ten things i'm thankful for - in spite of a crazy baby

My sweet Charlotte is exhausting.

For the last two weeks, when it's time for bed, she turns into a crazy child.  Crying and laughing, inhaling and refusing bottles, quiet dozing followed by cartwheels on my lap, and 4,371 trips in and out of her room.  Rocking to sleep, waking up, patting her back, waking up, feeding her bottle, waking up, losing her pacifier, waking up, losing her pacifier again, waking up...  Like I said, exhausting.  

Before I resign to checking myself into the loony bin and admit to the World Wide Web that I am mentally unstable, (oops, did I just say that out loud?) I would like to try one, last ditch, effort to restore my sanity... 

I will now list all of the things I am thankful for because of, and in spite of Charlie being nuts-o.

1. I am thankful for the back of her perfectly round head - it has the cutest, fuzzy hair that I rub to lull her to sleep.
2. Though she should be sleeping, I get a front row seat to her stories and tall tales about many adventures.  She is kind of a rambler sometimes.
3. I'm grateful that in this season, there isn't much a bottle, a pacifier, some bouncing and some extra rocking can't solve.  Someday, her problems will be much more complicated and heart-wrenching...and worse, I won't be able to fix them as easily.
4. For the muted crunch of my pats on her diapered butt.
5. I'm thankful Charlotte and I get to spend hours of uninterrupted time together.
6. For her sweet baby smell.
7. Though she will be turning cartwheels in my lap, when I stand and hold her so that her cheek is right next to mine, she freezes, and I feel her chubby cheek tighten into a smile.
8. With every exhale, she sings one or two little notes or pitches.  Charlie's songs.  Even her breath praises Him.
9. For the way her breaths get long and deep when she finally surrenders to sleep. 
10. Really, I am thankful for all of her shenanigans at night, because they mean she is strong, full of fire, and healthy.  She is alive, and tonight, that is plenty to be grateful for.