"Dih-Doo!"

Okay, so I didn't get a "Thanksgiving Post" done last week, but since it hasn't been a full week since Thanksgiving Day, I figure I can still do it now.

I'm grateful for a lot of things, make no mistake about that. But what my fingers are burning to type about is that cute little Carson of ours. It was Wednesday night. I'd made three pies (turns out I should have made four--that Cherry pie didn't go very far) and I was pooped. No pun intended here, but Ryan was in our room changing Carson's diaper and when he finished, I heard Carson tell him thank you. Only it was "Dih-Doo!" I laughed so hard. Who says thank you for a diaper change, I wondered? But "dih-doo" is kind of his thing right now.

Now don't get too excited, when Annie was less than a year old she used to line up all her animals (or whatever genre of toys she was playing with) in some form of order. Tallest to smallest, you name it! I remember rubbing my hands together with a big smile on my face thinking, A - HA! She'll be neat and orderly! Like Aunt Gretchen! HAH! I have to threaten all sorts of toy-loss and other calamities to get her to clean up now. So, I'm holding no fantasies about how grateful Carsie will grow up to be.

But it was still tender, charming, and cute to hear him thank his dad for the diaper change. And if memory serves, it was not the cleanest of diapers. In fact, I might have heard Ryan gag. Maybe he's pregnant!

Anyway, Carson is going through the "thank you" phase, apparently. What great timing! What better time is there, I ask you, for a tiny boy to be focused on gratitude than at Thanksgiving? "Thank you" has come in very handy for us. It is what I say with my hand outstretched to get him to hand me all his bath toys to teach him to clean up after himself. He says it at the dinner table. He says it to his sister when she gives him the least desireable of all the toys she's playing with (her current version of "sharing"). He has even thanked both Ryan and myself for getting him out of his crib in the mornings. Come to think of it, however, I have yet to hear him thank us for putting him IN his crib. I guess everything must have its limits.

Well, "dih-doo" to Carson for letting me be his mom and for coming into my life! I'm very grateful for my family and all the blessings we have. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (as we did) and may you survive and enjoy the coming Christmas season!