Thankful and Grateful!!!

I wrote this gratitude list last night, after a scary situation in which Emma fell on her head (doing a crazy dance move) and her headache would not go away. As those of you who read a recent post of mine know, I had such severe anxiety over the senselessness of Natasha Richardson’s death and its’ unusual cause (what appeared to be a light fall into soft snow.) Emma fell harder, though on carpet, and from not too high off the ground. But the headache wouldn’t go away and the Mama instinct in me rose up — it was like an internal flight or fight syndrome — and minutes later I took her to a children’s hospital. All is okay! Better safe than sorry … thank G-d!!

I am grateful for today.

I am grateful for a 3 hour nap that I just woke from (at 10 pm) which
surely will mean I won’t sleep tonight — but I needed it BADLY.

I am grateful all is well with Emma after her falling on her head last
night which lead to a headache that would not go away.

I am grateful for the cold sweat that crept up on me when 10 minutes
later Emma was still holding her head and didn’t want to get up and
meant “Get to a hospital! Just go! Don’t think if other people think
you are over reacting.”

I am grateful for getting ourselves 25 minutes away to a children’s hospital in
New Jersey (where we were visiting my MIL) and for the kind doctors who observed and made sure Emma was A-Ok. A bad brain jostling (light concussion was doubtful, most likely just contusion) which resulted in a 2.5 hour pulsating headache for her, but nothing that required further testing, except for my own observations of her into today.

I am grateful for the CNN story that Karen sent me last week about
head injuries, because I’m not sure I would have been as quick to go
to the hospital if not for having that information. THANK
YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! Knowledge is POWER!

I am grateful for my in laws who stayed with us for a while
and grateful for my ability to know I could handle the rest, as Gary
was in Connecticut for work and I was just fine on my own. I’m grateful to have felt like a grown up when a huge part of my just wanted to cry to my own mother!

I am grateful for Emma immediately taking pen to paper today and
writing the story of her first hospital stay. Just like her mom!

I am grateful that Emma can now see a hospital is not a scary place —
they were so kind to her and she seemed to enjoy the experience (once
the headache was gone.)

I am grateful for Mama bear instincts even if, in the end, the
situation didn’t require serious medical attention.

I am grateful for being able to laugh at what was supposed to be only
a 2 hour visit to my mother in law became the same 8 hour visit it
usually is, if you include the hospital stay and then my drive back
south to pick up Eden at 10:30 pm (who was having a super time playing with Grandma!).

I am grateful for a quick ASL demo tomorrow for a local Brooklyn La
Leche League meeting — which should be interesting anyway because I
never went to one when I was nursing.

I am grateful that Eden had a playdate today and both normally quiet
girls were boisterous and having fun.

I am grateful for second chances, for health, for taking things one
day at a time.

I am grateful for opportunities and dreams coming true.

I am grateful for my family of four — for all that I am, all that we
are and all that is most definitely yet to be!

Steph