On being thankful

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions and support for managing my crazy life. Yes, we have changed diaper brands, and we haven't had any blowouts since.

With Thanksgiving only a few days away, I decided to focus on the things for which I am faithful.
#1 Vivian: My daughter is happy & healthy, vibrant and joyous. On Saturday, I was bouncing her on my lap, and she was smiling and giggling so much that it made me cry. It reminded me of the dream I had before she was born, and it was so wonderful. It was an absolutely perfect moment that I will always treasure.

#2 Richard: My husband (of five years! as of Friday) is wonderful and amazing. I know the word "soulmate" is cheesy and trite, but we just fit. We can talk about anything, from next year's Halloween costumes (we're thinking food marketing characters: Chef Boyardi, the Sunmaid Raisin girl and a baby Swiss Miss), to where we were when Kurt Cobain died, to American history and today's politics. I am very lucky to be married to my best friend.

#3 My family: Vivian's birth has brought my family closer together. Seeing their love for her has been awesome (like a 100 million hot dogs).

If you are a diligent reader of this blog (and why wouldn't you be?), you may remember the quilt square I made in memory of Eliza for the Preeclampsia Foundation's memory quilt. I thought you might like to see it in its final form:

The quilt was auctioned off at this year's Saving Grace fundraiser gala. The winning bidder paid $4,500 for the quilt! The winner was the CEO of Beckman-Coulter, a biomedical testing company that is working to develop a diagnostic test for preeclampsia. Apparently, the CEO plans to have the quilt on a rotating display among all the company's labs/offices. I'm very proud to have participated in this project, and I'm thankful that Eliza is helping to raise awareness of this horrible disease.