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I = Innie

Don't worry, this is not a far stretch. I really am thankful for innie belly buttons.

Growing up, there was an array of belly buttons in my family. My sisters had legit innies, mine was in the middle of and innie and an outie. Then I had babies and it all went downhill from there. Having my belly button pop out was one of the worst things about being pregnant, for me. It made me extremely self conscious and I went as far as taping it down, which just irritated my stretched out skin.

When The Lime's umbilical cord fell off, he had a nice, cute belly button.

Doodlebug wasn't so lucky. I think his cord fell off prematurely. It was gross, stunk like you wouldn't believe, bled, oozed, but wasn't infected. And...it appeared to be an ugly outie.

I'm a horrible mother for even worrying about such a petty thing but I was REALLY afraid he was going to have a protruding outie. I had horrible flashbacks of the girl I remember seeing at Kennedy Park who had the worst outie I had ever seen. It was as if she had a small finger coming out of her stomach. Eeeekkkk!

But, thankfully, Doodlebug's outie transformed into an innie with just a little outie, similar to mine.

I'm thankful I can give Doodlebug raspberries on his cute tummy and not get the heebie jeebies from his belly button.

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H = Haircuts

We were in the Bay Area this weekend and some guys were due for some haircuts. Thank goodness their favorite hairdresser, Bertha, was working.

Since The Lime originally wanted to be Bo from Dukes of Hazzard for Halloween, we were letting his hair get a little longer than normal. Those plans fell through, and Halloween is over, so it was time to cut the mop.

There's something about a haircut on a little boy that makes him 10x cuter. The Lime always says he doesn't want a haircut at the last minute but I'm grateful he sucks it up and gets it done. I could just eat him up!

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G = Germany

People inquire all the time if I'm German.  As a matter of fact, I am!

I'm grateful for good German stalk (pretend I just said that in a deep, German sounding accent).

I'm grateful for my grandfather's grandparents who immigrated from Germany to Illinois.

I'm grateful for my grandmother's parents who immigrated from Germany to New York.

I'm grateful my parents met in Germany, despite living two hours from each other in California.

I'm grateful I was able to go to Germany and see their first apartment as a married couple.

I'm grateful for the German language and the opportunity I had to learn it in high school.

I'm grateful for delicious German food.

I'm grateful for German traditions that I did as a kid and I get to pass on to my kids.

I'm grateful for the kind German people who helped us find our way when we were clearly lost in Berlin and Mainz.

I'm grateful for German clothing like darling lederhosen and pretty dirndls.

I'm grateful for the way Germans write their 7s and that none of my teachers tried to correct me when I started writing them that way.

But I'm especially grateful for two sweet boys that have the cutest, most perfect German names, for their perfect little personalities.

My parents' first apartment 

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F = Free & Clear

Early on in our marriage, I learned that I couldn't use scented clothes washing detergent, or scented dryer sheets, or else LaVor would break out in a horrible rash.  And while I wish our clothes had some sort of yummy scent to them, I'd much rather have him not be itchy.

I needed some new liquid dish soap a few weeks ago so I picked some up at Target.  Being the cheapskate that I am, I grabbed the least expensive one.  I had never tried it before but the price was right.

A few days later, I needed to pump and give Doodlebug a bottle.  The nipple was dirty so I washed it with our new soap.  I handed the bottle off to LaVor and after several failed attempts of trying to get Doodlebug to drink, he gave him back to me.  I, too, couldn't get him to drink.  I was getting whiffs of the soap and thought it was on my hands but discovered it was the nipple.  So I tasted the nipple and the darn thing tasted like soap!  I took the bottle apart and rinsed the nipple really well.  I put it back together and tried giving it to Doodlebug again but still, he wanted nothing to do with it.  I tasted the nipple again and it still had the soap scent on it.  I opened the bottle up, sniffed the milk, and it smelled like the soap.  

Very angrily, I dumped the wasted, precious, hard earned milk down the drain.  I threw the bottle in the sink and washed it in my dishwasher with the next load.  When the load was complete, I pulled it out and gave it another whiff.  Sure enough, the nipple still smelled like the soap.

We went to Target on Thursday and I purchased some Free & Clear soap.  I'm grateful for such products, so I can feed my baby without him having the awful taste of soap in his mouth (mine lasted the rest of the night...blah!) and so my husband can wear clothes without scratching to death.

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E = Enya

At my Relief Society activity tonight, my visiting teacher shared with us how her brother never had to study for tests in high school.  He wouldn't do his homework, either, but managed to ace the tests and he's now an engineer for Apple.

That was not how I functioned.  I would spend hours studying and hoped I remembered everything 15 hours later.  To prevent my mind from wandering from the silence while studying, I would pop in "Watermark" by Enya into my portable CD player.

Nothing calmed me and helped me focus quite like Enya.  I would also use the music to wind down if I was having trouble sleeping.  I woke up many nights with my headphones discombobulated on my head.

I was first introduced to Enya by the movie Green Card.  I remember the scenes that included Enya were so powerful and passionate.

The entire album took you on an emotional roller coaster of happy, to sad, to dreamy, to anxious.  Enya had a way of speaking to you without necessarily using words.

My brother, who had the CD, also had the piano music for Watermark.  While I'm not a great piano player, if I practice really hard, I can come away sort of playing a song.  I managed to work hard enough to memorize "Waterfall" and would play it often, wherever I saw a piano.

I'm thankful for the peace Enya provided me, for the assistance in clearing my mind so I could focus. I'm thankful for the memories the music provides me, because I always think of my brother when I hear it.  And I'm thankful for the opportunity to practice a talent and come out executing a beautiful piece.

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D = Detective Davis

When the boys go down for their naps, I usually watch "The Chew", on DVR, while I eat my lunch. But on October 24, my recording was interrupted by breaking news.

There was an officer shot in Sacramento and a manhunt happening right before my eyes for the two suspects. At one point, the search was a couple of miles from my sister's house, which made the situation even more real.

I was making my niece's birthday cake that afternoon so I kept the news on in the background.

The hunt that began in Sacramento, then went to Carmichael, and somehow ended up in the quiet town of Auburn.

At about 4:00, they finally caught the man and woman involved but it wasn't without three people being shot, two of which were police officers, both of them died that day from their wounds.

One of the officers was Detective Michael Davis, Jr., a detective for Placer County Sheriff. While I didn't know him, after following the story, I knew I wanted to show my gratitude and support in some way.

I woke up early today, got the boys ready, and we headed to the funeral service. As we pulled onto the road where the church was, there was a steady stream of law enforcement from all over the state. There were fire trucks pulled over on the side of the road, with flags hanging from their extended ladders. I was already overwhelmed with emotion and nothing had even taken place!

We got there early and watched the Honor Guard, then found a spot to sit in the public seating area. We watched the video montage for a bit and then the service started.

While there were other civilians there, those attending were primarily officers. It was an absolute honor to be amongst such brave, selfless, strong men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives for others' safety. I actually felt as though I was intruding on something sacred but I am grateful I was able to witness the bond that they all have.

Detective Davis was killed exactly 26 years to the day after his own father lost his life while serving as a Riverside County Sheriff. Detective Davis' brother, who is also a Sheriff, shared such great stories of how Detective Davis was always taking care of him and their younger brother. The two younger brothers would sneak out to visit Detectve Davis at his first job, at Wendy's. Detective Davis would be upset they snuck out but would fix them up with Frostys while he closed up.

His brother didn't go into detail but mentioned that their younger brother tragically died in 1988. It must be devastating for the brother to have lost both brothers and his father but I hope the three of them are having a joyous reunion on the other side.

I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to attend. I'm grateful for the extreme reverence of the service (We were in a separate building from the main service and it was being broadcasted to where we were. The Lime asked me throughout the whole thing if we were watching Heaven.). I'm grateful my boys behaved. But I'm most grateful for the sacrifice and service Detective Davis rendered for the citizens of Placer County.

(I didn't feel it appropriate to take photos so I am just including the program cover)

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C = Cousins

My closest cousins growing up were two hours away.  But even then, we usually only saw them maybe once a year.  My cousins on the other side of my family lived on the East Coast which means we saw them even less.  In fact, it's been over 18 years since I've seen them.

The Lime has been blessed to have countless hours of cousin time and Doodlebug is headed in the same direction.  In fact, my kids' cousins aren't just family, they're great friends.

I appreciate that these cousins can always pick up right where they left off. There's no awkwardness, just lots of fun!

I'm thankful that they play great together, no matter if it's dressing up, riding bikes, or squirting each other with water guns.

I'm grateful that the older ones take the younger ones under their wings and make sure they're loved and taken care of.

I love that they're making so many memories together, early on.

I'm thankful that The Lime asks me several times a week what [insert cousins' name] is doing.

I love that The Lime has numerous cousins born (roughly) within a year of him and Doodlebug has a handful, too.

But what I'm grateful for the most is that all these cousins will be together forever.