Thanksgiving Thursday

One of the blogs I ready frequently - What a Trip - started a Thanksgiving Thursday to list off 10 things you are thankful for each Thursday. Here is my list this week and since its my first one a few might be obvious:

1. Alex - That despite his runny nose and cough he is still a happy kid. We overcame so many hurdles to have him and he had such a rough entry into the world - I am so thankful that he has progressed with leaps and bounds and is a joy to be with!

2. The NICU staff at Children's Hospital Boston - the nurses that took care of Alex were beyond words - an no amount of thanks will ever be enough to convey how much they touched our lives and made the hardest moments of my life bearable.

3. My family - for letting me be who I am and loving me anyway

4. My husband for the same reasons and that he is such a great Dad - it shows every day how much he loves our little boy!

5. My new job - I applied on a whim and made a huge leap of faith - basically changing the direction I had been going 180 degrees - from being a biomedical researcher to teaching biology. I am so thankful that I took that leap - so far it is working for me so much better than my old job - gone is the guilt and I am more independent than I have been in years - that's how I work best!

6. Baby kisses - I love baby kisses - the open mouth, slobbery wet, almost lick, almost bite.

7. The other 4 of the fab 5 - we dont get to see each other all that much but we have been closer in the past year or so with the addition of 6 of our 10 kids in the last year alone! I am so thankful for our emails.

8. Our general situation - we are comfortable. We have a roof over our heads (although I hope to buy a new roof this year) and food to eat and jobs to go to every day. In this economy we are lucky.

9. Kitties - fluffy and mischievious - frustrating and lovey. The ultimate contraditions all wrapped into two balls of fur.

10. Alex being comfortable enough at the daycare he goes to that he does not cry when I leave. He loves playing with the other kids and the teachers and I think they love him back. It would break my heart every day if he cried when I left. I am even more thankful that he LOVES when I pick him up every day and gets mad if I try and put him down once I pick him up!