nine.

word of the day: nine \ˈnīn\ the ninth in a set of series; to perfection (as in, to the nines)

My due date baby is nine months old today.  There's something about the nine month milestone that gets me.  She's been out now as long as she was in.  When I first found out I was pregnant, she was the size of a sesame seed. Now?

Nostalgia is getting the best of me.  

Second kids don't get all the attention that first kids get.  In my proud early mom moments, I probably tried to tell myself that I would pay Norah all the attention that I did Lily.  That she wouldn't slip under the radar and that I wouldn't be that mom who forgot to take pictures of the successive kids.  

(I know, moms of more than one.  I know, ok?  Stop shaking your heads at me.)

It's literally impossible to pay as much attention to your second kid as you did your first because you literally don't have the same amount of time to give.  You have to split time between the two.  Plus, if your first born is anything like mine, they tend to demand more than what should otherwise be deemed "fair."  (Lily: "Don't look at Norah, mom.  Look at me.")

But there I go again, taking the attention away from Nor (my little fanboy. would only an English teacher come up with a nickname like that?).

I suppose I could feel guilty about it.  Wish for a way to give her an amount of time that I physically don't have.  Instead, I'm so happy that this life is all she has known.  A life with split time between her and a big sister who, I think, will eventually realize how wonderful she really is.  (Lily: Norah's laughing me, mom!  I'm funny.)

One of my favorite parts about being a mom (right up there with reading books all day and coinciding nap times) is figuring my kids out. Knowing them. Watching their personalities develop, their strengths emerge, and their abilities blossom. It gives meaning to the phrase "I know you better than you know yourself" because I get to watch their character grow from the start.  

Now, I don't know that I could really tell you what Norah's character is like at nine months, but I see elements of compassion and joy and toughness. Lily is her big sister, after all. (Lily: I push her down by the window.)

But, here's what I do know: I know that she fits our family to the nines.