Lots of good news to report on around here.
-We found out this week that my dad is planning to be released with a cane instead of a wheel chair! He's walking with a quad cane and working on stairs and doing so well. I have felt so grateful. There has been a peace in my heart all week since I found this out and I've felt the love of God so abundantly through this experience. Lots to do in the next 2 weeks to get ready for his arrival, but no ramp and no wheel chair are huge blessings!
-My BFF from high school arrives tomorrow for the week! IKEA, Nordstrom Rack, and delicious food are all on the agenda. Can't wait to see Ames!
-Charlie is a champ. Aside from a little cold (so lovingly shared by his big brother and sister) he is doing amazingly well and getting into a groove with some really decent stretches of sleep. I knock on wood as I type that for fear of jinxing it, but I am so happy he's just growing and sweet and cuddly.
-Addie is really growing up. It seems like she turned 5 and instantly she's wanting to have deeper conversations and is constantly eaves-dropping on mine. Tonight's suggested dinner table conversation brought up by Miss Adelynn involved discussing the things we believe in and what makes up our testimonies. Loved it. When did my baby become a little lady?
-Sam picked up on a not so fantastic conversation a few days ago. Maybe this shouldn't go in a post entitled "good news." I was at my wits end trying to get everyone out the door with a definite deadline, and Sam wouldn't stop carting around a huge bundle of plastic hangers he'd collected. Finally, in not my proudest moment, I instructed him to leave them the he** alone so we could leave. He then walked around with a new song in his head, "weave da he** awone." I guess the good news is his song only stuck for about 5 minutes. My resolve for this week is to speak more kindly. :)
-Charlie is taking a bottle on occasion, and I couldn't be happier. I'm able to pump and leave and enjoy some freedom! Last night Pat gave me the chance to get out of the house and enjoy a fabulous dinner at 712 with some of my college besties. I had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the ability to go without rushing back to feed a baby.
Have a happy week, everyone! Aside from company coming, some house prep is in order to get ready for my dad, and Sam will be 3 Saturday. Lots to look forward to!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A Brighter Outlook
Things are looking so much better since my last post. This week when I talked to the hospital social worker after the weekly staff meeting about each patient, my dad was doing much better. His insurance seems to have worked out so hopefully he'll be able to stay where he is long enough to meet his goals- a huge relief. The social worker said not to start knocking out walls or doing major house reno's yet because hopefully my dad will be able to do some walking, so our bathroom doesn't necessarily need to be wheelchair accessible, although it's still highly likely we'll need a ramp for him to enter our house. His outlook seems much brighter and he's been progressing faster than they'd initially anticipated, so they increased some of his goals. I know his recovery will be full of ups and downs, but I am grateful that this week was mostly ups. Things are still out of control with his diabetes, but hopefully will improve soon. I spent a lot of hours this week working on his social security disability application and I'm still not done. I'm trying to find the determination to finish it up- this paperwork process can be a beast. I was talking to Ben a lot trying to piece together the last 15 years of my dad's employment history, and for each job there are about 40 questions to answer. At one point we just started laughing at the ridiculousness of assessing how many hours he spent sitting/standing/kneeling/bending/stooping/reaching/lifting etc. etc. etc. to answer all of these questions.
It's been interesting for me to start this new year knowing this huge life change is on the horizon. I'm usually all about making goals and striving to improve, but it's so hard to know what our life is going to look like that I'm hesitant to set many goals knowing that I may have no time or energy to devote to them. My realistic goals for the new year are to meet everyone's needs, trust in the Lord, and be happy during this experience. If we can make it through accomplishing all of the above I'll feel like it's been a success.
In other news there has been joy to document. When we read the Christmas story from Luke on Christmas Eve we then asked Addie to retell it after we were done reading. She could not remember that Mary and Joseph were the couple of the hour and kept referring to Mary and John. She also cracked us up when she taught that the wise men brought gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh.
Since Christmas the kids have been busy enjoying their toys. Current hits include Addie's markers which see daily use and Sam's fire truck and "big boy doll house" in the form of a firehouse. He keeps asking if I have a fire for him to put out. Pat tried to tell Sam of course I had a fire because I was so hot. Sam looked at me and seriously said, "You're not very hot, mom." Obviously his understanding of the word is a little different, but I have to agree, with my current schedule of showering and the fact that I can count on one hand the number of times I've done my hair or put on make-up in the last month, I'm not very hot in either sense of the word.
Speaking of the last month, Charlie is a month old today. The months pass so much more quickly when a baby is out of you than when they're in you. He's big and strong and doing so well. He is such a blessing in our home and I find myself wishing him to grow up and stay little all at the same time. He's letting me know that he's ready for me, so I'd better leave the computer.
Thanks again for all of your support. I feel the prayers of so many for our family right now, and I'm so grateful to know that although things seem hard, I'm not in this alone.
It's been interesting for me to start this new year knowing this huge life change is on the horizon. I'm usually all about making goals and striving to improve, but it's so hard to know what our life is going to look like that I'm hesitant to set many goals knowing that I may have no time or energy to devote to them. My realistic goals for the new year are to meet everyone's needs, trust in the Lord, and be happy during this experience. If we can make it through accomplishing all of the above I'll feel like it's been a success.
In other news there has been joy to document. When we read the Christmas story from Luke on Christmas Eve we then asked Addie to retell it after we were done reading. She could not remember that Mary and Joseph were the couple of the hour and kept referring to Mary and John. She also cracked us up when she taught that the wise men brought gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh.
Since Christmas the kids have been busy enjoying their toys. Current hits include Addie's markers which see daily use and Sam's fire truck and "big boy doll house" in the form of a firehouse. He keeps asking if I have a fire for him to put out. Pat tried to tell Sam of course I had a fire because I was so hot. Sam looked at me and seriously said, "You're not very hot, mom." Obviously his understanding of the word is a little different, but I have to agree, with my current schedule of showering and the fact that I can count on one hand the number of times I've done my hair or put on make-up in the last month, I'm not very hot in either sense of the word.
Speaking of the last month, Charlie is a month old today. The months pass so much more quickly when a baby is out of you than when they're in you. He's big and strong and doing so well. He is such a blessing in our home and I find myself wishing him to grow up and stay little all at the same time. He's letting me know that he's ready for me, so I'd better leave the computer.
Thanks again for all of your support. I feel the prayers of so many for our family right now, and I'm so grateful to know that although things seem hard, I'm not in this alone.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
The Land of Overwhelmed
I've taken up residence in the land of overwhelmed. I'm pretty sure I'll be here for a while.
I'm overwhelmed at what's happened over the past two weeks. My dad's stroke was pretty severe. His mobility is very limited. He's in an inpatient rehab facility and will most likely be released in a wheel chair. The rehab center felt it would be best for him to stay until the end of January in hopes of meeting his goals, adjusting the release date if needed to make sure he's functioning well enough when he leaves. Now, due to insurance issues, he'll most likely have to leave mid-January, a few weeks away from meeting his goals. There's a chance he could go to a skilled nursing facility to get closer to his goals after leaving the rehab center, but either straight from rehab or from the skilled nursing place the plan is for him to move in with our family. Even if he's met his goals, he's anticipated to be released in a wheelchair. This means we're currently trying to figure out how to make our home accessible for him. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of care he may need when he gets here.
I'm overwhelmed with the phone calls. I've spent hours on the phone over the past two weeks with nurses, social workers, human resources personnel, the social security office, my aunt, my brothers, trying to figure out his care and his benefits. There are hours of phone calls ahead, but I'm glad I can at least do some of the calling more easily than I can the physical side of things (like moving his stuff out of his apartment, a job my brothers took care of, or making dozens of trips back and forth to the hospital) right now with a 3 week old.
I'm overwhelmed trying to find balance in my life. I have things that I greatly desire to be doing, things that I know will fall back into place, but right now I'm not sure how or when. My calling, the joys in making my home, the care of meal planning are all things I'm sure I'll get back to, but not sure when. My kids needs are being met and I'm having a lot of good conversation with my sweet husband and that is what is most important right now.
I'm overwhelmed that mastitis set in on Christmas Eve and has consumed my weekend. I started an antibiotic yesterday and the chills and fever have left, so hopefully I've turned the corner.
I'm overwhelmed at the support of family and friends. This is one of the hardest times I've ever gone through. I'm so grateful to those who have wept with me, who have helped me problem-solve, who have offered listening ears and helping hands and pep talks on hard days (which, who am I kidding, seems like every day right now). I know I wouldn't be making it through at all right now without the amazing people who surround me, and I feel so blessed.
I'm overwhelmed spiritually. I've been filled with a lot of uncertainty, wondering how this is going to work or why Heavenly Father wants this for me or what I'm supposed to learn. There are a lot of unsettled emotions in my relationship with my dad that will hopefully be smoothed out. There are a lot of things that I can see I will learn from this experience. There are tender mercies that have allowed me to realize that I've been preparing for this. When we were naming Charlie, I was about 90% sure we would name him Elias and call him Eli, but when he was born it just didn't fit. I couldn't let it go that Elias needed to be part of his name, and it became his middle name. I kept feeling the impression that this little boy would be preparing our family for something special as I studied the entry in the bible dictionary over and over while pregnant with him which refers to Elias as "a preparer". I feel like now I'm starting to see what he's preparing us for. Our family is going to reach a whole new level as we go through this experience. I know that we have to be at a point where every good thing is in place and our obedience is exact so that we are qualified for all blessings that Heavenly Father can send. I know that I have a lot of work to do.
There are many, many unknowns in our situation right now- what my dad's condition will be when he comes, how long he'll stay with us, how it's going to work, how we'll get along. The one thing I do know is that I will be growing. Our family will be growing together. And Heavenly Father knows we can do this. I hope this is not something I just endure, but that I can endure it well.
I'm overwhelmed by the love of my Savior and my Heavenly Father as I'm embarking on this journey.
I'm overwhelmed at what's happened over the past two weeks. My dad's stroke was pretty severe. His mobility is very limited. He's in an inpatient rehab facility and will most likely be released in a wheel chair. The rehab center felt it would be best for him to stay until the end of January in hopes of meeting his goals, adjusting the release date if needed to make sure he's functioning well enough when he leaves. Now, due to insurance issues, he'll most likely have to leave mid-January, a few weeks away from meeting his goals. There's a chance he could go to a skilled nursing facility to get closer to his goals after leaving the rehab center, but either straight from rehab or from the skilled nursing place the plan is for him to move in with our family. Even if he's met his goals, he's anticipated to be released in a wheelchair. This means we're currently trying to figure out how to make our home accessible for him. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of care he may need when he gets here.
I'm overwhelmed with the phone calls. I've spent hours on the phone over the past two weeks with nurses, social workers, human resources personnel, the social security office, my aunt, my brothers, trying to figure out his care and his benefits. There are hours of phone calls ahead, but I'm glad I can at least do some of the calling more easily than I can the physical side of things (like moving his stuff out of his apartment, a job my brothers took care of, or making dozens of trips back and forth to the hospital) right now with a 3 week old.
I'm overwhelmed trying to find balance in my life. I have things that I greatly desire to be doing, things that I know will fall back into place, but right now I'm not sure how or when. My calling, the joys in making my home, the care of meal planning are all things I'm sure I'll get back to, but not sure when. My kids needs are being met and I'm having a lot of good conversation with my sweet husband and that is what is most important right now.
I'm overwhelmed that mastitis set in on Christmas Eve and has consumed my weekend. I started an antibiotic yesterday and the chills and fever have left, so hopefully I've turned the corner.
I'm overwhelmed at the support of family and friends. This is one of the hardest times I've ever gone through. I'm so grateful to those who have wept with me, who have helped me problem-solve, who have offered listening ears and helping hands and pep talks on hard days (which, who am I kidding, seems like every day right now). I know I wouldn't be making it through at all right now without the amazing people who surround me, and I feel so blessed.
I'm overwhelmed spiritually. I've been filled with a lot of uncertainty, wondering how this is going to work or why Heavenly Father wants this for me or what I'm supposed to learn. There are a lot of unsettled emotions in my relationship with my dad that will hopefully be smoothed out. There are a lot of things that I can see I will learn from this experience. There are tender mercies that have allowed me to realize that I've been preparing for this. When we were naming Charlie, I was about 90% sure we would name him Elias and call him Eli, but when he was born it just didn't fit. I couldn't let it go that Elias needed to be part of his name, and it became his middle name. I kept feeling the impression that this little boy would be preparing our family for something special as I studied the entry in the bible dictionary over and over while pregnant with him which refers to Elias as "a preparer". I feel like now I'm starting to see what he's preparing us for. Our family is going to reach a whole new level as we go through this experience. I know that we have to be at a point where every good thing is in place and our obedience is exact so that we are qualified for all blessings that Heavenly Father can send. I know that I have a lot of work to do.
There are many, many unknowns in our situation right now- what my dad's condition will be when he comes, how long he'll stay with us, how it's going to work, how we'll get along. The one thing I do know is that I will be growing. Our family will be growing together. And Heavenly Father knows we can do this. I hope this is not something I just endure, but that I can endure it well.
I'm overwhelmed by the love of my Savior and my Heavenly Father as I'm embarking on this journey.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Knee-Deep
I'm currently knee-deep in too many things:
-dirty diapers
-lost hours of sleep
-last minute Christmas shopping
-phone calls
-notes and notes and notes
My dad had a stroke Sunday. The things that were just getting back to normal with having a newborn are suddenly back to overwhelming and crazy. I know things will be ok. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan and that things will work out, but wow is this hard. Hopefully I'll be back soon with sweet baby pictures and Christmas tales.
-dirty diapers
-lost hours of sleep
-last minute Christmas shopping
-phone calls
-notes and notes and notes
My dad had a stroke Sunday. The things that were just getting back to normal with having a newborn are suddenly back to overwhelming and crazy. I know things will be ok. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan and that things will work out, but wow is this hard. Hopefully I'll be back soon with sweet baby pictures and Christmas tales.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
So I Can Remember
I need to post a few things about the past few days, just so I can remember when these days feel like so long ago.
-Yesterday Sam put his hand down on a wet burp cloth and was totally disgusted. When he realized what it was, he said "be right back, mom" and ran back to get a new burp cloth for Charlie. It was the sweetest thing. He calls Charlie "baby brother" a lot of the time. He also is fascinated with how I feed Charlie and pretends to get milk out of the fridge and bring it to me so I can put it in my body to feed Charlie. Today he told me he was bringing me chocolate milk because Charlie would like it better.
-Addie is still loving having a baby at home and spends a lot of time holding Charlie or asking to hold him. That girl is using hand sanitizer like it's going out of style because she wants to always be ready when she gets a chance to hold him. She's also super helpful and gets whatever I ask for if I'm needing diapers/wipes/etc. She told me yesterday it's probably going to be hard for me to take care of 3 kids, and I told her I'm going to try my best to learn so I hope she'll be patient with me. I can't believe how grown up she is lately.
-Charlie is doing great. We're having a little bit of a rough time feeding (translated to me wincing at every feeding) , but hopefully that will straighten out soon. He is just so sweet and so handsome. I'll work on more pictures soon. I think he's straightening out days and nights. He has a nice wakeful stretch in the morning which the kids love being able to see him.
That's all for now. I need to rest while I have the chance!
-Yesterday Sam put his hand down on a wet burp cloth and was totally disgusted. When he realized what it was, he said "be right back, mom" and ran back to get a new burp cloth for Charlie. It was the sweetest thing. He calls Charlie "baby brother" a lot of the time. He also is fascinated with how I feed Charlie and pretends to get milk out of the fridge and bring it to me so I can put it in my body to feed Charlie. Today he told me he was bringing me chocolate milk because Charlie would like it better.
-Addie is still loving having a baby at home and spends a lot of time holding Charlie or asking to hold him. That girl is using hand sanitizer like it's going out of style because she wants to always be ready when she gets a chance to hold him. She's also super helpful and gets whatever I ask for if I'm needing diapers/wipes/etc. She told me yesterday it's probably going to be hard for me to take care of 3 kids, and I told her I'm going to try my best to learn so I hope she'll be patient with me. I can't believe how grown up she is lately.
-Charlie is doing great. We're having a little bit of a rough time feeding (translated to me wincing at every feeding) , but hopefully that will straighten out soon. He is just so sweet and so handsome. I'll work on more pictures soon. I think he's straightening out days and nights. He has a nice wakeful stretch in the morning which the kids love being able to see him.
That's all for now. I need to rest while I have the chance!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Charlie boy
After much deliberation we named our baby Charles Elias. 3 out of 4 of his great-grandpa's have Charles as a first or middle name, so it's nice to honor so many important men in our family. Here's a slightly abbreviated version of his arrival- just so I can share some details since who knows when I'll have time to post again!
I went in at 7 Wednesday morning and got started on pitocin close to 8:30. The midwife came in and tried to break my water multiple times (the first time the baby was still too high, the second time she felt his hand by his head and at this point I'd developed a slow leak of water, the third time was the charm). I got an epidural around noon and that was the worst part of the whole thing. I'd felt fine before hand and afterwards was zapped of all energy and just felt crappy. At 2:15 they checked and I was at a 6 (I was at a 4 when I arrived that morning). At 2:45 I was at a 10. I started pushing at 2:55, pushed through 4 contractions, and he arrived at 3:04. He was 8 lbs, 11oz, and 21 inches. He has more hair than any of my other babies have and it's adorable to me. He is just the sweetest thing. Addie and Sam are over the moon with their new baby brother. They're constantly informing him "Hi, it's me your big brother/sister". I'm so glad to have Pat home for the entire coming week. Our house is decorated for Christmas (as of today thanks to Matt and Chrissy) and I'm hoping for some cozy days together enjoying our baby and the holiday season. After worrying the whole pregnancy that I didn't feel connected, I definitely feel the bond with him now! I can't get pics to load, so to see him, go here.
I went in at 7 Wednesday morning and got started on pitocin close to 8:30. The midwife came in and tried to break my water multiple times (the first time the baby was still too high, the second time she felt his hand by his head and at this point I'd developed a slow leak of water, the third time was the charm). I got an epidural around noon and that was the worst part of the whole thing. I'd felt fine before hand and afterwards was zapped of all energy and just felt crappy. At 2:15 they checked and I was at a 6 (I was at a 4 when I arrived that morning). At 2:45 I was at a 10. I started pushing at 2:55, pushed through 4 contractions, and he arrived at 3:04. He was 8 lbs, 11oz, and 21 inches. He has more hair than any of my other babies have and it's adorable to me. He is just the sweetest thing. Addie and Sam are over the moon with their new baby brother. They're constantly informing him "Hi, it's me your big brother/sister". I'm so glad to have Pat home for the entire coming week. Our house is decorated for Christmas (as of today thanks to Matt and Chrissy) and I'm hoping for some cozy days together enjoying our baby and the holiday season. After worrying the whole pregnancy that I didn't feel connected, I definitely feel the bond with him now! I can't get pics to load, so to see him, go here.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Baby baby
He's here! He's nameless! He's big! 8 lbs, 11 oz, 21 inches. He's perfect! Will be back soon with pictures and a name and a full story, but thought I'd update a little. We're in love!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
