A Lot to be Thankful For

Life for the Swan family has been pretty hectic lately.  Nothing in particular stands out, but we've been running left and right, with little time to stop and smell the roses.  Awhile ago I told Kevin I was going to try and do a better job of stopping and enjoying the moment, notice the little things and take stock in all the things I'm lucky to have.  I was doing a good job for awhile, but lately have been slacking big time.  The busyness of everything has been bogging me down and I've forgotten to stop and look around.  I have the to-do list constantly running through my head, whether it be nesting or just my usual need/desire to have things in control, I've lost sight of what is really important and all the things I'm lucky to have...tonight I had an evening at home to really stop and look around at what I've got in my life, and it made me feel pretty darn lucky.

First, I'm so thankful to have a dad who is willing to make time in his work week, and his own to-do list to do things for me.  I'm also so grateful he likes to paint!  My dad has been a painting machine in our house this week.   Kevin has helped out immensely by doing all the prep work, sanding down the walls, taping, moving furniture, getting everything ready.  My dad has spent the past 4 days climbing ladders, squeezing into tight spaces, climbing around on all fours, getting more paint, listening to me pointing out places that need another coat and so on.  Due to all his hard work...our upstairs is almost entirely painted and neither Kevin or I picked up a paint brush.  We (meaning my dad) have one wall left in the living room, and then the kitchen and the entire upstairs living space will be freshly painted!  This is a project we've been talking about since May or June.  It took me forever to find a paint color, and then trying to find time to prep and get things ready and then really start painting took awhile longer.  Now in one of the hottest weeks of the Summer, my dad has been slaving away painting in our house...I can't wait to see the finish product, but so far I absolutely love it!  This painting project has also been helping with nesting, because I've been able to dust all the furniture, wipe down baseboards and just generally do some cleaning I wouldn't normally do without having everything displaced.  However, this displacement of stuff has really made me out of sorts as well!

Second, I'm the luckiest lady on earth to have the most awesome husband.  Kevin has been working long hours at the office, only to come home to have to do more work and try and tackle the to-do list I have running as well.  This week he's taken his very few spare moments to prep for my dad to paint, so it gets done, which he knows is something I've been waiting for.  He's also been spear-heading the daycare search and trying to get those loose ends tied up, so I can yet again cross another thing off my list!  I'm lucky to have someone who will go to the ends of the earth to make me happy and try to appease me, putting himself and his needs behind mine.  I'm also so proud of him for all the hours he puts in at the office and outside of work, to make sure that our family is well taken care of and we have all that we need.  We've  had some crazy busy nights lately and Kevin keeps plowing through them with a smile, something I wish I could say about myself.

I could go on and on about the things that I've reflected on tonight and feel so lucky to have, but the list would be long, and likely boring to others so I'll spare you.  The last thing though, is baby swan.  I'm one lucky soon-to-be mama.  I've had an easy pregnancy, I've so enjoyed feeling small little taps to the bigger more frequent rolls and rib-jabs and just feel blessed to have a little boy that will be coming home with us in just a couple of months.  I can't wait to meet him, see who he looks like, discover his personality and see all the joy he brings to Kevin and I and our friends and families.  I already know he's going to be amazing.  So while I've had to endure nights of restless sleep, swollen ankles in this hot Summer, and feeling like my ribs are being used as guitar strings, I'm also so thankful to have the opportunity to experience all of this.  To know that inside of me is a strong, healthy, growing baby boy.  Someone who I already am head over heels in love with and so anxious to meet.  In the meantime, I'll keep checking things off the to-do list preparing for baby swan's arrival.  When things get crazy and I start feeling overwhelmed with all that still needs to be done, I'll make myself stop, take a deep breath and remember all the things I'm truly thankful for.