Maddie's World

In a couple days we celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving. I have the luck of working for a school and get out early on Wednesday afternoon. From there we head to East Brunswick and spend a few days with Sheira's family. This time last year we were thankful for receiving the picture of our daughter Madeline Rose. After reflecting on the time since last Thanksgiving I thought about all the things I (and we) am thankful for.

• Thankful for being married to my best friend and partner in the world.
• Thankful to An Li who helped us in numerous ways while we were in China.
• Thankful to Joe and Tammy - our travel partners in China - f0r making our journey to Maddie so much fun.
• Thankful to both our familes (as much as they may make us nuts) for their love and support.
• Thankful to all our friends for the laughs, the dinners, trips to the zoos, and a whole bunch of other things that makes them amazing people.
• Thankful to Noggin for the great shows and endless supply of entertainment for Madeline.
• Thankful to the creator of Elmo who provided a character in whom Madeline takes comfort all times of day and night.
• Thankful to the brave woman who gave birth to Maddie and made the choice to put her somewhere where she could be found.
• Thankful to the Social Welfare Institute in Foshan / Nan Hai China, its director Ms. Tang, and all the nannies who took care of Maddie for the first 8.5 months of her life.
• And for Madeline Rose for waiting for us to come get her and for blessing us with her very existance. She makes our lives worth so much. Even when she is putting stuff in the toilet, or taking out all the water from it, or emptying out the diapers, or peeing on the floor as she walks to the bathtub, you are, in every definition of the word, beautiful, and everything we ever dreamed of.