Thanksgiving

we are thankful indeed for family, friends, our apartment, our car, food, wine, love, literature, on and on.
we are in california - going back in time to autumn. while chicago is getting frosty northern california is just turning leaves. the air is full of wood chips, and blooming flowers. the landscape still colorful - not like the bleak midwinter scapes of the mid west.
thanksgiving here is simple - slower, calmer. even with christian, if you can believe it.
we made the flight all right. the Lord was gracious to get us through security and onto the plane without much ado. christian didn't make many peeps either.
and now here in the gemutlich home of my in-laws. christian has made great 'strides,' though he isn't walking, in his progress toward crawling. however his sleeping is so off with the time change.
he didn't wig out at all coming here. he does what he does at home when he enters a new environment - checks it out and when alls well he starts smiling and hanging out as normal.
we visited friends today who had a son a month before christian. it was nice to commiserate about our similar experiences with the shock of labor, delivery, and entrance into parenthood. it wasn't seemless for sure. christian got to experience a doorway jumper and loved it. so we may look into buying that gadget. it's hard to say no when christian takes to toys and things so well and so lovingly.
the time here has been so relaxing. it's so nice to not have to get up, prepare for the day while trying to give christian quality time, and then depart to mess with traffic and then the work day and all its tasks, colleagues, meetings and such. i am grateful for my job and everything - but the simpleness of waking up, taking it slow - playing with christian, nursing the cup of coffee, spending time in thought (who does that anymore?!) - is refreshing. it's the first time that we've almost yearned for suburban life (sshh! don't tell the city dweller friends:)).
i should stop now though - isn't this blog about parenthood? ha!
black friday's closing - tomorrow dan and i may go out by ourselves! imagine that.
ciao.