To everything...turn, turn, turn

It's amazing how adaptable humans can be. Taken out of their element for a length of time and the definition of 'normal' changes very quickly. My parents said that when I lived in South Africa as a child, it wasn't long before my siblings and I had picked up our own little accent. Moving and going on trips is like that for me too, it doesn't take long for it to feel so normal that it feels strange to think of anything else as being the status quo. I remember as a kid almost forgetting what it was like to feel well when I was sick, and vice versa. Pregnancy has the same effect. You get so used to feeling movements inside you, and navigating the world with a huge belly that when you finally give birth, it takes a while to get used to having your body to yourself again. There were times when I could swear I felt kicks after Judah was born....pretty trippy feeling. Staying at the hospital, sitting on my ass all day has become so 'normal' now too. The room, the nurses, the rituals, the boredom busting....everything is so common now. Although, every little reminder of the usual things I used to do while not on bedrest make me miss them and look forward to experiencing them again. Even, or maybe especially, the little things that kept my life humming with activity. The things that I took for granted because they were just 'normal' stuff. But instead of remembering all those things and pining after them, making my stay here that much more unbearable, I've purposed to allow it to give me a fresh appreciation for my life and the day to day things that happen in it. What also happens when I start appreciating the things I can't have again just yet, is that it forces me to think about the things that I know I'll miss and wish I'd appreciated about bedrest, and to appreciate them while I have the chance to. It's a refreshing way to look at what could be just a depressing, difficult time in my life. I'm scrapbooking for the first time in over 10 years, I knitted two teddy bears, I've read through more books the last 8 weeks than I have the last 3 years, and I have time to think and pray and study. Not to mention having a nurse right outside my door to calm my nerves, or get me fresh water whenever I want. And although the food gets really really old, it's nice to just call down for something when I feel hungry. I'm SO looking forward to being back home, and taking care of my boys and my house again, but I want to appreciate every stage of life, and find the joy in each day even the hard ones....... especially the hard ones.