ThanksLiving Thursday: So Much Love!

As daylight fades, I rock Ella Kate to sleep and look around her room.  I admire all of the amazing things that she has and am pleased that she has so much stuff to comfort, calm, nourish, and protect her.  From the diaper on her cute little tush to the crib she sleeps in nightly, I love it all.

And then it hits me.

With the exception of a few small things, Kyle and I paid for none of it.  From the diaper on her cute little tush to the crib she sleeps in nightly, we have been blessed with so many gifts from so many people who have loved Ella Kate even before she was born!

As I'm thinking about all of the generosity, I'm reminded of the showers given for us.  We were quadruple blessed!  We received a shower from some of my dearest friends that I have known for a very long time; we received a shower from Kyle's family for our Winston-Salem family and friends; we received a shower from my family; and we received a shower from my school!  Four showers!  And I can't forget about all of the gifts we were given outside of the showers from people who could not attend, or as Christmas gifts, or from people, like my mom and Kyle's aunt Alison, who just can't STOP buying things for our sweet little princess!

I was reminded again of all of the generosity as I cleaned out Ella's drawers.  Can I possibly be ready to put clothing in storage?? Is it possible that she has outgrown so many outfits??  Is it possible that she's even worn so many outfits??

And that's where I'm reminded of the generosity.  Ella Kate almost has more clothes than she was able to wear in each stage.  Every last piece of clothing is adorable and, for the most part, I am reminded of the exact person who gave her each outfit when she wears it.  Seeing her getting use out of something that was given to us out of the kindness of someone's heart makes me so happy and makes me feel a connection to that person.

So this week, my thanks goes out to all of you who have helped make our home appropriate for a tiny person through the gifts you have passed along to us.  We are thankful for everything, from the diaper on her cute little tush to the crib she sleeps in nightly.