Top Ten of 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, I have been reflecting over the year and all of the changes and events that have transpired.  We have learned so much while we have become parents.  I have summed it up in a top ten list, in no particular order.

1.  Support from family and friends has been phenomenal.  We love all of you very much and are so blessed to have each and every one of you.
2.  Nurses have such a tough job, they not only care for the patient, but for the whole family.  The NICU Nurses will forever have a special place in our hearts.  They laughed with us as we navigated our way to becoming parents, rejoiced in good reports from the doctors,  and hugged us when we cried during scary times.
3.  Vomit is not the only bodily fluid that can be projectile... baby poop can travel!  Lol!
4.  It is vital to a marriage and a family to keep the husband/wife relationship alive.  We love to have little date nights.  With Hannah Kate not being able to go out in public, we have improvised.  One day we went through the drive-thru at Denton's and I got a corn dog and an Orange Julius, we parked next door at the Chicken place.  I waited in the car with Hannah Kate and ate my corn dog while Jason went in and ate chicken.  He came back to the care and we drove around looking at houses for a little while.  It was a good day!
5.  Priorities change in an instant... I went from being stressed out because of all of the paperwork to do when I got back from my Dr.'s appointment during my lunch break to fighting for my life and the life of my sweet little angel.  It was completely worth it.  She is a miraculous little micro-preemie!  I am also grateful for the flexibility and understanding of my boss at work.
6.  When having a newborn in tote, always bring a change of clothes for the baby and yourself.
7.  It is amazing how an hour can go by when watching a baby.  Hannah Kate is truly amazing!
8.  Always have a spare pacifier, you never know when one will fall in the floor at the Dr.'s office.
9.  Sleep when the baby sleeps.  People have often said that, but those first few weeks after we brought Hannah Kate home we truly understood why.  Although, we shouldn't complain, she has slept through the night every night except twice since we brought her home.
10.  Parenthood is a wild, scary, wonderful adventure and we are along for the ride.  A baby truly changes everything for the better!

Happy  New Year and may all of you be blessed with good health, happiness, and hope in 2011 and always!