Gratitude and an Early Update

I really don't think I am exaggerating when I say that I thank God every day for what he's given me. It wasn't always this way, unfortunately. But sometime ago, I saw a phrase (probably on Pinterest), "What if one day you woke up and had only the things for which you'd thanked God." Since then, I pray every night a prayer of gratitude for my healthy, cheerful, handsome boy, my hard-working, patient, doting husband, my cozy home, my secure job, and my village of loved ones who surround me. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement for the life I'm living.

I have such a fantastic class this year, and am so blessed to work where I do. Conferences went wonderfully, parents were supportive and kids continue to achieve. They make me laugh every day, they amaze me with their insight and their creativity, and I LOVE teaching them. While some days I am totally exhausted, and every day I feel a little tinge of guilt saying goodbye to Hammie, every day I am grateful for the opportunity to be a working mother, to do what I love to do and know that I am taking care of people's kids, loving up on them the way I want someone to love up on my boy someday. 

Sometimes I look back on the post I wrote a year before, and it's been such a fun way to see how much things have changed. A year ago, I was very pregnant, eagerly and fearfully awaiting any sign of labor and wondering who my son was. Today I watch him jabber and toddle and shout and laugh and I am at times amazed by how no one knows him how I know him, and at times still wonder who is this little human that now runs my life? Who will he be? What will he do? What will he love and say and enjoy? While so much has changed, there is still so much ahead of us, and that excites me to no end!

Because I think my next post will be filled with FIRST BIRTHDAY pictures and Christmas happenings, I'm doing my 12 month post early for little man. Hamilton is no longer walking - he's running. He runs everywhere he goes, often falling hard but picking himself up and sprinting forward. He. Is. Everywhere. Despite the locks on kitchen cabinets, he manages to squeeze his arm in and pull out anything that will fit. Our floor is littered with canned goods among the toys. His first word (debatable), is A-daa: dada. He can also shout "up" and "no" with pretty good authority, and we think he's said "all done" once or twice. He is signing really well now: all done, please, more, thank you, shhh, bye bye. I think we are on the brink of a language explosion, and this is so much fun to show him something and then POOF, he does it! He gets it! Such an amazing process! He jabbers all the time now, and with it comes a bit of screaming and tantrum throwing. Such is life, I suppose, but we are working on it.

He's been a terrible sleeper lately. Terrible. Since about 10 months on and off. He wakes up and rages for as long as we can handle it, then one of us will check on him, rub his back, and hope he drifts off again. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. In which case we turn up the fan, close the doors, and pretend to sleep until one of us dozes off. It stinks. And it's a constant guessing game of "Go pat him? Let him cry? Check on him? Let him cry?" I have no problems letting him cry, except that then we are looking at maybe an hour or more of no sleep, where as if we pat him for 10 minutes, we can probably all be asleep in that amount of time. Ugh. I hope it's teeth or something - I do feel one coming up on the top, so maybe when it breaks through he will be back to normal. Whatever that is.

All that to say, I am thankful. Thankful from the tip of my frizzy hair to the bottom of my slippered toes. Thankful for where I came from, what I've been through, and where I am today. Thankful for those who surround me with love and advice and laughter. Thankful for each and every one of YOU!