I think it's great that he's thanking you for stuff. But you can't always dissect every little thing - he could be thanking you for any reason. If something seems to be working, do it. But remember that he was going nuts a number of months ago when you were being affectionate. Something that works one day may not work another - you kind of just have to go by his mood.
Also, you need to make sure at some point that you are getting something back from him. With DBing, we tend to do all the work. But I think you can't go for like years doing all the work! Don't knock yourself over for 6 months trying to please him - you need to do for YOU too! You can't be just who you think he wants, you need to be also who you are, if that makes any sense.
