(This post is more for myself and may be of zero interest to you.)
I Am Grateful For/That:
- I have a washer and dryer inside my home and don’t have to lug laundry to a laundromat.
- Ditto for the dishwasher to save us from hand washing dishes constantly.
- The invention of the baby bottle dishwasher basket.
- I’ve got good quality ground coffee on hand (and it’s even fair trade coffee).
- Claire is growing and is over her cold.
- Slipping into deep, sweet sleep with the occasional help of Dr. Ambien.
- It doesn’t matter that the house hasn’t been vacuumed in a month, because I have a newborn, and that’s a reasonable excuse.
- Managing to put clean sheets on the bed and clean towels in the bathroom last night.
- Husband and I got long hot showers last night.
- Tivo. Costco.
- The 30 minutes I had yesterday to finish my pregnancy journal entries, complete with photos.
- The white noise CD Husband made (he found the sound files free on the web); when Claire is swaddled, rocked, and the volume is turned up sufficiently, it calms her immediately and helps her fall and stay asleep.
- Learning that noise comes in different colors.
- Other free stuff on the web, such as black and white shapes to print and show to baby.
- My sister-in-law is planning to visit from Austin sometime in the next month.
- Getting myself and Claire out for a short walk yesterday by myself (meaning I was able to lift the stroller and carrier and get us up and down the front stairs).
- Blogs such as: Cheerio Road, Antique Mommy, Cute Overload, I Can Has Cheezburger?
- Husband being such a collaborative and patient co-parent who is capable of seeing humor in many situations.
- Heating pads (and electricity) for my sore back.
- The magic of the baby swing. And D batteries.
- The look of recognition that I see glimmering in Claire’s eyes when I pick her up.
- Swaddling.
- Friends who come over on short notice to take a walk with me and Claire.
- Friends who bring us meals (home-made, deli, take-out, restaurant gift cards).
- The ten zillion old cloth diapers my mother sent us to use as burp cloths.
- Eucerin Aquafor healing ointment (great diaper rash preventive and general baby moisturizer).
- Adjusting to Claire’s crying (still challenged by that, though).
- Claire’s fascination when I read aloud to her; she turns her face toward me if she’s in the swing and looks intently in my direction, although I know she doesn’t see clearly.
- Generous family leave benefits from Husband’s employer.
- No more itching of my C-section scar.
- Stella the cat and her equanimous personality.
- The many gifts, cards, and flowers we (including Claire) received celebrating Claire’s birth.
- I’ve lost all of the baby weight and now weigh less than I did at conception last December. It’s good to wear my old clothes again.
- The pain in my left knee has gone, as has the hip joint pain, thanks to the Relaxin being out of my system.
- The pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome is abating; I still can’t knit, but my hands don’t go numb holding a pen or the phone anymore, and there aren’t shooting pains up my forearms anymore.
- Claire smiles!! Real smiles in response to ours. She also coos and vocalizes more.