thoughtless boyfriend

My boyfriend and I are in couples counselling and it's helping us a lot. We are coming to understand each other more and more and our communication is improving. One of the things that really bothers me in our 4 year relationship (with a 9 month old) is that he isn't a thoughtful person. Gifts are generic at best and I've never received something from him that showed that he put any thought into it. I'm not saying I need a lot of gifts or that he needs to spend a lot of money- honestly the thing could be hand made for all I care if I felt it was from the heart, I'd adore it. So this is something I've been trying to communicate to him for some time now and I know he doesn't mean to be thoughtless, he just doesn't seem to know how to. So I'm 9 months post partum and not really feeling my body these days and finding it hard to find time to work out but I want to get back to the gym or to yoga, but with maternity leave, not really sure I can afford it. Anyway, we go to my parents for the holidays and it was my birthday on the 28... I'm hoping that this year he gets me something really thoughtful... I get out of the shower and there's a cardboard box there with two second hand dresses he bought me. They are not my style- not very flattering to this body that I'm not comfortable in- and they are second hand! I don't even know what to say... the saving grace is that he wrote me a beautiful poem. But what bothers me isn't that I don't really like the dresses, it's that he bought them the day before my birthday, he didn't put any thought into getting me something that'd make me happy.. he just got what was available in the small town my parents live in. Now, I realize that getting upset over a present is childish and spoiled and ungrateful, so it's hard to talk about it, but I just wish I felt like he put some thought into making me feel special on my 30th birthday. I'm not even mad at him... I'm just disappointed I guess.