And a Year of Rejoicing.....

Happy New Kidney Day, Babygirl! 

Last year we watched the Superbowl only moments after being discharged from the ICU.  Babygirl had the astonishing four-gang IV pole and innumerable bags, drips, pumps, monitors all still doing their thing.  We shared homemade lasagna and veggies with nurses and family and rejoiced despite our exhaustion.  

While the year has had significant ups and downs, I remain optimistic and hopeful about Babygirl.  While she hasn't been up for skiing yet this year, her headaches ARE calming down and she is resuming some more normal activities.  She attended school two days last week, and would have managed three if there hadn't been a snow day.

Yesterday she went to the movies with friends.  This morning she is headache-free.

Miracles aren't the big things, they are the ability to enjoy the small, everyday things.  So many times in our lives we are deceived into believing that our happiness depends on some future event - going on vacation, getting a bigger and better house, keeping up with the Jones', winning the lottery.

If this past 93 weeks have taught me nothing except to appreciate and rejoice in what I have, then I am truly blessed.  I have joked that the key to a great day is to lower your expectations, but I don't mean that exactly.  The key to a great day is gratitude for all you have.  Gratitude for family, food, fellowship and fun.  Gratitude for the laughter that peeks in and out of your days.  Gratitude for one more day.

We aren't football fans, really, but we like the Superbowl.  This year it was just Hubby, Babygirl and I (apparently we simply forgot to plan a party LOL).  We randomly decided to cheer for the 49ers and were rewarded with something to scream about at the end.  We laughed like loons at the commercials and ate KFC for dinner.  Our team lost and we simply didn't care.  We sympathized heavily with the coaches' parents.  No one had a tougher day than they did!

My goal for our second transplant year is to try to find something to cheer about every day.  It's not hard to find such things, it's just sometimes harder to NOTICE them. 

Movies with friends - YAY!!!!!!  Headache-free - YAY!!!!! 

New kidney survived to the critical one-year mark - YAY!!!!!!!!!

DeeDee