Thanks and Appreciation

As you all know, this has been a really difficult year for us, but there have been many people who have worked to make things easier and who have gone above and beyond to show their love and support for us. I want to use this post to thank some of those people.

Brian
First, I have to thank my loving husband, Brian. He has always been attentive and supportive, but he has been amazing through this entire process. He says that (almost) any husband would act this way, but I don't believe it. From my first night in the hospital (when we thought I would be there for weeks, if not months, on bed rest) I had to virtually force him to go home and not stay with me overnight. And when things did start to go downhill, every night he slept in a chair in my freezing cold room (the Mag made me incredibly hot) and hopped up any time a machine beeped (which happened ALL of the time) or whenever I needed anything. And during each delivery he was at my side, supporting me, holding our children, and telling us all that he loved us. Since we've been home, he has done so much to compensate for my ailing body, from adding to his normal load of chores to doing me endless favors. And that says nothing to the emotional support. Although we are both hurting in our own way, he is there for me whenever I need him and we are working through it all together. And now he's going to continue with this loving behavior as he supports me once again during my back surgery. (Yes, this is still gratitude, not covert manipulation. I promise.) I wish every person could say their spouse was that amazing, but I'd venture to say that mine is far better than average and I am grateful for him.

Family
Our families have definitely stepped up and shown their love and support during our pregnancy, loss, hospitalization, and recovery. My mom was with me from the very moment I was admitted into the hospital and has been there whenever I have needed her since. My dad was scheduled to fly in from Texas the following week, but moved his trip up when he learned of my hospitalization. Although we didn't know it at the time, that move allowed him to be in town as things turned south and as I returned back home. Unfortunately, my sister was on a business trip in Dubai during the week of my hospitalization, but she showed her support via email and, despite jet lag (it's a 12 hour time difference), exhaustion and illness, drove up from LA the day after she returned. And my brother-in-law Sean came to see us and show his love once we were out of Labor and Delivery. So much love and support... and those are just the people who were in town. My uncle has sent several beautiful notes, as have my cousins. My niece Paige even drew me a lovely picture with scripture that inspired her and brought us comfort. And my step-mom sent me a beautiful letter and myriad texts to check in with me along the way. I have even received messages from cousins and more distant relatives online. These things all mean so much to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Friends
I wish I could thank all of you individually, but I know I would leave someone out, so I'm not even going to try. Just know that we appreciate everything you have done - from the friends who gathered in my recovery room at the end of our hospital stay; to those who coordinated and brought meals; to those who have come by just to spend time or invited one or both of us out to a meal; to those who sent cards, messages or flowers; to those who have simply sent prayer or well-wishes... we love and thank you all. And we are grateful for your continued support. Even this last weekend, we were surrounded by good friends on both Saturday and Sunday night. Little moments like that make a big difference.

But I do want to share one specific moment with you. On Saturday Feb. 25, the day we lost Sebastian and Amelia and I was moved up to the fifth floor, our friends surprised us and literally flooded my room. (Thank you fifth floor nurses for being so amazing and hospitable.) Among those friends were Scott and Ashley Larios who had their first born, Lucy, at 23 weeks. They were lucky enough to have her survive and grow to be a healthy little girl, but they understand more than most what we were going through. So they told Lucy that they were coming to visit us in the hospital that night. I don't know what details they provided, if any, but apparently she said, "I know exactly what they need" and promptly created the drawing you see here. It was incredibly sweet (and an amazing likeness, if I do say so myself) and it is now framed and hanging in our home. So thank you, Lucy!

Colleagues/Friends/Alumni

I had the honor of going through a Master's program with some amazing people and this last week, those people surprised us with a beautiful gift. I'm not sure who initiated or coordinated it, but we received a packet of letters and this beautiful silver branch with hearts that say Ewan, Amelia and Sebastian from this group of people whom I barely see. Many of them now live out of state and most I never hung out with outside of classrooms or literary/composition events, but they have rallied around me online (there definitely are some advantages to social networking sites) and our friendships have grown from there. I have hung up this sweet gift next to Lucy's drawing in my office (what was to become the nursery). So a huge thank you to my friends, colleagues, professor, and fellow alumni: Andrea, Elizabeth M, Sharla, Nicole, Georgia, Ginny, David, Travis, Jenn, Liz S, and Maryam.

Coworkers
Last but not least, I want to thank our coworkers at both DeVry and FCC. Not only have our bosses worked with us during this difficult time, allowing us time to grieve and take care of necessary things, but they have supported us with generous acts of sympathy. FCC sent us a beautiful azalea bush and sweet card from the department and DeVry rallied together to provide us with meals and sent a lovely bouquet from the campus. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to provide food and/or who has checked up on us over the last few weeks.


There have been so many reasons to be appreciative as we've worked our way through this process and if I have forgotten to include your contribution, I am truly sorry. We are thankful to have all of you - even those who just "lurk" (as my friend called it) on the digital sidelines - who love, support, pray, send positive thoughts, and do generous things (like drop off mystery cake on our porch). We love and appreciate you all.