it has been a rough few months. just after christmas we found out that ella's christmas wish had come true & she is going to be a big sister in august! almost immediately after finding out the baby news i started throwing up & pretty much didn't get a break from it until this week. i was in the hospital for 5 days, on a home iv for 3 weeks and on bed-rest for 4 weeks. at my appointment this week the doctor approved me to slowly start adding light activities. i'm looking forward to being able to be a bit more active, i think austin and the girls are too! i'm 4 1/2 months now and we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
in the midst of all of this there have been several very sweet blessings. the Lord has been immeasurably kind to us. he has reminded us of his faithfulness and love. he has made my heart so thankful for my precious family and has renewed my desire to serve him by caring for them. he has shown his great strength in my great weakness. i had to be totally dependent on the Lord and on others to care for me and my family and it has been a great reminder of my insufficiency.
another wonderful blessing has been watching the girls grow in their affections for family. they have always loved family but have been enjoying sister time and love to spend time together as a family now more than ever. they had a fantastic "vacation" with their cousins (thanks to my sweet sisters saving the day while i was in the hospital). the girls loved every minute of it and have talked about it almost every day since.
austin has been so great to care for me and the girls. he had to wear a lot of hats the past few months. he was nurse and in charge of the iv to me and had to meet every need for the girls (which also included introducing them to the joys of fast food, yesterday adeline requested "bell taco"!). one of my favorite nights was watching austin and the girls have a pillow party, complete with a tinker bell movie, treats and snuggles on the inflatable bed. this week austin took a week of vacation and made it very special for the girls. they went to the rose garden, planted flowers, went to the zoo, went to the beach and played in their very own cardboard box playhouse!
another blessing in the midst of these months has been the sweet care lavished upon us by our church. the high school staff played with chalk in the backyard, colored, sang, read books, and snuggled for countless hours with the girls. people brought meals and groceries and ran errands. we truly couldn't have made it through these months without so much help and love from everyone who pitched in to care for us. we're so thankful for each of you & love you very much.
