The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good

This past weekend brought James and I more visitors from Missouri. My parents joined us for the weekend and it is hard to find words to express our appreciation. God's provision continues to bless our lives. To quote James, "Can your parents stay with us and take care of us....?"

I was delighted that my mom and dad showed up on a night when James was on call. This allowed me to have company on what would usually be a very quiet evening alone. They were able to lay eyes on their ever pregnant daughter and assess my new look. My dad quickly pulled out his phone and sent pictures to my brothers of my very round belly.

30 weeks pregnant....10 more to go!

My mom wasted no time to tell her grandson, "hello." It was very evident that they are quite excited to meet this little boy. We went out for a nice dinner and caught up on our weeks and the happenings of our family. My mom turned in early and my dad and I stayed up late discussing politics, the meaning of life and the heart of God. We also might have watched an episode or two of Bones.


The following day, James was stuck at the hospital until the early afternoon (He's supposed to be out by 1:00 pm the day following a call shift). Again, it was so much fun to have company. I didn't have any big plans for their visit, I was just so thankful to have them with us. They were aware of our ant situation and wanted to make sure we were getting it under control.  Fortunately, the ants had begun to thin out. James and my initial plan was proving effective, just time consuming. While James napped after his call shift, my mom and dad and I went grocery shopping. Since college, grocery shopping with the parents is always a huge blessing. My dad was planning to make us supper. He was out looking for all the fixin's (to be exact, he was looking for "contemporary vegetables") and they wanted to help us stock up on those annoying things we so often need like toilet paper. We came home well stocked and in possession of the most modern greens one could find!

My dad made a delicious feast! Steak and grilled vegetables! We had been smelling our neighbors charcoal fires for a while, secretly jealous they had their grills out and running. This was the first grill of the season and it was delicious!

While out grocery shopping, my dad was searching for seasonal vegetables- something that looked fresh. He was unable to pull that word up so he decided the word contemporary would work just as well. I couldn't agree more! They were sure tasty!

The next day after getting to sleep in, we woke up to thunderstorms. This curtailed any plans for yard work I had in the back of my mind, so we hit the mall instead. My dad and James weren't up for a super shopping outing, so they caught a movie at the Art Cinema. My mom and I wasted no time hitting stores, looking at fun spring fashions, wide-width shoes, and adorable baby clothes. We finished our day off with a meal out. (So there wouldn't be any clean-up to tend to. My dad was more than ready for a second round of grilling. It's kind of his "thing.")

Sadly, James had to go back to work the next day. My parents and I had a relaxing morning. My mom helped me clean out the refrigerator and my dad researched conspiracy theories- filling my head with all sorts of new ideas. (Later that day I watched the movie Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup-  by Dylan Avery- scary stuff.) My parents eventually packed up and headed off to the airport.  It's always hard to see them go, but we know it won't be long before we see them, again. They're not going to be able to stay away in two months when this little man arrives.




The Bad


On a completely different front, I have noticed a new symptom of pregnancy: carpal tunnel syndrome. Yuck! It is significantly limiting my dexterity. Last night while eating supper, I dropped food on myself repeatedly. It was kind of ridiculous. There are things I can do to hopefully help my cause. Reducing sodium intake will help lessen the edema that is causing this pressure on my nerves. Also, swimming may alleviate some of the pain. I just need to find a good pool and a new bathing suit!





The Ugly


When speaking with my doctor earlier this week, I asked about another annoying symptom: cankles. These in fact have something to do with the carpal tunnel. The swelling. Again, watching sodium intake will help, but she said some woman experience it greater than others- 5-10% of her patients, as well as herself. This swelling has caused me to go from a medium width shoe to a wide. The good news is, the actual size has not increased! (At least not yet....) 

I'm stealing this from another pregnant friend: Pregnant women are SWELL!