Graham's holding a 9 because he loves being 9 months old!!!

Graham wants to "cruise" all the time... despite all the resulting bumps, bruises and black eyes (we're only counting one so far)...

Graham identifies his target...

So proud!

Graham is 9-months old! He is also desperate to walk and actually took one step unassisted today. I am posting this picture because it shows his black eye. Last week he had bruises across his forehead and this morning he gave himself a black eye when he fell against the coffee table.

... and once again, Graham is exhausted from all the fun...

Auntie M's house has a new coffee table to explore and a different woof-woof to investigate...

... spending some time with Auntie M...

Hanging out with Grandad on Saturday morning...

This is life!

Grandma puts Graham to bed... so sweet!

Grahamy received lots of attention for his good behavior and social skills in the restaurant.

We went out to celebrate Grandad Mike's birthday and Graham wanted his Grandma to give him dinner.

Graham impatiently waits for the arrival of Grandma and Grandad Mellon...

... Goofing around with Dad...

The "Mom and Dad clean-up team" was called in after spaghetti night... a spanking-clean baby was left standing in the kitchen...

This was Graham's reaction to the spaghetti I made especially for him (he liked the snow peas and squash too)... Scott is thrilled because spaghetti is his favorite food!

Graham learned how to drink from a straw one day when we were out without a sippy cup and now we keep them in the house because he thinks they're fun!

After class, Graham, Jak and Leyla decide to explore on their own...

This song is the "peek-a-boo" song, which is one of Graham's favorites... and he gets to be the teacher's example because he has stationed himself in the center of the circle again...

Here's a picture of Graham's Kindermusik class... Graham is known as the "class clown" because he always makes the most noise and insists on sitting in the center of the circle (as you can see in the picture).

We've added plastic teething guards to the rails because we often find him gnawing them...

Now this is the way Graham greets us from his crib...

Now that he has mastered his crawl, Graham is ready to walk on his own. He is taking (shaky) steps with his walker in this picture.

We're looking for a creative name for Graham's blankie because this one is obviously sticking around. Any ideas?

Graham has started dragging his blankie around the house. It's pretty cute.

We are finally displaying some of our china and crystal... just in time for Graham to discover the dining room...

A true bull in a china shop...

Graham has gained a new sense of freedom now that he can crawl. This morning he crawled down to his bedroom and played by himself in his room while I cleaned the kitchen. This is how I found him.

Grahamy loves visitors! He always wants to be the center of attention!!!

Graham's checking out Kendric's beard...

... a good morning hug for Anya...

Graham and Scott are waiting on the front lawn for our friends, Kendric and Anya, to arrive from Richmond.

Graham's exhausted after several hours of play, but he still insists on stepping from the table to me and back again.

More than the swings, slides and pony rides in the park, Graham enjoys the wood chips. He just wants to get dirty!

You should have heard the screams of delight coming from these two... already such good pals!

Graham's happy hanging out at the park on this gorgeous 70* day!

Much better!

Better...

Hmmm... not sure about this...

This picture almost captures Grahamy pulling himself into a stand all by himself... he is now cruising around all our furniture. Of course, the entertainment center and window are still his favorites!

Blueberries and cottage cheese... yum!!!

Here's one of Graham's new "work stations" in the kitchen.

Now that he's mobile and even more vocal, Graham has discovered his own independence. We spent the weekend in Hendersonville with Ganny, Gamps, Nana and Papa Jim chasing dogs and eating everything in sight. It was fantastic!

Graham gets a kick out of Papa Jim!!!

Graham is happy being the center of the universe! We spent the weekend gathered around him in order to listen to him talk, watch him play and follow him as he crawled around the house.

Gamps and Tupps play with Graham in the morning...