Feeling a little spoiled today

Wow, I am feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude today, I couldn't help but write down what I am feeling.  These past couple months have been some of the hardest our little family has ever gone through, and yet I have never felt more blessed in my life!  We have received so much

HeLP,

LOVE,

SuPPoRt,

eNCouRaGMenT,

KiNdNEsS,

sErVIcE,

& CHaRitY

from others, that it will seriously take a LIFETIME to repay!  And even after all of that, Heavenly Father has ALSO given us the strength and ability (emotionally and physically), to balance everything that we are dealing with.  What more evidence do you need that He truly loves his children so much and is watching out for them? 

Being stuck in a hospital on bedrest, when you are normally at home caring for a busy 2 year old while your husband is attending Dental School, seemed

uNBEArABle and totally iMPOssIBLE

when this situation first hit.  I thought, "there's no way we can get through this!"

...But

that situation IS reality for us right now, and we ARE getting through it... But only with the help of other people. 

I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is taking care of us through all the wonderful people in our lives.  It was a huge blessing (and continues to be) for Chase to get accepted to school in Portland.  I can't imagine being anywhere else right now.  The bond and family ties to having an Aunt who lives here has been AmAZiNG.  And I know I've said it a million times already, but we were truly inspired to find our little apartment that put us in the Oak Hills ward!  I've never met more caring and loving people. 

...Besides of course our wonderful families, who are truly the BEST IN ALL THE WORLD!!  We LOVE and MISS you!

During General Conference this year, and with our given situation, I couldn't help but notice all the talks that focused on CHARITY.  Here are some of my favorite quotes:

President Spencer W. Kimball said: “It is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. … So often, our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving … help with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow … from small but deliberate deeds!”

"The way we treat others reflects to what extent we follow our Savior in loving one another. ⁹ We show our love for Him when we stop to assist others."  Walter F Gonzalez, Presidency of the Seventy

Henry B. Erying said, "I have seen the blessings that come to the person in need who receives help and to the person who seizes the opportunity to give it."

and then quoted the words to the hymn, "Have I done any good in the world today?"

Have I done any good in the world today?

Have I helped anyone in need?

Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?

If not, I have failed indeed.

Has anyone’s burden been lighter today

Because I was willing to share?

Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?

When they needed my help was I there?

Then wake up and do something more

Than dream of your mansion above.

Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,

A blessing of duty and love. ¹

 

Deiter F. Uchtdorf said, "It has been my experience that some of the most powerful promptings we receive are not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives.  President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.” 7   Brothers and sisters, we each have a covenant responsibility to be sensitive to the needs of others and serve as the Savior did—to reach out, bless, and uplift those around us.  Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own."

Bedrest pictures

So this seems like forever ago now, yet very familiar... since I'm in the same position again.  But these are pictures from the first time I was on bedrest at Legacy Emanuel.  I was admitted on March 31 and stayed for 6 days.  It was very emotional and long, but I made it through!

Everyday they put me on the monitors to see the babies heart rates and check for contractions.  A lot of straps when you have more then one baby in there!

 

One of the simple joys of the hospital... popcycles!

  

A typical evening, when Daddy and Sam came up for a visit!

(not much to do but lay around, when Mommy can't do anything but lay around)

Well the bedrest continues...

We had another labor scare last week, once again after a scheduled doctor's appointment.  Everything went great at the visit, I got home and was lounging on the couch (just like I'm supposed to, ha ha) when the contractions started.  They weren't too bad at first, but I was surprised at how often they were coming... I could hardly tell one apart from the next one, they were so close.  They started to get more painful, and I started to worry!  Aunt Claire had just left and Chase was on his way home, so I couldn't do much til he got there.  My lower back started really hurting and the contractions were coming every 2 to 3 minutes.  As soon as Chase walked in the door, I said, "Uh honey... I hate to say this, but I think we need to head to the hospital..."  We ran around the house (well, mostly Chase) grabbing stuff we thought we might need and headed out the door.  Our good friends, Jeff and Hills met us at the hospital and took Sammy to their place so we didn't have to try to keep him entertained with all the craziness going on.  Chase grabbed a wheel chair and wheeled me into the labor and delivery room.  They hooked me up to an IV and a machine to monitor the contractions, and checked my cervex.  I was dialated to 4 cm, which got them really worried I might deliver.  They gave me another dose of steriods for the babies lungs and started me on a muscle relaxer called Nyphetapine.  I took 3 doses of that within 45 minutes and then every 3 to 4 hours after that.  It is supposed to help slow the contractions and stop the process of labor.  Things were going well, seemed to have slowed down a bit and the time was ticking on.  We needed to get Sam to bed so Chase headed home for the night, cell phone in hand incase anything else progressed. 

An hour or so after he left I started getting the worst back pain in my kidney area.  It was a really sharp pain that lasted for like 10 minutes straight.  I tried to get a nuse to come in, but she was doing something else at the time and I started to get really nervous.  By the time she came in the back pain had subsided but I decided to tell her anyway.  Not very long later it started up again.  It hurt sooo bad!!  They decided to check my cervex again, which was still the same.  But did that while my back was killing me and I couldn't help but cry, it hurt SO BAD!  They tried to think of what else it could be, and thought maybe it was kidney stones or a bladder infection.  So they put in a caphater and took a urine sample.  Um PAINFUL!  Holy cow!  Finally they gave me some pain medication, which was AWESOME and much needed  :)  and things started to look up.  The back pain went away, the urine sample came back negative and the contractions had started to slow down.  "Few, no babies tonight, guess I'll be going home in the morning,"  is what I naively thought...

Needless to say, it is now sunday (5days later) and I am still at the hospital on bedrest :(  One doc said I might as well prepare myself for staying here until I deliver!  (that will suck, it could be a month or more).  But MY doc, Doctor Merrill,  (who is awesome and very level headed), said there might be a chance I go home sometime this week.  So we will see.  As for now I'm just lying around waiting.  Trying to keep these babies in!  I am just barely at 32 weeks (which is a whole lot better then 27 last time I was here).  But 34-36 would be even better.  So we're hanging in there.  Chase has become Mr Mom, doing everything at home, taking care of Sam and still going to dental school!  And once again we have the best family, friends and loved ones around who are taking care of us and helping us out with Sam, meals, laundry, boredom... you name it!  Thank you!!!  We love you!