Bedrest Blogs Week 9

Today I am enjoying some pictures from our fabulous Easter weekend. The Roushes, Demarests, and Smiths were together for food, games, and fun. We have some funny memories to connect us, as now we will have many, many miles in between us.

Last weekend was especially fun for me. I was able to attend the church Easter egg hunt, which was very similar to locusts devouring a corn field. I also had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings with the Roushes, and Amanda pushed me around in a wheel chair at Target. The Target experience might have been my favorite. I loved that time with Amanda. She is a fun shopping partner. I got some newborn-sized diapers, and some too-cute-to-pass-up outfits for Hope and the new baby.

The next day I went to church. It was great to share that part of my world with so much of my family.

What a great weekend! I wasn't able to host exactly like I wanted to, but my mind was at ease knowing that they were there to just be with us, and didn't mind having to get their own food and towels.

So today we are 35 weeks along!

Whew!

It could be argued that at this point it would be fine for me to get up and going. I have reservations though, because of the surgical procedure I had done back in December. All threat of malfunction with that will be nonexistent on May 9, so until then I will behave. The Debrest countdown stands at 10 days!! Woo hoo!

Today I had my last P17 injection. 20 out of 20 shots under my belt feels good! Basically that shot is to hold off labor. Glad to say that they have been doing their job.

I just want to say, I didn't think I'd make it this far. I honestly was never fearful; I had a confidence that this baby would be ok, but I had doubts about how long she would actually wait to come into this world. To now be at the end of April feels amazing. All credit and glory to God who has sustained us and cared for us in our time of need!

Dr appt. this week: Even after a very eventful and active weekend for me, pregnancy conditions are great. There was no change. God is good.

Best: Family fun. Hilarious company and fun at the church Easter egg hunt, Target, eating out, watching Inception, Liz and Andy deep clean the house, fun interactions with Hope, and 10 DAYS LEFT!

Looking forward to watching the wedding of William and Kate tomorrow morning! Also tomorrow morning: an ultrasound in Sioux City to look at the baby's kindneys again. It will be good to see our little girl, and to check her progress.

Worst: Liz and Andy, Judah and Asher are gone. Come back!

Bedrest Blogs Week 8

Hope and Judah seize the opportunity to sit in my chair while I am away. They were probably watching Sesame Street.

This week I've had a case of the 'sick-of's'. As in, "I'm sick of this, and I'm sick of that". So, it's been an emotionally low week at times, but I really do prefer it this way, given my options. I'm hoping for an ending date of May 9, then possibly a family weekend on May 13-15. It would be fun to do something together that weekend, not too far from home though...just in case.

I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

Dr. appt.: Everything went really well this week. Steady as she goes. The doctor gave me the ok to take a chair to our church's Easter egg hunt, and Easter service this weekend. Saturday morning is the hunt. I'm excited to see Hope and her cousins out and about hunting for eggs. If Saturday's activity goes well, then I'll probably feel comfortable going to church Sunday morning. Nice to be able to get out and do something! I'm kinda concerned about what to wear though. ha! What even fits anymore? I don't know.

Best: Still so thankful for the incredible help from family and friends. Liz and I had a slumber party (with kids) last weekend while the guys were doing fun guy stuff. We watched a movie and made puppy chow, just like old times. We missed our sisters though. We're looking forward to this Easter weekend. The Roushes are coming to visit!!!!!!! and more of this: !!!!!! Pumped!

Worst: Sometimes I get frustrated because I have no idea what's going on in my own house. I can't stay on top of things like I want to. Like, what happened to our Aladdin movie??? I snuck a look at our movies, and was really flustered when I couldn't find our copy of Aladdin. What happened??? That particular shelf looked more empty than it should be. Yes, I know how full the shelf should be. It's still bothering me. I blame it on two months of bedrest.

Bedrest Blogs Week 7

Play-time pictures with Daddy. Hope is immitating everything Luke does. It is pretty cute. As seen here, she joined Daddy's rest time on the floor. She's also enjoyed giving hugs and kisses in the last month. What a joy she is!

33 Weeks today!

Bedrest this week has been very steady. It's been a great week. I've felt about two contractions the whole week (very normal at this stage), and the baby has been kicking and moving a lot. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. About three weeks left...what a blessing! Thank you all for your prayers and help. God is good, and we are really enjoying considering how the Lord might use us to bless the lives of others as we have been blessed.

Dr. appt.: This week's appt. brings nothing new to report. I was happy this week to be able to give God credit while talking to my doctor, and she agreed so genuinely. I want her to know the reason for our hope, mostly because she is so close to the situation, and she sees our reactions. God sees our reactions too, so how wonderful to be able to honor Him by giving Him the credit.

Best: One week closer to the end! Great time with family this week! We all celebrated our nephew's 2nd birthday last Friday night. We pray with Liz and Andy for Judah's health since then; he has caught bronchitis. Also, Hope has been so much fun this week. She really loves her Mommy and Daddy, but especially loves to laugh and play with Daddy. That is a joy to see. This week Liz helped me pull out the little baby clothes. I loved seeing them!

Worst: I really wanted to do some spring cleaning this weekend. Guess it will have to wait. Oh well.

Bedrest Blogs Week 6

Snack Time!

Judah is watching PBS, Hope is watching Judah. This might be the time she was on her last bite, and was watching to see if Judah was going to finish his. Oh, Hope.

32 WEEKS!

Big milestone. We're happy to be here.

This was the first week of having Liz, Judah, and Asher here to play with and talk to. It has been so good and fun. Liz sure is busy, and I truly appreciate her attitude of service. We hardly hear a peep out of Asher, but we really enjoy watching him and talking to him. It is really cute to watch Judah and Hope 'talk' to each other and play, all the while learning about sharing and adjusting to a new 'normal'.

Dr. appt.: This week I was sure my doctor was going to tell me to head to the hospital after my appt. I had been feeling an increase in contractions over the weekend, and was pretty concerned. She was satisfied with how things looked, and was not so worried. So, we're thankful for that. Believe it or not I've been doing even more to stay down this week since I've continued to dislike the amount of contractions. I've been eating many meals without going to the table, and I have stopped changing Hope's diapers and clothes.

Best: Beautiful weather this week!! We've had windows and doors open, and it cheers me right up. Another best: Time with the Smiths! Also, we had a visit from Debra this weekend! It was the first perfect day of spring. We watched out the window as someone moved out of a house, and watched as a lady lost her dog. Yes, we were all "Rear Window" on Saturday. We also watched a baby eagle. What fun Saturday was! Hope had a great time playing outside with Daddy too! She loves her some fresh air and running room. I'm glad b/c she also loves her some Goldfish snack crackers. :) My wonderful friend Stacy K came to visit on Saturday too. Wow, how fun to talk and talk and talk and catch up. I told her about following Jeff Probst on Twitter, and she forgot to tell me about India. :( Last Saturday can feel free to repeat itself over and over.

Worst: Can't complain! We're still here, and the baby's still growing; we are blessed.

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.