Bedrest Blogs Week 5

This is Hope playing in a laundry basket at a friend's house. Last night I was also trying to capture Hope's first little ponytail. Hope makes a funny face, then she tries to get on her car while shedding her overalls. She's getting so big, and she's lots of fun!!!

So, week 5...

Dr. Appt.: Not much to report here. Everything is steady, and we decided I should stay on bedrest until approx. the first week in May. My doctor is so pumped to meet my sister, Liz, and Liz's boys. So, Liz, you have to come to an appt. with me while you are here for all of April. This doctor of mine is pretty cool. She contacted us after Grace was born, and showed us a lot of care during that time. We had many talks about our story, Liz's story, and where to go from there. So glad to have her along on our journey.

Best:

• Steady days! So thankful for that! 31 weeks today.


• I've also had a visit from my neighbor who came to 'chew the fat'. We discussed baby's gender, news from the neighbors, and home improvement projects.


• I've also seen some friends from church this week...I'm convinced it is helping this time go faster.


• Liz and Andy, Judah and Asher are on their way to Sioux City as we speak!! They will park in Sioux City sometime today, and we will see them tomorrow night for dinner probably. Liz will start 'bedrest duty' next week on Tuesday. We're thankful for their safe travels, as pulling your home all those miles can be an anxious thing.


• Monster Cookie Ice Cream.

Worst: This week I've had a tired spell, and also a very hungry spell. Not really that bad. Maybe an adequate 'worst'' would be that it's not warm enough to open the windows yet. We'll get there very soon, I suspect.

I've had a few people comment on my good attitude with all of this. That makes me happy that what is shining through is an attitude of grace and acceptance. My earnest hope and prayer in life is that an attitude of grace and acceptance would shine through in my friendships, parenting, ministry, and marriage. A few of these days I've struggled with contentment, and with sharing Hope, and with not being able to just do things for myself. But for the most part, it's easy for me to just not think about the situation, and just enjoy the show I'm watching, or the game I'm playing, or the book I'm reading, or the conversation I'm having. I'll tell you the truth though, about when it's hardest. It's hardest when I can't do what I want to with Hope. *sigh* That will come. I'm patient because it is so worth it.

**Can't wait to meet you, sweet baby girl on the way!**

Bedrest Blogs Week 4

30 weeks today!
One month of bedrest down, 1.5 to go.

Best: Grammie and Papa Rick came to visit this week. Papa didn't stay very long, but for the short time that he was here, he got to hold Hope for the first time since she was born. She has been a little fearful of him, but this time we put raisins in his hands, and before she knew what she was doing, she was enjoying her 'drink and treat' with Papa. (Drink and Treat=nourishment just before bed. Usually it consists of only milk.)

While my mom was here, we caught up. She also cleaned, played with Hope, and made sure there was food on the table three times a day. Her favorite things to do while she was here: give Hope baths, go on walks with Hope, watch/talk to/play with Hope. I'm really glad Mom had such a great time with Hope, and me. Sad to see her go today!

More best: My sister Liz, and her family are coming next week for the whole month of April. Awesome! She will help us a few days a week. I'm so excited to spend more time with them all!

Dr. appt: Really great visit this week! Things are no worse. The doctor did say that from her observations, things seem a little bit better every week...the power of our God, and our prayers! We continue to pray for the babies kidneys, that the baby would no longer be breech, and at least 6 more weeks of pregnancy.

Worst: ....uhhh....

Bedrest Blogs Week 3

Celebrating today the little life that is growing and developing in week 29. I'm trying not to get so focused on the pregnancy and what is or isn't going on, so that I forget about the end result.

There's a baby on the way!

A new little girly who will bring us joy, and teach us so much.

What will her name be?

What will she look like?

Will she be a lot like Hope, or totally different?

What will her personality be like?

It's exciting, I'm excited, we're all excited.

Dr. appt.:

• Monday's Dr. appt. brought some great news. I passed the glucola test, so no gestational diabetes this time around. This is a blessing in many ways, especially because we have many meals coming in the house. When I saw the Dr. it went very quickly and she didn't say much more than, "Things look good!" Meaning, things are steady, and not much different than last week. So, bedrest is working, and there's still a need to be very careful.
• This week we also had an ultrasound at the hospital to check up on the baby's kidneys. Her kidneys are retaining some fluid still, which means they aren't draining properly, so we're going to check them again in six weeks. This next appt. will tell us if we need to focus on her kidneys after she is born. I suppose time will tell if she will require a kidney surgery after delivery to make sure all the plumbing issues are worked out. We're praying for God's special touch to remove this issue.

Best: This has been a really good week. I've had great company, very little contraction activity, and the weather has been great. Yesterday I was able to get out and enjoy it since I had the ultrasound appt. We needed to kill some time in the city after the appt. (waiting until 5 so we could receive a wonderful dinner from a church friend). So while we were killing time, we found a cute little park downtown with a bench for me and playground equipment for Hope and Luke. Hope walked around on the basketball court, but when she came to the drop-off into the grass, she would say 'whoa!' and would not go any further. Luke had to coax her, and she finally braved the green stuff (or brown-ish, green stuff). So, since we had that brief outdoor time, I got to witness Hope's first park experience with swings, slides, walking, reaching, hanging, laughing and dancing. *Sheesh, can't believe I forgot my camera.

Another best: all the wonderful meals, and miscellaneous generosity. We are incredibly thankful, and don't really know how to express our thanks.

Worst: Pregnancy rash. Yes, rash. It's not contagious, nor due to bedrest or hygiene practices. It's solely pregnancy hormones. Red, itchy, everywhere. The Dr. suggested hydrocortizone, but as far as I've read, it will be something that lasts until after delivery. Oh well.

We're hanging in there! And we're very thankful for every day.

Psalm 42:8

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 17:9

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped.

Psalm 62:5&8

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

"Our burdens are our wings; on them we soar to higher realms of grace; without them we must ever roam on plains of undeveloped faith, (For faith grows but by exercise in circumstance impossible).

--Streams in the Desert, March 9

Bedrest bafflement

This is what I see out my window all day long. Why, oh, why is my neighbor still parking on the lawn? The snow is gone, sir. (OK, most of the snow...there is still a random patch clearly visible in the picture.) There is no more need to worry about snow plows. Please, move it for me.

Bedrest Bright Spot

I PASSED!!!

Today I had to take a glucola test at my Dr. appt. It's when you drink a really sugary drink and an hour later they check your blood sugar levels. If the number they measure is above 129, you have to go do a three hour test at the hospital to see if you have gestational diabetes. When I was pregnant with Hope I failed every glucola test, so I had to manage my diabetes with my diet.

Well, not this time! I couldn't believe it when the nurse told me I passed. My number was 124, so very close, but not close enough!

This made me soooo happy. How great to not have to worry about this too. I thanked God, because I think this is a gift from Him.

Do you know what this means??? This means I can partake of the yummy ice cream that was delivered to our house this weekend. In moderation of course.

I want to take this opportunity to address the cause of gestational diabetes. I feel like there are a lot of misconceptions. I don't know everything exactly, which makes me really hesitant to bring it up, but I've heard it from the doctor's mouth, so I feel compelled.

A) Raise your hand if you think eating lots of sweets during pregnancy will give you gest. diab. ....anyone?

B) Now raise your hand if you think pregnancy hormones make it hard for insulin to interact with glucose, thereby making your blood sugar too high! ....anyone?

B is true. So the important thing here....when a mommy has gestational diabetes, it's not her fault, friends. Blame it on the hormones.

OK, bring on the objections, you fellow know-it-alls!

Bedrest Bright Spot

28 weeks!

This is a wonderful milestone! This is one of those points the doctors and hospitals are anxious for a mommy to get to. So thankful we've made it!

Looking forward to our next milestone: week 32!!

But, one day at a time, right? :)

Bedrest Blogs Week 2

I'm like my cats. I lay down. I get up to use the 'litter box' and 'eat out of the food bowl'. Then I lay down again for 4 hours in a row. When someone enters the house that I think will listen, I 'meow' and demand my needs to be met. (My demands are a little more politely given.) There are a few differences between us:
1. The cats go outside sometimes during the day/night for hours where they meet and play with other cats...the other day Han came back into the house with a puffy tail--uh, oh, Han was being a bully again.
2. After laying around all day, the cats will allow themselves 45 minutes where they chase each other up and down the stairs, up and down the hall, around the kitchen (knocking down the garbage can, jumping on the fridge, and if they're naughty they will jump on the counters--this is when I wish I could smack them and get out my cleaner), and all the while avoiding the 16-month-old who likes to talk to them and chase them. I don't get to do that kind of running and playing.
3. The cats get to go downstairs.
4. The cats lay all over other living things...me. Even after being told to go lay somewhere else, they will return 5 minutes later. I lay on a large chair.
5. When I know there is no one that will listen to my requests, I don't ask. My cats still ask me to feed them and let them outside even though I'm pretty sure they realize I move for no one.

Maybe it's ok to have their company. However, in a few weeks they will start shedding all over me...I'm not ok with that.

Dr. appt. update: I got to see my regular doctor again this week for the first time in a month. She was concerned with the condition of different aspects. She said the stitch I had put in isn't doing anything for me anymore. Sounds like things are just pretty weak, and I think both of us each time are just hoping for one more week until we get to see each other again for a normal appt. I'm still dialated to 1cm., and if the baby were to be positioned the right way we would see some alarming ultrasounds probably. My heart was heavy when I left her office on Monday, but I decided that we take it one day at a time, and we do what we can to stay inactive, and we know the One who really is holding this pregnancy together, so I can put my faith in trust in Him to help us get from week to week, and to sustain this pregnancy...we are operating on His timeline. I've felt some stronger contractions this week, but only 4-5/day.

Best: Got to go through some magazines and books that I've been meaning to get through for a while now. We also got to host small group on Monday, and I appreciated the company and fun.

Worst: Figuring out how to parent Hope from a chair. This week has been better, although Monday she was very whiney. I thought, "What happened to my sweet girl?" She's discovering her voice, words, will, and legs that carry her far from me. I want to train her to listen and obey and use her words or sign language to ask for what she wants, but it's oh-so-different and harder when on bedrest. My honest concern: will she develop undesireable habits and behaviors during these 10 weeks that will take me forever to reverse? Time will tell, and I'm sure it will be fine. I'll talk to Liz about this because she can relate, I'm sure.
Allow me to convey another worst: Luke is so busy. He loves his down time, as do we all. I'm aware of how much 'to-do' he can handle on his list, and it makes me feel sad to see that list get full. We are both doing our jobs right now, and it's just the way it needs to be. It won't be long now. We can do anything for a few months. We really are managing, and we're not suffering, it's just different.

Yes, I've memorized TV schedules. Yes, I've accumulated quite a stack of reading material. Yes, I've completed Sudoku books. But I enjoy most of that. So, I'm ok.

Bedrest Bright Spot

Debra came by to visit us yesterday!!!

She was perfect company for Hope and me. We had lunch, played with bracelets, talked while Hope slept, and Deb was even kind enough to clean for me! It brightens my day to go to the kitchen for lunch and see a clean floor, clean table, and clean counters. Seriously. But I'm not mad when it's not...just sayin'.

Debra brought us sweets!

She brought us foooood!

Thanks, Deb!!!

I have no picture of our time together, so I'll show you what Hope has been doing lately.

Thursday's Bedrest Blogs

Thursday is an easy day for me to find time to write down a few thoughts. Should I give you an idea of our new normal?
Monday: Dr. appt. days. Grandma Jo comes over for the whole day. She gets Hope out of bed while Luke and I are getting cleaned up. Hope sits down for breakfast, and I join her shortly. Grandma prepares and cleans up breakfast. Then we play. I sit/lounge. Hope talks and walks. Grandma plays and helps with dishes or laundry. Grandma makes us lunch, and somewhere in the day Hope takes 1-2 naps. At some point we go to Sioux City for a Dr. appt. Daddy gets home at 5:30. Usually on Mondays we have small group. This week we are going to try hosting it since we can't get out to go. We'll see how that goes, and if it will work to do that weekly/every other week.
Tuesday: Grandma comes again today and we have a similar day to Monday. Daddy gets home at 5:30.
Wednesday: Our friend from Moville comes to pick up Hope around 8:30. She stays there all day until Luke picks her up at 5:30. Quick time at home and then Hope and Luke are off to church for youth group. I suppose I will be reading a lot on these days.
Thursday: Grandma comes around 7am to pick up Hope. She drops her off at a friend's house from Correctionville where she plays all day. Luke picks up Hope from C-ville around 6. We have dinner and enjoy some time with Hope.
Friday: A lot like Tuesdays. Grandma cares for us, and Daddy comes home for the weekend.

AAAhhh, feels good to have a skeleton of a schedule. Everything should work out fine...until somebody gets sick or March brings us snow, but even then, we have plenty of willing helpers we can call.

We've had a friend volunteer to coordinate meals. Wow, what a blessing. There are people who have volunteered to come over and help clean, so I plan on playing it by ear in that aspect. I'll call someone up if it's been a week since the counters have been loved, not to mention the *ahem* bathroom.

We are so appreciative of the help, and also so glad that Hope can be home with me for much of the time.

I'm feeling good. We're praying for continued health for the baby; health for Hope, Luke, and me; blessings for those who are being so selfless and good to help us during this time; and God's sustaining work in our pregnancy.

Worst part so far: Not being able to pick up Hope when she looks up at me and holds out her hands.
Worst lingering effect of time in hospital: IV aftermath. After six, yes SIX, attempts at starting an IV I have been left with a numb part of my left hand. Apparently they hit a nerve, and the nurse says it will repair itself. I hope so. Ugh. It just creeps me out and gives me the willies. The only time I cried in the hospital was during the traumatizing IV experience. I have lived and learned from this one.

Well, we are patient for you, Baby girl. We hope to see you in 9+ weeks. It won't be easy, but you are worth it.

P.S. I'm tired of the cats sitting all over me already. They are tired of me pushing them away. They are tired of me not listening when they meow to get food or go outside. Man, cats just don't understand bedrest.

More later...