Dear Andrew and Cooper -
Tomorrow we will celebrate your first Thanksgiving, but it will not be the one you will eventually learn about in school. (THAT Thanksgiving is a gross misrepresentation of American history but more on that when you are 2 or 3.) Instead, we will celebrate all the things we are grateful for, a ritual I once thought somewhat trite and cheesy but I guess motherhood makes a bad ass like me soft.
If you were old enough to do so, you'd be giving thanks for the family you were born into. We will have members from both sides with us tomorrow and the only fighting will be to see who gets to hold you the longest. Someday, you might be told that your family is weird or wrong. This is again a gross misrepresentation of reality: your family is different only in that you are loved by so many people.
Mommy (aka The Saint) will be thankful for all the joy you have brought to the household. We were happy before you came, but now we are complete (only not in a treacly, Jerry Maguire way). You made us a family and that is something Mommy has yearned for. She is also grateful for the new tv we will soon purchase because the family room is actually full now...with a family and all the stuff that comes along with the nuclear(ish) unit.
As for me, I am grateful for you for so many reasons:
- Thank you for reminding me that time is a truly precious commodity. Now that I have so little of it, I have learned to maximize every moment, especially the ones where you are both awake and happy.
- Thank you for the gift of patience. Those 3:00 am feedings have become some of the most quiet and peaceful moments of my day when I can actually remember them. And I have learned to take your cries in stride, even when you both melt down at the same time, because I know they will eventually turn back into coos and smiles. Eventually.
- Thank you for peeing on Pop-Pops a few weeks ago: I am glad I am not the only one who has made that mistake.
- Thank you for sleeping a little longer through the night. I have learned to be grateful for 3 solid hours of sleep but 4 sure does feel nice.
- Thank you for smiling when I come home from work every night. It makes going to work a little easier the next day when I know I have that to look forward to.
- Thank you for letting us take endless pictures of you. We are grateful you were born AFTER film became somewhat obsolete.
- Thank you for reminding both Mommy and me what is really important in life. We have both learned that a spotless house and a pristine yard aren't nearly as fulfilling as baby laughs and snuggle time.
- Even though I agreed to let Mommy put your Green Bay Packer outfits on tomorrow, thank you for secretly being Lions fans with me.
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