MOMMY'S JOURNAL - June 7

The Big Slow Down…
Well, it finally happened. Actually, it happened a couple of years ago when I fell off a desk at work & tore up my ankle so I had to learn how to ask for help and let other people do things for me (which was a blessing because that’s when my friendship with Lauren REALLY began!). Here we are again, only this time it’s high blood pressure, not a desk. Last Thursday evening when I went to the doctor my blood pressure was high, and I was put on immediate bed rest—no last day of school, no baby shower, nothing but mandatory horizontal until I went back to the doctor on Monday. I was very good for the WHOLE time, and believe it or not I followed doctor’s orders. I thought it was just a reaction to the end of school craziness and that we’d be fine when we went back on Monday. Well, I lost 5 pounds of fluid and that took care of the swelling, but my blood pressure was still elevated. So, we kind of compromised. I get to work Summer School, half days Monday-Thursdays. I can get up, go to work, then it’s straight home to lay down. Some people might think it’s crazy, but it was really important for me to do Summer School because a) I didn’t want to pack up my classroom, b) we definitely need the money and c) I don’t think ANYONE would want to be around me if I had to lay down 24 hours a day. So far James is still talking to me, so I assume I’m not too grumpy…yet! We went back to the doctor yesterday, blood pressure’s still up, I gained 3 pounds (we don’t know why…probably not a good thing!), and she said I can continue Summer School but absolutely positively nothing but horizontal resting when I’m not at school. That kind of put a kink in our weekend plans—I was hoping I could get up for at least a few hours every day (like I was at school, it seemed reasonable) and get things done. She shot that down pretty quick. We ‘fessed up about the 2 showers this weekend and even though her first word was “no”, Marlene agreed to the shower at our house on Friday (Lynn’s Ladybug Book Shower) and to Jennifer & Denise’s shower ONLY if I go straight to Denise’s, lay around while we’re there, and have somebody else open gifts. I figure I can do that. I know I was up too much yesterday (we went shopping a bit after we left the doctor’s office—I’m a sinner!) so I’m being very good today. It’s almost 11:00, and I’m laying on the couch in my pajamas. I promised James I wouldn’t get up until it’s time to get dressed to go to Denise’s. It’s a little rough to be down today; I’ve got several things I’d like to do in Kayci’s room, not to mention laundry and all of that stuff. James has been WONDERFUL about taking care of stuff, and I couldn’t ask for anything more from him. He’s really shown his true colors this past week, and now it’s a fact—he’s going to be a GREAT daddy; he already is! But, for Type A’s like myself, there’s quite a bit of guilt involved in having someone else do all of the stuff that I feel like I should be doing (laundry, housework, etc.). Lynn came over earlier this week and unpacked all of Kayci’s goodies from the church shower. My Mom will come over next week and wash Kayci’s new clothes (I was caught up on everything, and it’s KILLING me that she has a basket of clothes in there that need to be washed and put away). This is all a God thing, and I know it. Right now I’m exactly where and how He wants me to be, and I would have been too stubborn to stop and rest if He hadn’t forced the issue. So that’s the silver lining, that I’m able to see that this time is a blessing. And it really is; I’m able to focus on Kayci and James and this special time that will never come again. The laundry can wait! (Big talk; I’m sure I’ll be bugging James about clean clothes before lunch!).