Day Ten

Yesterday was full of visitors and good conversations. It was a day that lifted my spirits. It started with our Pastor's wife, Melissa, stopping by in the morning with their two kids. They brought a yummy dinner for us to enjoy that night and it was fun just getting to visit with Melissa for a while. Their daughter, Noel, is only 6 weeks old and she was so cute all cuddled into Mommy's shoulder as she slept.

In the afternoon, my friend Lisette from church stopped by to drop off more goodies and a chalk board for Jack. She had mentioned she was wanting to get rid of it and I was so excited to get one for Jack. Now, we just need to find some chalk and an eraser and we'll be good to go! We just got our walls painted, so hopefully Jack will keep all his chalk artwork on the board (wishful thinking...I know). Lisette also recommended a cute "chick flick" to watch on Netflix. I feel like I've pretty much exhausted all the good movies on Netflix streaming, so if anyone else has good recommendations, let me know!

Later in the afternoon, I got a call from a friend of mine from graduate school who finished at ASU and got a job at a liberal arts college in VA. I hadn't talked to her in over a year and a half and it was such a great phone call. She let me know that her and her husband are expecting their first baby in May! I was overjoyed for them. She worked so hard in grad school and finished with a PhD in Graph Theory. I can't even begin to share just how smart she is! But one of the biggest struggles for women pursuing graduate degrees in math/science/engineering fields is having to put off family while you work towards a "tenure track" position after graduate school. I am so happy for her that she's been able to find a satisfying career as well as begin to start her family. I'll be praying for them as they prepare in the months to come!

I am really looking forward to tomorrow as our holiday festivities are going to kick into high gear! Kyle, Debbie and Maddie are going to come over for the day and I can't wait. My niece Maddie and Jack are only a month apart in age, so it is such a joy to get them together. I've really enjoyed getting to be a mom and an aunt all at once. I'm excited for them to be able to spend the day with us and for the all day company! Ryan's Dad and Step-Mom will come over in the afternoon so we can all celebrate Christmas together. Then in the evening we'll celebrate Christmas with Ryan's mom and grandparents. Such a fun-filled day. Hope none of the family mind that we'll spend most of the day in my room!

One final note, I'm trying to work up the courage to call my doctor and see if she'd let me go to Christmas Eve services on Friday. I'm scared to call, though. I am not supposed to go back and see her until Dec. 30th, which is when I'd assume she'd let me know how much longer I need to be on bed rest. I don't want to call her today only to find out bad news. I know it makes no sense, but that's my fear. Ryan keeps asking me when I'm going to call and I keep saying later. Eventually, I just have to do it...but I prefer thinking, "what I don't know can't hurt me."