It's Thanksgiving Already?

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is in a week. We have so much to be thankful for this year, and so much to look forward to.

I am thankful for my husband and son. They may drive me crazy sometimes, and there are times I may not like them so much (even though I love them to death) and that's OK. They are still my family, they still bring joy to my days, and I would not be who I am without them.

I am thankful for our life. I mean, there are so many people out there who don't have nearly as much as we do...a home, food, steady income, ability to afford new clothes and the feeling of safety and security. We take it for granted way too much that we have all of these things, and that we come by them honestly.

Believe it or not, I am thankful for my 2 dogs. They taught me how to care for another living being long before Monkey ever showed up. Although they may not get the level of attention they used to, they are still my first babies, and without them our household would not feel complete.

I am thankful that this pregnancy (although a bit of a surprise) happened easily and has thus far gone smoothly. After everything we went through to have Monkey, how horrible I felt most of the time, all the Doctor's appointments, needles, and monitoring, it is truly amazing that this one seems like any other normal pregnancy. I'm so happy I get to experience that side of it.

On the flip side, I'm thankful that I had a hard, high-risk pregnancy with Monkey. It made me so much more empathetic to women and families who struggle with infertility and difficult pregnancies. That only makes me a better person.

I am thankful that we are going to be able to visit family for a longer period of time over the holidays. Although I really wanted to be working full time, that would not have allowed me to take 3 weeks for visiting, and we really need that. Especially since Ben has not been back to our parents' houses since February.

Last but not least, I'm thankful that I do NOT have to cook a whole Thanksgiving Dinner next Thursday!Last year I cooked the full deal for the 3 of us, and it was a LOT of work for VERY little getting eaten. I think we threw most of the leftovers away. So, this year, we are doing Boeuf Bourguignon, Homemade Artisan Bread, and some form of dessert. Nothing big (OK, it's still a lot of work, but hey, it's Thanksgiving), something everyone will eat (mostly, Monkey's going through a picky phase) and we are comfortable at home without feeling the need to entertain.

Now...off to try to convince Monkey to eat something other than bread and cheese.