Monday, November 22, 2010

#22

I'm thankful for DAYLIGHT!

It's been an interesting week full of 2 hour cat naps all night long. I was feeling a little guilty when our baby girl slept so well (sometimes 7 hours at a time), waking up only once to eat at night. Well, that was VERY short lived and now she's up every 3 hours like clock work. I hate clock work. And how is it that such an adorable baby can be so NOT adorable in the middle of the night? I am so relieved when that first inkling of daylight creeps through the blinds in my bedroom. It's the angels singing my relief that I've made it through another night!...all to be repeated in 12 hours. Sheesh...this is turning into a not so thankful post, but I am thankful for the days--they are MUCH better than the nights.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Yes, I'm behind.

I realize I haven't posted my thanks in 3 days, but I have a good excuse!!

And, I assure you, I have written my thankful leaves for my little tree. It's becoming quite beautiful. While the trees outside are losing their lovely colored leaves, mine is blooming with gratitude!

So here's the recap of the last three days.

#19 I'm grateful for THE ARTICLES OF FAITH!

Read them HERE. Wednesday night with my girls we went over the Articles of Faith and I was so grateful for their simplicity in explaining what we believe as Latter-Day Saints. They answer most every question of the gospel in plain ol' English. I recall these posted on our bathroom wall--or was it the 10 commandments? I'm not sure, but they were posted in our home and we were bribed..ehem...encouraged with candy to memorize them. The girls are trying hard to memorize #13 and I decided to make it my new mantra:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Life will be better believing and hoping all things and seeking for virtuous, lovely and praiseworthy things.

I LOVE THE ARTICLES OF FAITH!


#20 I'm grateful for FOOD!

Yes, food. More importantly the variety of food I enjoy. This revelation came while I was feeding Avery and trying to decide what to make for some friends to come over for dinner. I started feeling a little bad for her eating milk for her meals 8 times a day. Poor girl has it rough. Can you imagine having only a cup of milk to drink every 3 hours? EVERY DAY! Or worse, people kibble for all your meals. I'm so glad we have such an abundance of food at our fingertips.


#21 I'm grateful for BATH TIME!

Avery loves the bath. Tonight, after a very long day of church and "pre-Thanksgiving" at Brian's parents, Avery was less than happy. After coming home we plopped her in the tub and she relaxed and put a gummy smile back on her face. It's a nice wind down for me too because she'll sit in their for a good half-hour until her feet are sufficiently pruned and the water has lost it's warmth. She hates getting out though and makes sure we know it by screaming till she's dressed, but then is a cuddly, fresh smelling, happy baby! It's bliss!



She might not look happy in these pictures, she's just playing it cool.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

#18

I'm thankful for WEB MD.

Let me explain.

I woke up around 3am yesterday morning to feed the babes and had a weird backache on my right side. It was hard to feed her and started to get super painful so I handed her off to Brian to put her back to sleep. I then tried to go to sleep myself but this odd backache was getting worse. I couldn't find a comfortable position and it started to spread to my front side under my ribs. I got a little sleep here and there but the pain kept getting worse. I even took some Advil to take the edge off and no relief. By 6am it felt like someone had taken a chainsaw and sliced through my body halfway. I started to get really scared and panicked a little as I realized I couldn't handle this getting anymore intense. Well, it did! I couldn't sit up without feeling faint and dizzy and I was getting short of breath. Then the cold sweats came. I was FREEZING and soaking. It was a miserable mess. Thankfully Brian was still home and decided he needed to take the day off, and was deciding if he needed to take me to the hospital so he hopped on webmd. We concluded it must be my gall bladder and my mom and bro-in-law had both had a bout with attacks so I called up my mom to see if she had any remedies for the pain. Through my short breaths we determined I was indeed have a gall bladder attack.
It's the worst pain I think I've ever felt and yes, I did just push out a 10 1/2 pound baby. It's not like contraction pain where it builds, peaks, then goes away for a minute, it's CONSTANT, can't-get-a-breath-in pain. The scariest part was not knowing what it was. It was so painful it made me cry, which then made the breathing thing even harder. I then had a crying hungry baby that I had no idea how I was going to feed. Ugh, it was a mess. It started to lighten up around 9am enough for me to get some rest and when i woke up, it was back to the dull back ache it began as. But I'm thankful for web md that saved me from a trip to the ER. I really don't like hospitals.
After investigating a little more, I read the Gall Stones and attacks are common after having a baby. Why didn't the doctor warn me??

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

#17

I'm thankful my PARENTS LIVE SO CLOSE!

So 10 years ago, I would have NEVER DREAMED of living close to my parents. In fact, it was everything I could do to continue living with them at the time I'm sure. You know, bratty little teenager. But I love being only 10 minutes away from a shopping trip with my mom or handy man help from my dad. It's especially nice now that I've got a baby in tow as they love to see her. Free babysitting is a great perk!

I do have to share a funny story on the free babysitting note. Avery was about a month old and I had been hanging at my parents when we decided we needed some peanut butter kiss cookies...mmm...don't those sound delicious? We were going to run to Target to get some kisses and my dad offered to watch Avery, who was sound asleep, while we ran out. So off we went!

Target is one of those stores I go to just for fun and browse all the isles. It was especially delightful since I hadn't been out much...it felt like a whole different world. So, we were enjoying our Target run (for Kisses of course) when my mom's phone rang. It had been on speaker and all I hear is my baby SCREAMING! Then my dad said, "It's been 8 minutes and she hasn't stopped crying!!" He sounded a little panicked. I had to laugh because he had always considered himself a baby soother, but then I felt bad because it was the time of night Avery gets a little cranky and my little girl can really wail. So we wrapped up our adventure and while we were checking out, the phone rang again..."WHERE ARE YOU?? (baby still screaming in the background...)" We assured him we were on our way out and would be home in 10 minutes.

There was another call of "How much longer? and Where are you?" But the best as we were a couple minutes away the last phone call with a very distraught Grandpa saying, "Hurry! I think there's something really wrong with her!"

This actually sounds kinda sad now that I think about it. But I promise, it was funny at the time...for my mom and I anyway. We could hear Avery and knew she was okay. It was just her 'I'm overwhelmed with the world and need to be swaddled and rocked to sleep' cry. So we got home and rescued the Gramps. Kind of an anti-climactic ending but I did need to document the funny phone calls. I don't think he'll be offering to babysit anytime soon. Bummer.

#16

I'm thankful for my LITTLE CAR!

So first off, I'm thankful to have a working car, but I'm more thankful it's a Jetta right now because I parked on the street to get my hair cut last night and got pretty well blocked in. After a 22 point turn (ok, only 9) I finally escaped. Happy for my little car.

Monday, November 15, 2010

#15

I'm thankful for MONDAYS!

I may be alone in this thought, but let me explain. The weekends have become ridiculously busy as I try to cram in as much stuff as I can while I have Brian home to help with Avery. Saturday I'm trying to bring my house back from the shambles it has fallen to over the week or do a quick project...(like finishing Avery's room)...and Sunday I get so stressed about Avery screaming at church that I'm on pins and needles the whole time. So yes, I'm grateful for Mondays when it's just me and my baby girl at home. Ahhh.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Weekend Thanks

So I'm gonna have to cheat a little because yesterday I was so busy getting ready for TODAY and trying to fight off the tail end of this sick bug I've got that I was being cranky and decided I wasn't thankful for anything! bah humbug! It's days like that I really need to remember my blessings and count them up!

I do have to say I was very grateful for number #13

#13 I'm grateful for WARM APPLE CIDER!

In the midst of planning and baking and mixing and washing and cleaning and baby feeding, I had a few cups of apple cider to keep my cough at bay and the irresistible feeling of fall warmed my body and heart. Delicious!

Today I have a lot to be thankful for. But mostly...

#14 I'm thankful for BLESSINGS!

Though I'm thankful for all the blessings I receive, today I'm extra thankful for Priesthood Blessings. Avery had her first blessing today, which was very special, but it made me think about the blessings I've had over the years from my own dad. I always took for granted our start of the year Father's blessings not realizing what a big deal it is to them as well. It wasn't until I saw Brian become a nervous ball all weekend hoping he would say the right things, making sure he could be inspired by the Spirit that I saw the love fathers have for their daughters. So thanks Pops for the blessings you've given me over the years. I sure love you!


Friday, November 12, 2010

#12

I'm thankful for PRAYER!

More importantly, I'm thankful for the knowledge I have that my prayers are heard and answered by a loving Heavenly Father...not just sent out to a vast void in the universe.

Avery got her first shots today. Enough said.


I've been praying a lot today--that she'll feel better--that she'll stop screaming--that I'll figure out a way to soothe her--that she'll calm down enough to eat--that my hubby with come home soon--that I can keep my cool to not throw her out the window. (what, you never wanted to throw your kid out the window?)

It's been an interesting day and although none of my prayers were answered with the swiftness I would have liked, I knew I wasn't alone. And that's a feeling I'm grateful for.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

#11

I'm thankful for MUSIC!

I love the way music can change your mood. I can hear "boogie shoes" and instantly dance my way out of a funk by its contagious funk. Carrie Underwood's the best to sing along with at the top of my lungs. And yes, every now and then I pull out the ol' Justin Timberlake as a wonderful pick-me-up. More specifically though, I'm grateful for the piano and the talent I've developed to play it. Now, with my mom as a piano teacher, I will tell you that my sister compared our piano lessons to our household chores, like learning how to do the laundry. While this might have been true, I VIVIDLY remember begging my mom to go over songs with me and hearing her correct me from the kitchen, "Try a flat!" as my lessons seemed to coincide with dinner prep.
Anyway, I just started piano lessons up again after Avery. I kept meaning to schedule them and another week would pass by, and another...It would always slip my mind until I no longer had a baby in my arms and by that time it was 10pm. Oh how I've missed my students! I'm so grateful to be able to share and teach others the joy I feel playing the piano. And selfishly, it's ridiculously rewarding watching their hard work pay off after mastering a difficult song.
My piano is my therapist. I go to it when I'm sad and sing it songs, or happy and play a little ragtime, or bored and just mess around with whatever I happen to pull up.

I think I'm rambling. Bottom line: I LOVE MUSIC!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

#10

So I laid down in bed and realized I hadn't posted my thankful thought for the day...

hmm...

I'm thankful for SPARKLY PINK NAIL POLISH!

Pathetic I know, I'm tired. But I told myself last night I couldn't get sick and slammed water with honey and lemon every time I was up with Avery...(which has become more frequent than normal). I convinced my body I was going to be well this morning--and wah-la!--better. Okay, not really, but better than I was.

The nail polish I found today though was totally the remedy I needed for my cold. So tonight, I'm thankful for it.