Another Quiet Moment

On long, cold, lonly nights the pondering usually turns to your family and if you are a mother to your children. This experiance had shown me that we have great kids. I have always known that, but when you do not see them all the time and are not around them all the time it allows you to really appriciate them. They are truly a gift that has been given to me. I think that with Joseph's pregnancy I took it all for granted, it was quick and unexpected. The girls pregnancy was also quick and crazy. But I truly think I took it for granted. Where this whole experiance has taught me that this ability to be a mother is precious and sacred. I did a lot of praying that night, it was a fairly enlightenly night. I guess in some ways it was meant to be.

Another thing that happened during my first stay at the hospital that I guess was meant to be was meeting one of my day nurses. I really liked all of my nurses while I was there. But, this one was wonderful. She was a 67 year old French women who has lived here in Denver for over 30 years. She has been a Labor/Delivery/Parinatle nurse at Rose for about that long as well. She was wonderful, a really special lady. The first night the kids came to see me, she walked in and saw them and then had to excuse herself because she was so emotinal in seeing our family. She was overwhelmed by the spirit that she felt from our family. She said that we just gave off a glow that was special. She just fell in love with the kids and called them all by name each time she saw them. She is a life long Catholic and is very devout in her religion. I know she felt the spirit of a forever family. We decieded to give her the Joy to the World DVD and the family proclaimation and we talked a bit about families the many times she came in to take care of me. Then when I was admitted back, she was my nurse again and she came in and was so excited to see me and gave me a huge hug. It was really sweet. What a great woman. I look forward to seeing her again and showing her the baby. The Lord works in mysterious ways does he not? Who would have thought that would have happened? Well, I guess I did my missionary work for what the month, the year perhaps? It will be a memory that I will always cherish. I guess we all need to have the bitter to know the sweet. We must know the bad to know the good. We all have to walk to long road to Jericho and sometimes we may run into the thieves, but sometimes we may run into the really special people as well. But the only way to figure that out is to walk the road wheather we want to or not.

The next day I was able to go home, but not for long. I made it throught the weekend in bad health and very high unstable blood pressure. So, by Monday I was needing to go back. That process was really crazy made easier by Kevin and Kristie Chadwick who came and picked me and the kids up and then Kevin drove me down to the hospital and Kristie took the kids home until Mike was able to leave work and pick them up. They fed them dinner and took great care of them. This is just not the best time for Mike to take work off it is very busy for him with end of year reviews and a year end audit, so thanks again to the Chadwicks for all thier help that crazy day.

Then I had to go back to the same hospital room and then face the same experiance that I faced before. All the nurses were the same and welcomed me back as if I never left. I just fit right back in the routine. This time though the medicine had been changed and things seem to have calmed down a bit. I was able to leave after the 24 hour test and then have been home ever since. Thanks goodness for that. My restrictions are more than they were before. I cannot drive and have to limit walking and going up and down stairs. This is for real bed rest. But, at least it is not the hospital. At least I have not had a baby yet.

My mom is here for another week and then she leaves on Saturday. She has been here all this past week. It has been nice to have her here. Mike can go to work and not be nervous about me. He can get a lot done and plans to take some PTO time and then FMLA leave after his mom leaves. So, I think that we have a plan in place. This is a relief for all of us. I know that both moms will come now and then Mike and I will do the baby after she is born. The moms are helping now and then after the baby is born, I can start being able to take care of myself and the baby which will be nice.

This past Tuesday I went for an ultra-sound which I will be doing once a week along with a NST as well until the baby is born. They have maxed out the dose of meds that I can take, my OB informed me that I am taking enough blood pressure meds to kill a person. I guess that is supposed to tell me to take it easy. We have a plan in place with the delivery. The plan is that I will deliver sometime during the week of January 9-15. Unless something happens between now and then, that is the plan. Which I guess was always the plan. Two of the doctors have confirmed this as the plan so I feel really good about it happening. I will repeat the 24 hour test beginning tomarrow. I will know more after those results come in when I will deliver. But the test will be done here, don't worry. I had better go for now, next time I write, it will be about Christmas, we had a great time!