Terrible 9's vs. My Little Saint

I've heard of people talk about the terrible two's, but I've never heard anyone talk about the terrible nine months! Sam seems to be torn between being the terror of the county and being my little saint! Now that he crawls (and is moments away from walking), he loves to explore! His curiosity knows no bounds. He will spend all day exploring everything in the living room - the entertainment center, all tables, every corner, any and all cords, pretty much anything but his toys! It takes two (or sometimes three) of us to keep up with him. Sometimes he's quiet and fast enough that if we blink, he's gone! We find him somewhere he shouldn't be, usually doing something he's not suppose to. The up-side is that Sam doesn't want to destroy or hurt anything. He just wants to know what it is and how it works (he gets this from both the Vest and the Pena side of his genes). BUT THEN SOMETIMES, he's cuddly, still enough to be read to, loving, well behaved, and content just playing with his little toys (like seen above). Who wouldn't love a face like that?! Oh well, our job is to chase him around and encourage his exploration and curiosity - all the while trying to keep him from getting hurt. It makes for a tiring day - but will hopefully pay off one day when he's as smart as his dad (who use to dig up his back yard looking for dinosaur bones)! Oh the adventures that await!