Thanks Giving

I am thankful for piles of laundry unfolded and dishes unwashed because they mean I have been too busy snuggling my baby and playing with my 4- year-old to get anything "useful" done.

I am thankful that I get to change 14 dirty diapers a day because it means Rosie is healthy.

I am thankful that Cole is strong-willed because it means he won't let people walk all over him, even though right now it means arguments, tantrums, and time outs.

I am thankful for Rosie's 8:30pm - 10:00pm nightly screaming sessions because I know all too well that some parents never get to hear their babies make a sound.

I am thankful for stretch marks and baby weight because they mean that my body has made miracles - something I do not take lightly when I know so many people who would accept any consequences to their body if it meant they could grow a child.  My changed body shows how hard I worked to bring my three beautiful children into the world, and as much as I'd like to look like the "old me" sometimes, the "new me" is so much stronger and proof of the journey I have traveled.

I am thankful for 4am feedings because I know Rosie is growing.

I am thankful that Cole doesn't like kisses because it makes his freely-given bedtime smooches so valuable.

I am thankful for my tears because they mean I love Molly so much that I miss her with every breath I take.

I am thankful that I don't have time to see The Hunger Games because it means I have a baby that needs me close all the time right now.

I am thankful for Cole's current separation anxiety and dramatic sadness when I leave because it means he loves me enough to want me close all the time.

I am thankful that I miss my parents while they are in Florida for the winter because it means I am lucky enough to have a good relationship with my mom and dad.

And...I am thankful for a husband that works hard for our family, for two happy, healthy kids in my home, for quiet moments cuddling Rosie while she sleeps, for Cole's creativity, humor and sweetness, for a sister who is also my best friend, for a brother who listens to me, for the lessons Molly has taught me, for Cole and Rosie having the chance to grow up close to their cousins, for kind neighbors, for Rosie's new smile and her perfect hands and toes, for Cole saying, "Mama, this is the best party I ever had" after his Winnie the Pooh birthday party, for every time Cole asks to hug his baby sister, and the way Rosie seeks out his voice.

 

For family.  For the family I was born into, the family Brendon and I have made, and the family I have chosen.  Thankful doesn't cut it.  I am so lucky.

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude."

~A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh