These are the days

Yesterday was Thanksgiving.

It was a low-key, intimate family gathering.

I had much to be thankful for.

The plentiful and tasty food was only a small part of it.


It's almost too easy to list the things I'm thankful for.

Cute little baby sounds.

The way Evie lights up when I walk into a room.

Tiny fingers wrapped around mine.

Peekaboo and pat-a-cake.

Early-morning cuddles in bed.

Giggles if I kiss her shoulder.

Two little bottom teeth, as sharp as they are adorable.

New tufts of hair, arriving daily.

So many smiles.

At Evie's 6-month checkup, her doctor lectured us.

She warned that, between the ages of 6 and 10 months, babies reach the height of cuteness.

It's the golden age of babyhood.

They're old enough to play independently, but young enough to stay out of trouble.

You can set them down, and they tend to stay in one place.

And they're really, really cute.

According to our doctor, parents can fall so head-over-heels in love with their 6-10 month olds that they decide to have another child, immediately.

Such a hasty decision can be regretted when, 9 months later, said parents find themselves faced simultaneously with a needy toddler and a newborn.

I don't expect to make this mistake.

Yesterday, I fell asleep while playing with blocks on the floor. That was all the reminder I needed that, for now, one Evie is enough.

However, I can see how parents fall head over heels.

Evie is 8 months old.

The golden age is in full swing.

I'm thankful for every minute of it.