So something else I pulled from General Conference is from that same talk where Sister Tanner quotes President Hinckley: "How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father and mother regarded their children as gifts from the God of Heaven and brought them up with true affection in wisdom and the admonition of the Lord. " It reminded me of a quote from one of Jodi Picoult's books My Sister's Keeper, (which is about kidney donation) & I should not have read it RIGHT when Weston got his transplant) where she states: "We never have children, we receive them."
Doug & I read a lot in the hospital. So here is the list we have read in the last two months. Doug read in one month Eragon & Eldest, which may not seem very much, but considering he wasn't there ALL day like I was, it is a lot because Eldest is really long.
I read the following:
Of the Twilight series, New Moon and Eclipse, How to be Lost, by Jodi Picoult, I read My Sister's Keeper, Perfect Match, Nineteen Minutes, Change of Heart, Salem Falls, The Pact, Picture Perfect, & the best one, Second Glance & that's all I can remember now.
Second Glance was by far my favorite and had this quote in it that really touched me. It just made me appreciate all the help from family, friends, nurses, doctors, our ward, & many people I don't even know who supported us in our time of need. We did all we could to help and comfort our little Weston. And when we could do no more, these people and our Father in Heaven took over.
"Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back."
There were several experiences where I felt "saved" by our nurses. One in particular hit me hard. Weston had a pretty bad bleed after his transplant and our night nurse asked if I was LDS. I said yes. She said, "Oh good, because I was singing him Primary songs last night." I had been feeling guilty for not staying nights and it comforted me to know that Weston was being so completely taken care after all I could do.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Reading & Quotes
Monkey Bread for the Monkey Head!
Random title I realize, but we had been dreaming about monkey bread since we were going to have it for conference (a tradition we borrowed/stole from Kristen Lee and our fat, satisfied bellies thank you for it :) We just have to learn not eat the whole thing ourselves in one Sunday). And during church, Sacrament meeting, mind you, I asked Weston if he wanted Monkey Bread for the Monkey Head. And he erupted into laughter. It was so funny. Maybe that doesn't sound funny to you at all, but we got a kick out of it.
I’ll be the first to admit I slept through the afternoon sessions of conference with every intention of watching them on my DVR. But I have been reading some posts on your blogs and wanted to share how touched I was by this talk in the Sunday morning session by Susan W. Tanner.
“I delight that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father who loves me. I learned of my divine identity in my earliest years at my mother’s side. Just recently, I saw my then three-year-old granddaughter learning her identity from her mother. Eliza had gone to bed distraught. She could be comforted only as her mother again told Eliza’s favorite true story about the special night when Heavenly Father distinctly and clearly whispered to her mommy’s heart that Eliza was a special spirit with a noble mission ahead. I take great delight in my role as a nurturer, which allows me to express my deepest identity as a woman…It is not only a mother’s primary responsibility but also part of our individual pre-mortal, mortal and eternal identity and purpose. To nurture is to teach, to foster development, to promote growth, to feed and to nourish. Who would not shout for joy at being given such a blessed role?"
This part struck me and I mentioned to one of Weston’s nurses the other day how he has been starting to fall asleep better on his own sometimes than when I rock him. This is the best part of my day: to watch Weston fall asleep and hold him in my arms and thank my Heavenly Father for bringing Weston once to me, then twice and in better condition than I had him before. How sad that he is already growing up! And when Doug and I felt so strongly that we were supposed to start our family, we knew throughout the pregnancy and even more so now that our Heavenly Father has big plans for him.
She continued, “I delight in the examples of those in the scriptures who walk by faith on their earthly journey. Each time I walk with Abraham and Isaac on the road to Mt. Moriah, I weep, knowing that Abraham does not know that there will be an angel and ram in the thicket at the end of the journey. We are each in the middle of our earthly path and we don’t know the rest of our own stories that we as Abraham are blessed with miracles. I delight in the Lord’s mercies and miracles. I know that his tender mercies and his miracles large and small are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus’ disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the fourth watch meaning near dawn. Yet, He did come. My testimony is that miracles do come though sometimes not until the fourth watch.”
I think that speaks for itself for my thoughts on miracles :)
I’ll be the first to admit I slept through the afternoon sessions of conference with every intention of watching them on my DVR. But I have been reading some posts on your blogs and wanted to share how touched I was by this talk in the Sunday morning session by Susan W. Tanner.
“I delight that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father who loves me. I learned of my divine identity in my earliest years at my mother’s side. Just recently, I saw my then three-year-old granddaughter learning her identity from her mother. Eliza had gone to bed distraught. She could be comforted only as her mother again told Eliza’s favorite true story about the special night when Heavenly Father distinctly and clearly whispered to her mommy’s heart that Eliza was a special spirit with a noble mission ahead. I take great delight in my role as a nurturer, which allows me to express my deepest identity as a woman…It is not only a mother’s primary responsibility but also part of our individual pre-mortal, mortal and eternal identity and purpose. To nurture is to teach, to foster development, to promote growth, to feed and to nourish. Who would not shout for joy at being given such a blessed role?"
This part struck me and I mentioned to one of Weston’s nurses the other day how he has been starting to fall asleep better on his own sometimes than when I rock him. This is the best part of my day: to watch Weston fall asleep and hold him in my arms and thank my Heavenly Father for bringing Weston once to me, then twice and in better condition than I had him before. How sad that he is already growing up! And when Doug and I felt so strongly that we were supposed to start our family, we knew throughout the pregnancy and even more so now that our Heavenly Father has big plans for him.
She continued, “I delight in the examples of those in the scriptures who walk by faith on their earthly journey. Each time I walk with Abraham and Isaac on the road to Mt. Moriah, I weep, knowing that Abraham does not know that there will be an angel and ram in the thicket at the end of the journey. We are each in the middle of our earthly path and we don’t know the rest of our own stories that we as Abraham are blessed with miracles. I delight in the Lord’s mercies and miracles. I know that his tender mercies and his miracles large and small are real. They come in His way and on His timetable. Sometimes it is not until we have reached our extremity. Jesus’ disciples on the Sea of Galilee had to toil in rowing against a contrary wind all through the night before Jesus finally came to their aid. He did not come until the fourth watch meaning near dawn. Yet, He did come. My testimony is that miracles do come though sometimes not until the fourth watch.”
I think that speaks for itself for my thoughts on miracles :)
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Hey Everybody! Come See How Good I Look!
Here are some Easter pics of our little man. "I'm ready to go golfing, Dad!"
I couldn't seem to get a good picture of the shoes...
Crazy Relatives!
We are fortunate enough to have Doug's family close just in Provo and Krissy Poo in Provo also. But we loved having tons of family visits the last few months! We are so grateful for all the support Doug's parents have provided and my true babysitter/nurse in training Kristen! We love them! & Of course you probably all know my mom came out TWICE! She is the best and my dad is the best for loaning us to her. She brought lots of fun toys for Weston which we love! Thank you!
But here are some snapshots of our adventures with out of towners...
Lisa hopped on a plane Week 2 of Weston's transplant. She brought her fun self and books that Weston loves. She got to spend some quality reading time with him. I thought these were so cute especially with his little hand holding the book. He is quite a reader. It is his favorite thing to do.
Grandma Joni came out and helped the last week of Weston's transplant. It was so fun to have her there. Doug & I were able to go on an actual DATE! We ate a whole bucket of popcorn & two large Diet Cokes. We felt so sick afterwards and had to pee like you wouldn't believe. I know this may seem a bit graphic....but I only mention it because Doug & I have been to a total of 3 movies since Weston was born. Needless to say, we were very grateful for Grandma's last minute visit!
Aaron & Kristen Lee made a very important pit stop at Cafe Rio and we were able to see them for a little bit. They also bought Weston Mooja II at Build-a-Bear. Weston loves it. It kind of freaks me out. I keep yelling at Mooja to get off the bed - thank you guys!
Kacey came out for her spring break and we had a lot of fun with her, also. & Of course, we're always glad to have Kristen up to visit....Mooja is very comfortable with Kristen...maybe too comfortable. I turned around and saw this and thought it was really weird.
We missed Aimee & Dad, but I'm sure we'll get to see them soon. Especially now that Aimee has a new job, Congrats! We're excited for her! We love you all and we were so happy to see everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
