the last thankful post

well, that's probably not true as i'm sure i'll be thankful for something again, but you know what i mean!

day 25 - i am also thankful for tradition. instead of dwelling on the past, we now spend black friday decorating the tree. ryan LOVES the christmas tree. ellen seems to enjoy it as well. every ornament was "that's so pretty momma" and every placement was contemplated. granted, they all ended up in the same place, but he thought very hard about it. :) he picked a very bright, glittery red star for the top from target and loves it.
we put our old, smaller tree in ryan's room and he loves it. there is no more innocent sight than a sleeping child in the light of christmas tree lights.
as our family of 4 was decorating our tree and listening to christmas music in the house we've only dreamed of until now, i couldn't help but stop and think how wonderful life is. dreams can and do come true.

day 26 - i am thankful for family. we have had lots of visitors in our new home and today we hosted my mom and dad, my mom's mom, and my dad's dad. it was fun showing them around our house and watching them interact with the kids. thanksgiving was great with grandpa mac and grandma sue, although the gravy was a bit salty... :)

day 27 - i am thankful for ryan's sense of humor. it never ceases to amaze me what that kid comes up with. on thanksgiving, we were watching the macy's thanksgiving day parade and there was a funny commercial with justin bieber and a bunch of grown men screaming like little girls. i laughed and so ryan thought it was hilarious. for the rest of the day, whenever he would scream, we'd yell "justin bieber!" and he would laugh and laugh. eventually he asked us to scream and would yell "beef & beaver!" which was even more hilarious. we spent about 30 minutes at the dinner table yelling. it's moments like those.

day 28 - i am thankful we live so close to a wonderful childrens' hospital. ryan was throwing up quite a bit and so we took him in. they took great care of him and get everything under control.

day 29 - i am thankful for the television. michael and i were both sick with the same stomach bug and ran was kind enough to entertain himself almost exclusively the entire day. he even ventured into the playroom and played a bit!

day 30 - i am thankful that i made it through pukefest 2011. in the last 2 weeks, ryan has had 3 separate vomiting incidents, ellen has had 1, i have had 1, and michael has been quite queasy. i have only had mild anxiety to this point and i am more than relieved. tonight has been a bit rough, but with the end in sight, i can live with that.

and with that, november draws to a close. bring on december!!!

thankful - day 24

not only am i thankful for my kids as individuals, i'm thankful that i've been blessed with 2. when we were undergoing infertility treatments with ryan, it was difficult. i figured it wouldn't be so bad the second time around because at least we had ryan. in fact, it was harder. it killed me that i wasn't sure whether we'd be able to give him a sibling. and i thank god every day that we could.
they way they look at each other is amazing. they have a bond that no one else can understand. tonight, ellen was crying (which is rare, i know, i'm lucky) and ryan dropped what he was doing and ryan into the room yelling "ellen's crying! it's an emergency!" i often catch him telling her she's pretty or that he loves her. and the way she looks at him is incredible.
there are days when i wonder what i was thinking having 1 kid, no less 2. but then i see them together and it makes all the difference.
happy thanksgiving!!!

Thankful catch up!

Ryan got strep. I got a sore throat. After the sinus infection that came back 3 times. But enough with the excuses.

Day 14 - butler. He was my first baby. He has been with Michael and I since before we were Michael and I.

Day 15 - Molly. She is my first baby girl. She loves without condition and is understanding of my impatience.

Day 16 - I am thankful for the opportunity to have known all my grandparents and to have lived close to all of them. Every now and again there are things that pop up that remind me of the time I was blessed to spend with them.

Day 17 - I am thankful for my preemie momma friends. I have never met such a truly amazing and strong group of women. There's something comforting to know that someone has your back, always. I may not love why we know each other, but I love that we do.

Day 18 - I love my house. It is exactly what I wanted. Everything in its place. Or at least it will be.

Day 19 - I am thankful for my friends. No matter how much tome has passed, it's like we were together yesterday.

Day 20 - I am thankful to have been able to breastfeed as long as I have. Not so thankful for the pumping, but you win some, you lose some.

Day 21 - I am thankful I have a good job. Sometimes I get frustrated, but there are plenty of people that don't have that luxury.

Day 22 - I am thankful for sweatpants. Ummmmm, comfy!

Day 23 - I'm thankful for good tv. Sometimes it's nice to relax!

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Thankful-days 11-13

I have a lot to be thankful for!
- veterans. Andrew, my grandparents, and ryan (Daack) most of all. In the past few years, I've known several men who were deployed and have seen the effects of their absence on their families. I am also thankful for the selfless people who step up when these brave men and women go off to fight.
- my dad. It's was his birthday on veterans' day. He is me, but in old man form. :) we don't often fight, but when we do, it's epic. I see so much of him in Ryan and I can't imagine a better man for Ryan to emulate.
- days off. I get veterans' day off and so I spent the day with the kiddos. While I love my job (most days) and know I would be a terrible stay at home mom, it's nice to have days where my only job is to take care of Ryan and Ellen.
- healthy babies! On of the amazing preemie mommies that I have the easier to know had her baby girl yesterday at 35 weeks and 2 days. While it might not seem like much, she fought for every minute that baby spent inside. And she has a beautiful, healthy baby girl who gets to room in. That might not seem like much, but for someone who hasn't had that experience, it's amazing. Congrats trish!

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thankful days 9 & 10

i am thankful for my bathtub. it's glorious. there's not much better than sitting in a warm tub with a gentle, cool breeze coming in from the outside. especially when the warm breeze smells like fireplace. yum.

i am thankful for mountain dew. not because of the caffeine, but because of the delicious taste.

Thankful 7 & 8

I'll start with today, cause it's shorter.
Tonight, I'm thankful for tub time. Tonight I climbed into the big tub with Ryan, Ellen, and some glow sticks. Add the jets and it's a pretty good time.

Now, back to yesterday. I got a text from our daycare at about noon asking where ellen's milk could be. Um, in my fridge because Michael forgot it. I started rushing around getting ready to go, all the while contemplating what I was going to say to Michael when I called him. And then I figured out where my keys were. In the back of the car. The locked car (in my only defense, Michael locked it, not me). So here I am. At home with no keys and a baby that needs milk any minute. I called Erin and she came to my rescue and let me borrow her van. Michael met me at daycare and gave me his key to my car. Ellen was none the wiser.
So yesterday I was thankful for Erin for saving me.

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Teeth!

Ok, a tooth. Ellen's first tooth finally popped through. With Ryan, he'd come home from daycare with a new tooth we never realized was coming. With Ellen, we've been waiting quite awhile. Her other bottom tooth shouldn't be far behind! No more toothless babes in this house!

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Thankful - days 5 & 6

Yesterday was nuts and I was busy enjoying it, so no time to post.
Yesterday I was thankful for days like yesterday. We went to discovery world and had a great time. I love seeing the smile on ryan's face when he's really enjoying himself. I am thankful for family time.
Today I am thankful for my parents. I'd go into detail about how they are the best parents ever, but you probably wouldn't believe me and be all like, "no, my parents are better!" and you'd be wrong, so we'll just skip it. You know, so you're not embarrassed by being totally incorrect. :) but trust me, they rock.

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Thankful - day 4

I am thankful for Michael. I am thankful that he didn't give up on me when I was crazy the first or second times. I'm thankful that he pretends to care about reality tv couples when I tell him. I'm thankful that he is an amazing daddy. I'm thankful that he was so supportive during our fertility/nicu/preemie/fertility/newborn experience. I am thankful he is there to pick up the slack when Ryan is driving me insane. I am thankful that he takes the dogs out in the middle of the night. I'm thankful he worries I'm seriously injured when really I just sat weird and my back hurts. I'm thankful he knows what I'm thinking before I even tell him. I'm thankful he knows where the nalgene bottles go in every home we've ever had and is accepting of the fact that I have far too many.
I'm thankful he's my partner.

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We interrupt this program - thankful day 3

I was going to be thankful for Michael today (not that I'm not thankful for him, just that he's not my thankful thing anymore), but something so outstanding happened that I had to veer from the scheduled thankfulness.
RYAN POOPED IN THE POTTY!!!!!
he has been potty trained #1 for a few weeks now but refused to poop in the potty. It finally came out last night that he was scared. Everything I read online said to just wait it out and he would do it on his own time. Seriously?! The entire internet and no one has a better plan than that?
So Michael and I talked tonight and hunkered down for a long, poopy-pants filled winter.
And then it happened. I was feeding Ellen. Micha was on the phone. And my not-quite-3 year old walked into the room and declared he had pooped on the potty. Michael verified and the celebrations commenced. Ryan is now the owner of 2 new trains and a lot of self-confidence.
So tonight I am thankful that Ryan overcame his fear of pooping on the potty.

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Thankful - day 2

These first couple of days are pretty easy. :)

Today I am thankful for my little boozer, Ellen. She is such a happy baby and I adore every inch of her. I love her for her laid back demeanor and the way she will play on her own for what seems like forever. I love her crazy hair. I love her beavis and butthead laugh. I love the way her nose crinkles when she smiles. I love the way she chews on her feet and the way hr legs go crazy when she's excited about something. I love how she looks at her brother, as if he could do nothing wrong. I love how she feels when she's sleeping on my chest. I love the way she "talks" herself to sleep. I love the way she looks in her strawberry tutu. I love every moment with my baby girl.

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Thankful - day 1

It's November and time to focus on being thankful for all I have. So, everyday will bring a new "thankful" blog post. Here it goes!

November 1
Today I am thankful for Ryan. For his smile, his laugh, and his creativity. For the stories (however less-than-true they are) that he tells me in the car. For the way he looks at me when he knows he's been naughty (I've seen a lot of that lately). For his independent streak. For the funny way he dances and does "tricks" to the chipmunk version of "shake your groove thing.". For his incredible negotiation and reasoning skills. For every moment I have with him. No doubt, I love that guy.

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