Giving Thanks

1. I'm grateful that Ian is learning to chew. I discovered when we got home last night that we were totally out of crackers (morning sickness lead to me consuming graham crackers and Ritz crackers, neither of which I usually eat). So I cut Fruit Loops into fourths (this might give you an idea of the size of "crumb" which he has been eating lately). He didn't mind chewing them, but getting him to swallow them (and they were very mushy after he chewed them) was another story. We had the same situation at breakfast so Paul made a quick run to the grocery store this morning for a few staples (milk, eggs) as well as graham and Ritz crackers for Ian. The routine is that he eats one (or two) bites by spoon (yogurt or a pureed food). Then he takes one crumb from my hand and puts in his mouth and chews it. If it's a graham cracker then he usually swallows it. If it's something else, he usually spits it out, and I have to keep putting in back into his mouth until he swallows it (at this point he's crying). Then after he swallows the crumb, I give him a little Elecare to drink in a small cup. Over the course of the 20 minute meal he drinks about 6 ounces of EleCare.  Now when he puts any food in his mouth, he chews it. This is a big change as for more than  a year his default has been to lick any food he put in his mouth. However he's still spitting food out. It hasn't become a habit to swallow food yet. We'll keep working!

2. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, and it's supposed to be really pretty the next two days as well (in the 80's on Monday!). I was grateful to be able to spend some time outside this afternoon because between the feeding program and the cool temps the past several days, I wasn't outside much at all.

3. I'm so thankful that Paul's parents came on Wednesday afternoon and also spent spent 5.5 hours with us on Friday. While they were there on Friday I shopped at a consignment sale, cleaned the room at RMH (guests have to vacuum, clean the bathroom, strip the sheets, etc. before checking out), and had lunch at Applebee's with Joyce. We'll both be turning 40 next week. It was great to enjoy a leisurely lunch with her. When I got back, they went to have lunch while the kids napped. Then when they got back from lunch they took Nadia to Cocoa Castle Playground. That feeding session (while they were gone) was a TOTAL disaster, but after they returned, he did much better for his final feeding session of the day.

4. I'm thankful we are able to come home on the weekends. Paul has been helping out a lot today because I attended a visitation/funeral/luncheon for four hours, and he took the kids on what is usually my bi-weekly couponing trip to CVS so I could get some schoolwork done.

5. We're half-way done with the feeding program. Last week I wasn't sure if I could stick it out, but now I am determined to see it to the end. I'm still praying he'll be eating finger foods within the next two weeks. I'm also very thankful that my mom is going to come up and stay with us on Thursday and Friday.

6. The beds at RMH are super comfortable. The mattresses are by Tempurpedic. They are incredibly comfortable, especially while pregnant. Unfortunately I had a very hard time falling asleep on our mattress last night. If Tempurpedic mattresses weren't so expensive, I'd go buy one! I'm sure I'll get adjusted to our mattress again, but it's a little difficult right now as I'm spending 5 nights of each week at RMH and only 2 nights at home.

7. The maternity clothes that I ordered last weekend arrived this week. This morning I was able to wear a new skirt to the funeral, and I changed into a new pair of capris for our walk to the park. It's always fun to wear new clothes. This is my first time wearing maternity clothes this pregnancy, and I like that when I wear maternity clothes I actually look pregnant (compared to just looking "fat" when I wear non-maternity capri pants). The maternity dress does fit (yay!), and I'm planning to wear it to church tomorrow. I'll still need to buy more maternity clothes over the next few months (I only have two tops so far and also need things like a bathing suit), but I have a lot more than I did a week ago!

8. On the way home from the funeral I drove by a yardsale, and out of the corner of my eye I spied an infant car seat. I quickly turned around and made a quick stop to check it out. They were only asking $10 so I bought it!

9. I'm so very thankful for the little one growing within me! I've been able to feel him/her move for almost 3 weeks, although it's not to the point yet where I would call them "kicks" and it's not very frequent (usually a couple of times a day). Considering we waited 6 years for Nadia, it still blows me away that I'm in the 2nd trimester for the 3rd time over the past 4 years. What a miracle!

10. I'm so grateful for modern technology that enabled me to teach from Hershey on Tuesday night and also that my friend, Joyce (with her 9 year old daughter, Kristin) were willing to watch my kids.

11. Ian's naps have been over an hour long the past three days in a row! This has NEVER happened before (somewhere other than my arms). Way to go, Ian! Also, he slept until at least 7:25am the past three mornings. Last night he actually slept for a full 12 hours! As they say, "good sleep leads to good sleep." Nadia only took one nap over the past week, and that was on the way home last night in the car.