Gratitude

I have so many things to be thankful for.  The things I usually blog about are at the top of my list!  I utterly adore my family.  To say that I'm grateful for them is the understatement of the century.  Another thing I'm thankful for is a little less conventional: I'm thankful for a group of ladies that have become close friends of mine over the past 9 or 10 months.  Here's a quick background to explain how I found these sweet friends. Most moms I know are familiar with the book "What To Expect When You're Expecting," and early in my pregnancy with Sarah Claire, someone gave me this book.  It was such a huge help, and it wasn't long before I figured out that there was a What To Expect website.  THEN I realized that there were actually forums for moms due in each month, where moms-to-be could ask questions, seek advice and swap pregnancy war-stories with moms who were almost exactly as far along in their own pregnancy.  At first, I would just visit the site when I had questions, but over time a sense of friendship developed.  I found myself praying for these women as some of them got scary news from their doctors about their unborn babies.  I rejoiced with them when some of them reached the viability point in pregnancy after struggling through miscarriages in previous pregnancies.  I shared with them when we found out that our "baby Persinger" was a little GIRL! And then we all started nearing our due dates.  Soon, people were posting their birth stories, and even shared pictures with us of their brand new bundles of joy (I've learned what an accurate description that is!).  Many women connected through facebook, and these friendships became less faceless.  The friendships continued to prove themselves sincere when a fellow "August Momma" lost her home in a fire, and people sent care packages and baby clothing to her, as they had lost all of the things they needed for their little one on the way.  Now, we all have had our babies, and we keep in touch.  There are still so many questions that we have for each other: "Is anyone else feeling like a cow this morning?" "Does anyone have tips on how to help my baby sleep a little longer?" "Is it normal that my daughter wants to nurse all day, every day?" =) I think what I'm trying to say is, this is an unusual group of ladies.  I've never met them in person, but I have loved sharing in their incredible journey to and through motherhood.  I feel like I need to be wearing a pocket protector and thick-rimmed glasses while I sit here and blog about my "online friends," but the truth is, I love these ladies, and I love having the privilege of being a part of such a great support system.  I continue to pray for them in new ways now... some struggle with the unbelievably hard separation as they go back to work and leave their little one with someone else. Some ladies struggle with PPD, and others of us just struggle to maintain our sanity while running on a lot less sleep than our bodies are used to, but it's good to know that when we are up for a 4 a.m. feeding, if we need someone to talk to, someone else is sure to be up too, looking for the very same thing! So, for those of you who read this, thank you so much for your friendship.  Blogs can be turned into books, and this is will serve as my "baby book" for Sarah Claire.  She will know all about you ladies now!