Sweet Baby Jesus

It’s hard not to think that at this time next year, I won’t be thinking so much about what *I* want for Christmas, but rather what kind of gifts I can shower our 9-month old son with. It’s going to be fun - though I think we’ll need to be careful to not spoil the young lad. Of course, I am sure all parents go into the ‘hood with the greatest intentions, but then when it comes down to it, the spoil the crap out of their kids.

Even cooler will be seeing how the rest of the family responds to the kids. I say “kids” because my brother and his wife are due not 6 weeks after we are. I think it’s going to be awesome to have two little kids growing up at about the same developmental stages. I’m hoping that as cousins, they will be as close as me and my brother were growing up. They are not going to find out the sex of their baby until the delivery - though I may have convinced them to take the same quiz I did a while back.

I am sure my mother will do exactly what she did for my brother and I around Christmas time - total equality. She was always very conscious of what gifts were given and how much money was spent on each one of us, so that one or both of us would not feel slighted. I can honestly say that there was never a case where one of us felt that way. The funny thing is, now that we’re 33 and 36, she still keeps very close tabs on the gifts she gets us each year. Back then, it was pretty easy - they’d just buy 2 of everything, or matching items, like if my brother got a GI Joe, I got a GI Joe. Somehow, my brother always seemed to open his up first - there are some great pictures of me looking frustrated and disappointed with my presents at the age of 5 or 6 - the truth is, I was just not terribly surprised by any of my gifts, since I had just seen my brother open the same thing.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to it. Any suggestions for gifts for 9-month old boys for Christmas 2009?