#21 - Where You Sleep - So thankful for the roof over my head and the warmth of my bed. It is easy to forget that many are not so lucky...
#22 - Clothing - Gabe's coming home outfit. It makes me want to cry that he is already too big for this. I am thankful that he is a big, healthy boy, but I don't think I am going to handle this "growing up" thing well.
#23 - In Your Closet - Scarves. These are a post maternity must :)
#24 - Gratitude - Gabe's Medicine. So I am not exactly grateful that I have to give my child medicine every morning and night, but am incredibly grateful for the medical care that Gabe received that led to him having to take medicine twice a day. For some of you that may not know, we had quite the scare the day we brought Gabe home from the hospital. We actually ended up taking him back to the ER and being kept overnight. To make a long story short, Gabe has severe reflux, which he first experienced at about 36 hours old. We had just got him home when he started acting strange, then stopped breathing on us. Basically his little body did not know how to handle the reflux he was experiencing, and kept him from breathing to avoid getting the acid into his lungs. However, he didn't have a plan B (like coughing or swallowing) so he just continued to not breathe which made for a very scary experience for us. After the night in the hospital we were able to determine what was happening, and his body learned to handle the reflux better. The medicine is meant to help calm the acid so hopefully it will cause no further damage to his esophagus. We have been to the ENT twice to scope his throat (worst experience EVER) but they have not found anything too severe, which we are very grateful! He is experiencing fewer and fewer episodes these days, so we are hopeful this is something he will grow out of in the near future.
#25 - Artwork - Door Decorating. This might be a stretch, but its the most "artwork" I have done in a while. This is my classroom door that my 1st hour study hall students helped me decorate. We think it is hilarious :)
#26 - Transportation - Carseat. We are very grateful to have a safe way to travel with Gabe. He is not exactly a fan of traveling, but at least he is safe!
#27 - Daily Routine - Morning. Our morning routine goes a little something like this:
5:00 - Alarm one goes off. Feed Gabe. Both of us fall asleep cuddling.
5:30 - Alarm two on phone goes off which is set to vibrate so as not to wake the sleeping baby. Hit snooze.
5:36 - Alarm goes off again. Wake up. Decide I must face the day. Slowly transfer Gabe from my chest to the bed. Wake up Noah. Shower time.
6:20 - Breakfast for Mama. Playtime for Baby. Shower time for Dad.
6:30 - Feed Gabe. Enjoy the moment with my baby in my arms before heading off for the day.
7:10 - Get Gabe dressed. Pack my bags and try to make it out the door by 7:20 (not always successful)
#28 - Nighttime - Gabe sleeps within arms reach. I really don't know how people survive if they actually have to get up to go get their baby in the night. I would probably fall asleep walking back and forth...
#29 - Light - Christmas Lights! Last Sunday at Church our Priest talked about holiday traditions, and how to bring the real meaning of Christmas into our "mainstream" rituals. He explained how Christmas lights represent the light of Christ, and how the birth of Jesus brought hope and light into the dark world! Now every time I see a Christmas tree or light display, this is my thought! Such a wonderful reminder of the real reason for the season and what to be truly grateful for this time of year!!
#30 - Self Portrait - Hope you have enjoyed the last month of my Gratitude series. It was a fun way to take a look at all that I have to be thankful for in my life.
