Coping.

It's been awhile...well, we're still hanging on here in the Phinney house. It's been a rough month, like really really rough. And I thought October was rough. On the one hand I guess all the stuff we've been dealing with has slowly ramped up which is better than being hit with a bunch of things all at once.

I've learned that pain is a relative thing. There are many things in life that are painful, but I can now say that a broken rib is the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Mainly because the pain is so constant, it just doesn't go away or get better. Sitting, laying, twisting, bending, coughing, laughing, picking things up, even breathing all give me a sharp pain in my rib. Sometimes it's a little duller, sometimes I wince or yelp out loud, but I can't go more than a minute without feeling the pain. I can't ride in the car anymore, it's too painful to feel the bumps and turns of someone else navigating the road. Sleep was horrible for awhile I was waking 8-10 times a night or laying awake for hours at a time. Coupled with the asthma that keeps me from walking outside or up stairs, I've pretty much been a shut in. I've been narcotic pain med free for nearly two weeks (I don't want P5 to be born drug addicted) and I'm now on a safe prescription sleep medicine that helps me rest better.

I'm trying to remain positive through all of this, because I know there are worse things to be going through. I'm lucky for so many reasons - I have a great husband who is (trying) his best to help and make things easier for me (though I have learned through this that although he is a very hard worker, being a caretaker is not one of his strong suits). I've luckily had help too. For a few weeks we had a few days a week of nanny care for M2, and our cleaning lady has been awesome about coming twice as often and for more time to do simple things like dishes and laundry. I've been grocery shopping online, Christmas shopping online, and my friends have helped keep my spirits up.

I'm looking forward to the holiday season, and I'm really looking forward to meeting our little guy! I'm a few days away from being 37 weeks (full term) and I am excited to have a newborn again (and to no longer be pregnant).

I've tried hard to not complain too much, and this month being Thanksgiving has been good because I've been trying to put a postive and thankful post on FB at least every few days.