Watching my husband and son sitting together on the couch, bare legs and feet mingling, in the evening twilight living room, reading Goodnight Moon before we put our little guy to bed.

Just one of those picture-perfect moments I don't want to forget.

E. had his nine-month checkup today, and the doc had nothing but good things to say--19lbs., 5oz., 29 inches long, right on target with all of the typical ninth-month milestones like crawling, pulling up, cruising from one piece of furniture to another, saying "Ma-ma-ma" (!!) and "Da-da-da." She said he's a bit advanced in that he's probably going to walk any day now. Hoo boy, watch out! Believe it or not, we are still not as baby-proof as I'd like. I don't mind teaching him what's okay to play with and what's dangerous, but sometimes I just want to put him down to play and not have him go immediately for computer cables and the fireplace.

E.'s favorite thing right now is holes. He sticks his fingers in any holes he can find, and I don't know about you, but I get vaguely nervous that something bad will come out of, or be pulled out of, those holes. Know what I mean? We try to keep a clean house around here, but I can't count the number of times E. has picked a particularly scary dust bunny out of some crevice. I also get nervous about spiders because I know we have them and I don't want him to be bitten. It's enough to make me want to vacuum every inch of this house! And I will! Right after I put the laundry in the dryer, sort the mail, clean the kitchen, cuddle with C., eat this bowl of ice cream, and watch the last of "VH-1's 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons." And on that subject, can I just say: OPRAH WINFREY?!! OPRAH? Oprah. Whaaaa?