Thankful A-Z: So I'm starting a little late!

Hello all!

Well, I wasn't going to do the Thankful A-Z because after doing the 31 for 21 last month I was having a little blog burnout. However, I love what people are doing with this so I am going to go back and do all the letters that I missed and then continue on from here. Does this seem silly? I hope not because I was thinking that I have a lot to be thankful for this month. This month will forever be engraved in my mind forever simply because of Lily's surgeries. Today is the anniversary of her second OHS! I can't believe it has been a year. I went back and read Bill's posts from the day before and the actual surgery day. It brings tears to my eyes. We again are so grateful and thankful that God gave our Lily another chance at life. I remember things being so stressful. Getting ready to spend Thanksgiving at the hospital. It was not a fun time but we made it through and it just makes this year's holidays so much more special for us.

Well, now on to the Thankful A-Z !

A- I am thankful for Answers! Answers to the many questions that I continually have through this whole process of raising a child with Ds. At times it is not always the answer that I want but I have found that through this process I have learned to accept some of the answers I get and move on. Usually in the end everything works out as planned. I know when I first found out that Liliana had Ds I was terrified I had so many questions floating around in my head it was crazy! Now I find it is totally different. I have so many resources available to me. Whether it's a friend, my church, the therapists, or my blogging buddies I know I can always find the answers to the questions I may have.

B- I am thankful for my hubby Bill! He is a wonderful husband and father! I love to see him interact with our two girls! Whether they are playing around wrestling, dancing, singing, or having a serious conversation he is always a pillar of strength in our lives. He works many, many hours per week so that I can be home with our lovely girls and he comes home and helps out even more. He is a wonderful man and I am so glad I have him in my life! I love you honey!

C-I am thankful for our church! If it wasn't for our church I don't know where we would be. I have said this a million times but they have been a backbone in our lives throughout everything with Lily and I can never repay them for all they have done. Thank you Lord for leading us there!

D-I am thankful for Dishwashers! Man, do they make life easier! We run ours usually once a day and I know some of you with really big families probably run them even more. What did we do before them...I know washed them by hand. Hate it! So thankful for my dishwasher!

E-I am thankful for Exercise! I try to workout 3 times a week at the gym. I wish it was more but I am thankful for at least this. It is definitely a time for me to relieve stress. This is so important with all the care and love that my little Lily and Gwynny need. It also has helped me to take off 30 pounds and I am still working on taking off more. Thank you Lord for excercise!

F-I am thankful for Friends! My friends at church, online, my BFF have all played a huge part of who I am. Thank you Lord for such wonderful friends that show their love, support, and caring everyday!

G-I am thankful for Gwyneth! Though Gwynny marches to the beat of her own drum she is my lovely little princess and I love her to death! I love her funny songs and dancing. I love her 4 year old reasoning and when she plays pretend with her dolls and Disney figures. She is a bundle of joy and I wouldn't change a thing about her. Thank you Lord for my Gwynny!

H-I am thankful for Helping Hands! So many people this past year have lent a helping hand to us! Our biggest helping hands have to be Grandma and Grandpa K. They babysit our two girls quite often and our girls just love them! We also have lots of other helping hands such as our friends and the people in our community that help make Lily's life so much better! Thank you Lord for Helping Hands!

I- I am thankful for Insurance! Man, if it wasn't for our half-way decent insurance I don't know how we would have paid and continue to pay for Liliana's heart surgeries and continued care. I know there is a lot of changes that our president wants to make to our health care system and I just hope that it doesn't make it more difficult for us to continue to get the medical care that Liliana so desperately needs. Thank you Lord for insurance!

J-I am thankful for Jesus! If he had not died on the cross for my sins I wouldn't have been set free from sin and had a way to get to heaven. Thank you Lord for your sacrifice for me!

K- I am thankful for my kids! I waited till later in life to have children and it took me awhile to get pregnant so I thought maybe it wasn't in the cards. Thankfully the Lord has blessed me with two beautiful children that I love very much!

L- I am thankful for my Liliana! She is my miracle baby! 3 open heart surgeries and she is alive and doing so well! Thank you Lord for giving me my beautiful baby girl with designer genes!

M-I am thankful for my Mom! She has been in a nursing home now for about 5 years but she was always an example of what a Christian should be as I was growing up. She was the one that took my brother and I to church during our younger years and encouraged us to be all that God wanted us to be. She stood by us and supported us through the good and the bad and to her I owe a lot. Thank you Lord for my wonderful Mom!

N-I am thankful for my Nissan Quest minivan! I have had it since 2004 and for the most part it has been a faithful set of wheels. Other than a few quirky things that like to happen on occasion such as the radio not working and the flat tire light coming on a lot I am pretty happy with it. The biggest thing is that it has gotten me back and forth to work safely when I did work, gotten Lily and I to her doctor's appointments, and also has taken us on several great vacations. Thank you Lord for providing me with safe, and efficient transportation.

Well, if you are still reading this I am now caught up with the A-Z Thankful! Yeah for me! Well, I am going to call it a day since it has taken me all day to literally finish this post! Happy Wednesday!