::Insert Jeopardy Theme Song Here::

Pray, drink organic raspberry leaf tea, prenatal yoga, gym, other physical activities :), go to college football games, finish up my last semester of grad school, dance around the living room, walk until my feet can't take it anymore, go swimming almost every night, visit what seems like everyone in the world, receive a bazillion texts/voicemails/FB messages saying, "Where's the baby?"...there's really not much more I can do. One thing I will NOT do: caster oil. I've heard only terrible, I mean truly, horrifying stories from women who tried caster oil. Don't waste your time in trying to convince me, I WILL NOT TAKE CASTER OIL.

So maybe this little guy just needs a few more days. Or maybe he's been eavesdropping in on all the conversations happening in front of him, and realizes there are way too many excited grandparents, friends, neighbors, family, people from church that won't give him a moment of peace once he leaves his watery world and is forced to be held by ALL    THESE    PEOPLE. Maybe he's a chill kid and just wants a moment of reflection before the chaos. Or perhaps like his mom (and dad too :) he's a bit of a procrastinator.

Whatever the reason, I'm willing to give him the time he needs. Yes my hips feel broken every time I move from standing to sitting, or sitting to standing. I still wake up a handful of times at night to make a bathroom trip-sometimes even fall asleep on the toilet, lol. People still gawk at the gym-as if strengthening your child's heart muscles was a bad thing. My poor husband still asks me every morning, quite reluctantly, "Do I have to go to work today?" And the whole Jones family is coming into town next week. Somehow amidst all that, I've come to a place of peace. Truly a task if you know little ol' impatient me :) But really, what's the rush? Why does he need to come right now? Because our schedules desire that? Because we can't wait? Because we can't handle not knowing?

There is one thing I know: I am not in control. The one who is, is far more powerful, loving and wonderful than I will ever be. God loves this baby more than I do-a very hard concept to wrap my brain around! So I choose to go by his perfect timing. Maybe once this kettle isn't watched so closely it'll start to boil-who knows.

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

Today is the day they say you're "due," but I feel amazing even after waking up 4 times last night...so I think you have other plans :) I have to admit I would LOVE to see you right now-to meet you, to hold you, to kiss you, to be so in awe of you, but I understand if you need a little more time. Now let's make something clear: a LITTLE more time in my mind consists of a handful of days or less, not two weeks. Just so we're on the same page.

This last week has been pretty funny with everyone expecting your arrival. I just have to share with you some of the crazy things others have said/done.

EVERYONE in the family keeps tabs on us in a way they think is "discreet" but I see right through it. It's ok, I know they're all excited too. I've never gotten so many texts before :) Anyway, last Wednesday your great grandma Miranda called because she was thinking of me and wondering how everything was going. I sort of got my hopes up because the last time she called, she woke me up and I realized we had slept through the alarm to get to work! She said, "Oh, the Lord must have told me to call you this morning." I thought, "No kidding! We have to leave in 10 minutes!!" So when she called on my way to a doctor's appointment this time, and I had already woken up feeling "off," I got hopeful. No such luck though.

Yesterday at church, the bass player (who is always joking around with me) says so empathetically, "Ohh Andrea, you look over pregnant" to which I responded, "I feel over pregnant." He just shook his head as if to say, "You poor thing."

Then we met with a friend of mine from high school, who is living in New York. The first thing he says is, "Oh my goodness! You're so much baby!"

I walk to the bathroom of the same restaurant and the manager asks me when I'm due and says I look great-you can't even tell from the back that I'm pregnant. She wishes us good luck as we're leaving-super sweet.

Then last night I woke up 4 times. The second time my body woke me up because my acid reflux caused me to puke in my mouth. I jumped out of bed, even though I was just asleep. Good thing too because I probably could have choked on that had my body not reacted. What did you do? Stomp on my stomach?! Man kid, you're feisty :)

Then your Grandma Jane FB messages me saying, "It's 2 am and I'm wide awake! Am I going to be a grandma yet?!" I was up, so I responded. Then earlier this morning she tells me that your great grandpa Anderson was up at 2 am too. He had a dream that I was with elephants and was pregnant for 2.5 years!! Last night was a crazy night for sure.

So I just finished one more final, which means one more class is left in my master's program. Your dad is convinced that the second I finish that final proposal you'll decide to make your grand debut...but please, DON'T wait for that. I'm ready for you right now :)

So my little one, start packing your stuff, tell the chemicals in my brain its time and let's meet. I can't wait to see you. Be safe, remember, head first, and let's go for an all-time record of 2.5 hours of labor start to finish :)

Love you,
Mom

Quiet, but not for long

 I woke up this morning at 7am, which is only sleeping in half an hour for me...even though I went to bed at midnight. I let the dogs out, grabbed a bowl of the new cereal I obsess over (Trader Joe's Pomegranate something or other) and closed the bedroom door to let my hunny get some more sleep. The house is really peaceful, it's totally quiet. Even the neighbor's landscapers aren't here yet as is Saturday morning ritual. And I couldn't help but think, "How long will things be like this?"

I've been very contemplative recently, mostly about how every one and their chameleon insists that "life will never be the same." I know things will be different. I know things will be hard at times. But I also know that as a family, we haven't been called to be "the same." Patrick and I talk about this often. We're not "status quo" kind of people. We take things as they come, and adjust. Sometimes we even plan for insanity! Like, for example, the time I decided to take 17 graduate credits in my first semester of grad school, teach three classes, and take on an internship of 24 hours/week. Oh yeah, AND! we moved twice-once out of the Mesa house because our renters were moving in, but our new house hadn't closed yet. So we moved in with my parents for about a month. THEN twice when we moved in to the Scottsdale house. Meanwhile, Patrick was commuting 45-60 minutes one way to work. I'm happy to put that part of our life in the file titled "to never do again." Oh well, you live and learn. But we're still here. No one died, no relationships were broken...we just had to give my mom's herb garden a little time to grow back after the dogs massacred the beautiful greens. Oopsies. :)

Chaos aside, I think that time in our life was a huge growing experience for both of us. There were points when I was exhausted and so mentally overwhelmed words could not describe ::enter flowing tears here::, and Patrick came to my rescue. He didn't just stroke my hair and say, "there, there," he helped me find the last drop of inner strength WAY deep down to persevere, to keep going. And we did it together.

I think there were moments he couldn't handle either. I recall cramming the last of our stuff in my dad's truck as the renters pulled up with their UHAUL. They did a walk through with Patrick, who was exhausted and overwhelmed, dirty from moving, sweaty, just came "home" from work. They complained about every bump in the wall, every speck of dust they could find, why we only had one garage door remote and not two-he was going to crawl in a hole and shut the cave door behind him. I could tell by the look in his eyes. I was trying to deal with the, what seemed like, million questions from all the people that were helping us move and I asked Patrick a question. I looked in his eyes-blank. It was too much, way too much. I took him by the shoulder, gave him a task that would get him away from all this mess, then I dealt with the rest. We finally got to my parents' house and went for a walk-just the two of us. It was just too much. Somehow we got through it.

In the past 4.5 years of our marriage I can think of many stories like these. Times when one of us flipped, and the other picked up the slack. We've learned pretty quickly how to preemptively intersect that kind of disaster now. Or times we made a trip out to California every weekend of the month because there were weddings and funerals galore. Talk about emotional roller coaster. And we're still here...whole...and stronger together.

I'm not going to pretend that we've been through life's worst times. Really our life together has been amazing, at least, that's the perspective I choose. So, maybe it really is about that-perspective. Maybe with this new little baby our lives will never be the same. But I'm actually excited about that. Maybe he will teach us all the things we thought we knew but didn't. Maybe our relationship will be that much stronger after looking at this being God created to be in our care, and he'll test us, and he'll love us, and we'll always be a family. Maybe things will never be the same, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm ready for the diaper blowouts, the late nights with a sick little one, the lack of sleep from worrying if he's breathing or not...I'm ready for that if it means I get to experience this whole new chapter. And I'll watch him become a man, maybe some day get married and have a family of his own. And I'll think back on this time when my house was quiet and I knew it wouldn't be like that for long.

I love you baby, and I can't wait to meet you.

Oh baby, oh baby!

We just got our maternity pictures back, and they're awesome! Thanks Amber for your expertise, artistry and friendship. We love you...all three of us :) (Enjoy)