Wow! The last five weeks have been a whirlwind of things to do. Ditty and Ginger (Michael's grandmother and mom) moved from Charlotte, NC down to Austin the weekend of September 10. When thinking about how much we've accomplished and been through lately I'm just so thankful for the timing of everything. I was still in my 2nd trimester which afforded me the energy and ability to take on this monumental move. As we approach our 1 month anniversary of all living together under one roof I feel like we've already begun to grow closer as a family. As all families living together experience, we've had our share of petty disagreements: over furniture placement or whether to keep a 60 year old hand-mixer (when we already have one). We're also learning how to best care for mom to meet all of her needs. It can be challenging at times and certainly takes comittment and patience. Just as we were all finding our groove, Ditty fell and broke her hip last weekend. She underwent major hip surgery and was just recently moved to a Rehabilitation Center, where she'll have to reside for the next 4 - 6 weeks. She's doing alright, considering her situation - better than I would have thought! We just hope for a speedy recovery so she can return home where she's most comfortable and around the people she loves. But, more than the frustrations and challenges, we're experiencing a new kind of love and joy in this family. It's not always easy and can be incredibly exhausting at times, but we know that it's all worth it. We have been so blessed and thankful:
- First to God for giving my husband a kind of strength and love he probably never knew he had until recently.
- Michael - I love you soooo much! You have labored over all three of us in this house and without any complaints or resentment. You have somehow managed to care for and meet the needs of mom and Ditty and still take the time to ask your pregnant wife what she wants for breakfast in the morning. Thank you babe!
- I'm incredibly thankful for how unified Michael and I have been since the move began. Despite our deepest fears about how our marriage would be impacted, we've shown each other more grace, support, and love than we could have imagined.
- To "Daddy Mike" and McLean thanks for coming up and helping out with the move, unpacking, and taking care of mom and Ditty so we could have a date night.
- To my mom and Aunt Lyn for helping us move-in, unpack, and organize.
- Cindy and Justin - thanks for the tasty meal last week! That helped us out so much!
- Toddy and Becky - for feeding me lunch and dinner for a day. Translation - no cooking for me! And they were two of my favorites - chili and spaghetti!
- To our friends and family who have been an encouragement to us over the last several weeks as we've made this transition. Thanks for all your support!
- We're also thankful for the caretaker, Amanda, that we hired last month. She has truly been a Godsend. We couldn't be doing this without her!!
- Thank you for the good sleep I'm still getting most nights, yoga (when I get to go), this house that gives us the space we all need, the cool air the changing season brings, and the little kicks and punches I receive daily to remind me that Baby Girl is almost here!
