So thankful

I was writing thank you notes between feedings yesterday, and I just started thinking about how really thankful I am for all of my family and friends that have been so incredibly generous, loving, and supportive throughout the pregnancy and now into motherhood. When I think about not only all the gifts the babies have received but also the food, hand-me-downs, visits, calls, texts, e-mails, hits to the blog, etc., I am amazed. There are so many people who care so much about our new family.

First, I want to thank our immediate families. Alice stayed with us when we first came home from the hospital, and Teri followed her. Mems was next. Bill has also spent some long nights with us, and my dad stays every Tuesday and Thursday night. A side note on that...he stayed this past Tuesday, and Abby was up all night. My dad patiently rocked her from 1 a.m. until 5 a.m.! Every time he tried to put her down, she would scream bloody murder. I was scared to ask him if he was going to be back again on Thursday. I guess I'll find out.

Maureen has also come to help. In fact, she's watching the kids with my dad when Billy and I go out for my birthday. We are going to Season's 52. Yummy!

Vivian stays Sunday nights, but she's unavailable for 2 weeks so we are going to be missing her. Winnie especially will be sad since she enjoyed snuggling with her. Vivian said that if it wasn't enough that Winnie hogged up the whole bed, she also woke up in the middle of the night to Winnie staring at her, panting heavily. I guess she thought it was time to play.

Liane, of course, gave us the best gift of all--these babies. She has come by on several occasions to bring me baby stuff. She can't really spend the night since she has 2 young ones of her own and a bun in the oven. However, she still stays very involved in the babies' lives, and I can tell by the way she interacts with them that she feels a special bond. Carley loves the babies and has even named 2 of her own baby dolls Abby and Marie. She sleeps with them at night.

My step-sisters have also been amazing. Laura made a delicious chocolate chip pie for us that I'm sure is part of the reason I haven't lost some of the my baby weight. That thing was so good! She also has given me a bunch of hand-me-down clothes and baby supplies. She has everything you can imagine! Erin has come by a couple of times with gifts for the babies and additional baby supplies and hand-me-downs. Noelle came to visit at the hospital and brought diapers and has provided some great advice on caring for multiples. Caroline has given us bags and bags of matching girls' outfits.

Our extended families also deserve some thanks. Our aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. have been sending us gifts and calling to inquire about the babies constantly. Some have brought over good Cuban comfort food, like black beans and rice and pork. Good stuff!

Finally, we very much appreciate all the support from our friends. They have been instrumental in keeping us well fed and visiting me to keep me from going insane. Becky's food calendar has worked beautifully. I think after this month, we'll have food prep under control, but Billy said he was going to miss the deliveries of all kinds of different foods. It was always exciting to see who and what was going to show up at our doorstep for that night.

I don't know how I can thank you all enough for what you have done. Just know that if there is anything you should ever need, please do not hesitate to ask. I love you all dearly and am thankful to have amazing people all around us. Our children are so lucky to have you all in their lives!