Giving Thanks

"I'm thankful for the color pink and milk."

When caring for a new baby, it's easy to get bogged down in the whole OMG! I'm going to pull my hair out if she cries for one more minute!  But really, it's amazing how much we have to be thankful for this year.  Therefore, in honor of Thanksgiving, here's what I am thankful for:

First, and most obviously, I'm thankful for our little lady.  She's here with us safe and sound, healthy and perfect.  She came into our lives so easily, and she was exactly how I pictured her to be.  Sure, she has her moments of inconsolable crying at 2 AM, but we could have it sooooooo much worse.  A little sleep deprivation is nothing in the grand scheme of things.  Mostly she's sweet, happy, and completely lovable. It sounds so cliche, but I really can't remember what life was like without her anymore.

Secondly, I'm thankful for Eric.  He's a great dad for Madeline.  He loves and takes care of her and me.  He's always willing to step up and lend a hand when I get tired or cranky or just because I could use an hour to nap on the couch.  I don't know how I would have done this without him.

I'm thankful for our families.  They've been so supportive through everything.  They're more than willing to help out however they can.  They're always there to tell us we're doing a good job when we start to doubt our new parenting abilities.  I'd be ten times as stressed out and overwhelmed without them.  They love our baby as much as we do, and she's lucky to have them in her life.

And I'm thankful for the friends we've found.  They have helped me remain sane over the past few months.  Grownup conversation means a lot these days.  It's nice that they're willing to listen to a wailing baby in order to hang out with me for a few hours. (Especially, my possum-killing friends who make sure the world has one less possum.  Eeek! Possum!)

I'm also so thankful that we're able to provide a good life for our little family.  We've both got good jobs.  We have a nice place to live and food on the table.  We're certainly not well-off, but we can get the things we need (and some things we simply want) for sweet baby girl.  It's a scary world out there right now for a lot of people, and I thank the baby Jesus that we're secure.

And last, but not least, I'm thankful for the Dizzy cat.  He's such a little curmudgeon.  I'm not thankful for the hole he tore in the carpet when we locked him out of the bedroom.  I'm not thankful that the reason we had to lock him out of the bedroom is because he sometimes tries to stalk my daughter...but mostly, he's a great little cat and we love him.

"I'm not thankful for anything. That baby has ruined my life."