Where once sat a table in my bedroom. there is now a child’s play cot. Where once there was free passage around the dining room table, there is now a stroller. Where there was a place of quiet, there now is the cooing and crying of a tiny voice. Where once there was happiness, now there is joy! Where once there were arms filled full of hobbies and passions, there now are hands filled with love, and service to a fragile life. Where once there was the freedom to come and go, now there are routines to adhere to both day and night. Where once slept three children. there now sleep four, and for this I am filled with Thanks.
Khallarnie is now two weeks and one day old. So far she has been doing really well. We were prepared for the dairy allergy with Soy formula. There is a bit of acid reflux that, if we were in England, we would treat with Gaviscon Infant. We are not in England, so we must find out the best acid reducer that we can in our local grocery store and fix it in baby’s bottle at an appropriate dose. So far, we could be doing better as she hiccups when she gets hungry, and she spits little bubbles when she is full. It is a minor issue in the grand scheme, and so despite the inconvenience, I am thankful for the health she has had these past two weeks.
Dirty nappies are tossed into a bin in our bedroom, however, when we are not in our bedroom, there are a set of small and helpful hands ready to carry off an old nappy to the bin and dispose of it. Those hands belong to a very special little girl who came along one day and stole my heart completely. I am thankful for Kirynie.
My wife discovered the other evening that if she stood in the bedroom door and held the baby in her arms while the boys passed back and forth doing various jobs to help her out, the work would always come second, after a delay of a moment or two in which the boys would pass, pause, and leave a kiss on the baby’s head or cheek. Never would one pass without a stop, and never did either stop to coordinate this kissing effort. I am thankful for the love they have for their sisters, and to know that if for some reason I cannot finish raising these girls, they will always have two fine men to look to for help, for love, and for whatever they need to carry on. I am thankful for Jordan and Dylan.
Feeding times come at two, six, and ten in the mornings and afternoons. At two in the morning, there comes unfailingly a little hiccup, followed by another, and then another, increasing till they are quite large. At some point, a whimper get included, and then a little whine, followed by a cry. Off the bed I will bound, into a shirt and down the stairs to the kitchen, where I will prepare a bottle. Four ounces of sterilized water warmed for thirty-eight seconds in the microwave, two scoops of Infamil Soy, a little Karo Syrup, and a quarter of a tablet of acid reducer, crushed into powder. Shake vigorously at first, then slowly as I return to the bedroom. Total time out of bed, about two minutes, unless I have to stop at the loo along the way. Then I crawl back into bed, and pass the bottle over to Katrina, who checks the temperature, and then tell me to go back to sleep. I cannot tell you for just how many reasons, and how much I am thankful for Katrina!
I am thankful for the old friends who once passed through my life, and also for the old friends who still linger. I am thankful for the new people I meet each day. I am thankful for the sound and the smell of the furnace as it kicks on, and the massive engine in the truck that starts each time I turn the key. In short, I am thankful for everything that is a part of my life. I am thankful for everything that gets added to it, and for everything that has been taken away.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kelsey J Bacon