're not afraid of them any more and tend to tow the line much more readily than first babies who can smell the fear.

And now Brandon wants to walk. Crawling and cruising are not enough for him. He's so ready to grow up and follow Kyle and Natalie around the house that he actually practices trying to walk. He'll stand up holding onto the couch, turn around, let go, and lunge. Once in a while he actually manages to get a foot under himself before he lands on his hands and knees. But he turns around, crawls back to the couch, and tries again. I've never seen anything like it. He's absolutely determined to figure the walking thing out. I give it a few more weeks before he's got it mastered.

He's holding out on me, though. Still no 'Ma-ma'. I'm starting to think he's messing with me. Every time I ask him to say 'Ma-ma' he grins and says 'Da-da' instead. I know when I'm being played. Brandon is so lucky that he's the Easiest Baby Alive because it's impossible for me to hold it against him. And I can totally appreciate an evil streak--he wouldn't be mine if he didn't have one.

Now he just needs to stop growing up on me. Well, first he needs to say 'Ma-ma.' Then he can stop growing up.