A Trip to the Hospital

What a crazy little weekend. Life has a curious way of making you do things you know you should do but just don't. For me, that would be slowing down and focusing on things that matter most. The dishes aren't a priority, the laundry will still be there tomorrow and the next day, and all the toys will be strewn all over the floor the second they get picked up anyway. I like to have a clean and organized home, it makes me feel less stressed. And I like to be in control of everything around me. Sometimes it just doesn't matter.  The only thing that really matters is my family and doing things with my family that will keep us together forever. I am learning this the hard way.
Yesterday we spent part of the afternoon at the hospital.  I had been having really nasty lower ab pain and could barely walk so I called the doctor and the suggested to go to labor and delivery since its a Saturday. I really didn't want to go and was kinda nervous but Chris finally made the decision to go. So we packed some snacks and water, pulled Lincoln out of bed (he had just gone down for a nap), and headed to the hospital. I figured they would hear what I was complaining about and send us home but we went to a triage room instead and started all sorts of tests. They put on a monitor for the baby's heartbeat and another to monitor any contractions. I didn't really think I was having enough contractions to be worried just crazy pain below my belly. Turns out I was having contractions every 1-2 minutes and thus put me in the pre-term labor category. All the other tests they ran came back negative and I hadn't started to dialate yet, which is all good news and means my chance of having this baby within the two weeks are only 5% instead of 20%. So I got a shot to help stop the contractions and help the lower ab pain. And they sent us home. Well, we got home and I started feeling the pain come back. Grrrrrr! I'm sort of on bed rest.... Just taking it easy and listening to my body. Its so hard for me to just sit here and watch Chris take care of everything and not being able to play with Lincoln or clean the house. Just 9 more weeks, that's all that's left.
Well, after taking it easy yesterday and getting a good amount of sleep last night, I woke up feeling relatively pain free and was determined to not have it come back. No bending or picking up heavy-ish things, sitting down every little while and just being very careful. Well, that sort of helped. The only thing that really helps is laying down on my side. I've had plenty of time to browse instagram, pinterest and facebook. Then I started thinking that even though I can't do what I normally do-housework and tending Lincoln-I can do what matters on a personal level that I've been slacking on. I can read scriptures, plan FHE lessons, or even read more with Lincoln. I started reading a New Era article from 2008 by John Bytheway about scriptures that help us through almost anything. I didn't get far because the first scripture definitely hit home, It was 1 Nephi 11:17...We know that God loves His children. We don't know the meaning of everything or why certain things happen but we know God knows and loves us and wants us to learn and grow here. Part of the article told this  story... Brother Truman G. Madsen once asked President Hugh B. Brown of the First Presidency (1883–1975) why the Lord would put Abraham through the experience of being asked to sacrifice his own son. Obviously God knew that Abraham would be willing to do anything God commanded, and if that was so, why did the Lord put him through such a test? President Brown answered, “Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham” (Joseph Smith the Prophet[1989], 93).
Sitting here in bed, I realized maybe there is something I need to learn about me in this situation. The first thing that came to mind was "You really need to learn to slow down and be in the moment, especially with your family". Things can wait, people can't.
Sometimes, as hard as it is, it's nice to have reminders of doing the important things. Life goes quickly enough so it really is important to make sure to slow down and enjoy those fleeting moments we have with our family. I'm learning this the hard way, but at least I'm learning it!