Thank You

Gemma does and says many things that I love. I wish I could freeze her and keep her how she is now forever. Something that she does that I particularly love is that she says thank you if you compliment her.
C: "Gemma you are so smart!"
G: "Thank You!"
C: "G I love your outfit"
G "Thank you!"
...and so on and so on. I hope this is something that sticks with her from age to age. I am not sure where she picked this up. Not from me! When someone compliments me I tend to negate it and defend my flaws. If I was a lawyer I know I could convince any jury that my flaws were as blaring to the world as they are to me and anyone paying me a compliment must be insane! I do not have the grace to say thank you, smile and move on.
I have a friend who can smile and say thank you just like G does. You can say "oh Caitlin your talk was amazing!" and she smiles and says "thank you!" or "Caitlin your outfit is so classy!" and she says "thank you". When I first met her I pulled a When Harry Met Sally and thought "I'll have what she's having"...she must be on the best anti depressant ever because no one can just smile and say thank you. But as time went on and our friendship deepened I learned that she was in fact not on any antidepressant just confident and gracious. It is one of my favorite things about her. I tried it for a while but it is hard to break the habit of rebuffing any nicety thrown my way.

Joe has been out of town for the last few days and I am blown away by my tribe. Friends text, call, babysit, and bring treats. My family invites us for dinner, watches Gemma so I can teach and my mom has taken me out for dinner twice! I wish I lived around the corner from my mom. It is the best when she comes to town. Gemma is a huge fan too. My mom may live far away but she makes a huge effort with Gemma. She calls and facetimes weekly, sends presents, and fusses over her when we are all together. She teaches me about motherhood and gives me ideas of new things to try. I feel very lucky to have such an attentive mom. I am always sad when she goes back home.

I've had a few friends message me about Joe's travel. Yes it is true that he goes to beautiful cities all over the world and stays at nice hotels. However, his trips usually lead him in and out of airports, convention centers and a few restaurants. He usually starts his day around seven and ends it around one in the morning. He comes home totally exhausted. So while I do fight some resentment towards his travels I have to remind myself that he isn't sight seeing, or sleeping in (although he is sleeping uninterrupted without a toddler's little foot in his face). I know that Joe is aware of my desperate need to see everywhere and experience new places. I know our day will come to travel together. Sweet husband of mine truly would take me on every trip if he could and that makes all the difference to me. 

So to all these people who see me and are part of my tribe...THANK YOU! Your support is so important and helpful. I love my people.