Day Five: Baby Giggles

I wonder if interpretive
dance is included?

I am thankful for: Baby Giggles

Boy is ridiculously good about sitting in his bouncer.  He loves the vantage point of being able to see everything around him.  I take full advantage of this whenever I need to get something accomplished, like take a shower or straighten the living room. 

Today, the task was putting away groceries.  I put his bouncer on the island, secured him safely inside it and began emptying the grocery bags.  I was explaining each item to him as I put it in its proper place.  This was entertaining to him and he was smiling big while intermittently voicing his opinion, when my elbow (or possibly my still-large-from-pregnancy-and-my-love-of-pizza hip) hit the button on his bouncer to begin playing the [terrible] lullabies that Boy loves so dearly. 

I know all of the inane little tunes by heart at this point, so I started singing along with it and doing some interpretive dance for him.

At this, his smiles gave way to full-on laughter (he's still young, so it's not those big baby-laughs you might be thinking of, but it was as big as his laughs currently get).  Of course, with a response like that, I couldn't stop.  I turned on our favorite Michael Buble Pandora station and sang and danced for him until he drifted off to sleep. 

Thankful Moment: I downloaded a ringtone of a baby laughing and that's what I hear whenever my mom calls - it never ceases to make me smile.

Had anyone else been laughing that hard at my dancing, I might have had to have a good cry, but his laughs warmed my soul and made me so grateful for him and the silly moments we have together.

So, go have a good laugh.  It is undoubtedly the cure for whatever it may be that ails you.

Day Four: Every Other Friday

I am thankful for: Every other Friday.

Note: The majority of this post was typed on 02/24, but I wasn't able to finish it...since it was one of those Fridays, so my evening was full and computer-free!  So, you will be seeing two posts today.

Hub and I have worked alternating schedules every since Boy was born.  This works out great in that Boy is always in the care of either Hub or I, we don't have to deal with daycare (minus a few hours a week when the hub is in class), and our income hasn't taken much of a hit having a third member of the family. 

Thankful Moment: I love having a third member of our family.

This schedule is a bummer in the fact that Hub and I rarely get to spend much time together.  The exception to this is every other Friday (and Tuesday, technically, but Tuesdays aren't weekends).  Every other Friday, Hub doesn't have to work, so we have the whole evening together as a family. 

We can go out to eat, shop, watch shows, hang out - whatever we want.  And it's great! 

Part of looking for these things to be thankful for really means focusing on the little things that bring joy into my life, and any time I get with my boys is really the best part of any day. 

Day Three: Google

My mother also has aspirations to be a pirate - so
I have selected this logo in her honor, matey.

I am thankful for: Google (the Search engine, specifically)

I am a naturally curious person. I think I get it from my mother. I think she'd love to be a fact checker for a newspaper. There is no fact or tidbit or morsel of knowledge that doesn't seem to fascinate her. As a result, I like to know stuff. Not any particular stuff. Just stuff.

So, the fact that I have Google in my pocket (literally, I have an Android phone with a special button just for my searching needs) is endlessly helpful in helping me procure the answer to all of life's little questions.

Thankful Moment: I suppose this really means I'm thankful for the Internet, as a whole, for being filled with all the answers to life's most pressing questions. But, specifically Google for making it sooo easy to find what I need.

As I pull of a search history on my phone and computer, here are just a few of the recent searches I have done:

1) How old is Kiefer Sutherland?
2) What is the past tense of the word sh*t (sorry to offend anyone...this was important knowledge).
3) Pedestal sink with side cabinets - image search
4) How to increase breast milk supply?
5) When does the next season of America's Next Top Model start? (WEDNESDAY. Mark you calendars).

So, what have YOU Googled today?

Note: I have purposely withheld Kiefer's age from this post - how many of you are going to go Google it now...or already have?

Day Two: Sleep

I am thankful for: Sleep

A few moments ago I layed Boy down in his crib for bed.  He fussed for, oh, 60 seconds and then closed his sweet little blue eyes.

Thankful moment: I love those blue eyes.  I love my hub's blue eyes and I fully expected my kid to inherit my chocolate brown eyes, due to the "dominance" of said eye color. But those blue eyes steal my heart away each time I see them.

I am 10 ways past exhausted tonight. I've been waking up at 5am the past few days to conduct employee training for co-workers at 6am.  And tonight I'm feeling the worst of it.  The minute he closed his eyes, I felt my body just relax and prepare for sleep.

Before I heaved myself onto my bed and joined the little one in wonderous slumber, however, I came downstairs to write this post.  And, naturally, the number one thing on my mind is sleep.

Last week about this time, Boy figured out that he could sleep 7-10 hours stretches at night.  And for the first time in 3 and a half months, my body got to learn how that feels, too.  And, boy, does it feel good.

I'm thankful for the patience and endurance my body and mind have had during this long stretch of sleep deprivation.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to nourish my boy, despite the unfortunate hour on the clock many nights.  I'm thankful that the little one has always been pretty good about going back to sleep after middle-of-the-night feedings.  I'm thankful for each precious hour of sleep I'm able to get.

Speaking of which, I'm gonna go do that now...

Day One: Safety

I am thankful for: safety.

Yesterday, over my lunch break, I went with Hub and Boy to take my mom to the airport so she could return home after her little visit to see her grandboy.  On our way to the airport, it began to snow.

After dropping her off, Hub, Boy and I returned home so I could grab my car and get back to work.  I was running a little late, so, exercising poor judgment when driving in the snow, I was driving a bit too fast.

There is a freeway on-ramp not too far from my house that is raised high above the freeway.  As I made the turn to enter the ramp, I felt the traction slip out of my 1990's winter junker.  At this point I'm fairly sure I suffered a small heart attack as I imagined rolling down the hill toward the freeway. In a car with no airbags.  In the snow.

Thankful Moment: Better the junker than the new car.

I quickly gathered my wits about me and regained control before anything terrible could occur.  As I drove [carefully] back to work, I could not deny my overwhelming sense of gratitude to be safely on the freeway.  I realized how much of my life is spent in a car and how fortunate I have been to always arrive at my destination in safety.  I'm grateful for the reminder to take it easy and not compromise my own safety by rushing.  I'm grateful Boy was not with me as I learned this little lesson.  And as I sit here now, squeezing Boy's little fingers and kissing his perfectly round cheeks, I'm grateful for the safety and warmth of our home and the joy we have together.

Now, quick, it's Fat Tuesday - scarf down another cupcake before it's too late!

40 Days

Things you should know about me:

• I'm a new mom (to, what may be, the most handsome baby boy ever - and I'm surely not biased).
• I work full-time (and am the primary breadwinner for our fantastic fam).
• My hub is a full-time dad (at home with Boy during the day), full-time student, and works full-time nights and weekends.
• I like to cook, clean, sew, and all the other "housewifey" things I never have time to actually do.
• I'm passionate about fitness - although the size of my current post-baby waistline might not indicate such.
• I have two little dogs (a Shih Tzu and a Mini Schnauzer) who are fantastic little guys. 
• I'm a people-pleaser; I dislike conflict and I try to be all things to all people, an exhausting task. 

Recently, as my maternity leave was drawing to an end and I was preparing to return to work, I remember, distinctly, a conversation I had with my mother. 

"Mom," I told her matter-of-factly.  "I know what I'm giving up for Lent."

This was particularly surprising to her because, at the time, Lent was still 2 months away and I do not belong to a religion that specifically participates in this ritual. 

"And that is?" she replied, sounding a bit perplexed.

"Guilt."

Leaving my 9-week old son to return to work was about the worst feeling in the world.  But, it's far better for our family at this time for me to work.  Moreover, I knew it was going to ruin my time WITH my boy if I was hanging onto guilt over all the missed moments.  I knew I'd suffer as an employee if I spent my days feeling guilty for being there.  I knew I'd suffer as a wife if I felt guilty for not finishing the dishes each night or for letting the laundry pile up a day (or two) too long. 

I knew that if I let the guilt in, it would grow like a tumor and spread throughout all aspects of my life - and I couldn't let that happen.  Instead, I had to let the guilt go and hang onto the joy of each moment of the day. 

So, here I am, 2 days away from Lent and ready to take on my guilt-free challenge with a little twist:

Each day for 40 days, in an effort to remind myself not to

hang onto any guilt, resentment, anger, or negativity, 

I will blog about the things I am grateful for that day. 

I can't think of a better way to stick to my goal and count down the days until Easter - perhaps the most glorious holiday of them all. 

I encourage you to do the same.  But, if not, at least join me each day to focus on the things that fill life with joy (and a healthy dose of humor along the way).