Fresh Off the Cob

It's Friday and time for a listing of five favorites from my week.  Can you guess from the title of my post what the majority of those favorites will be centered around?  If not, perhaps this will give you a clue:

1.  The niblet has landed.  Little Luke Evan P. made his debut yesterday afternoon and we couldn't be more thrilled to greet his appearance.  He's even more of a miracle because in order to carry a baby to term, his mom has to give herself daily injections of a certain type of blood thinner and take megadoses of particular vitamins as soon as she knows she is pregnant.  Plus Laura is one of those unfortunate ladies who suffers from morning sickness almost 24 hours a day for the majority of her pregnancy.  So little Luke is truly a labor of love.

2.  Our daughter-in-law was able to have a relatively easy labor and delivery.   Laura's first experience with labor and delivery (little Mika) was quite an ordeal lasting several days in hospital.  This time around, the expectant parents went into the hospital early yesterday for inducement and Laura delivered by 3:30 in the afternoon.  Jason tells me that Laura was an "awesome pusher." 

3.  Laura was able to have her sisters help as "doulas."  The hospital was very accommodating in letting both of Laura's sisters stay with her and Jason to act as her doulas.  When Mika was born, Laura had a doula assisting up in Canada and she found her to be very helpful.  I'm not sure what all a doula does but I think they are a birthing coach and do things like give back rubs, etc. during the labor. Poor Jason's back was giving him fits again (I know, he really doesn't deserve any sympathy when his wife is going through labor, right?) so he was so grateful that he had help to give those back rubs and run errands for Laura, too.  Plus Laura and her sisters are very close and I'm sure it was extra special to have them be part of this wonderful occasion.

 4.  I'm thankful for the miracle of technology that let us see pictures of Luke so soon after his birth.  Can you imagine the old days when grandparents and other relatives living halfway around the country from their children would have to wait for days to get pictures in the mail?  Last night, we were texting pics to relatives within seconds of receiving them.  And just look at that sweet little face!  He's a blonde, which I never imagined would happen although I don't know why I'm so surprised.  His mom IS a natural blonde.  I think he's too cute for words but I'm never at a loss for words so that won't stop me.

5.  I'm so thankful for a happy, healthy family and can't wait to get on that plane next month to see them all.  Well, ok...maybe "happy" and "plane" in the same sentence is kind of stretching it but the idea of being there to see them is definitely worth focusing on.  And speaking of focusing, every time I look at that little niblet's face, I just keep thinking he looks like a "Biff" or a "Griff."  Can't you just see this big, hulking blonde kid coming off a football field with a huge grin and walking over to his mom to give her a hug?  However big he gets, I am positive that he is going to be a cuddler who will always have a loving spirit.  After all, every family needs a cuddler and his daddy was one of the best.  And he has a loving family with a great big sister standing by to show him the ropes.  Blessed beyond measure are we all.

What have you been thankful for this past week?  Head over to Susanne's Living to Tell the Story site and join in the Fave Five Friday fun yourself.