I know that in my last post I complained about a certain neediness inherent in our day to day life at the present, but I want to point out that just as many moments, if not more, are like the below, and for that, I am very grateful. As a mother, there are a litany of things I am grateful for...things I didn't really think about so much prior to having children. I am grateful for coloring. I am grateful for grapes. I wrote about the song playing in the background - "I Got Two Dogs" by John Lithgow - on the Motherland blog. We've listened to the CD (it's a book, too) about 87 times today. In the most shocking development of my life over the past 20 months, I am not sick of it yet.

Please note how Nora - contrary to the usual state of affairs as of late - does not pay any attention to me, yet seems to have the end of the song memorized, down to the second, so that she can make the appropriate demand the instant it's over.