How Did You Spend the First Day of Summer?

So did you even realize yesterday was the first day of summer? I imagine most of you have been sweltering hot already, but out here we've just had our first day of being above 70*, so to us, it's just now summer.

So in honor of summer, my sweet husband and I took a drive through a beautiful canyon, checking out the wildflowers ... on our way to the hospital.

Actually, we drove straight to the hospital, on doctor's orders, and stopped to see the flowers on the way home. Yesterday I had a regular prenatal checkup, and was feeling great. But right before my appointment, I got a very disturbing phone call, and my blood pressure went through the roof. So, assuming I might have pre-eclampsia, the doctor sent me to the hospital 77 miles away (this is the same hospital where we will eventually deliver). Anyway, I had to undergo a bunch of blood tests and be hooked to a monitor all afternoon and have my blood pressure checked every 15 minutes. Everything came back normal, so they let me go, but I am now restricted to bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

As for the phone call, it's kind of a complicated story. On Monday, our home mover backed out of the deal, leaving our home in North Carolina setting - split apart and ready to be moved - and said he is keeping our deposit to cover his expenses. I found out last week that our insurance which covers the home while in transit will be cancelled at the first of August because the mover has delayed so long that they had time to review it and think it's too risky for them. I spent all of Monday making calls and searching for anyone else who can do the move, and thought I had someone else lined up. But then just as I was going in for my appointment, that mover called and said he didn't realize how large the home was, which will require two moving trucks and four escort cars to go about 2000 miles, and that it was too big of a job for him. So I was a little flustered, to say the least, when it was time for my blood pressure to be taken. I'm waiting on a quote from one other company, but if they can't do it, I don't know of anyone else who can. That will probably mean we will have to pay someone else to put the home back together so it won't get destroyed, and then we will probably lose all hope of ever having it moved. That leaves us in the same predicament we started in, only worse. We will have a house that we can't sell because the economy there is so bad, along with a ton of new debt for things we've done out here to prepare our land for the eventual move of the house - thousands of dollars for dirt work, concrete work, drilling a well, etc. UGH. So maybe now you can see why my blood pressure was high.

I kind of had a feeling I was going to get sent to the hospital today, though I never thought it would be for that. It was just one of those odd feelings - despite the fact that I have felt great and still do. I can't tell you why, but I woke up thinking, "I better get some squares cut from my new fabrics in case I get sent to the hospital, so I'll have something to do." Odd, right?

Actually, I didn't get my squares cut in time. My daughter worked on that while I went to the doctor's visit. When I came home, she had a nice pile of new 2 1/2 inch squares for me to hurriedly pack into my bag. We weren't sure what was going to happen yesterday, so my husband left work to accompany me to the hospital. If the blood pressure had still been high, they would have induced me right then. We're only 8 days away now, but I've really been hoping to go into labor naturally and not need to be induced. We may be out of luck now though, as the doctor really doesn't want me to go past my due date. I have another appointment next week, so we'll see what happens then. She did agree to at least let me try to wait until July 1, which is my due date. I am hoping to do that because the July birthstone is a Ruby, which I really want for my mother's ring - ha. Not to mention June's stone is pink, and this is a baby BOY. I know. Great reasoning, right? Really I was hoping the baby would come naturally on the fourth. How fun would that be?

So now I'm stuck in bed. At least the boys think its fun!

My little visitor came in this morning to entertain me (just as I got a sweet phone call from my husband).

He was pretending to squirt me with an empty water bottle.

Ornery, that one. But then you can see that, can't you?

As for the details of my bed rest, I have two completely different definitions from two different doctors. The doctor I saw - my main doctor - who sent me to the hospital to start with, said I could shower each day, and be up on the couch too, and even sit outside and watch the kids. I'm not supposed to drive or shop, but I can ride in the car with my husband (not sure where I would go since I'm not supposed to be up or shopping though). She even said if it all went well, I could go up to camp at the end of next week for family camp services - even after I accurately described the very rough dirt road. But when I was released from the hospital, another doctor had given the orders for bed rest, which only allows me to be up to use the bathroom, and then sends me right back to bed. I haven't seen that doctor since our ultrasound in February.

So, I'm taking the middle ground, even though I think my main doctor is more accurate. I've decided to stay in bed until noon, move to the couch (which is more like a recliner) for the afternoon, then back to the bed for evening. I don't think there is really an issue with needing to be in bed. I think the issue is more about keeping calm and not letting all the extra stress get to me.

I've never been on bed rest before, and I'm determined to be good about it. My family would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't at least try to stay in bed for the most part ;) They're all sure I'm going to fail miserably anyway. Such confidence. Good thing I have all those squares to sew now. And on top of that, I am planning on getting a lot of reading done. I'm seriously behind on my goal of reading the Old Testament in 90 days, so I'm hoping to get caught up on that too. And if I'm really good, I might just allow myself a little time at the sewing machine. I still have to get my diaper bag done... Guess I shouldn't have kept putting that project off.

And hey, how's this for good timing. The postmaster must like me ;)

Thankfully, we're close to the end of the pregnancy. I don't think I could handle long term bed rest for very long - ha. Too much to do :)