Thankfully I'm not doing this alone. God is here. And four weeks later I can tell you it is not impossible. And it hasn't even been miserable. There are plenty of books and magazines and blogs and podcasts and puzzles and visits to keep the minutes happy. Then there are Travis and Ethan.
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| Easter with a Twist |
Ethan has warmed up to the "doctor bed". We snuggle as best we can (the Mason belly has gotten BIG) and play puzzles and read bible stories. Travis makes me laugh through it all and nudges me back over when I'm getting close to the boredom edge. Even though I miss being home with them, I'm glad we get to sprinkle in bits of normal.
Here are a few small tales from the resting bed:
1) Baby ducks :: My room has a wall made up of two patio doors and a big window.
This spring a Mama Duck claimed the courtyard as her home and set up a nest for her 12 little babies. I tried to get a picture but they are just not very good at posing. We are unfortunately down to 5 little ducks now. It's a hard world out there.
The Daddy Duck comes by for visits in the early morning hours. He flies in and sits at the top of the ledge and watches over the entire area. He is ever the protector. It's the neatest thing to watch. The other day he spent most of the day here. I heard a lot of chirping or whatever noise ducklings make and it made me wonder if there was a predator in our midst. But I'm happy to report that we still have 5 baby ducks.
2) Watching Winter turn to Spring :: The leaves have sprouted on all of the trees in the courtyard now. That ledge separates the patient rooms from the waiting area. Every once in a while Mason and I get a curious "visitor". I just pray for zero eye contact. Soon enough they realize they have gone too far and turn around. Small price to pay for a view like this though. It's been fun getting to watch the seasons change. Admiring nature is definitely one of my love languages. It settles my soul.
3) New friends :: Talking is also another love language of mine. Or maybe it's just part of what makes me happy. I can say that there have been times where I turn to music just so I can use my out loud words!
I've gotten a chance to get to know a lot of the nurses and support staff like the "dining services" ladies. It's so fun to get to catch up with them after not seeing them for a few days. They ask about Ethan and his potty training progress and share kid/grandkid stories with me. The other day I even got a quick drop in visit from a nurse that got promoted to Day Shifts. She mostly spends time on the other side of the hall so she came in just to say hi and see how we were doing. So Sweet!!
4) Bloggy Friends :: I've gotten a chance to read 3 books and get all caught up on reading blog posts. That's way more than I've gotten done over the last three years! I even got brave enough to reach out to Melanie @ the Big Mama blog and the best part ... She wrote me back!!! I always claimed her as my friend because well, she's hilarious, lives in Texas, and talks about shopping at H-E-B. Need I say more? Anyhow ... I was so surprised she wrote back. It was the week her latest book was released and I knew she was getting contacted from a million different directions. I really didn't expect a response. But she wrote back!!! Did I mention that already? Now I really get to claim her as my friend!
5) Art of pillow placement :: I haven't mastered this one yet. At home I was sleeping with a long body pillow plus two others. And just in case sleep escaped me at 3 in the morning there was a reading chair ready to keep me company. Here I have two pillows. I could ask for more but it already takes a sweet forever to roll myself out of bed. You see these days drinking water is my job and me and the potty see each other VERY often. So honestly two pillows is all I have the patience for. I mean there is only so much room for me, the ever growing Mason belly, two pillows, and the leg cuff things that keep me healthy. And let's not talk about the times I get so wrapped up in what I'm doing that I may have waited a minute too long to start the potty journey. So we'll just keep trying to make these two pillows work. I will say the buttons on the bed help. What's that -- you want to lay down - push a button. Oh, you want to sit up now - push a button. Lower back feels achy - push a button. Pure greatness!
6) Daydreaming :: I have managed to decorate and redecorate every room in my house via Pinterest. Also I'm surrounded by Beach decor thanks to my friend Tiff. I didn't think I needed decor or things from home but boy! does it make a difference in adding happy to the room. It's inspired me to dream and pin of many future family vacations.
So here's a little tid bit of a side story --- the best part of having girlfriends with kids older than yours is getting to see what is up ahead. It's like the "stay tuned for scenes from our next episode" at the end of your favorite show. My friend Jen has always talked about how her second got to experience outings a lot earlier because you don't just stop your first from experiencing life. So there goes your newborn to soccer games and playdates at the park and such. As a first time mommy I thought this to be so interesting. I can completely see how that happens but would never have occurred to me to expect.
After I became a mom I quickly learned to never say "I would never fill in the blank" because you don't know until you get there. There is no right or wrong way of doing things. There is only the perfect way for your family. So when I hear my best friend tell such stories it intrigues me to see how I'll react. Well, I'm here to say that Mason is definitely going to get some early experiences as soon as mommy is brave enough and ready to go. Maybe not a vacation as a newborn but definitely some fun outings. Besides all four of us are long over due.
So there you have it ... just a few tales Mason and I wanted to share. And now back to that
baby book I have been meaning to finish since before Ethan was born.
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