nine (t h e . r i d i c u l o u s . p a n d a)

how did we get here? you, me and sam. all of us sitting stunned at the nine monthaversary of your birth. i looked at the clock today ten minutes after the moment you were born. we were playing on the couch together. i was burying my head in your belly, you were doing your part giggle/part cackle/part shriek and i glanced over your shoulder at the clock. 11:49. but, silas lee, you don't care about such silly things. ever since that moment that you finally entered our lives, you haven't looked back.

every day your papa and i are in amazement over what you can do. it's almost as if you come up with something new every twenty four hours. you scoot, you laugh at our jokes, you clap, you laugh at your own jokes, you come when we call, you climb, and so on.

i think i have called sam every day at work in the past two weeks just to report on you and how amazing you are. yesterday it was high pitched singing yourself to sleep at naptime, today it was making this face every time you threw a ball.

we love hanging out with you. silas lee, you are excellent company. we love taking you places, going for long walks, giving you different foods and watching you react to new situations. now you see small things. it is awesome to point out butterflies and beetles to you and watch you follow them with your sleepy eyes and try and sort it all out. so far, so good.

i guess the best way to explain you at nine months is to tell the story from the nature museum. eliza and i wanted to see a lecture and the organization putting it on offered free child care for the hour of ina may. i hesitated, balked and argued that there really was no good reason to leave you for an hour. eliza dragged us to the room, told me to buck up, planted georgia at your feet and pulled me out. and i sat and listened and enjoyed an hour of paying individual attention to something other than you. but as soon as the lecturer said her thank you's, i shot out the door back to the room to pick you up. and there you were, a whole hour gone by, and i realized how much i had missed you. the woman holding you turned to me and said "who's son is this? is this your baby? because he is just amazing. just the sweetest and loveliest little boy. really." and i was so proud. because i knew she meant it and i knew she was right. i knew that it's okay to leave you in capable hands for awhile because that's the only way that other people are going to get to know you on your terms. and, silas lee, you are so worth getting to know.

to celebrate your day today, we took it easy. we lazed around the house after your morning nap and ate a peach in the living room. we danced to tito puente. we met lisa for lunch. we took the walk home slow and waited for the sprinklers to hit us. we read lots of books instead of taking an afternoon nap. we ate an apple on the couch while watching jeopardy. we went to your new pediatrician and you sat and wailed on sam's lap while they drew blood. we took you home and ate dinner while singing bruce springsteen songs. we gave you a warm bath and put you to bed an hour early.

in a few hours, you'll wake up hungry and sam will sleepily bring you into bed with us. you'll pass out milk drunk with one foot on my belly, a few fingers on sam's chin. in the morning you'll be ready to go, doing that crazy giggle that lets us know that you're really awake, awake not able to be nursed or back rubbed back to sleep. and another day begins.