Three...two...one...

The last year or two seems to have been filled with countdowns for our family.  The countdown to Andrew's and my wedding, the countdown to our departure from Fort Wayne, the countdown of our move from Washington to Oregon and the most recent countdown to the day Arthur arrives.  Three.  Days.  Left.  That's it.  We have three days until we go to the hospital and they set me up with all the drugs and surveillance needed for a healthy delivery.

I am excessively grateful to modern medicine and well trained doctors who have thoroughly gone over my medical records and are being extra cautious and vigilant when it comes to this delivery.  I am already considered high risk because of my age (really? 36 is high risk?)  but more so because of my past and current health conditions.  The cardio myopathy from two years ago was of serious concern but my last echocardiogram done in February shows that my heart is right where it should be...although, there is still a slight chance that things won't stay that way during delivery...which is one of the main reasons why we are being induced and carefully monitored.  I'm completely OK with this decision.  I am DONE with being pregnant.  Done, done, done.  I have been sick, sore, and now I feel as though I have a tiny human being growing in the middle section of my body which makes EVERYTHING uncomfortable - sitting, standing, lying down, walking.  I am aching for comfort in the form of a smaller mid-section and to begin working with a physical therapist to get my body back to somewhat normal.  It won't ever be "normal" again because of the MS but I will at least be able to get back on my medications again within a short period of time after Arthur's birth.

I'm torn in half between dreading daily injections again and being overjoyed to be back on my disease modifying drugs.  I do have an appointment coming up in early September with THE MS specialist in Bend.  I am THRILLED to have gotten an appointment with her.  While we were in Fort Wayne I had a neurologist and he was...ok.  But he wasn't a specialist and I didn't feel as though he was really working to dig in and find out what options would be best for me or had any specific knowledge regarding MS.  In Seattle I was really impressed with the doctor we started working with and the amazing MS center available but it was in downtown Seattle and getting there was a huge pain in the butt.  I did my research before moving to Bend and found the doctor I knew I wanted to work with and have since found out that she really is wonderful.  My interactions with her staff have so far been super positive.  I am looking forward to discussing medication options with her as well as potential exercise/diet options to be aware of.

While I had read that MS symptoms can diminish during pregnancy and, in some cases, the body can somewhat reset itself I have not really had this experience.  The tightness/tingling/numbness that I have experienced in my arms, chest, back of my neck/head, and along my legs...I guess that's pretty much everywhere, huh?...has not been as bad but it is still present and intensifies throughout the day.  My left leg has been more or less numb to the touch for the last several weeks although whether that's associated with the pregnancy or with my MS, I don't really know.  I have decided that if it continues for too long after delivery that I will seek out a steroid treatment to bring down any inflammation that may have occurred during the pregnancy and hopefully help prevent a future flare up.  Our biggest fear comes from the fact that the chance of a flare up post delivery is higher than it would normally be.  Considering how debilitating past flare ups have been for me this is a prospect that leaves me more or less terrified.  How will I take care of a newborn if I can't use my hands, or if I can't walk and what if both go out at the same time?  That has happened before and it could happen again...but those are hypothetical situations that I hope we have prepared for and now it's just one day at a time.

One of my greatest comforts comes from our move to Bend.  We had our baby shower here last weekend and I was incredibly moved by the number of people that showed up to show their support for Nora and our little family.  Some people we were meeting for the very first time and yet they brought us gifts and well wishes and offers of assistance should we need it.  There are others in this group of people that I feel are going to become regulars in our life here. I'm so grateful to have met them and look forward to the getting to know you process that turns acquaintances into friends.  I know that our living with Nora is going to be so helpful for all of us, especially if things do take a turn for the worse.  We are, again, lucky, lucky, lucky.  It never seems to fail that we find ourselves in the right place at the right time with the right people.  I could only be more content if all those that are far away that I love so much could be scooped up and brought here too.  But that is selfish of me and a mere daydream but a sincere wish nonetheless.

We stand at the edge of yet another precipice, hands held and ready to take the leap, and who knows what life is going to look like after Arthur is born.  I know the daydreams I have are rich and filled with love and no matter what happens, I feel that will be the case.  I am so lucky to be married to a husband that goes to the maximum extent he can to take care of our family, to have a son that never ceases to amaze me with his compassion and helpfulness, and a mother in law whose excitement, enthusiasm and willingness to help have been a balm to our little family.  I have no doubt there will be struggles, sleepless nights and many tears but...well...that sounds kind of normal for us anyway.  Only this time there will be a baby involved.  Three more days.  The countdown is nearly complete and another great adventure awaits.

And, just so this is not a totally photo free post, here are a few photos from the baby shower :)

   
There's still July to get caught up on and I'm hoping to get that taken care of between today and Wednesday....right now, I think I need to go eat a cupcake...

Catching up...a little at a time.

Where do I start?  What do I say?  Has it really been nearly TWO months since we arrived in Bend, OR???  And not a peep from me except through Facebook.  Sigh.  My time lately seems to be split between playing, working on projects around the house, or wallowing in pain from this pregnancy.   While I would love to type out a story today, what I really want to do is post a crap ton of pictures and let them be the thousands of words I keep struggling to find.

At least a semblance of order is needed though so let's at least start with June when we first arrived.

Places to walk, kayak, and float abound in our new area and the Deschutes River that rolls through Bend is, as Andrew likes to call it, like the local swimming hole and hosts all these activities.  This is little Rosie saying hello to Tank and his owner David.  

Nora with her kayak.  She keeps it on top of her car all the time for those "just in case" moments.  And she's not alone. The emphasis on recreation around here is astonishing.  On our little street there are at least five RVs, including our little pop up camper, all ready to be used whenever.  You also see kayaks and bikes strapped to people's cars constantly and sometimes fully blown up floaties flapping around on top of peoples cars as they head to the river.  

Rosie on the otter statue by the river. 

I am shocked at how beautiful I find the rather barren and rocky landscape that we live in.  Living in the high desert has taught me that you must ALWAYS carry: water, lip balm, sunscreen and lotion.  It is dry, dry, dry here and the UV index is nearly always high.  One of the first things I purchased for myself was a 24 oz water bottle and I'm pretty sure I fill that thing up anywhere between 4 and 6 times a day.  I have never been this well hydrated in my life. 

I'm so slow! Always walking behind my boys :)  

Otters will always make me think of Megan...along with about a million other things every day. 

One of the things we were encouraged to do by Nora was to make the house feel like home and boy was I chomping at the bit to do so.  My love of pinterest came in handy again when it came time to do some redecorating/re-organizing that would make us all feel more comfortable in our shared space.  While living with an in law, or one's parent as Andrew is doing, there is certainly a level of trepidation - will it work out?  Will we all get along ok?  How will we handle being in each other's space all the time? I would have to say that we are all quite happy with our living situation.  Andrew and I wasted very little time taking Nora up on her offer of making the place feel more like us.  

Before pictures of the living room....

Mounting the TV on the wall was an absolute must for one of the major projects we wanted to get done.  

We put together a shelf system with boards that we picked up from the Restore in Bend.  I painted them and added a pretty trim and then looked at the wall and sighed...I really wish we would have painted the wall first...Thankfully I said that at just the right time and I also married a man who loves me enough to know that I have a need to paint and see projects as close to completion as possible....so....

We took everything down, ran to Lowes, picked out the color and had the wall done in about two hours. 

Andrew set up a barricade to keep the dogs from brushing against the wet paint while we went and had a celebratory dinner: this was the day Andrew found out that he had already landed a job in Bend.  One huge concern DOWN.  We had sushi that night and it was so so good...

And then it was time to get it all back on the walls.  

And this is the most recent photo, taken yesterday, of our all up against the wall entertainment center. I find myself absolutely loving this wall every time I look at it.  The shelves and walls are filled with art from family and friends, photos and knick knacks that define our past and show the different things we love in our life.  We have also been given a few plants that now make the room feel even more alive and vibrant.  We love our little set up :) 

What a cute little town we live in!! :)  The downtown area is so quaint!  There are primarily independently owned shops - restaurants, coffee shops, little boutiques - in the downtown area and somedays it can feel really busy and others can feel like lazy, peaceful days in a small town.  I love it. 

I love this guy too...

And the random displays of sculptures, fountains and art work that are all over the place.  

The end of June was also when we said goodbye to Aydan and let him take off for Fort Wayne for a full month.  We have all agreed since then that a month apart for the three of us is just TOO much.  I find that one of the things in my life that I am so incredibly grateful for is how well our little family gets along and how much we honestly enjoy each other's company.  

Walking through Seattle airport. 

Waiting for his plane to take off...and yes, I did cry and wave goodbye to the plane when it pulled away even though I knew he couldn't see me.  

The trip to the Seattle airport from Bend was kind of a nightmare.  Seven hours in the car, and then a terrible dinner experience, followed by a not so great hotel stay and an incredibly early morning arrival at the airport followed by a seven hour drive back to Bend.  Fourteen hours in the car in a 24 hour period of time is not exactly my cup of tea.  Thankfully, we were able to get Aydan's return flight re-routed to the tiny little Redmond airport that is a short, easy 20 minute drive from Bend and we were right there when he came down the ramp from the plane.  There was more crying when he got home and lots of hugging.  What can I say, I'm a little bit fond of  my kid and it was so good to have him home. 

So...that's at least June...we are sitting at Looney Bean coffee shop at the moment but now we need to be off to support our new friend, Sara, who will be reading from her recently published book at the library down town.  We are so excited for her and excited to already be establishing a new circle of friends.  I'm going to post what I have done so far just so it's done and maybe I'll come back later and get the month of July wrapped up too.  

Love to all!!!