Thankful

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. I love Thanksgiving because I feel like it's the most untainted of all the holidays. And this Thanksgiving was particularly good because it was our first Thanksgiving with Perrin! He rather enjoyed it too--he got to try all kinds of new foods. (I won't go into details about the interesting colors that showed up in his diapers later on... perhaps we overdid it a bit on the sweet potatoes.)

This has been a really challenging, unpredictable, crazy, wonderful year. Trey and I have had to make major adjustments, sacrifice our time, live on a shoestring budget, and sacrificially give and give to a baby who demands more of us than I could have envisioned. But it's been magical too. I never would have thought I could fall so deeply in love with this tiny person who drools, cries, poops, and doesn't speak English.

I'm thankful for Trey, too. Having a baby has given me greater appreciation and admiration for single parents. How do they do it?? I couldn't have asked for a better partner to take on this gargantuan task of raising a child with me. Not only does he provide for us so I can be home with Perrin, but he's also a pro at feeding, diapering, and making Perrin giggle like there's no tomorrow.

Thank you, God, for the amazing family you've given to me!

Mommy brain

Sometimes it's all I can do just to get through each day with me and Perrin both being cleaned, dressed, fed, and marginally happy. The days I actually get some office work done and clean the house are the super good days. Then there are days like today in which I superglue my hand to a piece of felt and my husband informs me that Perrin has had his shirt on backwards all day.

Does being a mom kill brain cells? Some days I seriously feel about as smart as a clod of dirt. I used to feel like I was pretty smart. Maybe my brain has atrophied somewhere between the 5,000th round of patty cake and the latest diaper explosion. Or maybe now I'm finally smart enough to realize I'm really not as smart as I always thought I was.

Nom nom nom

Perrin is starting to realize that there's better food out there than the mushy goo he's used to getting. I can't sit down near him with a meal or even a snack without him pulling up on my leg and looking up at me with his sweet baby eyes, begging for a taste. How can I say no? I've let him try my tuna sandwiches, baked beans, fresh fruit, potatoes... pretty much anything that's not a choking hazard or coated in sugar. So far he really hasn't met a grown-up food he doesn't like.

But like all babies, he also tries to eat plenty of inedible things. Today we were at WalMart and I heard him smacking his lips. I looked down, and my grocery list had a big bite taken out of the corner. Unfortunately, that's not the first time he's eaten paper... I've had to learn to keep my magazines out of reach. To me, they're reading material; to Perrin, they're a buffet.

He's also been trying his best to get his hands (and mouth) on one of Molly's rawhide chews. So far I've managed to keep him from getting a taste, but considering how Molly will leave those things tucked away in various hiding spots throughout the house, I'm betting it's only a matter of time before Perrin comes across one.

I wonder when this stage of eating everything will pass. For now, I know that's just how he experiences the world--by tasting it. Too bad we don't live in a Willy Wonka world... I've had that song stuck in my head all day. ("You can even eat the dishes....")