forty little things {or big things} that made this the best day

the best one of all...
isaac laughed his first real laugh today!!!!!

up until now, he had just been giving us "almost laughs" or "half laughs", which were more like little squeaks. but today, he gave us a real honest-to-goodness laugh. and it was more precious than i could have ever imagined. i was so glad that both mr. b and i were here to witness it! we were afraid it would happen when one of us was away from the house or in another room. but we were both in the dining room when it happened. mr. b was sitting on the floor next to him while he sat in his swing, trying to entertain him with noises he made with his mouth. it worked! isaac must have thought it was pretty funny, because he gave him a chuckle. and i was sitting just a few feet away at the computer, so i heard it all.

a first laugh would be special to anyone, i imagine. but it was special to me for more than just the fact that it was his first real laugh. it was special, because isaac means laughter, and we named him issac specifically because of its meaning. like i said in my facebook status today... 

"my little laughter laughed!"

mr. b and i have laughed many times since isaac has been in our lives. but we had yet to hear isaac laugh. today was that day. he only did it once {although he had lots and lots of smiles and some other happy noises for us throughout the day}... but we have a feeling that this one little laugh will open the flood gates of laughter in days to come. i can't wait!

anyway, it really made my day! but there were so many other things that made this one of the nicest, most relaxing and peaceful days, where i just felt so much joy and contentment throughout.

if you ask me, these are the kind of days we should write down and document... these days are nice to look back on when we find ourselves having difficult days.

so, here are just "a few" more things that made my day!...

1. see above.
2. when i shared my news about isaac's laugh on facebook, lots of people shared in that joy with me.
3. isaac made us laugh, too! {he pretty much does that daily.}
4. we got to sleep in... until 10:00a.m.!
5. the weather forecasters got it all wrong yesterday... why, today was not rainy and chilly at all! it was quite the opposite! beautiful, warm and sunny, with blue sky and big white clouds. absolutely perfect!
6. the weather must have made everyone in a good mood, because later in the day, when i was grocery shopping, everybody was quite pleasant, patient and friendly.
7. mr. b did not have to work the weekend overtime that he was thinking he'd have to as the week passed and saturday approached.
8. because mr. b was home today, i had a lot of freedom to get some things done that badly needed to be done while he watched isaac... dishes, grocery shopping, laundry.
9. isaac not only laughed for the first time. he also grabbed a toy and held on to it for the first time. before today, he could wrap his fingers around rattles and such, but he could not keep them there, much less pick them up. but today, he did. he held it for quite a while, as he moved it around and made noise with it. {it was actually a rattle that... well, rattled.} it was so cool. i sat right in front of him when it happened, and i was SO proud of his accomplishment! there must be something about that swing he was in, because that's where both the laugh and the hand/eye coordination took place... on the same day! it's almost as if many synapses took place in his brain while he slept last night, and when he woke up, he was determined to do significant, new things! PRETTY COOL!
10. isaac, mr. b and i watched vintage {or black and white} mickey mouse cartoons in the morning with coffee and scones... our new saturday morning tradition. isaac can hold himself up in my lap, now, so he is able to be very attentive to the cartoons. he LOVES them!
11. i used my camera to take a few pictures. i like days when i get to do that better than days when i don't.
12. i was "released" from garage sale duty {or helping my mom at her garage sale} when my mom told me that my sister and brother were going to go help instead. thanks, mom!
13. i listened to a favorite cd... one from the list of recordings i blogged about a couple days ago.
14. i had enough money to go buy groceries and stock up on some needed things.
15. while grocery shopping, i bought a bunch of healthy salad fixin's... mr. b and i have been on a healthy eating kick lately... lots of raw veggies and fruit and nuts. it feels good to eat right.
16. tonight, we took a break from healthy eating and had a yummy pizza for dinner!
17. i still had my share of healthy food, though... an antioxidant-rich matcha tea smoothie from jamba juice on my way home from grocery shopping, 'cause i had a coupon for a dollar off of the price of a small. it was a very refreshing treat!
18. i had a short walk that boosted my endorphins... it was just that nice out!
19. i did not have to work. {i am not currently working on any design projects, and it's a nice break to have.}
20. the invitations to a holiday open-house for small businesses that my friend is hosting {and that i will be showcasing my design work at} were sent out today. {more on that later}
21. one of my photos was used for the design of the invitation!
22. i fit into a pair of my pre-pregnancy pants today! {umm... they were a bit snugger than i would have liked, but they still fit!}
23. i discovered {or invented} a new way to make a wonderfully refreshing drink. it's made up of about two parts simply lemonade {the raspberry flavor}, one part water, and a splash of real lemon juice and real cherry juice concentrate. over ice... YUM! and it's a great money-saving way to make store-bought lemonade go a very long way. you should try it!
24. there was no bad news in the mail today... not that we typically get bad news in the mail. but there were no bills. i know they're "out there". but they did not make an entrance into this fine day.
25. as always, mr. b and isaac were a joy to watch as they spent father/son time together.
26. we had no commitments or engagements or responsibilities {outside of those within our home} today, so we enjoyed a true day off.
27. we are all healthy.
28. we are provided for.
29. we all like each other quite a lot.
30. mr. b serenaded isaac and me with his guitar-playing as we all sat leisurely on the couch this afternoon.
31. later, he and i had a mature conversation about how we will discipline isaac.
32. we discovered that we are in complete agreement in our approach on how to handle it when the time comes. how difficult would that be, if we had different philosophies about something like that? i'm so glad we are "on the same page".
33. though the day went by quickly, i accomplished most of what i set out to do.
34. i have felt a sense of peace and contentment all day long.
35. i'm excited about some new prospects on the horizon... related to design and photography.
36. i had time and energy to blog, as well as do a few other things that i don't get to do during the week.
37. i'm having a delicious popsicle before i go to bed {which is also a summer tradition around here}.
38. just like this morning, i know that when i wake up tomorrow, God's mercies will be new.
39. God was faithful in all things today, just like he was yesterday and always has been.
40. i have all that i need and many things that i want, too.

i hope you had a good day, too! see you tomorrow or the next day for my next thirty days of forty list.