One Thousand Gifts - Post #9

We had a beautiful weekend. The weather is finally warmer here in Madrid, though I'm sure I'll be tired of the heat here in a month (or less). :) We open up all the windows in our flat and enjoyed the noises of the city. And I love when I wake in the middle of the night and realize the noises have stopped and all is still with sleep. Charlotte turned 7 months old last week, and she is growing so fast! This weekend we picked up a new bathtub for her because we don't have a tub in our flat. We got one that also doubles as a pool! Although we don't have any outdoor space to use it in, I'm excited about setting it up in the kitchen some this summer to let her splash around in. Our kitchen is big by Madrid standards and has a great window that opens up and lets in lots of sun & air...in other words, a great place to play in a pool!

So this weekend, we also did a lot of relaxing which right now includes playing Super Mario Bros. on our Wii....a gift Brendan received from Dad & Mom for his birthday. He's finally in world 8...thank goodness that means he's almost done! But he's now convinced me to play with him, so we're Mario & Luigi playing through all the worlds together. Silly, but bringing back some oh-so-fun memories of playing Mario Bros. with my brother and parents when I was a pre-teen...and we're making some wonderful memories ourselves. :) We also went to a picnic at Retiro with our church. It was a nice, relaxing time getting to talk to some new friends.

In addition to Charlotte getting her "big girl" bathtub, we also cleaned up and put away some of her baby stuff that she has outgrown. So crazy to me that our little baby girl is outgrowing things! We put away her bouncy chair which she's been sitting in since Day 1 (well, at least since the first day she was home), her play mat/gym, and her bathing chair. I realized her days in the bouncy chair were over last week when she leaned forward in it and nearly did a front flip! Oh! That would have been bad!

I'm so thankful for the life God has given me now. I don't always embrace where I am but I'm learning to. I think I've finally (after 7 months) realized that I'm not going to be able to do the same things as before Charlotte was born...and that's okay. I want to enjoy this time in my life because I know it won't be here forever. It may be more time at home, going home early from outings because a child needs to get in bed, less time for myself and more time taking care of my child. But I realized yesterday that I don't have to miss our days before Charlotte anymore. God gave us wonderful times then, but we are in a different stage now and there are beautiful things about this stage that I want to fully enjoy! So, I keep counting my blessings....

197. lunch with Brendan outside on the terraza in front of his office

198. Charlotte NOT making a big mess of her carrots during lunch with Brendan

199. playing on the floor with my daughter

200. allegory of the cross in C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

201. doing chores in the kitchen together in the evening

202. God releasing the pressures I put on myself...resting in Him and enjoying the life He's given me

203. watching my baby girl sit and play on her own

204. the high-pitched "geeeee" that is Charlotte's giggle

205. a second mother who understands the complications of having a second mother

206. being able to welcome Brendan home with a smile and hug rather than frustation when he was late

207. hearing Brendan go check on Charlotte when he got home from work, just because he wanted to see her :)

208. a grocery store that is literally right downstairs (and across the street) - so cool!

209. storm clouds & rain seen from our flat

210. what an incredibly easy-going baby Charlotte is!

211. Charlotte's blond hair growing in

212. baby girl's new bathtub/"swimming" pool

213. sleeping with the windows open on cool, summer nights

214. taking a shower right before bed and sleeping with wet hair

215. tuna noodle salad - and being brave enough to finally purchase canned tuna at the store

216. the Madrid bus system

217. limon granizado at Retiro

218. writing a journal to my daughter

219. learning teamwork with my husband by playing Mario Bros. with him :)