Who Does This Body Belong to Again?

My body is doing some pretty amazing things. Like hiding my bellybutton from me. Seriously, I can't even tell if I have one anymore. And preventing any hair from falling out. It's incredible. The hair I find in the shower or clean off bathroom counters is about 1/2 inch long and very dark. HA! JR! My body grows my fingernails fast enough that I have to cut them every 5 days just to stay sane (thank you Rhonda's Piano Studio for creating a lover of short fingernails). My feet have grown over three half sizes, I never get acne, my skin tans without burning or peeling, my body rejects the gallon of water I chug everyday in the form of acid reflex, and the moles! Don't get me started on the moles...

And speaking of feet... Mine are referred to by me as elephant feet, and husband has lovingly nicknamed them "The Hooves." It makes me laugh hysterically every time. This whole experience with my feet growing really has me in awe of human skin. Like, I didn't even know I had that much on my feet, let alone that it could stretch so much. I really think the hooves should have some stretchmarks to show for the work they've been doing. I wear compression socks a lot to help with the swelling, and the other day when I took them off this is what I found:

THAT. Ladies and gentlemen, if you couldn't tell, is the Nike logo imprinted on my feet. Haha! 

Despite all the crazy things my body is doing, I'll tell you what, I'm kind of in love with baby hiccups. And it makes me laugh every time Michael Blake stretches out on a single side of my belly and makes me look like Quasimodo, if you picture the hunchback in the front. Sometimes I get teary when I hear his little heartbeat, and I can't help but think what a miracle it is to be a part of creating a little human.

Also, if anyone else tries to call my feet anything other than feet, I will probably be delivering a child in the Utah State prison system.

Okay, You Can Come Now

I climbed a lot of stairs and lifted all the things this weekend. First, it made me very grateful for my body and what it can easily do without a 9-month pregnant belly. It also made me feel much less OCD about the state of the nursery.

I know I said I wanted to have a baby on July 20th. I changed my mind and asked Michael to please stay in a bit longer and maybe actually to not come out at all. I'm not ready!! I hadn't washed his clothes, his nursery wasn't ready and I didn't have any nursing pads. All those things have since been remedied. It makes me feel a little more ready, but still... now I have to think about this mom thing? That's a little more nebulous and intangible. It's not like I can check "mommy readiness" off my ever present To Do list, right?

It's in the scary times like this that I'm beyond grateful for a husband who holds the priesthood. He gave me one of the most personal and powerful blessings I have ever received. And suddenly all the insecurities and physical pain and discouragement became about something bigger than me with accessible help much bigger than me. I was so humbled to be reminded of the gift of motherhood and to be directed to access help and comfort from my Heavenly Father as well as my eternal teammate, JR. I know, rocket science right? Like I said, humbling. I am truly blessed to have a Heavenly Father who knows me so personally and a husband who can speak for Him.

And then, in the middle of all this goodness, we got the nursery done! There are a few minor things that still need to be hung but overall it turned out even better than we hoped. I don't know how to take those cute "room reveal" pictures, so you're getting iPhone pictures that may or may not include Ted.

All About Him

Happiest of birthdays this past weekend to the leading man in my life. He got hooked on fly fishing (pun intended) while on a quick birthday trip and even caught a fish as big as my newest (most cutest) nephew! That's 18 inches (!!) for the record. After the fishing trip we went to dinner with some of our closest friends and then enjoyed presents, cake and ice cream at home.

It wasn't my best, most shining moment of a weekend, and I feel pretty bad about being so difficult BUT if there was any silver lining to my dramatics: it reminded me what a catch (again, pun intended) JR really is for a whole host of reasons. These are a few that really made a difference on his very own birthday weekend:

Loyalty
My husband is fiercely, consistently loyal. Sometimes I stare at him open-mouthed, puzzling his never-changing answer; "I'm on your side. We're on the same team." That response (for either of us, really) doesn't ever change. I don't know why it still surprises me sometimes, or why I still need to be reminded but it sure makes me feel like I can conquer the universe.

Patience
When I get crazy because I'm a girl, and I'm pregnant, and it's really hot, and I'm kind of a diva, I tend to think the very worst of the situation in a super crazy way. Like, picture Einstein hair, blood-shot eyes, foaming at the mouth-type crazy. Typical situations can quickly escalate to the end of the world for me.

IF I can sit down long enough for JR to talk a shred of sense into me, he always puts my world back together piece by loving piece.

Humility
I'm ashamed to admit, and I could rationalize that I am still busy internalizing a situation...the fact is, JR is always the first to tackle the resolution or to say "I'm sorry."

It is for these and so many more qualities that I am beyond grateful for the man I call my husband. To borrow from a hot summer idiom, he is the snow to my cone, and the perfect compliment to all my imperfections. I adore him for all the ways he makes me fall in love with him over and over again. I love you, JR Sandoval. I'm forever grateful I found my missing piece.

You Might Get Stopped at Security If...

Almost everyone is home! Sorry Dad, he's alone in the DR. We're counting down the days until you're here too! JR was pretty excited to see all the kids and really couldn't even stop talking about it. We've missed the foreigners! Of course brother time that first weekend was spent baseballing. Watching games, talking rules, spouting trivia, and hunting down a ball park for an impromptu ball game.

The next morning husband demonstrated his love in the best way he knows how...a reenactment of COPs with the youngers.

Can you tell he missed them? The drill actually started when we found out that Rianon tried to pack a knife and two full bottles of water through security. The knife, unfortunately was McKay's and now belongs to an un-bribe-able security agent in the DR. This demonstration was meant to scare Rianon out of any further trickery. It came complete with Husband's best Air Force voice demanding stashed weapons and complete cooperation. And this is how we do family time...

Things that Make a Baby Come Early

This list is by no means scientific, but really...it's got to hold some kind of weight. It's a list of all the worst things I'm doing that may (or may not) either kill me or put me into early labor. We're obviously hoping for the later. Also, Michael Blake has the hiccups right now.

1. Starting my 5 week formula 2.5 weeks early
Yes, I know the bottle says start 5 weeks from your due date, but if I'm to have a baby 2.5 weeks early I should plan accordingly, right? That was my exact thought process. We need to be prepped, ya know?

2. Walking 4 miles in 98 degree weather
Two weeks ago we went to the Warriors of the Wasatch air show at Hill Air Force Base. First, let me just say, husband was in his own personal heaven. He proudly wore his Air Force shirt, and I proudly waddled next to him all day.
We toured airplanes, watched the Thunderbirds and their death-defying aerial acrobatics, saw our good friends Ashley and Brian and their new baby, took a million pictures, and walked. They said there were over 200,000 people at the show, so we skipped the line to the shuttle bus and walked back to our car. Don't even worry, as soon as I made it to the car the pants came off and the AC came on fullest blast.

3. Bear Lake
We had a blast over the Fourth at a family reunion Bear Lake style. Climbing in and out of boats, staying in the sun all day and camping are maybe three things that are not high on a list of things to do your 36th week of pregnancy, but remember the goal here. Maybe it did something, because I had contractions the whole drive home. Yes!

4. Reading all kinds of early first baby stories
There are plenty of these out there. I'm finding every single one. And thank you to friends like Lindsay who tell me about real live people having babies two weeks early.

5. Assembling Little Giant ladders and climbing to the tipy top

It's really as bad as it sounds. I'm trying to help where I can in the nursery. JR was busy and the ceilings are vaulted. What's a girl to do? My touch up paint job for sure isn't as good as JR's would be, but I did it. One wall is done, and I'm for sure leaving that monster ladder right where it is.

From Mama

Michael Blake,

Sweet boy, it's your mama. It's hard to believe you'll be here in 13 days (if you mind me and take my preference for your birthday into serious consideration, will you?). Your papa set up your crib last week, and I couldn't wait to put all your bedding together. It's adorable. I promise, there's great incentive to come early. Like lots more room in your very cute crib for starters. And an adoring papa for another.

I can make sure your nursery is nice and comfy when you decide to come, but let's make a truce now. I promise to be patient as you figure out how to sleep and breathe and eat and be a little human. Will you be patient too as I try to figure it all out? See, with a new baby comes a new mama too. I've never done anything like this before, but I promise, cross my heart, to do my very best to make your journey from heaven to our home as seamless as possible.

I promise to sing you lullabies, and wish big wonderful things for you, to make you learn how to play the piano, and help you with your homework (unless it's math, then papa is your only hope). I promise to feed you balanced meals as often as possible, and teach you how to love and respect and to dream. I promise to work on understanding your side, and to try to not always be right, to say I'm sorry when I'm wrong and to teach you to do the same. I promise to let you ask as many questions as I can handle, and to let you talk as long as I can possibly remain sane. I promise to take every opportunity to teach you how much you are loved and all about how special you are because you are part of a bigger, beautiful plan.

Can you just promise to take it easy on me? Let me mess up once in awhile, and give me slobbery kisses when I feel like I've failed you. Every now and again will you beg for a story? Don't let Ted influence all your messes, and for those messes you come up with all on your own, please don't involve Ted in the ones that involve anything injested.

I love you so much already, baby boy. Come meet us soon! 

Love,

Mama