A Very Thankful Thanksgiving!

So I am still that girl that puts up her Christmas decorations the day after Halloween...yes it's totally true!  However, we certainly did not skip Thanksgiving by any means.  If anything, we celebrated it more this year than ever before!  Last year, I broke down and bought the Pottery Barn Thanksgiving advent calendar and was so excited to get to use it this year.  This must be the teacher in me, but I have a fit over these calendars that Pottery Barn puts out for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I am just waiting for them to make one for every holiday!  Anyway, we took it seriously this year and wrote what we were thankful for each day in November.  The calendar comes with individual papers that say "I am thankful for" at that top.  You fill in the rest and put them into these precious little numbered pockets.  Greer was a common reoccurance, but so were the people around us who helped get Greer here and kept us calm in the awaiting of his good health.  In addition to realizing how much I have to be thankful for, I am also still learning more and more about myself since becoming a mom for the first time!

Here is a list of things that have blown my mind about my own self since having Greer:

1.  I love couponing....omg!  Never thought I would say this, but I do!  I even have one of those dorky little pouches that I carry around in my purse....I mean diaper bag.  The thrill of using them makes it so exciting!

2.  I never thought I would love having a baby.  Like I mentioned before, I love children, but never really loved babies.  Oh yes, definitely guilty!  I love Greer so much I could cry.  He keeps me entertained very well and I love every minute of it! 

3.  I love being at home with Greer when I get the chance too.  I never thought I would say that.  I always assumed I would want to hurry right back to work and keep busy!  I currently have a good balance between the two and am lucky for the time teachers are off.  However, I am not the tough person I thought I was.  I certainly cried like a baby the week I went back to work!

4.  That slow poke driver that honks at you for texting and driving is me!  Yes, I will honk at you if you are texting and driving!  It is a pet peave of mine and people look at me like I am crazy when I do it, but it could save someone's life!  Before becoming a mom, I was probably one of those people texting while driving. 

5.  Nursing is now part of my daily routine.  I never would have thought this would be a highlight of my day.  I had a very lackadaisical view of nursing and was very open-minded going into it.  Now it is something I feel blessed to be able to do and look forward to doing every day! 

6.  Shopping for myself no longer exists and I like it that way.  I am totally consumed and obsessed with dressing Greer and buying developmental toys for him.  I am a complete sucker for a smocked outfit or bubble or the newest children's book on the shelf.

7.  Greer puts Hope into perspective...she is just a dog.  I still love her dearly, but sadly I often forget her more than I wish!  Thank goodness for Jeremy!  He always remembers to give her a little extra love!  I swore I would never leave her out of the mix and I currently forgot to put her name on our Christmas card.  She is the one who jumped in the picture to begin with.  This year it was her idea to be included in our card for the first time and not mine. 

We have so much to be thankful for!  I am holding on to all these wonderful not really things, but mostly people and experiences we have been provided!  As I get sad about packing away Greer's first Halloween costume and precious fall clothes that I spent too much money on, I am only looking forward to the next holiday and memories we will soon make!

HOME AT LAST!

We are home and have been home for a month now!  I thought I would have done this sooner, but have not found the time.  I never realized how busy stay at home people really can be.  My life is completely consumed with laundry, feeding, changing diapers (about 10/day actually), cleaning bottles, pumping, and the never ending list of thank you notes I have written.  I have never truly enjoyed writing thank you notes and consider it my weakness.  However, this time has been very therapeutic.  We have been blessed by so many people!   For the last two months, a long list stayed on our refrigerator where Jeremy, my mom, and myself would add to it so I could properly thank those who were so kind and generous to us.  I am realizing now what a blur my life was for the first month after Greer was born.  Some of these were names of people I had not talked to in years.  Some were names of people I did not even know.  Why were these people so kind to us?  I still wonder and thank God every day for the people He sent to pray for us and be with us during this awful time in our life!      

Moving on to the reason I am officially a blogger now.....GREER!  Greer is doing well!  There was a time when I thought these fun moments would never come.  I never thought a month could seem like a year, but because of this, I am more than thankful for what God has given us!  We kind of have a schedule down, but not completely.  The mornings and nighttime are going well.  It's the afternoon that is still a little rusty.  Greer's pediatrician said not to stress too much and to be glad he is sleeping so well through the night!  I must add that I LOVE Greer's pediatrician, Dr. Israel.  She came highly recommended and I see why!

I love this baby so much!  I knew I would love him, but not like this.  Okay mom, you are right!  You always said, just wait until you have a child of your own and then you will understand.  I understand in a big way now!  I used to be somewhat annoyed by babies, especially when they cried.  I know this sounds so cruel, but I honestly looked forward to the toddler years more than the baby years when Jeremy and I were talking about having children.  I think it is partially from teaching kindergartners and being used to children who can tell you what they need.  I was in for a big surprise and love how God planned it that way!  I can look into Greer's eyes and he looks back at me and smiles.  It is the best feeling in the world.  Here are some other fun things we are enjoying about Greer right now at 2 months old:

- he smiles at us and makes sweet baby sounds to let us know he is happy

- takes naps cuddled up on us on the weekends while we watch football

- he is becoming a little more aware of Hope...this is actually really funny!  Hope is very fond of Greer and licks him when he cries

- we talk to him and he attempts to talk back....hilarious!

- he is starting to wiggle around a lot more, which means I cannot leave him for long by himself without his boppy

- he is sleeping from about 9:30 at night until 5/6:00 in the morning  WOO HOO!

- he likes anything I put him in to wear and does not mind playing dress up!

This was a big week for Greer!  He had his 2 month check up (including shots) and yesterday he was circumcised.  Both were not fun at all, but I am glad they are over with!  He handled both of them very well and did better than I thought.  Did I mention what an absolute miracle it is to have a baby!

MAJOR CLARIFICATION from my first post on Caring Bridge!  St. Vincents is NOT where babies come from!  God is where babies come from and that is that!   How could a hospital take credit for a child's birth and use it for false advertising.  Well I was silly enough to believe it, so don't feel bad if you thought their cheezy slogan was cute too.  I'll stop at this thought for now.  My thoughts on this will be saved for another day!