29 Thankful-isms

Okay, so my friend Nicole is either equally ambitious or equally crazy. I'll go with ambitious. She is the reason I am even attempting this 30 blogs in 30 days thing...So anyway, I worked today, and this was one of those days where I was literally busy the whole day, which left me very little time to think of the theme for today's blog! Well fortunately, when I got home I looked to see what she had done on her blog 'A New Normal'. What I found was a list of 29 things she is thankful for, (inspired by our other friend Jen, who recently bought a book entitled, "29 gifts in 29 Days" and has been challenging all of us to think of 29 things WE are thankful for). Well anyway, at the end of Nicole's blog, she tagged me to do the same thing! It's like a challenge! How can I not accept? But since this blog is about how our babies changed our lives, I will try to keep all my 29 thankful-isms to being about that!

I am thankful...

1. For friends and family who gave me strength and hope during the many years we could not get pregnant.

2. For my husband who never faltered in his love for me even when I wasn't sure I would ever be able to give him kids of our own.

3. That I was born with a sense of humor and the ability to deal with disappointment and heartache and still go on.

4. For modern medical advancements that make InVitro Fertilization possible.

5. For my family who helped make it possible for us to do InVitro.

6. That Dr.Gelety and Marta are as skilled at their jobs as they are and were able to make our dreams a reality.

7. For the three heartbeats on that ultrasound monitor back in October, 2008.

8. That motherly intuition and fierce love for my 3 unborn children defeated the fear of the "what ifs".

9. That Dr. Maciulla was as off-kilter as he was the first time we met him! (That's why we stayed with him!)

10. For Casey, our ultrasound tech who found Colton's cleft lip and Hunter's Girlness!

11. For everyone I know and don't know who prayed for us and our babies throughout the pregnancy.

12. For my Cottonwood and kindergarten friends (and sister) Mary, Charlotte, Maggie, Michelle, Dawn, Chris, Renae and Patti who loved these babies enough to make sure I drank water, ate healthy food, and stayed off my feet as much as possible while I was pregnant and teaching.

13. For this blog and all our readers. Your excitement about this pregnancy and now, these babies, makes writing about it worth all the time in the world.

14. For my friends Anabelle, Jen B., Nicole, Sarah, Jen C. and Leigh who gave me encouragement, advice, wrote poems for the babies, brought me food, loaned me maternity clothes, gave me Breathe Right Nose Strips, etc. during my pregnancy!

15. For everyone out there who gave me or our babies ANYTHING...whether it was books, diapers, wipes, hangers, blankets, money, formula, hand painted picture frames, cribs, crib bedding, clothes, diaper creme, swings, etc. You are ALL appreciated much more than you will ever know.

16. For everyone involved in the safe delivery of our babies

17. For the NICU & Pediatric Doctors and Nurses for the excellent care they gave our babies....especially Lori, Nadine, Carrie, Laurel, and Jean,Erika, Dache, Daria, Laura, and Amy.

18. For my mom, dad and sister who took turns visiting Colton in the NICU when he was the only one left and I couldn't be there with him.

19. For the way Dr. Hurst changed Colton's life, and gave him a smile that melts hearts and for my friend Tony, (Dr. Lucas) the anesthesiologist, who watched over Colton during his surgery as well as gave him exceptional care.

20. That someone invented a bottle my first born son could eat from, even with a cleft lip and palate.

21. For kids like Nathan and Alec Ball and Gavin Kampelman for treating Colton so normally before and after his surgery. They give me renewed faith in the youth of the world and are an example I hope my kids will follow someday. They exemplify unconditional acceptance.

22. For Brian's family and the love they have for their grandbabies and niece and nephews, even though they do not get to see them as often as they'd like.

23. That my 99 year old Gramma is still alive and gets to hold and feed my babies and for their 3 other Great Grandparents whom they love just as much, even from afar.

24. For the way Colton laughs hysterically when I play Peek-a-Boo and holds on tight when I hug him.

25. For the tiny, fiesty, funny, loud, little pink bundle that is my daughter, Hunter.

26. For my goofy, loveable baby boy, Ethan and the way he chuckles uncontrollably and sticks out his tongue and blows raspberries all day.

27. For my mom and her friends Rosey, Diane, Gerri, JoAn, and Meredith who take care of and help feed my babies when I have to go to work.

28. For the three beats of my heart who will someday call me "mom" & the bigger one who calls me his wife. :)

29. For my life.

(That felt an awful lot like my acceptance speech at the Oscar's might sound...), but, it completes day 5 of Nablopomo...woo hoo! Only 25 left!)