Nine Months Old!!!

Kahlen turned nine months old yesterday! She has been alive outside the womb as long as she was inside the womb. It is so hard to believe. She celebrated yesterday by starting to clap. We have been trying for a little while to get her to clap, and yesterday she did it on her own for the first time. She is not crawling yet, but is very busy rolling and scooting herself to get from one place to the next. She is "talking" in baby gibber jabber constantly, using facial expressions that just make you laugh. The things she is saying seem to be very important to her and us big people just don't seem to be smart enough to understand.

Ah, the sign of things to come.... "Mom, you just don't understand!" Grandpa is waiting, just a little impatiently, I believe, for the day a teen aged Kahlen lays that one on her mom. Ah, sweet revenge! You can just taste it, can't you. Mmmmmm so sweet, but best served cold. I met a man at a home show once who said " becoming a grandparent is the reward you get for not killing your children." I would personally insert the word teenagers in place of the word children. Really, as frustrating as the "terrible twos" seem it is nothing compared to the "you just don't understand" teen years. Of course the "eye roll" preteen years have their challenges, as well. You know what I'm talking about. The eleven year old who sighs and rolls her eyes every time you try to talk to her. Followed closely by the "duck and run" twelve year old who won't let you drop him off at school for fear his friends might see you. He would rather walk in the rain for 2 blocks then face the embarrassment of being seen with, do I dare say it, a parent. Oh, the humanity!!!

My kids didn't have a chance to do the "duck and run." Whether I embarrassed them or not was mute. I drove a school bus at their school. All of their friends knew who I was whether they liked it or not. While most of the time I tried not to humiliate them with my presence too often, I did enjoy pursuing the occasional red face at the expense of my kids. I look at it this way, after enduring the temper tantrums in public places. After sleepless the nights due to the loud, obnoxious slumber parties, allowed year after year. After the arm pit farts that interrupted a quiet evening at home. I deserved to see an occasional glare of "oh, Mother!" It just put a smile on my face. At least then the "eye roll" was a little easier to tolerate.

Yes, being a gramma is much more fun them being a parent. Partly because you can play all you want with your grandchild all day, but the sleepless night, that belongs to the parent. But also partly because of the secret joy we have in the anticipation of the eye roll that will be directed at your own eye roll queen. The armpit fart that will come quickly and unexpectedly at the dinner table. But especially, the "you just don't understand" that already seems to be on the lips, and will be directed at your child instead of at you!