WHW {#68}: Thankfulness

Happy what's hap-"pinning" Wednesday, A.K.A. Thanksgiving-Eve!

Every year I take the time to document the things that I'm thankful for, and wanted to continue that tradition. Likely, not a lot of it has changed, but I still like taking this time to reflect and appreciate the goodness (and greatness) that I have in my life.

{MG} 

He's at the top of my list because, as cliche as it sounds, without him, I'm not sure how I would have gotten through this past year. Having him by my side as my dad fought through his final days, and in the days following losing my dad, I found so much love and comfort from just being wrapped in his arms. Then to go through more of our fertility struggles, and have him be my shot-giver through our IVF process, to my nurse after my egg retrieval and egg transfer. And then getting to celebrate the fact that we would be parents, and knowing that the baby that's growing every day inside of me is equal parts him and me....it literally makes me tear up thinking about it. And then he goes and melts my heart even more when he talks about how excited he is for this baby...

Did I ever want to get married at 31? No. But was it worth the wait to find this man who is so perfect for me? Absolutely 100%. I'm SO thankful that MG is my life partner.

{Our Baby}

It's probably of no surprise to you that this is on the list. For the past two years, I've hoped and wanted so desperately to be at Thanksgiving saying "I'm thankful for this baby" and it feels surreal to be able to say that this year. It's been a journey to get us here, but that journey has only made me appreciate every single part of this process that much more. Seeing, and hearing our baby's heartbeat for the first time, seeing little baby arms and legs kicking and punching on an ultrasound....they make me tear up every time. I can hardly believe that this is real sometimes, but I'm so thankful that it is. This baby is already loved beyond measure and I know that that love will only grow bigger and bigger.

{Family}

This year is different in that we're going to be marking every holiday and special occasion by the absence of my dad. In years past I always spoke about how thankful I was that my dad was still here to celebrate with. And this year, I'm forced to look at things from another angle and be thankful that I have my dad looking out for me in a different way now. But I'm still thankful that I had a dad who showed me what it was to be strong, how important education was, what it means to possess good morals and act on them, and what it means to be loved unconditionally by a man.

I'm thankful for my mom for being so strong through everything with my dad. I'm thankful for her phone calls and visits, and how excited she is about "pumpkin" as she calls the baby. I'm thankful for the love and support she's given to me through all of our ups and downs, and am glad I can be there for her when she's needed it, too.

I'm thankful for my extended family, my in-laws, who I only refer to as my in-laws for confusion purposes, because to me, they ARE my family. I have two sisters who I love, and a mom and dad who didn't give birth to me, but treat me just like one of their own. I'm not lucky, I'm blessed. I know my dad said at one point that it comforted him to know that I had such a wonderful family to take care of me when/if I needed it, if anything happened to him. And I take those words to heart, knowing my dad knows that we're supported, even in his absence. I know not everyone has this kind of relationship with their in-laws which makes me that much more grateful for the ones I have.

And I can't forget Cooper, the furry love of my life. Coop and I have been together since I was a single girl, until now when he's going to be a big furry brother to our little one. Looking into Cooper's eyes while I pet him makes my heart happy, not to mention the nightly cuddles he gives...I know he was made for me and meant to be a part of my life. It's been the best 8 years together and I'm hoping for many many many more!

{Friends}

My IRL and blog friends are my heart. I'm lucky to have so many friends in my life who I can count on through anything. When my dad died, I saw a whole other side of the friendships that I had--how people really reached out and supported me. They say you know what a true friend is, not during the good times, but during the hard times. And this year I'm thankful that I had so many friends who lifted me up during the hard and dark times. I've also made friends with others who have struggled through fertility like we have, and we've helped each other through the process. I can truly say that the friendships that I have in my life right now make me feel truly blessed, and give a new meaning to "richness."

{Our Home}

I'm so thankful that MG have our house that we've made into a home in the last 2.5 years. It's been fun to take on home projects together since moving in, sometimes learning the hard way how to do something (or NOT do something lol), but learning nonetheless. I'm so thankful that we have a big house that holds enough space for our families to come and stay, where we've already made tons of memories, and where we are sure to make more in the coming year when we bring our baby home.

There are tons of other things I'm thankful for, but these are the big ones I wanted to share here today.

I hope that your list of things to be thankful for this year is ever-growing! 
Happy Thanksgiving, friends!