I am blessed.

Hi Milla.

It's Mom.

As I type this you're lying on your play gym - blending in with the garish colours, because of the brightly coloured babygro (Carter's - courtesy of Gogo Hil) that I love so much I put you in it whenever it's freshly laundered - and having an absolute whale of a time playing by yourself.

As I type this, I'm looking back on today: my nicest day in three weeks. Three dark, twisty weeks.

As I type this, I'm feeling blessed. And what better reason is there to grab my laptop and have you bomble about - in your new language and with your newly discovered digits - in the background, than that?

Now, the blessings:

1. I am blessed because you sleep. 

Like your Dad, you're a night sleeper. (Okay, he's a day sleeper too, but so what?) You sleep, like a dream, from 7pm or 8pm when we put you down (and sometimes even when you put yourself to sleep; see previous post) to 5am or 6am, when I hear you chattering, sneezing or squeaking over the monitor.

That's 10 (ten) hours. That's a lot of sleep. And that means that Mom and Dad get their fair share of sleep too. You're a blessing. You truly are. Now all I need to do is get to bed around 8.30pm - ha ha.

2. I am blessed because you very seldom, if ever, wake up screaming. 

Chattering, squeaking, sometimes gentle squawking. These are your cues to be collected, greeted enthusiastically and fed. And you sometimes even eat and go back to sleep for a bit. Lucky mommy.

3. I am blessed to live in South Africa.

A country that mostly scares me, often frustrates me and seldom comforts me - but makes it possible for me to have the domestic help I need to a) get well, b) go back to work (supposedly tomorrow, but let's not talk about that, shall we?), and c) grab the small gaps in the week that enable me to be well-groomed and (potentially, but not yet) averagely fit and moderately toned. Not to mention d) have a clean house.

Today, Thursday, 'Granny Nanny' (Gogo and John's helper) spent the day here with me. Largely, to babysit me. But also, to babysit you. So I could do a bit o' work, do a bit o' PND healing and let go just a little.

What a treat. In addition to being a wise woman, she's a wonderful woman. I loved every minute of our intermittent chats and I adored the whole hour we spent in deep conversation, while you slept - and very cutely snored.

And, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we have Laurancia. Our own lovely, lovely helper. Who, with me, is learning about early childcare, and finding her feet in looking after little you so I can work.

May you grow up to recognise your blessings easily, and often.

I love you.

Mom x