Sunday, August 11, 2013

I Married Superman

Just ask Cullen. He'll tell you. Cullen is Batman, I'm Spiderman (Wonder Woman is completely unacceptable, I've tried), and James is Superman.
 
Since being put on bed rest, James has stepped up to do so much around the house. He's also pretty good about reminding me when I need to sit back down. I wish I could enjoy it more.
 
Last night was a birthday party for one of Cullen's friends. I really wanted to attend, but the heat and distance from the hospital made me decide it was probably best to stay home. Being Superman and all, it was no big deal for James to take Cullen out to see the crocodiles. 
Cullen had a great time seeing the turtles and crocodiles again. I'm pretty sure we'll wind up out there again and again each summer. It really is a neat experience.
And what a fun idea for a little boy's birthday party! Getting dirty outside with big, scary animals. Who wouldn't love that?
One of the guides this time was a young girl. Maybe being young helps with the whole bravery thing? I like my safe desk job. Insurance isn't so bad. 
I don't intend to miss too much more time with my boys, but until I'm officially back on my feet, I'm so glad to be married to Superman.
 
xoxo ashley



Bed Rest Is For The Birds

This last week or so has been really tough in our house. Some exciting times mixed with a good bit of stress and disappointment.
 
I got to park in an expectant mom parking spot the other day. As it turns out, that was the only time for this pregnancy, so I'm glad it worked out. Every other time I've been at the grocery store or Babies R Us, the spots are all full. I probably shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did.
 
Last weekend, a sweet friend stopped by the house to bring a gift for Harrison. That gift turned into two gifts for Harrison, one for Cullen, and one for me. Melissa and I worked together in Austin, and she has always been one of the kindest people I know. I'm thrilled to have her living nearby, and I'm hoping that our lives can slow down enough for us to spend more time together soon. Best gift ever? A pedicure gift certificate to a local spa. I love so many of the things we got, but I've never gotten a baby gift that was just for me. So sweet.
 
On Saturday, we squeezed in haircuts for everyone and some special time for me to get my hair colored. While I got that taken care of, the boys got to swim a bit. Cullen has gotten to be such a big guy about his swim time this summer. The growth he has experienced amazes me.
On Sunday, we got Cullen signed up for tee ball. For anyone keeping track, that means that we'll be playing both soccer and tee ball this fall. They both start shortly after Harrison should arrive, and they both end a few weeks after I'm due to go back to work. No rest for the weary!
 
In a last ditch effort to complete pre-Harrison projects, I managed to finish up the wreath I started weeks ago on Monday night. I'm pretty pleased with the finished product, but I think I'll just buy one next time around.
By Tuesday night, our whole world changed a bit. We've been expecting an early arrival from Harrison from the very beginning, but we weren't expecting anything to happen at 35 weeks.
 
When James got home Tuesday evening, I was already pretty sure that I was in labor. I decided to finish making dinner and get Cullen ready for bed before we would officially decide if we were going to the hospital or not. A status change later, and we were on our way out the door about the time we usually tuck Cullen into bed. James' aunt met us at the hospital and took Cullen home for the night.
 
We spent the night in the hospital and managed to get labor to stop with the use of some medicine I hope to never take again. Two shots of terbutaline was enough to last me a lifetime. I think the only positive I can come up with is that it alleviated my carpal tunnel for the night.
 
The next morning, James' aunt took Cullen home with her for the day, as I've been assigned to bed rest. I am not suited for bed rest. At all. Cullen is having a blast with all of the new adventures and times off schedule. He seems to think it's fun.
Wednesday night, we ended up back at the hospital. Who doesn't love that? Cullen thinks it's super fun. We got there about the exact same time as the night before. Same story, different pajamas for Cullen.
Obviously, we got to come home again with a new set of issues to look out for. Thursday night, things started back up again with less intensity, so we just decided to stay home.
 
Friday night was the Texans game. There was a lot of relaxation and laughter with Megan and Lee. After the week we had had, it was just what we needed. Cullen got in some good guitar time with Lee.

Saturday morning was a new day with the same story. Peg came again to pick up Cullen, and took him home for some playtime as Batman. At this point, Cullen is asking if I can go to the hospital so he can go play with Peg and Andy.
We are on continued bed rest at this point, so I've been spending time doing important things like naps, knitting and reading. Harrison has a new hat and booties that will be far too warm for his arrival. But they look cute.
In the midst of all the fun, this happened to be the only week of my pregnancy that my doctor was out of town. Because that's how things happen in our house. I'll be calling her tomorrow morning to discuss her thoughts on me being on bed rest and the issues I've had in her absence. Here's hoping we have a new game plan by this time tomorrow!
 
xoxo ashley