I bought this for my Mother in law for Christmas and she LOVED it.  I thought it was a tad bit too big, but I had read reviews on line about how the smaller one was too small...so I decided to get the larger one.  She has four kids and five grandkids, so I ended up buying another set of stones because we have some duplicated birth months in the family.  Anyway, 9 stones fit with ample space for more grandkids...which are currently under way :)