Lifesavers

During the past two weeks at the hospital, I have discovered a few things that made the entire ordeal bearable.

- My water bottle - I love this thing. We bought it at REI a few weeks ago. I thought it would be a good bottle to take to the gym since my old one spilled like crazy. But it has proven its worth long before I return to the gym. It doesn't spill and I can drink from it lying down in bed, so at a hospital, it's perfect. I recommend one to all pregnant mothers!

- My sleeping mask - I'm sure I would have never had any sleep while in the hospital without it!

- My own pillow - Hospital pillows are not squishable or moldable. So even though Paul wondered why I brought my pillow with me from Texas, I am more than glad I did.

- Lots of pillows - By the end of my hospital stay, I mastered the use of hospital pillows. I learned how to manipulate them to make the bed more comfortable. In the end I was using 8 pillows to cushion my body and help me be relatively comfortable (true comfort is not possible in a hospital).

- My husband - For 9 nights he slept on a not comfortable bed, in his clothes. He only left my side to get some food for himself, since he quickly depleated his supply of Skittles and Starbursts. He spent hours in boredom. We watched a lot of soccer. But he was always there to talk to me, to hold my hand, and to give me the strength to get through the hardest moments. After Anna came, he spent his days in Ontario with Hattie so that she would have the companionship of her parents for a while. And now he is alone in Texas and having to start school again while his mind and family is here in Oregon. I am so grateful for his patience, his faith, his sacrifice, and his confidence through this all. I am more than anxious to be together as a family again.

- Prayer - There were moments when I thought the physical pain was unbearable, moments when I was scared for the life of our baby, and moments of worry for the stress on our family. But through it all, I felt remarkably calm. Through prayer and the Holy Ghost, I was able to find and maintain peace.