Thankful

Every so often I am struck by how blessed I am. Different things happen and bring it to my attention again. I'm glad for this because I think it helps my perspective on things. It can be so easy to get down about the little things that aren't going quite right. I'm sick, Steve is starting to get sick, Mia is still a bit sick too, Ella has no interest in potty training, my nose hurts, the economy is bad. I mean, it's not hard to find some reason to whine and complain. So I am very thankful for times when I am reminded of how many things in my life have gone well.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. My sister, a cousin, and several other acquaintances have mentioned this. To my knowledge, I have been pregnant three times. I have two beautiful, healthy little girls and am 15 weeks into another healthy pregnancy. One in four women will lose a pregnancy. The number sounds high, but if I think about all the women I know who have lost a baby, it sounds accurate. I wish it didn't. For whatever reason, I am one of the three that hasn't lost a child. Since we plan on this being our last pregnancy, it will probably stay that way. As my heart hurts for everyone who has lost a baby, I feel incredibly grateful for my own blessings. I have no idea why my little family has been spared that particular pain but I am immeasurably thankful for my healthy kids.

From there, it expands. While three of the four of us are currently sick, we're mostly healthy. We have no chronic illnesses, no injuries, no disabilities. For the most part, that extends to our families too. Any chronic illnesses are under control. In our home, we have more toys than our girls need, enough food, heat, running water, even extras like cable and internet. Even in this economy, we are fortunate to have a full-time job with good health insurance and a part-time job. Although our two cars aren't fancy or new, they run well and get us everywhere we need or want to be. We have friends and family who are generous with their time and resources. We've even found a church and small group that are a good fit for our family. Little things don't always go the way I'd like, but overall my life has been smooth and I'm more blessed than I know.

Another thing to be thankful for: a great OB! I had an appointment yesterday. He addressed all my concerns (little aches and pains). He told me I'm measuring right where I should be and he found the heartbeat easily. The baby moved a few times while we were listening, which is nice, considering I can't feel any movement yet. Heart rate is between 140 and 150 - draw any conclusion you want from that. My ultrasound is scheduled for November 16 so I'm trying to wait until then to guess one way or another on gender. Steve already took that day off, so we're all set. Can't wait!