i'd like to thank the academy...

may it be known that it is not always easy for me to be on the receiving end of charity. that being said, it is a lot easier after going through major surgery and trying to adapt to life as a mother of 2. though proper thank you notes will be sent soon (don't worry mom-i know my manners) i had to take a second to publicly applaud:
1) grammy.
my mom and dad came in town the day before henry's big arrival. my dad was only there for a day or 2 (so glad henry got to meet his namesake!) but my mom stuck around for a week to take care of owey while i was in the hospital and make sure our house stayed afloat. i could go on and on about this, but i think this picture pretty much sums it up:


my boys love their grammy. thanks so much mom. we literally could not have done this without your help.

2) auntie m.
my mom and sis literally handed off the baton (or car keys in this case) in the airport so that i wouldn't be without help. miq came and stayed 5 days, taking time away from her little ones to make sure i was ok with my little ones. i am so glad she had a chance to bond with owey and to meet the new addition and hopefully get a chance to relax a little too. we had a lot of fun together and i'm so grateful she was willing to make the trek.


3) grandma and grandpa.
as we speak, owey is with grandma and grandpa in evanston. don't get me started on this because it has been way harder than i thought it would be to let my boy go away for the week... however, i have been able to rest and recover like i would not have been able to had he been here. we are off to pick him up this afternoon and i can hardly wait to see that heartbreaker smile. it has been fun to have henry to ourselves and to get to know him (and boy has it been quiet!) but we miss our owey. i feel so lucky to have inlaws that are so willing to extend a hand and who love their grandkids so much. it made it a little bit easier to send him off knowing how well he'd be taken care of.

4) all the rest of y'all.
thanks for the meals, the kind words and prayers, the sweet gifts, etc. we are so blessed. i've been saying that over and over again for the past few weeks. it's true.