So I decided I'll come here and make a "30 things I'm grateful about Nixon" list instead.
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1 - I'm thankful for a son who chose my last DD pumpkin spice k-cup for my morning coffee. He knows me so well!
2 - I'm thankful for every morning I get woken up by a happy, smiling kiddo quietly crawling into bed with me and asking "to turn on the TV upstairs"
3 - My son's sense of humor! He can make me laugh with his dancing any day.
4 - I'm thankful for a mostly healthy child. A couple colds and some tummy aches are nothing compared to what other parents face. I try hard not to take that for granted.
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5 - As hard as it is, I'm grateful Nixon's growing up.
6 - I'm grateful for every hug and kiss he gives me. I know someday I won't get them so I'm banking them all now!
7 - I'm grateful Nixon is beginning to share interests with his dad. It's adorable to see them playing Lego's together or talking about Star Wars.
8 - I'm thankful for the past decisions I made that brought me to today and my life. Without past decisions I wouldn't have Nixon and Mac.
9 - I'm grateful for the easy infant stage...and that I'll never do it again! Nixon was a fairly easy baby much like the little boy he's become!
10 - I'm grateful for Nixon's sense of adventure. He's up for most things I suggest and almost always ends up loving it!
11 - He loves coffee! I mean he only gets a tablespoon or so in a cup, but he loves it and it makes me feel closer to him. Like I envision days, years from now, with us sitting at the table talking over coffee.
12 - I am grateful for the patience he's brought to my life. It's not easy raising a child with little or no extended family around, so I can't just take a break I have to make them, sometimes for both of us.
13 - I'm grateful Nixon has empathy for others and animals. He asked for a sad pumpkin when we made paper jack-o-lanterns! He cried during a movie "because I's so happy, mommy"
14 - I'm blessed to be the mom of a little boy with manners. Please, thank you, excuse me (though occasionally prompted to be said) are regulars in his vocabulary. He even says them in more than one language, having learned a couple Japanese phrases in Okinawa and some Spanish from Dora and Diego.
15 - I'm thankful he's building a relationship with his grandmother. I love my grandmother, crazy as she can be sometimes, and I'm so thankful Mac's mother is filling those shoes in my son's life. I get a warm fuzzy in my heart when he asks to call Nana, even if he only talks to her for 5-10 seconds and gets distracted by something else and promptly hands me the phone!
16 - I'm grateful for Nixon's laugh. When he finds something truly hilarious it is impossible not to laugh with him!
17 - My kisses are still magical to him. When ever Nixon has any kind of owie, before I cave in a put a band-aid on it, I always kiss it first. Sometimes the simple act of lips to owie is all it takes to make Nixon say "it all better mommy". And that won't always be the case, so I'll take what I can get while the magic still works.
18 - I love watching him learn compassion for the cats. He's so gentle and makes it a point to tell me he's being gentle, to Arwen who until recently wanted nothing to do with him.
19 - I'm grateful I can teach Nix games like red light/green light and rock/paper/scissors (lizard/spock/fire/water balloon). I enjoyed these games as a child and even if he doesn't grasp the total concept right now, he enjoys them none-the-less.
20 - I'm grateful I didn't get that emergency c-section when in labor with Nixon. There came a single scary moment when Nixon's heart rate dropped very, very low and I was hurriedly told to get on all fours and given a shot. During these very tense moments, not entirely sure what was going on, I heard "is the OR open? Can we make sure it stays open? This may be a rush to get in". Finally, just a couple minutes later baby boy's heart rate returned to normal and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Less than an hour later, I was holding my heart-stoppingly beautiful baby boy for the first time. Apparently, we're too good for a drama-free birth story!
21 - I'm thankful he asks to hold my hand, gives me high-fives and wants to be snuggled. I can't really remember getting lots of affection from my parents and I was honestly very afraid I wouldn't be able to be a loving parent when I had my own child. Thank you, Nixon, for letting me be a loving mom to you.
22 - I love that Nixon loves music. He's got some favorites too. Fall Out Boy has been a favorite of his since he was 3 months old. Somethings never change, he was rocking out to FOB today in the kitchen.
23 - (remember when I thought this would be an easy task??) I'm thankful I knew when to get help and take it to be a better mom. It's not always easy to admit something is not right in your head, in fact its pretty daunting if you don't have support from loved ones, but when you have that one "oh shit!" moment, no matter what it is, take it seriously and get some help. I'm grateful to the doctors I saw that realized I was asking for help and gave it to me. Without them, I may have ruined the best thing in my life...Nixon's smile.
24 - I'm grateful there are some nights Nixon knows exactly what he wants for dinner and he helps make it. Breakfast for dinner is a great idea, made better by an enthusiastic Nixon helping me out. "Be careful mom, the stove is hot!"
25 - I'm thankful for our nap times together. Sometimes, just snuggling in bed and hearing him softly snoring is more peaceful than any nap.
26 - I'm thankful for the pictures and videos I have of Nixon from birth. They're great memories that I don't have from my childhood.
27 - I'm incredibly thankful for the 3 years in Okinawa. With no family (and sometimes no friends) I was forced to step-up as Nixon's mom and I feel I did just fine. I have an awesome husband who, sometimes begrudgingly, took part in silly things I wanted to do as a family and many times enjoyed himself!
28 - I'm grateful I waited until I found a guy I loved and knew I'd marry to have a child. I'm grateful Nixon has 2 parents who genuinely love each other, even when we argue. It happens so rarely that when we do get heated, Nixon will run between us and say "No! You stop it now!" because his whole little world just doesn't work with us arguing. I'm so glad he can defuse an argument with just his little voice telling us to stop. We almost always stop to give him hugs and kisses letting him know we're all okay. It's the 3 of us versus the world!
29 - I'm thankful Nixon enjoys trips to the zoo. Any zoo will do, so long as there are animals and areas to run.
30 - I'm grateful I have a son. I have MY son, the child I dreamt of for years and never thought I'd actual hold. I hold him in my arms every day, kiss him throughout the day and always tuck him in at night. If I tried I couldn't picture a more perfect child for me. Nixon, you test my patience, share my love for animals (and coffee) and complete me in a way I never imagined. You are the reason I get up every day (and not just because you won't let me sleep anymore). I love you and I'm so blessed you are mine!
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| I love this child more than he'll ever know! |
<3
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