Giving Thanks (Updated with photo)

I have been thinking about this post for a while. Of course it comes as no surprise that this particular Thanksgiving is pretty much the absolute best one in recent memory. I wrote a similar post last year at this time, but at that point we still didn't have an idea of how much we truly had to be thankful for. This year all we have to do is look into the deep, gorgeous, dark eyes of our little J-dog and truly understand the meaning of this holiday. Listen to his magical laughter, sniff his sweet head, stroke his incredibly soft skin. All day long I've been soaking him in, and thinking about the pain that past Thanksgivings have brought me. As low as those lows were, well, the high now is almost the polar opposite. But it is bittersweet too. I still remember that pain and it brings tears to my eyes. And I think of all the people out there who are still struggling and wish I could just reach in that pit and pull them out. So today I am beyond thankful for our beautiful, sweet boy and our - finally- family.

We had a very low-key day, just the three of us. This morning we went out to Central Park, just catching a glimpse of the parade balloons down the road in the far distance as we crossed into the park. It was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day here in NYC. Perfect. We went to the playground for the first time all together and put the J-dog in the swings. We took a million pictures of him. He went down the slide for the first time with his dad. And we took more pictures in front of a brilliantly yellow ginko tree. A happy little family. And then we came home and did some prep for dinner. I made a turkey, but had ordered all the side dishes from Fre.sh Dir.ect. For those who aren't from NYC, this service is my savior. They deliver all kinds of groceries, including fresh meals. I could have wimped out completely and gotten a turkey, but it was fun to at least make that. Our kitchen is super-tiny, so this was a great way to go. So we had dinner all together for the very first time. Usually the J-dog has his solid food meal around 5 or 5:30, so we just joined him. He had his own version of our meal - ground turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes and yellow squash. I actually can't even believe how much he ate! Just like us, he filled his belly. It was so nice to sit around the table as a family. A real family.

To everyone out there still reading this blog, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am especially thankful once again for the support you have giving me throughout this journey.