Recovering

The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind...a visit to L&D thinking I would deliver, sent home, regular OB visit and hospital registration, a beautiful Healing Mass, an all-night labor marathon, getting to the hospital, finding I was 10cm, taken to the O.R., asked if I wanted to try for a vaginal birth, then told that the doctor didn't want me to try, prepped for a c-section, given my spinal (thank you, super-anesthesiologist!), baby arrives!, Steven says "he's a Junior", doctor comments on the bad shape of my insides, seemingly eternal waiting until the surgery was over, sent to recovery, spend much of the next few days adoring my new baby, on Cloud 9, enjoying visitors and my always-fun "hospital vacation", arrive home on the 23rd, spend all of Christmas Eve preparing for Christmas Day, up late into the night, up early in the morning, enjoy the most precious Christmas morning with my now-family-of-5, Christmas Mass, Christmas Dinner with my family, foggy next few days, Sunday Mass on the Feast of the Holy Family, Monday New Year's Eve baptism, baptism party at my sister-in-law's, Mass on New Year's Day, Mary Clare's 5th birthday, a few more foggy days, Mary Clare's birthday party with 35 people, and finally back to "real life"...

Needless to say, I'm exhausted both physically and emotionally. I tend to spend a lot of time re-living and analyzing my 3 difficult labor and delivery experiences. And now weaning off the pain medications and also dealing with a minor infection in my incision, it's come to the forefront a lot more. But I have a lot to be thankful for. Namely a God who has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three precious, healthy children (and 2 little prayer warriors in Heaven!). I'm truly enjoying watching the girls interact with their baby brother and all the fun ways they're spending this time at home. They are kept busy with their Christmas and birthday surprises, which helps me to be able to rest and care for little Steven. And big Steven has been able to get home earlier these past few weeks, making me a very happy mommy when I hear a doorbell at 4pm!

And then there are the Meal Angels! First of all, my sister-in-law stocked our fridge and freezer with meals while I was in the hospital. Other family members have brought over special meals. And then friends have kept the meals coming...a dear friend from Dallas last week, a friend brought a meal with her to the birthday party on Saturday, and Sunday marked the beginning of my Regnum Christi team's gifts of meals every-other-night! Tonight we were gifted with a wonderful Mexican dinner and the presence of a sweet friend. It means so much because cooking (being one of my least favorite things to do anyway) seems nearly impossible right now! Thank you so much, Meal Angels!

I'm also trying to keep things in perspective. It helps when I hear of stories like this (also beautifully recounted here). Please pray for them, and for all those mamas and papas expecting babies, awaiting babies' arrivals, those with new babies (congrats, Kristen and Jess!), and especially those whose babies went to Heaven a little too early for their liking. Know that my prayers and sufferings are offered for all of you. May 2008 be a year of blessings and joy for all of us! Thanks be to God.