The Prose of an Electrate Mind

I would really like to work on a motivation poster this coming week. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while but just haven’t gotten around to yet. I have a lot of hopes and dreams that I’d like to work towards, and I now have an additional reason to continue forging forward with those hopes and dreams. I really want to enjoy my days picking apples with the kids in fall. I want to build snowmen with them on wintry days. I want to have picnics under our very own cherry blossom trees in the spring. I want to have barbeques and enjoy watermelon in the summer. I want to someday lounge on my patio while writing my next great work. I want to spend as much time as possible watching my kids grow up instead of rushing through my days just to spend a few exhausted hours with them. I want to make these wrinkles and grays worthwhile. I want to have a place that belongs to me — a place where I can grow roots and say sayonara to packing and moving. I will press onward toward these dreams.

1. I am grateful for the personal advice I received from Brenda Della Casa (see my blog roll to read her blog).
2. I am grateful for every precious moment I have with my baby.
3. I am grateful that we haven’t needed to turn on the cool or warm air for several days (take that, GRU!).
4. I am grateful that we will be enjoying a Thanksgiving feast again this coming week.
5. I am grateful that there’s still time to adjust to life and soak it all in.

1, I am grateful that these gratitude posts are simple to type with one hand.
2. I am grateful that most of my Christmas shopping orders have either arrived or been shipped.
3. I am grateful that I haven’t had to cook dinner in a while.
4. I am grateful to see even a little bit of color changing in the leaves around here.
5. I am grateful for quiet moments like this (yes, I know I should nap, too, but I’ve got insomnia problems).

1. I am grateful that my little boy’s up almost a whole pound from birth.
2. I am grateful that I got the baby to sleep all by himself for right now.
3. I am grateful to have two hands to type.
4. I am grateful to have my Christmas shopping done.
5. I am grateful for boxed brownie mix. Mmm, delicious brownies.

1. I am grateful that I sorted through Junior’s clothing today in order to make sure we’re not flipping through bigger clothes before finding a newborn sized outfit (image that — us needing *newborn* sized clothing for one of our babies!).
2. I am grateful realizing that my other children had about 14cm heads as well — I feel like my pelvis has been vindicated!
3. I am grateful for the abundant milk supply I have. No hungry babies in this house!
4. I am grateful for the 25 minutes of work I did from home. Every little bit helps.
5. I am grateful to be enjoying my cuddly baby. I doubt in 10 years he’ll want to snuggle on Mommy.

1. I am grateful to be able to lay on my tummy again.
2. I am grateful for the swing that soothes my cute little pumpkin so well.
3. I am grateful that the weather is so pleasant today (soon I plan to make myself presentable and go outside from something other than a baby well check-up).
4. I am grateful that I’ve ordered Christmas presents for my oldest — at least I made a decision there!
5. I am grateful that my husband is making turkey chili for dinner.

1. I am grateful for newborn sleep smiles and sleep giggles.
2. I am grateful for the upcoming forecasts — no more 80-degree weather!
3. I am grateful that week one this time around has been easier then the last time (let’s just say I ignore the clock more and just go with the flow — he’s happy, he’s going through enough diapers, and that’s good enough for me).
4. I am grateful for the auto-save option.
5. I am grateful to have fresh air coming into the apartment.

1. I am grateful for a cuddly newborn sleeping on me.
2. I am grateful that I got to spend a bit of time this morning with my daughter.
3. I am grateful that my husband has been cooking delicious meals.
4. I am grateful that I can type one-handedly.
5. I am grateful knowing this first week has been fairly easy, relaxing, and fun.

We’re on day 6 of life as a family of five and of recovery. So far I’d have to say this has been the easiest recovery I’ve had out of my three children. While I’m still sore in a particular area, everything else seems to feel much better. I’m obviously still tired, but that comes with all newborns. As for my sweet little boy, he’s definitely the calmest of the three so far. We can’t help wondering if it’s because he didn’t have the traditional traumatic entrance into the world, where he was immediately scooped away by strangers for poking and prodding under bright lights. Overall, I’m even more determined to affect change with the maternal-fetal healthcare system — seriously, we need to see a serious paradigm shift.

I don’t believe we should blindly accept what we are told simply because we are to assume that a person knows better than us. I believe we all have the right and responsibility to do research and explore our options. Those skills should not be abandoned at graduation but rather continued throughout our lives. What’s the point in learning how to research if we choose to only use that skill for school purposes? We are constantly growing, changing, and learning, and we must be sure to make the best possible choices with as much information as possible.

1. I am grateful for the wonderful experience I had bringing my son into the world on Tuesday night.
2. I am grateful that I found a wonderful, supportive, and skilled midwife.
3. I am grateful that I saw my page hits total 118 yesterday — that’s more like a good month!
4. I am grateful that Hurricane Ida got sheered overnight and shouldn’t cause us any problems.
5. I am grateful for all that my husband has been doing to take care of us over the past few days.