time to be thankful.

Time for a dose of thankful. I haven't done one of these posts in a while, even though I've really needed them in my life. Right now I'm thankful for...

That monkey :: I love how Rowan welcomes the first toy we bought for him in Chile (and that I slept with for months) into his hug and into his mouth full of joy.

{I think rowan was about a month old here}

Fat juicy open mouth kisses :: It took me a while to understand what you were doing, but now I know that when you lunge at my face with your mouth open wide, you are coming in for a kiss. (Of course this is written to Rowan; otherwise that would be weird.)

Swinging :: Just like the old days. When Rowan used to nap in the swing. Peace. Swish swash swish swash swish swash swish swash swish swash. He's loved that thing since the moment our friends let us "borrow" it. Without going into all the details, they basically bought another of the same swing recently, after they had their second baby. We were a little embarrassed to find that out, because we'd intended to give it back. Rowan is getting a bit big for the swing, and he doesn't hardly sleep in it anymore. But what am I saying? He still totally digs it. Sometimes he just likes to chill there and watch the world. You know, after he's tired of all that unsupported sitting and interacting with textures, toys, board books, and parents. It's a nice passive stimulation (don't get me wrong, Rowan is still a pretty much in-arms baby. We all just seem to need a little bit of both.) Sometimes he bounces the seat and squeals. Sometimes he moves his head in an upcurl toward the direction of the upswing, like he's trying to make it go faster. Then there are those rare moments when he's been napping in the swing for a good while, I didn't have to do anything to get him there, and I can sit and watch him, drink my coffee while it's still warm, and blog. Well, that, my friends, is just a little bitty slice of heaven pie. So, no matter what our protests say, we really do like the swing; thank you.

Two sharp incisors :: Yes, those bottom teeth that caused us so much heartache are now a part of those giant kisses too.

{sweet potatoes with a big boy spoon}

My husband :: I might have mentioned something about Rowan's eating mushy solids here. But that would be too predictable. It's been quite the journey to get here, physically and spiritually. Our baby is 31 weeks old. We've been through a lot together since kissing in back of the bus on the way to Punta Arenas talking about our future children--after only knowing each other a month or so. Now it's hard to imagine that there was a time when we didn't know each other.

What are you thankful for?