December 31st, 2007

And so here it is, the last day of the year. What a year it has been. Garrett is changing so much every day. He just started being able to grab things. He'll lie on his back on his play mat, with all these little animals hanging down, and he struggles and twitches and kicks and pounds the mat with his hands but he doesn't give up. And then, for one brief shining moment, he holds the leg of a stuffed giraffe in his hands, victorious!

He's also been going to bed brilliantly. We put him in his crib, he flails and sucks his hands and turns himself around 180 degrees. And then he falls asleep with one arm slung over his eyes. I hope he continues to be able to fall asleep like that, on his own, self-pacifying. I think it'll lead to a very independent future.

I'll leave you with this lesson my dog Bogie taught me yesterday:
I was giving him snacks and he would choke down each one, barely chewing, knowing that I had another one in my hand to give him. He didn't enjoy any of them... Just waited for the next one to be delivered. I realized that we all do that. We fail to enjoy the here and now because we're so busy thinking about or worrying about or excited about what's coming next.

My resolution for 2008 is to savor each "snack". I want to live inside every moment, and let myself be surprised by what's around the corner. We only have so many "here and nows". I plan on savoring each one.

May your New Year be filled with great joy. I look forward to sharing more with you throughout the year.