Showing posts with label bedrest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bedrest. Show all posts

Thursday, October 15, 2015

September Life

Bed visits with Thora


Chewing on her cork


Shad's brother Dan came to visit over Labor Day weekend, which was greatly needed for Shad. My bed rest was emotionally taxing on him, and Dan is always a great friend for Shad to have around. 

Tommy, Ryan, Katie, and a pouty two-year-old.


She's still pouting!


Our missionaries, Sister Youngberg and Sister Jordan


Treasure Hunt weekend! Shad said the kids really liked this mirror.



More bed visits with my girls!


Friday, October 9, 2015

The Tunnel Ended Before We Even Knew There Was Light

Bedrest is finite! I got released from bedrest two and a half weeks ago at my follow-up OB appointment. Criteria was that I had gone nearly 3 weeks without bleeding (now over a month), and that as long as I continue without bleeding, I can slowly ease myself back into a normal life. I've been given a max weight limit of Thora (whatever she weighs is what I can lift). Yay! She and I have been having so much fun playing with, cuddling and holding each other. And Dancy is such a lightweight (probably weighs less than Thora) that I enjoy holding her too.

I got released from bedrest just a few days before my birthday, so we drove to Colorado on Thursday evening and spent the weekend there. I needed some emotional rejuvenation, and found that in fresh outdoor air, different outdoor air, and a visit to the temple. I told Shad that I wanted to prioritize the three Ts--temple, Thai and thrift--and didn't care what else did or didn't happen. We spent the night at Becky's house Thursday night. We always enjoy seeing Becky and Brandon. Becky pulled out her old toys this time (Lion King action figures and Strawberry Shortcake sets), so my little people had fun playing with those and I had fun remembering when Becky and I used to play with them.

Friday morning we did our thrift shopping and Katie had such a fun time getting to pick out her winter wardrobe and find fun colored pants to match with her shirts. She was very selective in making sure she had a variety of colors, styles and patterns ("Only one Valentine shirt, Mom!"). Then we got Thai for lunch and headed to Dan's place to eat and get the kids down for naps. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at his place, he arrived home sometime while I was in my post-lunch digestion nap. It kinda slipped our minds to tell the kids that it was my birthday. We were completely emotionally and mentally shocked when I got released from bedrest. So when they realized that morning that it was my birthday, they were surprised and a little distressed that they didn't have presents for me. I told them it was okay because their presents for me were at home, and that we just forgot to pack them. I also told them that our weekend in Colorado was for my birthday. Katie, always a quick thinker, quickly claimed that as her present to me.

Saturday Shad and I left around 8 to get to the temple for an endowment session, only to find that it had filled up early and we'd have to wait until 10. We chose to do a sealing session instead. We got some shopping done at Enchanted Grounds, our favorite game store in Denver, and Michael's craft store to buy supplies for the game we're creating, and Halloween costumes. We had a lunch date at Jerusalem Restaurant, enjoying uninterrupted conversation and eating, punctuated by occasional periods of silent chewing. Ahhhhh, those sounds! Shad and Dan took Tommy, Katie, Dancy and Ryan to a Rockies game Saturday night.




Tom and Katie reported that the game was fun, but it was long, too loud, and there weren't any cheerleaders.

I stayed behind with Thora. She and I had so much fun being alone together! She took a nap, ate Cinnamon Chex (yay, sugar!!), and watched 5 episodes of Super Why while I read Anne of the Island. She was in such a happy mood, I had to have a photo shoot with her...on my phone, which isn't great, but she is!







So happy watching her show, Super Why!


Driving home, we saw the huge moon, but were tired and achy, so we didn't stay out to watch the full blood moon super eclipse.



Further news about being off bedrest: ultrasound shows that the placenta has indeed moved away from my cervix, putting us in the clear for that situation. I felt like my belly never grew out while I was on bedrest. I still felt uncomfortable being up and about the first two days, but after that, my belly suddenly popped out, and that stretching made me feel so much more comfortable!

And a lot of people have been really sympathetic to me being on bedrest. Aside from the constant stress of wondering who was going to take care of my kids from day to day, bedrest was great! Seriously, it rocked. My body was uncomfortable any time I was up--sometimes just walking 10 feet from my bed to my toilet was too much. So staying in bed was wonderful! And I couldn't have the kids with me for too long because they'd get restless and bounce all over the bed, resulting in their eviction from my room. So I got to have short visits with them as a group, or some longer visits with them individually. Limited kid time combined with other people doing all the work of feeding, dressing and diapering, made it somewhat of a Mom-vacation. I actually got to read! Imagine that. So really, no pity party needed--I loved bedrest!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Pregnancy

That lovely time in a woman's life when you put on a smile for a picture...


when this is how you truly feel. Nauseous, just want to nap all day long and for goodness sake, daughter, keep your head off my belly!



The cruel realities of dreaming that you gave birth and then wake up to find that you're still pregnant.




Zero fun sir.
I'm used to these dreams in the third semester, but it's just awful having it start in the first trimester.


And then you find out that (luck of the draw) you got a complicated pregnancy that lands you on bed rest until further notice. You can't lift, carry, bend, squat, stoop, or put pressure on your abdomen. Can't do anything with your 11 month old daughter.




(Yep, my doctor's appointment went something like that.)

And you just feel...disabled.


But then you remember that even though things are blech, "Zero fun sir," you are not allowed to do anything, and feel completely disabled, this is all leading to a wonderful final product:





So you pull on your big girl panties and suck it up.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Hmmm...Bed Rest

I really wanted to keep this one a secret. I really did. I had such happy dreams of not telling the world about this until the grand finale. But now there's been a PLOT TWIST and I feel like it's going to be such a big part of my life (or my whole life) for the foreseeable future that secrecy must be abandoned.

I'm pregnant! Due St. Patrick's Day 2016, and on bed rest (I have a marginal placenta, if that means anything to some people) since Wednesday. Until who knows when. August was such an excruciatingly long, miserable month, and I hope the rest won't be the same way.

And thus it is.