Gratefulness

We need to do more to be thankful for the good fortune that has been bestowed upon us. This lesson was made very clear to us last weekend when, while celebrating Diwali at a party, my mom fell and broke her arm. Mom has been taking care of Sailee since I went back to work, and before that, had been coming at least 3-4 times a week just to help me around the house since she was born. In true Mom fashion, she would take incredible care of Sailee and still somehow find the time to clean and sterilize bottles, wash our dishes, do Sailee's laundry, sweep and mop, and make sure everything was in perfect order for me to come home and start the evening routine. When she got news that the arm that we were hoping was just badly bruised was actually broken, she cried, not because of the pain, but because it meant she could no longer take care of Sailee in the coming months.

When this happened, it reminded me how much we do take our family, particularly our parents, for granted. We probably don't do enough to show them how very much we appreciate their absolute and completely unconditional love for us or to be thankful for our own sheer luck at being born to such loving parents. Our parents, to this day, will drop everything at a moment's notice and come to our side in any and every situation. As their children, we are often so obliviously used to this that, until we became new parents and needed more support than we've ever needed before, I don't think we fully realized how incredible that is.

Since this happened, Dad has been taking half days at work to take on the double duty of taking care of Sailee and Mom and still finds enough energy to counsel me that everything is going to be fine and lift me up with his unsquashable positive attitude. And our family friends have offered so much support, sending meals and taking days off work to help out. It feels unbelievable to have this much love surrounding you and lifting you up when you're down, and reaffirms our decision to stay in Houston and be close to good friends and family.

In the meantime Miss Sailee is taking all these changes like a champ! Between all the daily changing of arms and transportation, she is still happy as can be. Almost 4 months now, we are all competing to make her laugh and squeal with delight, and I have to give it to Neil and Dad for their constant efforts to be as silly as possible. Sailee loves every minute of our attention and seeks it out on her own. Obsessed with her hands, she tries to show off how many fingers and fists she can get into her mouth at any time and how she can almost coordinate holding a bottle. This little girl really loves colors and textures and studies them with great zeal. She has also recently added many consonants to her repertoire, including M's and and occasional Bah.

As we approach the holiday season, we will be praying for a speedy recovery for Mom and the general health and well-being of all our loved ones. We truly have so much to be thankful for find much humility in the wealth of love, care, and concern that encompasses us.

See a video of Sailee laughing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REwtmu5vkGA