Thursday, December 23, 2010

Days Eleven and Twelve

It's been a busy two days, at least for everyone else in the family! We celebrated Christmas with Ryan's brother and his family as well as Sue and Ryan's grandparents last night. Boy did the kiddos enjoy opening new toys. Everything that Jack opened he either said, "on" or "open" immediately. I would say his favorite new toy was a drum that Grandma Sue got him. He knew exactly what to do with those drum sticks! I obeyed doctor's orders and stayed in bed for the most part. I did move to a chair in our loft for much of the evening, and tried my best to stay seated. It's interesting how much more I was tempted to do just because I wasn't sitting in bed. Luckily my family kept me on track and reminded me to sit down as often as I tried to get up.

On Tuesday, I did gather the courage to call the doctor and ask about Christmas Eve services. My doctor wasn't in, but the other doctor in the practice said, "God will throw you a bone, so Merry Christmas." I guess that means I can go?! I did promise to go directly there and back home but I am excited to be able to attend the first Christmas Eve services at Harvest Community Church. Ryan has put a lot of time and energy into the lighting for the service and I'm glad I can go and support him in his efforts.

I go back to my doctor a week from today. I've really managed to convince myself that she's going to release me from bed rest even though I have no reason to think that at all. It's a matter of hoping and praying for that outcome so much that I can't even imagine the alternative. I was reading on some message boards of other women who have been diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma and several women said that once the hematoma disappeared things were pretty much normal for the rest of the pregnancy. I just hope when I go back next Thursday that it's disappeared. Some women mentioned that theirs did not dissipate until around 20 weeks. I sincerely hope my doctor will do another ultrasound before 20 weeks to see if it is gone. I am not sure if I can hang on for another 6 weeks if that is truly the case.

On a side note, I made a scarf for Ryan's cousin Becca's Christmas present. She's 8 years old and is doing ice skating lessons. I hope she likes it!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

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."