Gratitude Thursday

Today I am grateful for:

A child who sleeps 12 hours every night. I can't believe that once she woke up every two hours to be fed. I also can't believe that I'll be doing that again in about 9 weeks. Its amazing that just within a year her sleeping patterns have changed so drastically. I remember when we were waking up with Riley constantly to feed her, I kept reminding myself that it was only for a few weeks... It helped me get through those late night feedings and actually enjoy them:)
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A husband who makes sure I take time for myself. Its easy to lose yourself amongst cleaning the house, laundry, cooking meals, tending to a baby and running errands. Leif is always trying to find ways to help me get a break. Even if it means he has to watch Riley after work while I go to the gym or lay down. Never does he complain about working all day, instead he thanks me for keeping the house clean and taking care of our daughter, then offers to help me out. How did I get so lucky?
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Riley and me time. I love spending my days with Riley. I'll be honest, in the beginning I didn't enjoy it as much because she slept most of the time and I just felt bored. Now, I never get bored. There's always something for us to do. We run errands in the morning, then we play and have an early lunch, naptime=cleaning time for mommy, and then we head out to the park with snacks. Nothing is better than having your child play with you and every once in awhile look up at you and smile. I love those moments. Or when we're shopping and she just reaches up to hug me. Part of me wishes it would only be the two of us for a little bit longer, but then the other part of me is so excited to spend my days with two children. I'm thankful that I'm able to stay at home with Riley... I wish that Leif was able to experience what I get to everyday.
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My own washer and dryer. When we lived in an apartment, doing laundry was always difficult. It took me weeks to get around to doing it because it required I go back and forth between our apartment, and the laundry room a few times through out the day. Maybe I'm just lazy? It became even more difficult when Riley became mobile because I couldn't just leave her by herself, and taking her with me wouldn't really work. Now laundry gets done almost every other day, plus I don't have to use $5 to do it:) I'm so grateful that we have a washer and dryer in our house. It makes getting things done a lot easier.
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The 15th of every month. I look forward to this day every month because it means I'm going to get sunflowers from my husband. He's never forgotten. Sometimes he hasn't been able to make it to the store in time so I get my flowers the next day, but he always remembers. Its important to him that I know how much I mean to him, and this is one of the ways he shows me. Its nice to be loved.