Thankful

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. I love Thanksgiving because I feel like it's the most untainted of all the holidays. And this Thanksgiving was particularly good because it was our first Thanksgiving with Perrin! He rather enjoyed it too--he got to try all kinds of new foods. (I won't go into details about the interesting colors that showed up in his diapers later on... perhaps we overdid it a bit on the sweet potatoes.)

This has been a really challenging, unpredictable, crazy, wonderful year. Trey and I have had to make major adjustments, sacrifice our time, live on a shoestring budget, and sacrificially give and give to a baby who demands more of us than I could have envisioned. But it's been magical too. I never would have thought I could fall so deeply in love with this tiny person who drools, cries, poops, and doesn't speak English.

I'm thankful for Trey, too. Having a baby has given me greater appreciation and admiration for single parents. How do they do it?? I couldn't have asked for a better partner to take on this gargantuan task of raising a child with me. Not only does he provide for us so I can be home with Perrin, but he's also a pro at feeding, diapering, and making Perrin giggle like there's no tomorrow.

Thank you, God, for the amazing family you've given to me!

The downside (pregnant at Thanksgiving, part 2)

My last blog post was all about why it's so great to be pregnant at Thanksgiving. Well, now I'm writing about why it's not so great.

I went in for my monthly prenatal appointment yesterday, and the doctor informed me that I had gained 10 pounds since last month's visit. Holy cow. From July to November, I'd managed to only gain 7 pounds total. So I was actually feeling pretty smug about how well I was managing my weight gain. In fact, I was a little below where I needed to be for optimum weight gain. But that was just fine and dandy by me. And then came the holidays....

The doctor said since I'd gained so little weight earlier in my pregnancy, the ten pounds in one month was not really a big deal. But he gave me strict instructions to not allow it to happen again over Christmas. ::sigh:: I suppose the days of grazing on leftover potatoes and pie are over. I'll try to be a good girl now.

Pregnant at Thanksgiving

I'm back at work today after a long (and good) Thanksgiving weekend. We had a blast, and I've decided that it's pretty nice to be pregnant during Thanksgiving for several reasons:

1. Everyone expects me to eat a lot because I'm pregnant. I was very happy to oblige. Actually, I would have eaten a lot even if I weren't pregnant, but this gives me a better excuse.

2. Maternity pants are the perfect pig-out pants. They're designed to grow with you. It doesn't matter that it's food and not baby causing the need for expansion.

3. It's fun to celebrate Thanksgiving when you have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful we'll have a little half-Jayna, half-Trey baby crawling around and causing trouble in no time. And I'm thankful I have the best husband in the world to take on this gargantuan and slightly intimidating responsibility with. We may not know what we're doing as parents, but at least we get to be clueless together!