A Happy Thanksgiving

What am I thankful for this year? Well, first and foremost: Jack. Make my day, make my year. I burrowed into a cozy cabin in a tiny nook of North Carolina with all my favorite people. Even though I had a ton of schoolwork, I was able to put my feet up on the lazy boy and allow all pregnancy swelling collected during my twelve-hour shifts and desk work to return to my core. Ah, relaxation.

I am thankful for my husband. My crazy, energetic, clean-freak, tall, dark and handsome best friend of six years is the charm in my life. We are so lucky and I believe it is all because of such a lucky match, the two of us.

I am thankful for a little English cucumber (at least that's what Babycenter.com seems to think Pacheco #2 looks like). It's hard to believe I have another little man on his way. I haven't met him yet, but I believe in love at first sight, a concept that seemed illogical before Jack was born.

I am thankful for my Momma. She is the first person I call for advice, news, just to vent and sometimes just to hear the sound of her voice. I am so happy not to miss out on having a close relationship with my mother. This apple didn't fall far from that tree and I love that she's always a phone call away.

I am thankful for my Daddy. The keeper of all useful and useless information. Always generous, a believer in the right way and the high road in society. The last to be ready and the last to admit it, always constant and predictable. This girl loves her daddy.

I am thankful for Jeff, my articulate, intelligent, artistic and very talented brother. I can make him so mad, but somehow, he always forgives me. He could defend Hitler and convince the world he's innocent, he could make us all believe the sky is pink and the grass is blue. I dig that, a companion who always keeps the wheels turning in my brain.

And I am thankful for our family gem, Jem (Jeremy). He's my kid brother with great potential in this world. A dabbler in everything with enormous curiosity. He will smile through his greatest frustrations and keeps insanely calm.

As we sat around the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day, I tried to milk the gratitude out of my family members, but I guess it was kinda dorky. So I had to blog about my appreciations for those closest to me. I know they don't have to hear it from me, but I sure love them all.

I really have a lot more thanks to tack on, but I'll have to add an addendum. There is a freshly bathed baby in jammies waiting for a big round belly to lay his head.

A cozy little fire.

Everybody should have a Jack Pack. Throw one over your shoulders and off you go!

Look who we found crossing the street, trying to get to the other side? We named him ToTo. That's what Jack called a turtle, so we just thought it would make a great name. We kept him for a little bit (twenty minutes) before delivering him safely to the other side where he could be with his mama.

We met some friends in Ocala to give Jack a little taste of camping. He fell, he knocked his head and he burned his hand on the fire pit. All separate events. But he liked it!

There is a perfect little town on the way to the campgrounds called Mount Dora. Quaint little shops with knick knacks and lotions and a great place to eat. It's great because they serve Icelandic delicacies. And anything Icelandic is great anyway.

Guess where I am right now. Curled up on a lazy boy in a cabin on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, hours away from home. A little town called Almond in North Carolina.

And my Jack was an amazing riding companion. He slept through most of our ten hour drive and entertained us the rest. Rambling Row Row Row a Row (your boat) and Round Round Round (this is what the wheels on the bus do). And he farted. And he made silly faces.

This is the perfect getaway from the stresses of school and work and chores and bills. Five days with my parents and brothers and hubbin and baby and great food and a cozy fire came right on time. Right when I was pulling my hair out after a bad grade and growing frantic over future demands of new mommyhood, we snuck out.

So, here I will put my feet up while I research two papers and take a long quiz. Ah, vacation.

Ying and Yang.

I have a disability. I am forgetful. Not the kind of forgetful where I left the lights on or forgot to lock the door. And not the funny kind where I'll look all over for the sunglasses on my head. Oh no. I left my camera on top of my car when I drove to the mailbox. Luckily, Jose noticed it while pulling out the mail. There are things I have forgotten that I don't care to admit, silly things. I keep blaming pregnancy mush brain and mom head, but it can only get so far.

I know stress causes forgetfulness. I have a full plate and can only nibble so much at a time. And I wonder, how am I going to handle TWO under two? And graduate school? And work?

I'm buying myself a cape. It's going to be red. It's going to have a big fat C on it. And I'm going to wear it at my desk, in my kitchen and if I have to, I'll wear it to work. I got this.

Will you get a load of these adorable babies. Yes, they're twins, but they are Ying and Yang. They're not identical. One sleeps all day, the other sleeps all night. Gabriel looks like his mama and Isaiah resembles his daddy. But they are equally loved.

Jack smothers them in kisses. He makes sure they have a shnoot nearby and he rocks them, hard. The more effort, the more love.

I love how it takes all of his determination and persistence and coordination to insert the pacifier. His tongue hugs his upper lip, he grunts a little...

... he tries two hands, pokes an eye and jams it in. I know my kid is going far in life.

I am on the cape hunt. I'm thinking red. Something sparkly with matching heels and lipstick.

Balls.

I'm back. I can't remember when I last checked the mail or napped with my baby. In fact, I draw a blank when people ask how far along I am in my pregnancy. I have been buried in work and school and boring hum drum, shoveling through to get here. I'm finally past the due date of my paper, now submitted. I am through with my work week and caught up on laundry. Okay, not entirely caught up on laundry, but almost. I'm back. Tomorrow, I will put away all the clothes, walk to the post and nap beside Jack.

And for the record, I'm almost six months along.

I found this awesome coupon to the Gap for 30% off my total purchase. Hear the chorus? The only setback was that I couldn't get to a Gap. So I sent my next best, Mom. I told her I'd give her a hundred bucks to blow on her grandson if she just went shopping by the date of expiration. He needs winter clothes.

Don't laugh, we're going to North Carolina, we might see winter.

She agreed. Then, Jose decided he wanted in on the coupon and went with her.

And so went the two most impulsive buyers I know. Mom pointing out the cute stuff and Jose picking it up in every color. He called me at work to tell me he spent four hundred dollars, with the coupon. "And what a deal we got, because they gave me an additional 15% off when I opened the credit card. All this stuff was almost half off!"

Um, what?

We bought a Gap? We have stock? They're retailing furniture? Because how the heck do you find eight hundred dollars worth of clothes for a toddler?

It's okay. I panicked a little, but after a short trip back to the gap, I shaved off some of our bill and picked up a few things more to my liking. Our model will demo the goods all week long.

Jose bought Jack a tee ball set. And we practiced a little in the house. And when we say "SWING BATTER BATTER!", he says, "HEE BA BA BA BA!"

Then he kissed his ball, places it on its' perch, swings a few times, then hits the ball gently.

I love Amma's spaghetti. Nuf said.

And while we're on the topic of kick balls and baseballs, we'd like to share some perky balls.