Day 40: Thanksgiving

Today was Thanksgiving (technically it was yesterday since it is now 5:30 am on Friday). Thanksgiving is the American harvest holiday, in which friends and family gather for a large meal and express gratitude for the things for which they are thankful. Needless to say we have a lot to be grateful for this year. Feel free to skip the long list or bear with me if you like.

First and foremost we are so very, very grateful to have our little guy Loki join us in this world. He is such a strong, vigorous fighter. He continues to grow. He shows us that his lungs are getting stronger and stronger and so are his arms and legs: it can be a struggle to take his temperature as he pushes away our hands. We are tremendously grateful that Loki is as strong and wonderful as he is, and we are so happy to have him in our lives. We are looking forward celebrating the Holidays with him at home next year. How fun that will be!

Next, he would not be doing as well as he is if it was not for the absolutely amazing care at Alta Bates Hospital. So, I want to extend our gratitude to the staff at the NICU as well as at Labor and Delivery, which is where our preemie journey started. I believe we would not have made it this far into my pregnancy, if it was not for the dedicated care of Dr. Ahsan and all the other doctors and nurses there. And Loki would certainly not be doing as well as he does, if it was not for the very dedicated nurses and doctors at the NICU.

Another obvious "thank you" needs to go to our moms, who have been incredibly helpful during those first weeks of craziness. They made it possible for us to completely focus our attention on Loki's and my healing. They kept our household running very, very smoothly, which made coming home from the hospital everyday so much easier. It may seem simple to mop a floor, do groceries or prepare some food, but for us it meant the world. It really made a difference.

We are enormously grateful for our extended group of support: you all! Thank you so much for reading our blog, leaving messages, sending (e-)mails, calling us, preparing food, giving Loki gifts etc. Our live has been insane for quite a while now, and knowing that you all are out there, sending your thoughts, prayers and support to Loki feels just amazing! A specific "thank you" should go to our friends Sarah and Laureen who supported us those first hours during and after delivery.

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Loki's dad, my wonderful and dedicated husband. I don't think I could ever find enough words to express my gratitude for all his hard work and support throughout the past months. Especially since Loki has arrived my mood has not always been upbeat. It has not always been easy dealing with the aftermath of my own hospitalization; the insecurities of when he would be born, and if we would make the critical yet scary 24 weeks. The harsh medicine in my body that made me think the ceiling in the delivery room was rainbow colored and the physical and mental recovery from the c-section all added to that. In addition, there is the guilt of having such a micro preemie because my body could not hold him safely inside until he was developed a little further. Add to that the love and sorrow I feel for this wonderful tiny human being, the lack of sleep because I am slave to the pump as well as dealing with the hormones the initial weeks, and you can imagine I have not been the nicest person to the people around me. Dad has been very, very patient and supportive and I want to thank him for that. Without his love and support I would not be able to walk this challenging road.

So in just a few words; THANK YOU ALL!