Therese’s Baby on Board: Grateful and growing

‘Tis the season. Take a scroll down your Facebook news feed and I’m sure it’ll be chock full of “what I’m thankful for this year” posts. It’s a far cry from where we stood just two weeks ago, following a historic presidential election. And I think we can all agree – I’ll take the “thankful” posts over the political ones ANY day of the year.

Allow me to add to that feed (the thankful one– NOT the political!): Thanksgiving might be a time for turkey, mashed potatoes and family discussions of the aforementioned election over the dinner table. But it’s also a time for reflection, looking back at the year that’s been and looking ahead with joy and hope to the quickly approaching new year.

Thinking back over the last decade or so, life has changed dramatically year to year, but no year has thrown me for as much of a loop than 2016. Starting in January, I knew I’d soon walk down the aisle and become a “Mrs.” I had no idea at the time that the following January, I’d also become a “Mommy.” Both are by far the most important titles I’ve taken on thus far, and the top two on my list of priorities, with “WINK News Anchor” following right along on the list.

In the business of news, we come to expect life to change year to year. We especially come to expect a complete change of scenery, co-workers and friends every few years. Most of the roles I’ve taken on in my life have come with an expiration date of three, maybe four years…if that. We become used to learning a new city, making new friends, and moving along to something seemingly bigger and better.

This time around, things are a little different for me. Instead of picking up and moving on, I’ve settled in and planted roots. That’s something I never expected when I moved to Southwest Florida almost four years ago. Regardless, it turned out to be something so much greater than I could’ve imagined, and it tops the list of things I’m coming to realize I’m thankful for.

Those roots have grown from finding the man I want to spend my life with, living in a community where we see ourselves raising a family – happily and safely – to beginning to actually build that family.

There is nothing I’m more grateful for this year than the family I’ve gained, the family I’ve held onto, and the family I’ve started. Our baby boy on the way certainly tops that list. Now at 30 weeks pregnant, I can see how much he’s grown (now, supposedly about 15-17 inches long and a whopping three to four pounds!). I can DEFINITELY feel how much he’s grown as well – if these early days are at all indicative of how he’ll be later on, we have a major mover and shaker on our hands (or as my husband hopes and prays- a soccer star!). I can’t believe we’ll actually get to hold him and look into his eyes in just about 10 weeks.

With that said, I could name off all of the other things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving, but I’ll spare you. Instead, here are a few of the Baby on Board moments that have made me stop and realize how grateful I am just this past week:

1) My mom flew in from New Jersey to spend some time with us, since we’ll be staying here in Florida for Thanksgiving this year. She always goes out of her way to be extra helpful while she’s in town. My mom (or “Nana,” as she’s planning to be called) helped me with some long-awaited baby laundry that’s been piling up from all the generous gifts I’ve gotten and shopping trips I’ve made in the past seven months. We spent most of Sunday washing, drying and folding three loads of whites, brights and darks, sorting them by size and getting them put away. I then realized my life is about to completely revolve around baby laundry (one of the many perks of the gig). Until then, it’s always helpful to have mom take the load off (or three).

2) I got to spend Saturday evening emceeing an event for the local chapter of a wonderful organization, The Sunshine Kids Foundation. The group helps to encourage and engage local children who are diagnosed with cancer, and provides love and support to their families during some of the hardest times in their lives. As soon as I learned about the organization, I was touched by their mission, and was so excited to help with their annual gala. I volunteer to help with similar events several times a year, but this was one of the first I’ve helped host during my pregnancy. I definitely was apprehensive to get up in front of a room filled with people I’ve never met at 30 weeks pregnant, but everyone there was so wonderful and supportive, congratulating my husband and I on our little boy on the way, and even better – we helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the organization. I was even luckier to have both my husband AND my mom there to support me. My mom was thrilled to finally see me emcee an event, but even more so for this one – she got to meet the organization’s executive director, G. W. Bailey, whom you might recognize from TNT’s “Major Crimes” and “The Closer,” along with the “Police Academy” movies!

3) You’ll probably either think I’m crazy or bluffing on this one – but I have to throw in being thankful to spend part of my holiday at WINK. I know what you’re thinking: “yeah right, who looks forward to working a holiday?!” Weirdly enough, holidays are some of my favorite days to spend (at least part of) at work, and have always been some of my most memorable days at work. I’ve actually worked every Thanksgiving since I started my career. It’s one holiday I don’t mind working, mostly because I’ve always been a morning show gal, which leaves me the rest of the day to enjoy the evening’s festivities. It’s the best of both worlds: I can start my day sharing the morning’s top stories with you, then head home to celebrate with my family. It’s a joy and honor for me to be part of YOUR holiday, even if you just tune in for a few minutes before checking out the parade or getting your cooking started. It reminds me how lucky I am to have a job that I still enjoy doing, and to spend surrounded by great friends and coworkers. This year, I’m especially grateful to have both my WINK family and my home family supporting my husband and I, as both of those families get ready to grow by one more.

It certainly is a special holiday season to be newlyweds and expecting our son in just two short months, and I know it’s one we’ll never forget. With that said, I hope you find plenty to be thankful for yourself this year– I’m sure you will. And if nothing else, take a look around and inside, and find joy in the people and things you surround yourself with everyday. From my little family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!