Thoughtfulness, Blessings, & Generosity

Last week hurricane/superstorm Sandy rolled through. Matt and I were very lucky that we didn't experience any damage to our house; in fact, we never even lost power, which was not typical. We had only a small amount of water leak into our basement, so we're very grateful that things weren't worse, especially when not too far away there was much more damage. Due to the storm, Matt and I were home from work last Monday and Tuesday, and one of those days we got a surprise in the mail. Actually, it was two surprises, in the form of gifts for baby Odin. We weren't expecting anything in the mail, so getting to open the two packages was sort of like Christmas (I mean, who doesn't like opening presents?)!

The first package we opened was from Kate and Alex, Matt's sister-in-law and brother, who live in Portland, Oregon, and have an adorable 17-month-old son named Mac. They randomly sent us this little outfit at which I can't stop "aww-ing." (The onesie says "Cuddle" on it in red letters.)



The ears! The feet! So much cuteness!

What a sweet and thoughtful thing to do to surprise us and provide an adorable little outfit for baby Odin. Since he'll be born in the winter, I'm sure he'll get to wear this a number of times, and I can't wait to take pictures of him in it.

Our next package was from an entirely unexpected source. A coworker of mine sent us a gift box (which contains an assortment of small baby items) from Citrus Lane, along with a 3-month gift subscription, which means we'll also be getting boxes in November and December! This coworker isn't someone who works directly with me - she doesn't even work in the same area as I do - but she is a real sweetheart; obviously she was under no obligation to think of us and do something so kind and generous, but she did and for that we are so appreciative. Here's what was in box number one:

It included a swaddle blanket, little lamb rattle, Bathtime Baby wash, gripe water, and a kit for making a hand/footprint keepsake. The fun part is that since we'll get a box monthly for the next two months, we'll get to be surprised twice more by what we find in the boxes. What a great way to try out different baby products! Hooray for having such generous and thoughtful people in our lives - we are very blessed!