Here are two of the things I am most thankful for...
Greyson...who is a dynamo I can hardly keep up with...
And Gunner...who is getting so big, so strong, so fast....missing my sweet newborn.Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving...
Today, on thanksgiving, I have soo much to be thankful for. If you have been reading this month, you know this and I won't bore you with all of that. However, I spent the better part of the morning reflecting on the year so far, so many things could have went so differently, not that they went perfectly, but as it stands now, I wouldn't change any part of it as it has made me a different and better person.
Greyson...who is a dynamo I can hardly keep up with...
And Gunner...who is getting so big, so strong, so fast....missing my sweet newborn.
Greyson...who is a dynamo I can hardly keep up with...And Gunner...who is getting so big, so strong, so fast....missing my sweet newborn.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Giving thanks...Day 13
Today, I give thanks for everyone who has put up with my incessant germ warfare. My weapons of choice being lysol, bleach, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes of all kinds.
For the most part, these are people know what I am battling, so they do it easily and willingly, but there are some people who don't know why I am so crazy about germs (one was my husband till recently, who I have now converted into my cultlike germ killing bandwagon). I think he now appreciates my anal cleaning techniques and vitamin pushing as he (with an obviously lower immune system than I) has not gotten sick this season yet (knock on wood)...
But to those who unquestionably wash hands till dry and cracked, stay away if sick, sequester children and force hand washing on them, when around my preemie, I thank you.
So, today, I give thanks for those who have not thought me crazy (or didn't let me know you did) and went along with my war on germs.
Giving thanks...Day 12
This is overdue, written in hindsight, but today, I give thanks for SLEEP. Sleep is a wonderful and glorious thing. It restores our bodies and rewards us for a long day's work.
No, my sweet baby boy IS NOT sleeping thru the night, and I will not sleep train him to do so, he will do that when he is ready to. He is my last and I refuse to rush him to do anything. However, he did give me five sound uninterupted hours of glorious sleep...and for that, yes, I am thankful.
Today, I give thanks for sleep.
No, my sweet baby boy IS NOT sleeping thru the night, and I will not sleep train him to do so, he will do that when he is ready to. He is my last and I refuse to rush him to do anything. However, he did give me five sound uninterupted hours of glorious sleep...and for that, yes, I am thankful.
Today, I give thanks for sleep.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Giving Thanks..Day 11
Today, I am thankful for Fall. I absolutely love the season. It is by far my favorite. This fall has been especially beautiful and has given me lots of pics to be thankful for. So while this entry is not heavy in words, it will be in pictures...these were all taken at our house. Just gorgeous!
Greyson in the leaves
Gunner in the bumbo...I didn't realize how beautiful this was till I saw it online
Geryson in the leaves
Miles and miles of leaves make a little boy smile....
Greyson and I in "Frank" He loved that!
Greyson in the leaves
Gunner in the bumbo...I didn't realize how beautiful this was till I saw it online
Geryson in the leaves
Miles and miles of leaves make a little boy smile....
Greyson and I in "Frank" He loved that!So, today, I give thanks for the beautiful fall we have had here!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Giving Thanks...Day 10
Today, I give thanks for my job. I knew from day one that this was meant to do. For those of you who don't know, I am an instructor at a community college in rural Michigan. I have been at SMC for five years now and I love it.
Teaching is my passion and I consider the chance to shape who my students will become and educate sincerley a privilege. I have found that as I became a mother and now the experiences of the summer, only make me love my job more and appreciate my chance to share with my students things that are really important. Yes, it is related the ciriculum, I teach developmental psychology.
However, aside from the teaching aspect, I still appreciate my job. Yes, I live in Michigan, so to have one is a blessing alone, with the unemployment rate being 15.1% (my husband being one of the unlucky statistics).
The schedule is probably one of the most amazing parts of my job. The flexibility I am allowed has made it possible for me to be a mom, seeing my sons go through their babyhood, take them to doctor appointments, and shelter Gunner from the big bad RSV germs. Due to my summers off, I also missed no work during my bedrest and Gunner's time in the NICU, so instead of being really stressed with finances, we are only a little stressed :)
Today, I give thanks for my job.
found that I love it more everytime something happens that I have always enjo
The flexibility in my schedule has
Teaching is my passion and I consider the chance to shape who my students will become and educate sincerley a privilege. I have found that as I became a mother and now the experiences of the summer, only make me love my job more and appreciate my chance to share with my students things that are really important. Yes, it is related the ciriculum, I teach developmental psychology.
However, aside from the teaching aspect, I still appreciate my job. Yes, I live in Michigan, so to have one is a blessing alone, with the unemployment rate being 15.1% (my husband being one of the unlucky statistics).
The schedule is probably one of the most amazing parts of my job. The flexibility I am allowed has made it possible for me to be a mom, seeing my sons go through their babyhood, take them to doctor appointments, and shelter Gunner from the big bad RSV germs. Due to my summers off, I also missed no work during my bedrest and Gunner's time in the NICU, so instead of being really stressed with finances, we are only a little stressed :)
Today, I give thanks for my job.
found that I love it more everytime something happens that I have always enjo
The flexibility in my schedule has
Giving Thanks...Day 9
Today, I give thanks to all of the people I have never met. Yes, these are people who have supported me through the last seven months on line. Through their stories and pictures of their beautiful children, they have given me hope.
First, it was the women of the high-risk pregnancy board. They were all in a similar boat to me by having a pregnancy that was not text book. Some were on bed rest, some were dealing with preterm labor, some had gestational diabetes, some were previous preemie moms going thru the complications a second time, some suffered through infertility and were blessed (or multiply blessed) with a baby only to face complications with pregnancy, some had pPROM like me...the list goes on and on. Simply put these were women that understood what I was going thru when I wasn't sure if I understood myself. I cried when they posted struggles, I celebrated when they posted their birth stories, and I found myself friends with these women...all who I have never met.
Then, it was the preemie boards. These women are remarkably strong and amazing. They are the moms some of the most amazing kids I will never meet. Their babies were born at all different gestations. Some much younger than my sweet boy, some actually older than him. All have been thru the trenches and have earned their wings by lovingly parenting a preemie. I sometimes feel almost guilty for thinking myself part of their club (a club no one wants to belong to) because my son is thriving so. He has not suffered thru months of bradies and apneas, PDAs, IVHs, brain bleeds, NEC or ROP. He is blessed (as am I) to not have any of these issues. But these gracious women accept me and my boy and celebrate his gains with me, even if their child isn't there yet. It is very humbling to say the least. And again, I have never met them.
Finally, there are a few women who I "met" early on thru stumbling on their blogs while searching for support and answers to what to expect with my son. I feel like we are friends. I read about their lives on a near daily basis. I laugh and cry with them, because I so can relate. These are women who have losses so profound when I compare my own challenges to theirs. They are women I really look up to, but again, have never met them.
So today, I give thanks for so many I have never met.
First, it was the women of the high-risk pregnancy board. They were all in a similar boat to me by having a pregnancy that was not text book. Some were on bed rest, some were dealing with preterm labor, some had gestational diabetes, some were previous preemie moms going thru the complications a second time, some suffered through infertility and were blessed (or multiply blessed) with a baby only to face complications with pregnancy, some had pPROM like me...the list goes on and on. Simply put these were women that understood what I was going thru when I wasn't sure if I understood myself. I cried when they posted struggles, I celebrated when they posted their birth stories, and I found myself friends with these women...all who I have never met.
Then, it was the preemie boards. These women are remarkably strong and amazing. They are the moms some of the most amazing kids I will never meet. Their babies were born at all different gestations. Some much younger than my sweet boy, some actually older than him. All have been thru the trenches and have earned their wings by lovingly parenting a preemie. I sometimes feel almost guilty for thinking myself part of their club (a club no one wants to belong to) because my son is thriving so. He has not suffered thru months of bradies and apneas, PDAs, IVHs, brain bleeds, NEC or ROP. He is blessed (as am I) to not have any of these issues. But these gracious women accept me and my boy and celebrate his gains with me, even if their child isn't there yet. It is very humbling to say the least. And again, I have never met them.
Finally, there are a few women who I "met" early on thru stumbling on their blogs while searching for support and answers to what to expect with my son. I feel like we are friends. I read about their lives on a near daily basis. I laugh and cry with them, because I so can relate. These are women who have losses so profound when I compare my own challenges to theirs. They are women I really look up to, but again, have never met them.
So today, I give thanks for so many I have never met.
Giving Thanks...Day 8
Today, I give thanks for the handful of people I trust to leave my children with. It is a select few and if you are in that minority, thank you and you should feel special.
I read once that a woman has to wear her heart on the outside of her body forever, once she has a child. Whoever wrote this, could be no more right. My boys, my babies, mean the world to me. Because of this, I am very selective about who gets to watch over them while I am not there. This is the reason Brian or I drive an extra 30 minues to an hour each day to get Greyson and Gunner to hands we trust.
Up until I went in the hospital this summer Greyson had never stayed the night anywhere, always at home in his own bed with Mommy and Daddy to wake up to in the morning. This summer he spent a lot of time with his Auntie Lindsey at her house and she is his teacher at Preschool. With his allergies, I am very leery of having him in the hands of anyone but a family member. His Aunties Sunny and Lindsey are such special people, they have earned our seal of approval!
And Gunner....well take me fear and anxities with Greyson and multiply them by 80 (that is the number of days that I spent on bed rest and days he spent in the NICU) and you have my level of fear. Preemies are not like full term babies. They eat differently, need to be burped differently, have different immune systems, etc. The only person that saw that day in and out was Mimi, who choose to be there daily with me. Because of that, she earned the privilege of caring for Gunner while we are at work.
When it comes to the rare occasion that Mommy and Daddy get a night out, it is Aunt Sunny who comes to our house so the boys can be in their environment, their beds and be comfortable. This is such a blessing. To know they are home safe and comfortable.
To those special people, we definitely give thanks.
I read once that a woman has to wear her heart on the outside of her body forever, once she has a child. Whoever wrote this, could be no more right. My boys, my babies, mean the world to me. Because of this, I am very selective about who gets to watch over them while I am not there. This is the reason Brian or I drive an extra 30 minues to an hour each day to get Greyson and Gunner to hands we trust.
Up until I went in the hospital this summer Greyson had never stayed the night anywhere, always at home in his own bed with Mommy and Daddy to wake up to in the morning. This summer he spent a lot of time with his Auntie Lindsey at her house and she is his teacher at Preschool. With his allergies, I am very leery of having him in the hands of anyone but a family member. His Aunties Sunny and Lindsey are such special people, they have earned our seal of approval!
And Gunner....well take me fear and anxities with Greyson and multiply them by 80 (that is the number of days that I spent on bed rest and days he spent in the NICU) and you have my level of fear. Preemies are not like full term babies. They eat differently, need to be burped differently, have different immune systems, etc. The only person that saw that day in and out was Mimi, who choose to be there daily with me. Because of that, she earned the privilege of caring for Gunner while we are at work.
When it comes to the rare occasion that Mommy and Daddy get a night out, it is Aunt Sunny who comes to our house so the boys can be in their environment, their beds and be comfortable. This is such a blessing. To know they are home safe and comfortable.
To those special people, we definitely give thanks.
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