To God: Thank you.

Do you ever have those moments where you just stop and thank God for all he has given you? Where you look up at the sky and just say, "Thank you."?

The other evening as we made our way down my in-laws driveway, I had my brother-in-law sitting next to me with a sleepy Morgan on his lap and I just had to thank God for all he has blessed me with. Not only do I have an amazing, handsome, and perfectly healthy little boy and a loving, compassionate husband... I have such a beautiful extended family, also full of beautiful healthy babies. It is something that can so easily be taken for granted.

I was watching A Baby Story on TLC and as the new mom and dad welcomed their new son into the world, they were so elated to finally have him in their arms... they failed to notice that he was missing four fingers on his right hand. The dad, a former professional baseball star, had previously talked about how excited he was to teach his son to play baseball. I waited for the father's discovery to turn to tears as he thought of the dismal future his son now had in baseball. Instead he said with a smile, "I can't wait to teach him to play soccer." I never imagined Wyatt coming out anything less then perfect. While watching this I realized that even the loss of fingers can't put a damper on a baby's sheer perfection. But I still couldn't help but scoop Wyatt up in my arms and blissfully count each of his tiny little fingers and thank God that every one of them was there on his chubby little hands.

Out of 10 nieces and nephews, with #11's arrival quickly approaching, all of them have been healthy. They are all so smart, so talented, and in my eyes the cutest kids in the world. Sometimes it is scary to think that life can be so good. I catch myself waiting for something to happen... that my #12 (or #13 should Mackenzie beat me to the punch!) will be the one that struggles. My sister-in-law, Amanda, told me that you just can't live life like that. That you have to enjoy every perfect moment for what it is and not keep waiting for the bad to come. Because you might find that it never does but you will spend your whole life being unhappy while you wait. It is still hard though... to just be happy with the many blessings life has given and continues to give me. I just can't comprehend this level of bliss. It just can't be this good... but it is.

So maybe Wyatt refuses to say mama (though he has... he still much prefers calling me Ca-Ca). He can give kisses now and that completely (if not more so) makes up for it. So peas are not his favorite vegetable... he loves green beans so its a wash in the veggie department. He despises the idea of shoes... but I am fortunate to have a husband with a job that allows me to buy him a new pair every month. Such little trivial things when you look at the big picture. Wyatt could call me Ca-Ca the rest of his life and in my eyes he is still the picture of perfection. And what I see in him no one else in the world could possibly understand... so that's really all that matters. I will never again be able to look at Wyatt's 10 little fingers and not count my blessings on each and every one of them.

To all my babies: Payton, Isaiah, Sofia, Elijah, Madison, Luke, Logan, Avery, Morgan... and the thumb on the end, Wyatt. 10 beautiful blessings. I am so thankful for every one of you and the individual joys you each bring to my life. And Zachary James... we are anxiously awaiting your arrival, as now I get to start counting on Wyatt's chubby little toes.
Forever and always... Auntie Katy. And for Wyatt, Ca-Ca.