Thankful

I realized this morning that us Dugans never really vocalized what we're thankful for this year.  I am much better at putting my feelings down in words and decided that we'd use this blog to give thanks.

This year, us Dugans are thankful for:

1) A healthy, happy baby girl.  My whole pregnancy was quite uncomplicated and hearing at each doctor's appointment that Abby was doing really well was the biggest blessing in the world.  During labor & delivery, hearing the word "healthy" was music to our ears- hearing Abby's first cries as she came in to our world in full force was so comforting.  Each good doctor's appointment, each morning that we wake up to a smiling baby, and each each night as we put our healthy little girl to sleep, we give thanks that she is healthy, and here, and ours.

2) Each other.  Leif and I are so lucky to have each other.  We keep our flow going forward in a positive direction, we know how to help one another, how to support one another, and how to say everything that needs to be said in a single action.  We constantly grow together as a couple and now as parents.

3) Our jobs.  We might complain often about having to go to work and leaving our little girl for the day but in such rough economic times, we truly are grateful for employment, health benefits, coworkers, good salaries, and the ability to pay our bills and put food on our table monthly.

4) Our family.  We wouldn't be able to do this all without the love and support of our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grand parents, and extended family.  Leif and I are both so blessed to have tight knit families who will laugh with us, cry with us, and let us know that we're doing a good job, everything is ok, and that they love us.  We are thankful for each one of you- immensely so- and love you tremendously.

5) Our friends.  We have an amazing group of friends who help us with so much, who fill our lives with such joy, and who can make us laugh in the midst of any obstacle.  We love each one of you.

6) The Red Sox.  I just had to put this in here because, come on, they are the greatest sports team ever (despite their paramount collapse this year).

7) My pump.  Yeah, I never thought that I would be thanking the world for my pump- but truly- it allows me to continue to feed my daughter naturally- something that I wanted to do so badly- and though I often curse my pump, I am so thankful that we were able to afford such a nice one that affords us the luxury of feeding our daughter breast milk.

8) Orion.  He is the best cat in the world (aside from Fenny- who was, perhaps, the sweetest cat on the planet).  He saw us through the entire pregnancy- all of my mood swings, exhaustion, our nervousness, etc.  He's such a loving pet and so good with Abby.  We never worry about him with Abby and we love the fact that he curls up on our feet each and every night and loves us unconditionally.

9) Our apt.  It is small, it is a bit cluttered, there are problems that have gone unfixed for a very long time-  but it is still wonderful to have a roof over our head, a management team that plows us out every winter, free heat and hot water, a beautiful balcony where I can grow my veggies, a good location for our work, and some really sweet neighbors.

10) Our daycare center.  It is difficult leaving your precious child while you go to work for the day- there is no arguing that- but we are so lucky to have such a wonderful center watching our Abby Wednesday-Friday.  They love her- genuinely love her- and shower her with attention.  She is surrounded by wonderful baby friends and we can tell that she enjoys the time that she spends at daycare.

11) The internet!  We are able to keep in touch with all of our out-of-state and out-of-country loved ones thanks to the internet.  What an amazing blessing!

12) Coffee.  I firmly believe that currently, we could not survive without coffee.  That may seem like a dramatic statement- but we would never get out the door in the morning without a jolt of caffeine to help out.  :)

13) Amazing inventions like my bread maker, ice cream maker, and food processor.  We are able to enjoy fresh from scratch treats thanks to these gadgets.  I would never have the time to bake bread or make ice cream if it weren't for two of my favorite kitchen appliances, and Abby wouldn't be eating homemade baby food daily if it weren't for our food processor.  These gadgets are AWESOME!  :)

14) Our cars.  We are a family on the go- we like day trips, camping trips, visits, adventures, and get-a-ways.  Our cars make it all possible and we're so grateful to have reliable four wheel drive vehicles to get us safely from point A to point B daily.

15) Friends and coworkers with new babies!  We've been fortunate enough to have a slew of friends and coworkers with new babies.  It is refreshing and often times relieving to talk with parents who are experiencing the same stuff at the same time.  :)

I could go on and on and on.  I am very grateful this year and am so happy with my slice of life.  So thank you to all for everything that you do.  We love you all.  :)