Calming A 39 Week Pregnant Woman

I have never done well dealing with stressful situation, especially when the end result is completely out of my hands. Being 37 weeks pregnant and thrown into one of those situations is even worse. Two weeks ago at my check-up it came to the surface that the clinic I go to did not have our insurance information correct. Just after finding out we were pregnant our insurance changed. At one of my first appointments I gave the office our new insurance card, they made a copy of it, and I didn't think any more of it for the next 7 months. Somehow our new information did not get put into their system, but to make matters worse, my doctor doesn't accept our insurance! How did this happen?! I kicked myself for not double checking that my doctor was a provider for our plan. I figured because our new insurance worked with IHC and my doctor did all was well, we were good to go. I also assumed the clinic would let me know if there were any issues. Somehow we both messed up and now being 39 weeks pregnant I still don't know who is going to deliver my baby. To spare you all the details of the many many phone calls I've made to the insurance company, I'll just say we are waiting for them to decide if they will make an exception and consider my doctor to be a provider just for this pregnancy and delivery.

Naturally I was stressed, emotional, and devastated when all of this happened. I really like my doctor and trust in his experience and judgement. He has a solid character and integrity as well, for which I am grateful. Realizing much of this was the clinics fault, he told me he would wave as much of the expenses as he could if the insurance wouldn't cooperate. He also has continued to see me for checkups and did two needed ultrasounds free of charge. Not only am I grateful for an understanding doctor, but for a loving Heavenly Father. After my appointment when the unfortunate news surfaced, I got in my car and completely broke down. All the stressful tears I had held back inside the clinic were freely flowing. Worry about what this could do to us financially overcame me. I said a silent prayer the whole way home and felt a peaceful reassurance everything would work out. Peace and comfort has filled my heart many times over the last two weeks as I've waited for everything to get sorted out. Although waiting to hear from our insurance and waiting for a baby to come is an unpleasant combination, I still feel at peace. Putting my confidence in the Lord by turning to him through prayer has help me deal with the crazy situation. The Atonement is real and infinite- so infinite it can calm an emotional pregnant woman's heart and mind. I'm truly grateful to know I have a Savior, a wise Heavenly Father, and knowledge of the Plan of Happiness.

Pregnancy The Second Time Around

Being pregnant the second time around is much less exciting. With Jack I knew exactly how many weeks and days I was into the pregnancy. I wrote down my blood pressure, current weight, pregnancy weight gain, belly measurement, and Jack's heart rate after every doctor's appointment. And I could have probably told you how many times I felt him move around throughout the day. My first pregnancy felt like it was never going to end, like Jack was never going to get here, but with good reason because he was a week late. The nine months were full of anticipation, excitement and plenty of nerves.

Everything seems to be quite the opposite this time around. I can't keep track of what week I'm on, I don't remember many, if any, of the stats from my last doctor appointment, and it seems like I just found out I was pregnant, not about to start my third trimester. The last 5 months have been a whirlwind for me and before I know it I'm going to have two little munchkins!

That thought, however, does provoke very similar feelings I had during my first pregnancy. I do get excited and wonder- Is he going to look like his big brother? What are we going to name him? Are he and Jack going to be best buds? What's his personality going to be like? I have been excited for this little guy to come, but there's lots of nerves this time around as well- How am I going to handle TWO?? Two under the age of two?!! What if this little guy has as much energy as Jack?! Will the recovery be as rough with this one?

Everyone says its much easier with two. But even if they are wrong, I know its possible. Its possible because of love. When I get tired of feeling the aches and pains of pregnancy and the frustrations and exhaustions of motherhood, Jack reminds me why its worth it. One glimpse of him finding the cat on each page of his favorite book and saying "meow" or doing his signature dance move when he hears music he likes, then I know I can do it. I can handle the sleepless nights, the meltdowns, the ligament and hip pains, the blow outs, the stretch marks, the picky eating, the labor and delivery, the protests, and the postpartum recovery. Its possible and its worth it because of love. I know I'm going to love this little guy just as much as I love Jack. He'll bring with him his own set of special skills to torment and frustrate me, but also an abundance of moments that melt my heart and fill me with indescribable joy.

For the record, and to help me remember...

I am 24 weeks and 3 days

Approx. 15 weeks and 4 days left.

Merry Christmas and Good Bye 2012

2012 seemed to be a year of construction for us- physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual construction for our little family. So far all have been successful improvements.

The first construction of the year began on January 12, 2012, when our captain Jack became a new addition to our family. He has filled our life with so much joy! We love watching him grow and learn. Jack has an infectious smile and giggle, a fun-loving personality, and curiosity that keeps the house messy. Jack walks along furniture, loves playing with everything he shouldn’t, says da-da-da and ma-ma, and he knows where his nose is. Heavenly Father has put our hearts and spirits under construction, as Heath and I have learned the challenges and blessing of being parents. I’ve noticed we can better understand God’s divine qualities of love, sacrifice, and humility, as we become parents ourselves. No wonder families are central to His great Plan of Happiness!

Heath survived his first year of teaching Spanish at Hillcrest High School and is about half way through his second. Many people told us the first year of teaching can be rough- what a mental construction project for Heath. I think he learned a great deal of patience because several days of the year he would come home saying he felt like strangling a few of his not-so-mature students. I substituted at Hillcrest frequently before Jack was born and found out Heath is well respected and liked by the other staff and his students. No surprise there. Despite a rough season last spring, He really enjoys coaching the JV Baseball team. We’ll just say the Huskies have been going through some team rebuilding years… I was able to get on board coaching hurdles on the track team. It may be wrong to live vicariously through others, but I loved coaching something I can no longer do. It was an emotional “fix-it-up” project on a sore spot in my heart! It looks like I will be able to help with hurdles at Stansbury HS this spring as well. Go Stallions!

In April of 2012 we began looking into buying a home in Stansbury Park (near Grantsville and Tooele). After deciding building would be a smarter option for us, construction began mid-July. We coordinated with our builder to do some of the work ourselves. With the expertise help of our family and good friends, we successfully completed the roofing, electrical, tiling, hard wood floors, and painting. THANK YOU to everyone who helped us!!! What an exhausting adventure! I’m so glad we were able to be part of constructing the home where we will make great memories and raise our family. We moved in at the end of September and have found the construction projects never end with your own home. We love our neighborhood and ward. Everyone has made us feel so welcomed. I’ve had several experiences that reconfirmed to me this is where Heavenly Father wants us to be. 

We feel so blessed to have a home! It’s just the right size for now, and we have an unfinished basement when we need more room. That may be happening sooner than expected because our family will be expanding! Someone wiser than us wants two more little feet running across the carpet along side Jack. The estimated construction completion date is July 11, 2013. We couldn’t be happier! The week of Christmas I will be 12 weeks along. Because of its due date, Heath gave the baby the nickname Slurpee. We’ll let you know what flavor (boy or girl) when we find out!

We are grateful for the opportunities we’ve had in the last year to grow and change- to put our characters, our hearts, and spirits under construction so that we can become more like our Savior and accept His will. He provides this life with meaning and purpose. How grateful we are for Him and His Atonement. We hope you too can find ways to put yourself under construction to become more like him.

Merry Christmas!