Kindness

There was a nurse in the postpartum area of the hospital after having Mikey who I keep thinking about. She was a little rough around the edges and stood out from the others because of it. On my first morning she came into our room around 11am and seemed surprised, "You're still here?" I replied, "Yeah - I didn't have the baby until 11:30 last night" and she said, "Oh, I know. I just thought you'd have left by now because you're doing so well."

I sort-of chuckled and said, "Nope. I'm going to enjoy this quiet time with the new baby today. There are a lot of excited kids at home waiting for us and grandma's got them handled just fine while we're here."

That's when she told me how nice that must be. When she had her children she didn't have the support of her husband/the baby's father or family. She said she had to have her babies and get on out of the hospital fast because a neighbor usually had her other children - and there was food to be made, laundry to be done, things to take care of.  She had her babies and got right back at it. Ouch!

I felt bad for her. That would be so rough having a brand new baby whom all you want to do is hold and stare at and get to know, and to have no support at home to allow you to do that and take some days to rest?  It has made me very thankful for ALL the kindness people have shown me this month. I have SO MUCH support, I feel so blessed.

Dinner has been brought in several times not counting the ones my mom and Shauna made while staying here. My kids have been hustled out the door for school, with lunches made and agendas signed by dad and grandmas while I slept in. Gifts have been delivered to the door by friends and neighbors. Teenage girls have volunteered to come sit and hold the baby during busy afternoon hours. My friends have come over to watch the baby and Claire while I run errands. Tyler has stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to let me sleep before the baby needs to be fed again. The ladies I work with at church are covering my responibilites in young women's this month and next. And just generally, so many people are lifting little bits of my load and making it so manageable!

I feel so grateful and lucky for this. I recognize our blessings.