Gratitude

 

Nate reminded me the other day about how we spent the week of Thanksgiving last year.  It began with a crazy adventure for Will and I on the metro to the other side of Dubai and a "backup" obstretician when my doctor found my amniotic fluid levels too low for her liking, continued with my having to sign  AMA (Against Medical Advice) forms  from a hospital who wouldn't admit me without a 180,000 dirham deposit, followed by a visit to my doctor for some reassurance that I didn't need an emergency c-section at 28 weeks, and finished with take-out Chinese food for our Thanksgiving dinner.  This week we are getting ready to celebrate Finley hitting the 10 month mark, and a few days at home together, thinking of all the things we have to be grateful for. 

 

I'm grateful for the sound of Finley calling "Mamamama" as she snacks on some cereal puffs we brought home from the States. 
I'm grateful for a skype date with my sister last week, and some emails back and forth with my brothers.
I'm grateful Nate got to see Azerbajan and that the kids and I survived on our own.  And I'm grateful he's back. 
I'm grateful we get to spend Christmas with my parents.
I'm grateful for a little boy with a huge imagination and crazy stories.  For some reason he has some issues with a boy in his class named Ward, and every time something goes wrong he says "Ward did it."
I'm grateful our windows finally got cleaned - it makes our skyline views even more impressive; turns out we can see the Gulf from our apartment.
I'm grateful we finally got our curtains hung, so Will doesn't have to be "scared of something" in his room when he goes to bed. 
I'm grateful for kid language - I love the way Will says kanganoo, kolala and his occasional "Holy Cow"'s.

I'm grateful the Primary program is over as of today, and that it went pretty well - no major kid induced mishaps. 
And now, we are off to the park to share some Thanksgiving turkey and fixings with some friends from church.  Happy Thanksgiving.