I have decided for the month of November and in the spirit of Thanksgiving I was going to spend my lazy Sundays reflecting on all the things I can be thankful for. It is sad that I actually have to set time aside and force myself to be thankful but I guess that's life sometimes. I do know I get bogged down with things that are wrong and that I want to fix so I think it is important for me to remember that there are plenty of things in my life that are RIGHT. Who knows, maybe it will become a new way of thinking for me!

As I sit here on this perfect lazy Sunday, I feel very thankful for many things. We had our first professional pictures done today as a family and spent a beautiful morning in a park, smiling, laughing and enjoying our surroundings. Now, I sit here and blog as Stella sleeps soundly on my chest and my husband cleans the house. No, that is not a typo.

This week, I am going to be thankful for my family. I know that is fairly general, but it almost has to be. I am thankful for my husband who has the biggest heart, and lives his life everyday doing the best he can for me and Stella. We have our ups and downs, as most couples do. but he is always by my side, supportive in anything I want to do, and let's face it, he is cleaning the house right now. He has willingly picked up many "wife" duties since we had the baby and does them with pride! I am also thankful for my parents. They live about 400 miles away, on the outskirts of San Francisco, and are on their way here to take care of Stella for two days. My dad, who was not a hands on father, is so in love with his granddaughter it brings tears to my eyes. He offers to take her when he visits so I can eat, shower, rest, etc. I am so sad that, in a couple of days, I will be leaving Stella for two days and one night but am comforted knowing that my parents will be the ones watching over her. I also have two siblings that I am thankful for. My brother and my sister have both been parts of my life and even bigger parts of my daughter's life. I know that I can count on either of them to do anything and to be there for me no matter what. Lastly, I am thankful for Stella. I never could have imagined how one little human being could change our lives so. I feel like I put little arms and legs on my heart and named it Stella. She is so precious and beautiful and becoming a mom is the greatest role I have ever experienced. I am thankful every day for her health, her safety, and her being.

There are so many other things I can be thankful for and each week I am going to focus on one. I think this Thanksgiving will not only be a special one now that Stella is here but also because for the first time in a long time, I am going to spend it the way it was meant to - truly giving thanks.