Catch Up

Wow, it really has been a long time. Well, soon you’ll understand why. First off, let’s say pregnancy is still going well, and baby girl and I are both healthy and happy. Even though I am officially full term, I don’t mind her staying put for a while longer so I can continue getting her room to a place where I think it’s ready. If she comes today though, she has a place to sleep and clothes to put on her back, so she’d be quite content. =D

I’ve had two baby showers since the last time we spoke. I don’t have pics from the second one yet, but here are few from the one in CA.

Event Setting

Beautiful (& Yummy) Cake

Friends and Family

Nana to Be (and half the planning crew)

Great Aunt to Be (and other half of planning crew) – oh, and tummy measurement for one of the gamesSpoils from the shower. Baby Girl is going to be one well dressed child!

So on to why I’m all of sudden so busy. (Besides just have moved into a house and trying to unpack, and getting ready for a baby) Shortly after my trip down to Northern California for a baby shower, I had to make a quick trip down to Southern California for my father. Turns out he had a stroke and his roommate had taken him to the hospital for care. As soon as I found out, my aunt Lauri (Dad’s youngest sister) and I flew down to visit and evaluate the situation. The stroke had mainly affected his sight (loss of his right peripheral vision) and short term memory, but other than that, he’d been fairly lucky. With his sight restrictions, and the new diet he’d need to be on to help monitor his diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure (all of which was discovered after the stroke), we decided it’d be best to bring him up to Washington to be near family. So Steve and I talked and decided to move Dad in with us. We figured, free babysitting, why not. :)

After a few days of testing and healing, he was discharged and Aunt Lauri’s husband Jeff flew down, helped rent a van, pack up his stuff and we took a 3 day road trip up I-5 to Dad’s new home. Although traveling by van as pregnant as I was was not the most comfortable thing I’ve done during this pregnancy, we had a nice trip and all got to visit together and stop at some of Dad’s favorite restaurants on the way. Jeff and Lauri were a big help, I couldn’t have done it without them.

Once we got up here, we got Dad settled in his new digs and gave him the tour. Unfortunately, the second night he was here, he had another stroke. Steve and I took him to the emergency room and stayed with him until they were ready to admit him. Like the last stroke, this one affected his vision but to a worse extent. (Again, he was still lucky this was all it affected.) His sight is fairly hindered, only being able to see from the horizon down and to his upper left. But even that vision is not clear and he has lost his color vision. After a few more days of testing and resting, he was again released into our care and has been staying with us ever since.

I’ve been working on making sure he eats healthy and takes all his meds. He seems to be adjusting well and really enjoys when his family comes to visit. Although this isn’t something I had planned for, I’m excited for him to be around for Baby Girl since I’m not sure how much he would have seen her living in S. California. I think he’s looking forward to her birth as well. But really, who isn’t?!?

It’s been amazing to see how God has worked in our lives throughout this whole thing. I was part of a Mom’s Group Bible Study this summer on Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. She led us through the book of Jonah and we learned how God can change our plans at anytime and how we can take His lead, embrace it and see how His plans will work in our lives. Talk about life interrupted, but I’m ready for the challenge. God had already set me up in so many ways.

-He gave me a diabetic dog when I was growing up where I had to give her insulin shots (which I don’t have to do for Dad, he can do his own), but I at least know how to prepare a needle and know what to do if I have to start.

-God gave me a wonderful husband who is willing to have his life interrupted as well, and has been supportive and understanding throughout this whole ordeal.

-God found us a house that is a split level that allows Dad to have effectively his own apartment downstairs which allows him to keep some of the privacy he had before his big move.

-Even the timing was perfect. If Dad would have had his stroke 2 weeks later, I would not have been allowed to fly down. Any earlier and we wouldn’t have had a house for him. He had it within a month of his birthday so we were able to sign him up for Medicare without any penalties.

So praise God for everything He is doing in our lives. He’s got a reason and although we may not see it yet, or ever know what it is, I feel blessed to be a part of His plans.

Now for a fun last note. With all this going on, my feet have taken to swelling a bit (and by a bit, I mean a lot), so I have finally needed to become a pampered pregnant wife. Here is how Steve has helped me in this:

This would be in our living room after washing and folding girl clothes all day (notice the boxes surrounding me). My feet are in a bucket of ice water Steve prepared for my hot and swollen tootsies, he’s given me a jar of peanut butter for me to eat straight out of and of course, the remote, so I can not use my brain for a bit. What a great husband!