"You'll Be Sore," They Said.

Today I'm feeling grateful. Really, for the past few weeks I've been feeling very grateful.

When I was about 38 weeks pregnant, they changed our ward boundaries and put us in a different ward. It was hard at first, because we had been in the 5th ward for about a year and were just starting to get used to it. When I found out we were leaving, my first thought was, "Oh no! I'm just about to have a baby!" I was sure to get lost in the transferring and confusion, so I was preparing to do it sans help. :) I was lucky that they moved half of our street into the new ward, because a lot of my close friends moved into the new ward too.

The very next day, I was on my way to the doctor because I had fallen. As we pulled out of the driveway, the Relief Society President, Mary, was running up to my car with a flier for the "get to know you" RS activity the next night. She was on top of things. I was impressed by how fun and excited she seemed. As we went to church the next two weeks, I realized that this was a huge blessing. The ward members were thrilled to have us (and our many children), and I've never felt so immediately welcome in a ward. I loved them.

After Stockton came, I was again surprised by how well we were taken care of. People brought us meals, visited, and brought us gifts. The most impressive part is that I didn't know a lot of them. I was so impressed by those people who offered to bring meals to a new mom they didn't even know. Again, I loved them immediately. What an inspiration! I thanked my Heavenly Father constantly for knowingly putting me into such a loving and service-filled ward.

Then came the kicker. When Stockton was 3 weeks old (Thanksgiving Day), I had an attack of pain in my abdomen so bad I thought I was going to die. Literally. I couldn't breathe or think, or even cry. I was writhing on the floor, screaming and panicking. Craig called 911 and the ambulance came to get me. As they were talking to me on the floor, I saw Brooklyn walk past in the hall and I thought, "What are we going to do with the kids?! It's Thanksgiving night!" They hoisted me up into the ambulance (I will leave out the details of puking my guts out and waving to the neighbors...) and Craig said the kids were fine and he was coming with me. Some caring neighbors had seen the lights and come right over to take the kids for us.

We got to the hospital and got settled. My pain had gone away, and Craig was fielding calls left and right from the bishop, neighbors, and family. Don't think you can call an ambulance to your house at night and no one will notice... Shortly after, another neighbor, Kelli, came to the hospital with Mary (RS President). They came right in and stayed with us for over an hour. It really helped to pass the time, and we had some good laughs. :) It was a relief to talk about things other than what was happening.

After 4-5 hours in the hospital, they sent us home. The ultrasound showed that my gallbladder was full of stones, but I wasn't in immediate danger. I was told to call the surgeon the next day and set up a consultation to see if I wanted it removed or just live with it. Ummm... what?

By "live with it", they mean eat no fat, no protein, and no dairy for the rest of your life or suffer the excruciating pain of an attack. Riiight. I'll take the surgery.

Since I had to make it through the next week with no fat, I called up my sister-in-law Stephanie who is very health-conscious. She came to the grocery store with me to get some fat-free foods that I could eat. I had already lost 4 pounds in the last 2 days, since I was terrified to eat anything. It was a rough week. In the meantime, I got many caring phone calls and text messages to make sure I was alright, and to let them know what I needed. My sweet new visiting teachers brought me dinner on Friday.

On to the surgery. I got the gallbladder out on Thursday, a week after Thanksgiving. The compassionate service leader was in constant communication with me, setting up dinners and volunteers to take my kids. It was incredible - I had never met her, or most of the people who offered. They figured out everything. Aunt Nancy came on the day of the surgery (eager to help, as usual) to watch Stockton while Brooklyn played with a friend. On Friday, Craig had to go back to work so another friend watched both kids all day, and 3 lovely ladies (Mary, Jane, and Julie) took turns coming over and being my nurse. Mary brought me her heated blanket to stay comfortable, and an extra ice pack. We received dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Soups. SO DELICIOUS. And perfect for me, who can't eat much. My visiting teaching companion is bringing us dinner tonight.

"You'll be sore," they said. Ha. What they should have said was, "You'll feel like you've been hit by a train." I wish they were more specific. "You'll have some shoulder pain," they said. What they should have said was, "You might think you've having a heart attack, but don't worry. You're not."

I am so overwhelmed by the generosity and concern of the people in my ward. I am grateful for the help of my family as well, but the ward has really surprised me. I felt so guilty, like I was just taking. First the baby, then the surgery... I couldn't babysit the kids of those who took my kids, or make dinner for others. But it definitely inspired me to do that when I'm able again. We are so blessed to be able to help one another, and being on the receiving end of that, I can say that I am amazed at the organization, dedication, and selfless love of these ward members. I can't think about it without getting choked up, because I know they are doing the work of the Lord. I know He sent them to care for me, and I am grateful they listened. It's hard to accept service. But give people the opportunity to do it. Right now I can only pray for those people to be blessed for their service. I am so grateful to everyone who showed concern, helped with my kids or brought us meals. Friends, family and neighbors who just asked how we were, encouraged me, and told me they were thinking about us.

Yesterday morning we were trying to figure out when Craig could shovel all the snow we got that morning. He was figuring out how to balance everything when I heard something outside. I opened my door, and there was our neighbor, shovelling our walk. Then a group came and shovelled our whole driveway. While smiling. Good people.

And what a champion of a husband I have! He had a whiny almost-3-year-old, a brand new baby who doesn't sleep through the night, and a drugged-up wife who can't do anything for herself. I was so impressed by his good attitude and patience. He was father, nurse, housekeeper, medication distributor, snow shoveler, and activities director. He is THE BEST.

Right now, both of my kids are at another neighbor and friend's house, because Craig is working and she wanted to help too. There is so much good in the world. Don't forget it!