It’s been a hard year. At times, it’s been a lonely year. A year full of challenges, surprises and raging pregnancy hormones. Despite that, I know that I have a lot to be thankful for. And yes, some days it takes me longer than others to count my blessings, but I’m always able to think of at least something. And for that itself, I am thankful.

So here is a list of 25 totally random things I am thankful for – in no particular order:

1. I am thankful … that the apple crisp I made yesterday was stinkbug-free.

2. I am thankful … for the arrival of our beautiful baby boy, who does’t have a blog nickname yet. Or a middle name, in real life.

3. I am thankful … that our baby’s birth was so much shorter and easier than either of the girls’ births.

4. I am thankful … for effective natural deodorant. Because post-preggo hormones make me smelly.

5. I am thankful … for lots and lots of tea, because I don’t have to worry about over-caffeinating my unborn baby any more. (Yes, I know there is caffeine in breastmilk. I’m not thankful for that though, so we don’t need to discuss it.)

6. I am thankful … that I’m able to breastfeed without any trouble. Breastfeeding is the only parenting technique I know – I’d be lost without it.

7. I am thankful … for babywearing. Because I have about a dozen baby carriers that would be useless otherwise.

8. I am thankful … for fitting three car seats in my Mazda 3 so that we aren’t forced to buy a minivan. … though I really, really wish we had a minivan.

9. I am thankful … for all the cool days this past summer. Our hydro bill was high enough as it was.

10. I am thankful … for my Blendtec blender. It’s awesome. So are the cherry-mango smoothies that I am currently addicted to.

11. I am thankful … for River, who will watch the baby every chance she gets and has made these past few weeks immeasurably easier.

12. I am thankful … for The Magic Treehouse books, which have turned my daughter into a bona fide bookworm.

13. I am thankful … for Harbour, who spends half the day lost in a world of princesses, witches, and pirates.

14. I am thankful … for my blog. I had one post get 1.6K likes. That was just such a treat during an otherwise lousy week.

15. I am thankful … the band the Rend Collective. I can’t remember the last time I found a Christian band that I liked so much – I think we’re looking back to the 90s with Five Iron Frenzy and Craig’s Brother. New music is especially welcome since, like many of my favourite foods, my favourite bands made me feel physically nauseated throughout my pregnancy. That’s right – The Lumineers gave me morning sickness. That was unexpected.

16. I am thankful … that a church community near my house brought us food for two weeks after our baby was born, even though we’ve only been to their service a handful of times. After a summer of church hopping, I feel like we’ve found a resting place. I cannot tell you how much relief that brings me.

17. I am thankful … for my new kitchen. Because it’s gorgeous.

18. I am thankful … for really beautiful yarn. And that for once, I was able to focus enough to enjoy knitting through pregnancy.

19. I am thankful … for my chiropractor. I’m certain that she’s the reason I had such an easy, pain-free pregnancy. I still suspect that she uses magic somehow.

20. I am thankful … for our parents, who still take my girls for afternoon visits even though I’m not working at the store any more. These regular visits are the highlights of my girls’ weeks. The nap I take on Wednesday afternoon has become a highlight of my own week.

21. I am thankful … for Dora the Explorer, because she teaches my 3 year old random Spanish phrases and entertains her long enough that I can take a shower, which makes everyone happier (see point #4).

22. I am thankful … for homeschooling. Because now I know the stories of Theodora and Justinian, the name of the white dot in an egg yoke, and the music of Hildegard von Bingen. I love learning with my daughter.

23. I am thankful … for the homeschooling community and the potential for friendships within it.

24. I am thankful … for stretchy pants with elastic waistbands, because after nine months of maternity pants, I keep forgetting about the zipper fly on my jeans.

25. I am thankful … for my husband, who is the best gluten-free baker in the city. And I am thankful that the pumpkin cheesecake he made for tonight’s Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t gluten-free so that I don’t have to share the leftovers with my daughter. Because I’m selfish when it comes to cheesecake.

I had planned to end off with a Bible verse or some profound quote, but there’s a sweet little baby and a tasty dessert competing for my attention right now. I’ll just end by saying that I feel truly blessed. Happy Thanskgiving.