Thanksgiving

On this day of Thanksgiving I'm of course most thankful for the most precious gifts I have ever been given: my two sons.  They are my world. They are the reason I keep going. They are my everything. From the minute I even learned my first little bundle of joy existed it was pure love. And the moment I actually got to lay my eyes on him was the.single.BEST.moment.of.my.life! And all I've fought for ever since is to keep him/them in my life and give them the best lives possible. I read a blog where the author compared a parents' food allergy anxiety to that of a new parent bringing their first child home from the hospital and constantly keeping them within sight and checking to make sure they are still breathing. And that is exactly what it is like! It's like never. EVER. loosing that feeling! As I sit here watching my baby breathe because he is fighting a food allergy reaction... It's comforting to me. I can see him easily consume air and know for a fact that at this minute he is okay and be grateful for that. When this started the day before Thanksgiving and the on-call doctor let us bump up the at home medicines to try to avoid the hospital I was grateful for them! And I started the mantra that I was not going to the hospital on Thanksgiving and I'm very grateful to not have ended up there either! I'm grateful that we live in a place with excellent children's hospitals and care for my boys. I'm grateful for all of the doctors and nurses who have stepped in and been there to heal, comfort, protect, and care for my children when I have not been capable of providing what they needed on my own. Thank you does not express enough how grateful a Mom is when someone is able to provide especially for such basic needs of her child that she herself cannot. It's humbling and scary and your small part in my life and protecting what means most to me is huge! And so very much appreciated!

I'm thankful for family who made dinner friendly to my son. I know you experienced some of my frustrations and pain in the process and I'm sorry but also think you get my life a little more as you see my daily food struggles. And you understand my failures more as I cry through these reactions when I try so hard and loose battle after battle but have no choice but to keep fighting. And I'm especially thankful when I see your Soy-Free Earth Balance labeled with my son's name to remind you not to cross contaminate - you are just the best! And don't think a 2 and 4 year-old don't get it because they specifically thanked God for this Aunt during their bed time prayers without prompting. It's not an easy task but it's one that shows your love for all of us.

I hate that the holidays are so entwined with food. I hope that I'm decoupling some of that stigma for my boys. I hope they will remember less of what was on their plates and more of who was in their days. They said they were thankful for 'my crane truck' and 'Nana and Pa coming to my house'. They spent the day getting to see both sets of grandparents and an aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins.  They watched the parades and (bad) football, made crafts, played games, built legos, and bounced in their bounce house. I want to teach them to Turkey Trot (although I had just finished the marathon over the weekend so didn't think they should be subjected to another running event) and to enjoy the company they choose to keep. I'm thankful that we will build our own traditions around what is truly important and food is not it!

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