What does she do all day??

I get that question a lot. After being on bedrest for nearly 13 weeks, people begin to wonder how I have survived it for that long. I'll share a little bit about my time over the past 13 weeks and hopefully, give you a little insight into the day of a lady stuck on bedrest!

At the beginning, it was really hard. I spent a lot of time watching t.v., on the computer and sleeping. It didn't help that I was in some pain for the first week after the surgery and then the pain from laying down all the time for the next couple of weeks. Eventually, I started reading books and have read the most books in a summer so far, since the summers I have spent in Italy. It has been nice to finally get through a book and not have it take a year or two.

Most days I end up taking a nap at some point, but I have been working hard to not take naps every day to help combat some of the headaches and promote a more peaceful sleep at night. In recent weeks, I have started getting back into my needle crafts. I had been working on a quilt for Ethan for the past 4 years and I finally finished it last weekend. My mom is going to put a backing on it for me, so that I can finally give it to him. I also ordered several cross stitch Christmas crafts that I will make and then donate to my church's holiday bazaar in November. I am almost done with the first one. I have been learning the art of online shopping and ordered those crafts along with a blanket for this baby. I'm going to alternate between the Christmas crafts and the blanket. The blanket has much bigger stitches, which are easier on my eyes and it is stamped cross stitch, which is easier on the brain :)

Every once in a while, I get to the point where I just want to work on some word puzzles. I have lots of variety puzzle books and I am just trying to work through them every once in awhile. It really depends on my mood. I really work hard to give myself a good variety, but I usually get stuck on doing one thing for a few days and then move to something else.

I had hoped to work on the scrapbooks, but that would have been if I had the time to gather that stuff together before I went on bedrest. Since bedrest started so early, I didn't have time to do that. I figure that if I get some of these other things done, I will take the time to organize myself after the baby comes and work on the pages as I can. I have all the stuff, but it is way too much work to tell Matt what I need and when, so it will be much easier for me to do it when I'm ready to.

My time on the computer has been spent playing some games and chatting with other women in high-risk pregnancies. It has been very helpful to me to know that I can get online and either get help for something that I need, or I can help someone else. I have two community boards online that I am a member of. At first, there was some skepticism on whether or not I should be involved in these boards, not on my part, but on others. But, as I have been telling the stories of some of the people I have met, I think everyone is starting to see how important this is to me. I have been able to help answer questions, using things that have happened with Ethan or even to me. It has been so great to be thanked by another mom for the help that I have given them.

It has become a support network for me, beyond all of our family and friends. These women are in the trenches with me. We are all going through the same roller coaster ride together. I can talk with others about the frustrations I have and I know they understand because they have the same frustrations. I can talk to them about the constant worries I have about this pregnancy and they will understand. It helps me to share these things with them, rather than cry because I feel like no one understands. It is so amazing that I can post a question, comment, or thought and within minutes I have several responses of advice, support or even just someone saying "it will be ok, I've been there too". Plus it helps me to not get anyone else worried about something, that is really just normal in pregnancy, by getting a question answered quickly enough that I don't get worried about it :) The best part is that I have read many stories of babies being born full-term after a cerclage, bedrest and preterm labor. It continually gives me hope that this pregnancy will end with a full-term birth!

The things that run through your mind during the day when all you have to do is think about taking care of this baby could make a person go mad. But, I have found that all of these little activities that I am doing to help me through this have kept me on the positive track. Like I said, having other women going through the same kinds of things has helped tremendously. Knowing that I am making a craft that I will donate has also been a really positive thing for me. It's all of those little things that make my day go faster and makes me stay positive and sane. I still have the difficult days, but a day here or there is better than having every day filled with negative thoughts and sleeping the day away.

I appreciate all of the positive little notes I get from all of you, whether it is a card, an email, or even a comment on the blog. It has helped to keep me going every day knowing that I have such supportive family and friends around us.