Gratitude

In lieu of my small good things, I give you a list of things big and small that I am grateful for. It is my thaksgiven list (courtesy of LG).

1. I am grateful to live in a time and place that allows for reproductive choice;
2. I am grateful for the donor who gave his time and bodily fluids so someone like me could have a kid;
3. I am grateful to the pair of smart, sassy, beautiful doctors who have worked with me and knocked me up three times;
4. I am grateful for autoimmune testing and heparin shots and a healthy full-term birth of my daughter;
5. I am grateful that LG is the smart, sassy girl that she is, even if she makes me insane sometimes;
6. for my mother, who gave me the example of what a single mother could be, and who helps me be a better one;
7. for my grandparents, who did not live to meet LG, but who provided the monetary support long ago that ultimately made her conception possible;
8. for my sister and brother, who, despite their quirks and mine, love me and LG;
9. for my dearest, wisest friend L, who has been with me for more than half our lives--I'm glad we missed our bus stop that day sophomore year;
10. for my other friends, including A and M, who have made this year easier in more ways than I can count;
11. for this blog and the ALI community who understand what most people "IRL" do not;
12. for a stable job, knock wood, that gives me enough money and benefits to live comfortably;
13. for a job that allows me to do two of the things I most love in this world, read and write;
14. for the students who make the other part of my job a joy;
15. for a job that affords me a certain amount of flexibility in scheduling;
16. the recliner in my mother's family room, where I have been grading for the past three hours;
17. I am grateful for Passion tea, orange tea, green tea, chai tea;
18. Whole Foods and the co-op, so I can feed my allergic kid,
19. and the amino-acid based formula that got us through her first 23 months.
20. I am even more grateful that she outgrew the need for the amino-acid based formula.
21. I am grateful for House and The Good Wife and Bones, which currently provide moments of escape;
22. I am grateful for the lip balm and body wash in the clinic's IVF goody bag, as they provide daily reminders to be gentle to myself;
23. I am grateful for acupuncture;
24. for yoga and moments of quiet;
25. I am grateful for my house, with its sun porch, where I spent much of the summer trying to be zen;
26. I am grateful to be in the early part of the 2ww, when anything is still possible;
27. I am so glad I was able to cycle in November;
28. I am so glad this November isn't like the one, seven (!) years ago, when I didn't think life could possibly get any worse;
29. I am grateful for the strength, wherever it comes from, to keep going on this journey;
30. I'm grateful for my health and for feeling generally well
31. and I'm grateful for migraine meds and other remedies when I am not;
32. I am grateful for organic cotton socks;
33. I am grateful for organic cotton tampons and sanitary pads (too much blood this year!);
34. I am grateful for warm blankets and coats and heat;
35. for a cat who likes to pretend she's a scarf, or a lap warmer;
36. I am grateful for a new year;
37. I am grateful for the 36 years I've spent on this earth and the doctors who, in 1972, made sure a 33-week preemie started breathing on her own. I know my mother is, too. Two days until 37.