I am thankful for...

...Nora.

 She makes me happier than I ever thought was possible.  I love her beyond words and I enjoy every minute I spend with her.  And I mean that...literally every minute is a joy! I don't mind the bad stuff (waking up during the night or early in the morning - the poopy diapers - the whiny/clingy days) and I am brought to tears often by even the mundane stuff (watching her play or rocking her to sleep).  I lover her toothy grin, her muffin top and her cankles!  I love the "peach fuzz" on her head and her tiny ears.  I love when she screeches and when she laughs. I adore everything about her and I can no longer imagine my life without her.

November brings out the "thankfulness" in everyone (mainly on facebook!) and I thought about getting on board this year with the '30 Days of Thanks' stuff, but I decided to go a different route.  Although I have no doubt I could easily find 30 things to be thankful for, I realized that this year I am thankful for Nora so much more than anything else!  I know everyone loves their children and I hope that everyone appreciates how special they are, but the gift that she is was almost never mine.  I have always thought that people that are just given things tend to appreciate them less, and I don't know if that works with children too, but I can tell you that I think about our struggle to have children every day and I am beyond thankful that she is here. I think about this miracle every time I look at her.  The darkest time in my life was during the years I thought I would never have children.  Shawn and I struggled, but we also loved each other and supported each other through some really tough stuff.  I am an incredibly happy, upbeat, and optimistic person, but during the "infertility years" I was not so.  I have never felt so low.  Being a mother and having a child was so important to me and thinking that it would never happen was like being in a deep, dark pit and I was really afraid that I wouldn't get out.  Thankfully, we had lots of help (some from people who will never even know what they have done for us), and we now have our beautiful daughter.  I am grateful for her everyday.

Nora is what I am thankful for today.

Nora is what I am thankful for tomorrow.

Nora is what I am thankful for all month and all year, and for the rest of my life.

This beautiful girl is so happy and it melts my heart every time I see her smile.  I have a great life, with a wonderful husband and a supportive family, a job I love and fantastic friends.  But, Nora truly makes my life complete.  Watching her grow and change brings me so much joy and she has made me a better person.

I am thankful for Nora.