View from our balcony (pictures never do it justice!)
Living Room with fireplace
The apartment actually had two bathroom sections - this section with a sink, lots of counter space, and a jacuzzi, and the second section with a shower, sink, toilet, and washer & dryer (which is free by the way, plus they provide detergent!)
Kitchen and dining room area - they provide all the pots/pans/dishes/basic appliances, plus they have a dishwasher and give you soap for that too!
The bedroom had a nice king-sized bed and you could access the balcony from our room or the living room.Baby update: My doctor said as long as I don't have more than 4-6 contractions in an hour I can stay at work (sitting down the whole time of course). I was able to get in a full 40 hour week last week!!!! Although this probably won't be the case every time, I am still thankful for every hour I am able to stay. He even is letting me go to church on Sundays, and even though Sunday School and evening service would be too much, at least I can go to the main service. I now sit in the back row and have been adopted by the Leckron family :) Even though this bedrest is for a MUCH longer time than with Titus, I am thankful it is not as strict. Less than 9 weeks of bedrest to go now! And we are still praying I make it the full 13 weeks I have left in the pregnancy.
I think the beginning of bedrest is always the hardest...until I can find a routine and something that works for us as a family...especially since I am very routine-oriented! More than anything else, I think it is harder mentally and emotionally (I had a bit of a breakdown last night and ended up missing the Superbowl which in some ways made it worse since I was really looking forward to watching it more than any other year) rather than physically - and unless you have been there, you probably aren't sure what I am talking about. I know that I have said it before, but I am so grateful to those of you that are close by that physically have helped, and those of you further away that have helped by praying...
Something that has changed my outlook on my ability to help people in the future is just a simple rephrase of a statement...Before I would have said "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help." This statement, no matter how sincere, leaves the person in need with the responsiblity of contacting me later and possibly feeling like an inconvenience. This has been a hard question when people have asked me this - what do I say??? I end up saying something like, "Thanks, I really appreciate that." But in my mind I am thinking "I need help every single day!" I can't call someone up every day for help!! And generally, I probably will not call that person.
I have decided that in the future when I want to help a person in need, I should say "What can I do to help?" or "Could I ____?" and fill in the blank on what I would guess would be their need at the time. I realized that I have to try to put myself in that person's shoes. Case and point: the majority of people that really are helping us right now are those that have actually been on bedrest or mothers who have young children and can imagine what that is like.
Bedrest is something so small to go through compared to other things in life that others are facing, but no situation is too small to learn from it! I guess that the challenge that God has given me is to realize more and more that the hardships of life I face are so much more than just trials to build my faith - that seems selfish to me now. I think that the problems we face are also to help build community and reach out to others that are going through similar issues. In the past there have been so many times that I have suffered, felt alone, and given in to selft pity and then snap out of it when I find that someone else can relate to my suffering - and there is this immediate connection. So, I am really trying to take this time to re-think and re-learn how to effectively reach out to those around me...to be a better witness to non-Christians, and to build community and take better care of each other as Christians. I have a long way to go!!!
3 comments:
Great photos of the condo! My family (parents) have timeshares through Fairfield (now called Wyndham, I guess), but we usually go to Nashville. We have never been to Gatlinburg, but it looks beautiful...maybe someday.
Glad to hear the good report on the baby. I think bed rest is especially hard on task-oriented people. It made me feel "lazy" because I had to ask people to do everything even though I felt "fine" and able. It's hard too because it's preventative, unlike when people have an injury or surgery and can't do things because they are physically not able. You know?
Anyways, that's my take. :) Sorry to bail out on you last week - as soon as my cold/ear infection/sinus thing is over and gone, I'll be calling to bug you with another meal or two. :)
Michelle,
I don't know exactly what you're feeling right now, but have a similar situation that has gotten me very emotional recently. I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I had absolutely no problems with Bekah, but with this pregnancy, things are just a bit different. I found myself very upset and annoyed at having to regulate my eating when I already eat very well, I just eat too many carbs. I have to keep remembering that it's what's best for the baby, and for me when delivery comes around so that I do not have a huge baby. Keep remembering that it's what's best for the baby. You want the baby to be as healthy as possible, and in a few short months, your inconvenience will be over and you will wish you weren't aloud to get up. (dealing with a toddler and a newborn :~) ) I have 9 more weeks also. Stay strong!!!
Glad to hear that you are able to keep working and that you got in all those hours last week! Also glad to hear that you had a good time this past weekend in Tennesse!I wish I was closer so I could help out more physically but you are in my prayers!! Thanks for always being so real... it is such a refreshing thing to hear you talk about how you really feel!!
Post a Comment