So, we’re in week six of bedrest. It’s been an adventure.

We are having, of course, a baby girl. Because we had to keep the pattern and we’re really good at coordinating. 😉 The response from the children and Kit was, to put it mildly, quite enthusiastic. And I admit to crying when it was confirmed we had a healthy baby girl. Her name is Olivia Jean Pierce.

Last week & this we totally tossed lessons as life conspired against us with all sorts of things like flooding, mold, ripping out carpet and putting in new floors, garage doors breaking, Urgent Care visits, teeth chipping, allergies knocking kids out, etc, etc. We still did lots of reading but regular lessons? Not so much. We’re also in our final weeks of swimming, horseback riding, speech & PE which means lots of good-byes and changes in routine and that always throws the kids off. Add in Moira’s birthday (and the party that obviously could not be due to Mommy being on bedrest) and a teething toddler (though Mo’s teething, too! Funny, finally cutting her six year molars) and we’ll just say emotions have been fragile.

I’ve not felt up to reading novels with the kids lately, my brain has been feeling rather disjointed and anxious for obvious reasons. We’re doing lots of picture books and shorter story books, I put some books on hold for C to explore (How to Train Your Dragon being a big hit today, he’s almost finished it.) We’re letting them do a lot of arts & crafts, we’re encouraging a lot of outside time in the beautiful spring weather. I’ve found some new art books that Kit snagged from the library and I’ll post about those. We’ve written up our summer wish list and I’ll post that, too.

The older four kids know why I’m on bedrest (the non-scary PG version explanation) and they understand that (a) most pregnancies are NOT complicated like this (b) we all are invested in keeping their baby sister safe. They have been unbelievably patient and helpful, thoughtful and kind, they have been extraordinary. They have pitched in above and beyond all expectations. I hope that the lesson of this experience will stick in their minds and I think this time spent cuddling and reading and talking in my bed is going to be a good memory for them. They love to poke my belly (gently!) and we discuss how many weeks along I am (and C does the math to figure out how many weeks are left) and we see what size Olivia is in relation to various fruits (thanks, Babycenter.com!) We are reading books about Olivia the pig. (I’ve not read them before and they are very amusing, especially considering our children’s temperaments and the sonographer already pronouncing that our little Miss Olivia was a very active baby.) They talk about what life will be like with a new baby and we read books about birth and pregnancy. Their enthusiasm is heartwarming.

I am eager to be up again, my second trimester energy has arrived but it’s fighting with my bedrest induced soreness and aches and it’s frustrating. There are so many things we want to do this summer and we pray it will soon be possible, after we confirm all is well with the pregnancy.

I’m trying to remember that pregnancy is one of the most inspiring and incredible experiences any of us can witness and this will stick with them… the pregnancy, the birth (for those who choose to attend, presuming we don’t need a c-section) and the postpartum stage when we get a delicious new baby in the house. This is part of the joy of homeschooling, to share these times with our entire family and to see how they learn and adapt and grow and bond with a new family member in our little day to day interactions. I’m thankful we can share this, as challenging as bedrest has been it’s also created some beautiful moments and memories with our family crowded around my bed reading stories and imagining Olivia and singing her songs. I hope she can endure the adoration that is already coming her way. 🙂

So book lessons aren’t happening lately but the big lessons are certainly teaching us a lot.