A Great Big Thank You!

Well, folks, the babies are a year old, and I couldn't have done it without you! So I want to take a moment to thank you for everything you've done. I hope I don't forget anything!

Thank you to every single person who prayed for me and the babies, even if it was only once! Your prayers kept us safe and healthy during my pregnancy, ushered four beautiful babies into the world, rescued me from the brink of death after their delivery, watched over us all in the hospital, and helped us maintain our sanity to survive and thrive over the last year! God has done amazing things for us this year, and He did them because you prayed and asked Him to. Thank you!

Thank you to our families who have been endlessly supportive, especially to KayKay and Daddy Bud, Grammy Pammy, Granny Kat, Aunt Jodie, Uncle Clay, and Aunt Carey, who all stayed with us at different times and helped out when the babies first came home from the hospital and many times since then. Thank you for your visits, your advice, your encouragement, your prayers, all the many, many ways you have helped us, and most of all for your love!

Thank you to West End and Hardin Valley (formerly Parkway for you faithful readers) Churches of Christ for so many things! Thank you to everyone who brought us food, from the time I went on bedrest until months after the babies were born. Thank you to everyone who came to the house to help us take care of the kids, Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, for months! Thank you to those of you who came on the weekends, occasionally took a late night shift when there was no night nanny, who brought extra help with you and allowed me and Jim to get out of the house for some time by ourselves, and to those of you who come now and give me an afternoon out on my own! And a special thank you to Kim who organized so much of that help!

Thank you to everyone who made a donation to West End's Harris Fund, making it possible for us to hire a night nanny to watch the kids overnight, so we could get some sleep.

Thank you to everyone who gave us diapers, wipes, formula,baby food, and handmedowns. We are SO grateful for all of it!

Thank you to Michelle who came over every weekday I was on bedrest and made sure I had lunch without having to get up, who has been an ever-helpful presence throughout the babies' lives, who has been my dearest friend these past twenty years and a continuous source of encouragement, sanity, and perspective, and who has taken so many fantastic pictures of the kids! I'm so glad I'm getting to share this experience with you!

Thank you to our night nannies--Jean, Bradley, Linda, and Kendall. It takes a special person to want to stay up all night caring for four infants, but all four of these women did at some time or other. I especially thank Bradley who was with us five nights a week for four months and got all the kids sleeping through the night and Jean, our first night nanny, who graciously took vacation time off her real job to work for us and give us time to find some one more permanent!

Thank you to everyone at South-Doyle High School, both staff and students, for being so good to me while I was pregnant and still working, and for all your help and encouragement since the babies were born. A special thanks to Stephanie and Frank who have volunteered their time more than once and watched the kids so Jim and I could get out together.

Thank you to Cingular/the New AT&T and everyone who works there, for being so good to Jim, especially to his boss Ken and all the wonderful people in his office. Thank you for letting him off work when I had to go to the dr or the hospital or when I call up and say, "Hey, sweetie, we're going to have babies this afternoon!" or when I nearly died or the kids have to go to the dr or any number of other baby-related issues. Thank you for all your support outside of work, to those of you who have spent time with the kids or brought us food or just dropped by for the fun of it.

And a great big thank you to my wonderful husband. Your daily presence has been a bigger comfort and support than I could ever have imagined. You take care of our whole family, cooking and cleaning and taking care of the yard, all so I can take care of the babies. You feel guilty because I spend all my time with the babies, and I feel guilty because you do all the hard stuff and I get to spend all day with the babies! You are completely supportive of every new change I want to make in the babies' lives and of every opportunity I find to get out of the house to do something that will be fun for me even though you almost never do anything that's fun for you. I hope you know how much I appreciate all you do for us. I thank God every day for you!

And finally I thank everyone else that I haven't already thanked, all our friends and family, near and far, all the strangers I've met because of my babies, and all those I haven't met but you know about us anyway.

Thank you everyone for whatever part you have played in the lives of my family and the raising of my beautiful babies!