Thanksgivings

Today I am thankful for my health.  We woke up Saturday night to Grant throwing up in his crib.  He had acted fine all day and didn't have a fever so we weren't sure what was going on.  He was fine on Sunday but after drinking some of his bottle Sunday night, he erupted like a volcano all over J.  It was not a pretty site!  We still weren't convinced that he had a stomach bug because he was acting fine and eating/drinking normal all day.  Well, Monday night both J and I started feeling our tummies tighten and we were suddenly convinced that it was in fact the stomach flu.  As I was laying on the floor in the bathroom begging for some reprieve, I thought about all the people I know that are dealing with cancer right now.  Unfortunately, it seems like an extraordinarily high amount of young people in our town have been diagnosed with the C word recently.  Some of them are going through radiation, some are dealing with an hour of chemo a week and some are dealing with 8 hours of chemo a day.  As I thought of the pain and suffering that they go through on an hourly basis, I was thankful that I knew my suffering would be over within 24 hours.  I always say the best part of the flu (besides the instant weight loss of course) is the feeling you get when you suddenly feel better.  Those dealing with cancer are never given that opportunity to know when their struggles will end and when they will finally get that amazing burst of energy.  So, today I pray for all the people dealing with the horrible side effects of cancer right now- may God heal you and give you strength to get through your battle.

Thanksgivings

Today I am thankful for appliances.  Yes, I said appliances!  On Friday I thought our dishwasher was broken and I was horrified at the thought of having to wash the whole load of dirty dishes myself.  Thankfully it was an easy fix and it was back up and running within a few hours. 

Last night, we woke up to Grant throwing up in his crib.  Everything was coated - including the two layers of sheets and waterproof covers!  I yanked them off the mattress and threw them in the washer instantly.  Suddenly, I was very thankful for my washer!

I often times take these items for granted.  I want newer, shinier models that make my kitchen look cool or front loading machines that wash 5 loads at once.  What I forget is that not everyone is lucky enough to even have a dishwasher or washing machine in their home.  Some people have to go to the laundromat and some (gasp) have full time dish pan hands!  So, I was planning to be thankful for something totally different today. But with these recent events, it gave me a chance to step back and be thankful for these two glorious appliances that save my day almost every day!

Thanksgivings...

A few of my bloggy friends are making a point to blog everyday until Thanksgiving about something they are thankful for.  Now, I hate to set myself up for failure so I am not committing myself to do this everyday, but I thought it would be fun to join in and contribute when I can.

So, today I am thankful for my amazing husband Jason.  It was nine years ago that we met.  We had known each other through friends and ended up hanging out one random Saturday afternoon.  I was supposed to go to a Notre Dame football game with my mom but had overslept and missed the opportunity so I had nothing going on.  I think we ran into each other at the grocery store or something like that - the logistics are a little cloudy....  Anyways, we ended up spending the next few hours together stealing pumpkins from his parents house, carving them up and watching Ghostbusters!  It was such a fun night and it was then that I knew that he was going to be more than just a friend in my life.  It was also then that I got my first glimpse into his love of Halloween!

I could have never guessed nine years ago that we would be where we are today.  We have been through so many ups and downs, good times and bad times.  He has been there to wipe my tears as I cried myself to sleep at night and there to hold my hand and encourage me as we did just one more round of infertility treatments.  He is amazing and brings out the best in me and I am so thankful for him!

This is one of my favorite pics of us.  It was taken on a trip with J's family to Nueva Vallarta.  Don't we look so young????



Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a big deal in our household.  Mostly because of my husband who treats Halloween like I do Christmas!  He decorates the house up with spider webs, plays really scary music, plugs in the black lights and the strobe light and sits in the garage waiting to scare the heck out of anyone who dares walk up our driveway. 

The weekend started with a 5k Fun Run Fundraiser that I had organized for my work.  J came down and ran  while pushing Grant in the stroller.  We borrowed this inchworm costume from cousin H because it was cute and cuddly and especially warm for the chilly run around Windmill Island. 

Saturday night we had the grandparents over for steak dinner and then left them at our house to hand out candy while we took this little monster around the block!

It was so fun to actually be able to take our baby out trick of treating!  We even got him to walk up to a few doors, but mostly we just pushed him in the stroller. After a few houses, I did feel slightly guilty taking candy knowing that G was never going to eat it.  But, it was so much fun I just couldn't help it!  I was very thankful for our neighbor however, because she handed out little bags of Teddy Grahams for the little kids so that Grant could at least eat something out of his bag!

It was a great weekend full of lots of Halloween memories.  Hope you all had a wonderful one as well!

Quiet...

Things have been quiet around here lately which is fine by me!  After a really busy beginning to fall and all the anticipation of Grant's first birthday, it is nice to just sit back and relax a bit.  This is a little glimpse into what we have been up to lately....



this is Grant's happy face.... we also refer to it as his Chucky face!  He loves playing in the leaves.

 


I procrastinated this moment for a long time, but I finally gave in.  Grant got his first haircut and now he looks so much older!

 

Grant and I spent an awesome fall afternoon at a local orchard with a friend and her daughter.  They had goats, chickens and a very large turkey.  Grant loved petting the goats and he even got to feed them their breakfast- it was so much fun.

Just hanging out in the apple orchard...

J and I ventured out on our annual color tour a few weekends ago.  It included a lot of amazing fall colors, some delicious cider doughnuts and a final stop at our property.  We sat there for a while dreaming about our future plans and all the fun times that Grant will have playing at this amazing spot!

 Other random thoughts...

*Grant had his 12 month appt.  He only weighed 19 pounds!  He is in the 15% for his age in weight and 40% for his height.   We knew he would be low in weight because he is a horrible eater.  One day he will eat anything I give him and the next he will spit it right out.  If you knew me as a child, you are probably giggling a little bit at this one.  I know my mom is! 

*Grant has 10 teeth now- the top two eye teeth have been slowing making their appearance.

*Grant has started throwing fits.  A while back he would have an occasional fit, but now it seems to be all the time.  I don't know what brought them on, but ever since this weekend, they have gotten worse.  Whenever the G man doesn't get his way, he will tighten up his neck muscles and scream.  It was kinda cute the first time....but the 100th time, not so much!  Any advice on dealing with these is appreciated!

*And finally.... with Halloween approaching, I can't help to think about the girls.  I know it sounds weird, but I just imagine all the creative characters or themes I could have come up with for all three of my babies and it makes the holiday a little bittersweet.  I can't wait to dress Grant up and watch him walk up to a door, but it makes me sad for the two little girls that will never say trick or treat.  For Halloween,  Grant had two outfits- a monster and a cuddly tiger.  Unfortunately, with his short little legs and skinny waist, he swims in the tiger outfit and trips over the feet.  I am hoping to save it for next year.

Well, I think that is it about now.  The Heart Association just called and woke up G from his nap- pretty sure I am not donating to them anytime soon!

Wave of Light

If you or someone you know has lost a baby due to infant loss, miscarriage, still birth, etc... please light a candle tonight at 7:00.   Our house will be lit up with candles tonight in memory of the baby we lost to miscarriage, the niece or nephew we never got to meet, the son or daughter you never got to hold, the baby that was taken from your arms way too soon and of course our beautiful daughters Brooke and Alexcyn. 

For more information on the Wave of Light,  click here.

One year pictures...

Two weekends ago, I set out for a one year photo shoot with Grant and my not so excited assistant Jason.  I had planned on getting professional pictures taken, but that didn't work out.  So, I figured I could just take his pics and play around with them in Photoshop and it would be all good.  What I forgot was that Grant is not the best subject when it comes to photographs!  We went to three different locations and snapped hundreds of pictures of Grant eating the dirt and bark at the park, Grant trying desperately to crawl right into the lake at the marina and Grant attempting an escape on our neighbors back porch.  So, out of all the pictures I took, these are the only half way decent ones.



I'm outta here!

a little air guitar action!

finally we got a smile out of him!





which way to the water?

are we done yet????



I saved my favorite for last!  This pic turned out amazing and didn't require any PS actions!