=D

I am Auntie Amber!  I can't wait for Angela to put up pictures (when have you ever heard me say THAT?!)  Eli is precious and I can't wait to see him again.  Candice, your dad had the funniest comment on a picture of me with Eli on Facebook - "There must be some way I'm related to that cute little baby!"  I can't wait to hear her birth story in full detail!  (If she wants to share it, that is!)

In slightly related news, not to be shared with her family yet, Heather has asked me to attend her birth!  OH MY GOSH!  What an honor, it will just be me and her husband if I understand correctly.  Wow wow wow.  This will be the second birth I've attended, though I expect I'll be more hands on.  I have bought two doula books and am taking notes for how to help her have the best birth possible!  Angela and becca, share your tips please!!  Also what you would love to happen for your next birth if you have one!  Though this will definitely be a hospital birth.

One of the books was "The Doula Guide to Birth."  It had tips for both women and attendants.  I actually bought the kindle version on Amazon, read the whole thing yesterday, and then returned it for a refund so that I could buy the paperback copy!  (I wouldn't have returned it just because I'm a fast reader; that would be wrong!)

The other book is "The Birth Partner" and I ordered the fourth edition, which hasn't actually even come out yet - I have to wait until the 7th!

 With Heather's baby girl due in June and our Spain trip in July, this would be a perfect time for my legs to start working - and in the last week they have been working very well!  In fact, the physical therapy people called me and I was like "Um, I'm not sure if I actually need PT now."  I had a dream that I walked around the block.  I've been doing exercises - really just made-up depending on what feels good for my legs.  I feel like I did in July before I thought anything was seriously wrong.  I still get out of breath really easily but I can do the stairs and laundry and be up and about for like ten minutes at a time.  I'm still sleeping SO much but maybe it's good for me.

I don't know if this is the medication (doubtful since it's not intended to help symptoms and I've been on it less than a month) or a remission.  But since the first time I noticed the symptom was in July, the MS nurse told me I might have a remission soon so I hope this is it.  And especially I hope that they will fully, not partially, recover.  I'm sure being an active birth partner (and not just drinking tea and watching a woman in a tub) takes some strength and energy. 

And I do not want to take the wheelchair to Spain.  Actually lately I've been hating the chair and having to convince myself to get in it.  Maybe that's a sign that my body is like "Noooo I'm working to get betterrrrrr!"  Anyway I haven't told too many people this, I really want to wait a few more days to see if it lasts.

So here are my brags:

I am almost caught up on laundry.  I have gotten up early and come downstairs to make Joe coffee four days in a row.  I have spent time with Jesus every day for probably the last two weeks.  Since Janae helped me clean up the downstairs for our New Years Eve game night, I have kept it tidy.

Here are my immediate goals for the day:

• Finish up the clothes laundry and start on the blankets.
• Take care of 10 receipts.
• Work on reading my Anne Lamott book, Bird by Bird - recommended by Janae to help me not procrastinate on my writing!  I got the ebook version from the library so I need to finish it before it expires.