1, 2, 3, ... 10 000

After a few long days of nothing but rain and cold - enough time to realize again just how odd this houselet design is: it's designed in fact to minimize the heat in the summer; thus we kindly refer to it as 'the cave' in the winter months - it's full glory Riviera weather again. The light is incredible in the fall and winter months: warm, luscious, lazy, optimistic... I realized with fright that I had taken it for granted. Just a short year ago, we were moving in, and waking each other up every morning to the sound of "oh my, check this out - it's another gorgeous day!". Instead now we are much like Californians - despised by Seattle-ites for their inability to notice a bright and sunny day. Food for thought that was.

So I looked around for other areas where I might take things for granted. And you're probably rushing ahead of me to the topic of the lil one. Well, no. I don't take her for granted. Not a day. I am very aware of the pain of those who cannot have one or do not have one or have lost one, and I count my luck every day.

she's alive
she's healthy
although she comes home with some infection or other every single week from daycare, it's never been anything serious
she eats well
she sleeps ok (oh there is much room for improvement, but i'm looking at the silver lining)
she's fun
she's pudgy enough
she still tolerates my kisses
she laughs and giggles
i even think she's pretty adorable

but i have a long way to go... my older brother and his girlfriend came to visit us this past week-end. I've been angry at him for not coming sooner - she's almost 9 months old! It's not like her birth date was a big surprise ! I should stop using exclamation marks when I talk about him but I can't! Because he drove me nuts! Yes he's known worldwide for living in a parallel universe, with only loose and infrequent connections to planet Earth, and yes she was coming down with a fever and I was tired and a little concerned. But I should have found it in me to display my gratitude for his visit in a way other than to snap at him a 1000 times.