Thankful

This Thanksgiving, I am so thankful for all the progress Camdyn and Cade have made.  I looked back on a post from last year around Thanksgiving.  This is where we were last year:

"Camdyn - Camdyn now weighs 11 lb. 11 oz. She is still very tiny, but she is following her own little preemie curve. The doctor said that for 7 month olds, she is in the .08%. She is not even in the 1%. She still takes forever to take a bottle, but she is slowly getting more efficient. We are trying them on a 4 hour schedule instead of a 3 hour schedule, and it seems to be working alright. We are hoping that it will work because it gives us two more hours in our days.



Cade - Cade now weighs 16 lbs. 2 oz. (almost 5 lbs more than Camdyn). He is huge for a preemie. He is actually in the 12th percentile for all 7 month olds which is incredible since he should really only be 3 months old. He hasn't made much progress with eating orally. He takes his pacifier very well, but he hates the bottle. We have tried just about every type of bottle, and it doesn't make a difference. He is still getting therapy to work on feeding three times a week. He has a GI appointment at the beginning of Dec. to talk about the possibility of needing a g-tube."
 
Wow!  Looking back at that exhausts me all over again.  I am thankful that we no longer have to feed them every 3-4 hours.  I am thankful that I can now give both of them full bottles, and they drink them down in no time!  I am thankful that Cade eats!  I am thankful that they are walking and getting into everything.  I am thankful for all the progress they have made.  I wish I could have seen our lives now when they were in the NICU and during the first year home.  They are so amazing.
 
I am also so thankful for my sweet daughter, Brenna.  She makes me laugh every day.  She gives the best hugs, and she helps take care of the babies.  She loves being a little "mommy" to her baby brother and baby sister.  She also loves being a "therapist" helping them learn new things. 
 
I am thankful for my wonderful husband.  I can't imagine raising three kids without him!  I love the way Camdyn runs to him when he gets home and says "Da-y".  She is daddy's little girl.  I love the way he lets Brenna sleep in our bed more than he should.  I love how he lays on the living room floor and lets all the kids crawl all over him like a jungle gym.  I am thankful that my kids have such a wonderful Daddy.
 
Every day is Thanksgiving for me.  I count my blessings every time I see the babies do something new.  Their beginnings make me look at life in a different way.  I appreciate more.  I am thankful more.  I never forget the gift of life.