Oh Boy!

There is a human inside of me. This thought never ceases to amaze me. And on Thursday, we had the incredible opportunity to see this tiny little human. Let me tell you. So Beautiful. I know this baby. I love this baby. Every thought seems to have some consideration given to this small child. Giving in to my McDonald's cravings seem so selfish knowing that it is not just me that needs the nutrition. Every time I get into a car, so does my baby, and there is no way I want my baby going over the speed limit! There are countless other examples, but needless to say, Baby Aguiar is much than just a smallish bump in my midsection. And getting to see this little angel was truly a miracle!

Weighing in at 1 pound and 3 ounces, Baby Aguiar no longer has to be called an “it”…. Ok fine. We have been calling him a boy for quite sometime, but now we don’t have to feel bad about it (on account of we know that for sure that this kid does in fact have a penis!).

I feel so blessed. I love my sweet baby boy so much, and his daddy can still take my breath away with a simple smile. What more could a girl ask for?

For those of you who think ultrasound pictures are creepy (my husband would most definitely be in this category...) feel free to stop here! I'm about to show off my little cutie!

Sweet little arm.

And a foot, man have I felt those little tootsies kickin!

That would be my handsome little man's ear.

Backbone, and spine.... curling right around to his little bum!

The goods! This kid was not shy at all.

Charming little face. The arrow is pointing to his upper lip, and then that is his little nosey!

A nice profile, with his hand up by his face... deep in thought I'm sure.

Unexpected

"I love this crazy, tragic,

Sometimes almost magic,

Awful, beautful life"

This week has been quite the doosy. To the on-looker it probably seems like this week has been nothing but garbage. Hit after hit and then the hits just keep on coming.

When we looked forward to this week, we had no idea what we were in for. It was said to hold tales of baby (boy or girl?), snowflakes, missions, and even eternal marriages... What we got were car accidents, waiting, and sickness.

Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day! I grew up to my mama singing The Mamas and The Papas to me. What can I say. I should have known. February 13th, we were supposed to find out what kind of kid I'm cookin. We are hoping for a human ;) This day was also said, by the oh-so-knowledgeable meteorologists, to bring snow. When I awoke at 5 in the morning to a lovely phone call informing me that school was canceled, I peeked out the window and discovered the long over-due winter wonderland. But never fear, the ultrasound must go on... right??? .................. Wrong! For those of you who were unaware, we did get into a minor car accident on our way to the doctor (which is an hour away...) Unexpected. Scary. Tense. But absolutely not devastating. Somehow this horrible turn of events was... altogether not horrible. No one was hurt, thank goodness Baby is so safe and sound inside the womb! The car had almost no damage. A wonderful highway patrolman stopped and got us a tow truck that would have otherwise taken 3 hours. Surprisingly, I left this crazy experience feeling nothing but grateful for the way the Lord works all things for our good.

Tuesday. Valentine's Day. Yay! Ryan and mine's first V-day as a married couple. AND school was canceled again. That meant we had the whole day together. Perfect. Except that I was so sick and so sore, that the entire day was spent with me in bed and my wonderful husband taking care of me. Rather than being upset that our day together was spent thus, we both were able to rejoice in the fact that we got to spend all that time together . I am so blessed to have such a sweet and selfless man in my life.

Wednesday. This was the day we were all hoping Cassie's mission call would come. Alas. It did not. Ryan and I had decided the night before that I should not go to school this day because I was still just too sick. Instead we decided that I would go to the doctor and hopefully be able to return to work the following day. Half of that plan worked out. We went to the doctor! And she said that I would be able to return to work by.... Monday. Not Thursday, or even Friday. Again, this could have been an awful thing. I have been so stressed that I would run out of sick days with all of my doctor's appointments. And had the doctor not given me a note releasing me for work on Monday, I would most definitely have gone back earlier. But instead I was given this wonderful opportunity to just be sick. Sounds lovely huh? I know you are all jealous. I got to spend this whole week in bed, coughing, sneezing, drowning in mucus. With no lesson plans, students or staff meetings. Bliss!

Thursday... still no mission call. More waiting.

Friday....... well my friends, that is today. And how should I know what this day will hold. We have obviously seen how well my planning goes :) Hopefully though, this day will bring good tidings, sweet surprises and many more examples of the Lord's tender mercies. For now, we will continue to wait for the mail!

btw... This is how my sweet husband and I spent our Thursday night...

Cozied up together, netflixing...

We started watching this:

Which was pretty much just awful... We knew it would be lame, but after about 20 minutes Ryan decided he just couldn't handle it...

So instead we watched this:

Ryan didn't even mind when I did in fact sing-along!

P.s. Baby Aguiar has been trying to kick the laptop right off my legs. Perhaps this little kiddo just wants me to include a little hello from the uterus!

Say hello...

... to the reason why pretty much every move I make is accompanied by a series of grunts and groans.

"I love your belly!... I love the rest of you, but I just really love your belly!" - My mommy

Hands, meet belly! Belly greet your many visitors...

A summary of the day's events

6:11 a.m. (The extra 11 minutes are very important. No waking up at 6 o'clock sharp for me!) Woke up and spent the usual 10 or so minutes trying to clear my head of mucus. Laid on the floor looking up at my clothes while waiting for ensemble inspiration to hit. Re-did the messy bun I had slept in. Spent some precious moments cuddling with mi esposo before having to go to the giant germ bubble also known as school.

7:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Waddled around the school, holding my back and wanting to be home. I also did some teaching somewhere in there too...

11:00ish Made one of my million trips to the bathroom (I should be earning frequent flyer miles or something!), only this time it was in the regular old student bathroom, complete with paper towels littering the floor and nail polish graffiti in the stalls. Hit my belly while trying to close the door to said stall. Boy is that a treat :) Oops! Sorry baby, I forgot that you were protruding so much! Let me back into the stall a little more before we try that again!

11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Had my belly rubbed by my 6 year old sidekick several times. The words "hand magnet" flashing in my mind, and the words "No, the baby hasn't come out yet" repeatedly on my lips.

6:00 p.m. Got to see some of the most glorious little girls on the planet. Talk about blessed.

7:30 p.m. Stopped by KFC to see my husband... so he could show off his pregnant wife (He kind of has a little bit of a thing for me). I tell you what. Every pregnant lady deserves to be looked at like they are the most beautiful and miraculous thing in all the eternities. I sure picked a good one... plus he bought me an oreo pie and some chicken :)

8:00ish Sleepy mom= Party in the uterus... Baby is up and loving life. Kicking up a storm!

Hope you made it through all that!

Every day is exhausting, entertaining, awkward, incredible, trying, and full of the Lord's tender mercies.

What I love about Sunday...

I love Sundays. The Sabbath is probably my favorite day of the week. For several reasons, including but not limited to the following:::

I get to sleep in (which means I wake up at 6, and then make myself go back to sleep until about 8) and still have time to eat some cereal and take my time getting dressed for church, which usually consists of several wardrobe changes!

My sweet husband generally has Sundays off. This means that for one day a week I get to spend the whole day with him. Priceless!

My sister makes delicious food. This happens pretty much everyday, and I partake of said delicious food most days but... the difference is that on Sundays I don't have to feel bad about mooching off of my little sister! Yay!

Sunday naps. Enough said.

Annnnd. Church. You thought I was going to forget that one didn't you?

Every week I get to go to a place where I can always feel the Spirit. I get to partake of the Sacrament. I get to sing hymns that touch me in a way that only music can. I get to hear wonderful and prayerfully prepared messages. I get to see what adorable things my nieces will be wearing. I get to spend two hours with some of the cutest and funniest toddlers in the world. I get to be in choir. I get to see the amazing people that I love so much, my ward family.

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow Him in faith. I am so grateful for this gospel, this "good news." It makes my week, every week.

And now... I get to enjoy some of the priceless downtime with my husband. Eating this!

That right there, is what I call proof that my husband is the most wonderful. Half PB & J, half meat and cheese. Just because he loves me.

Happy Sabbath!

Quickening, butterflies, and popcorn popping…

I have heard many women describe what feeling a little, tiny human moving around inside of you feels like. The gentle brush of a finger. The fluttering of butterfly wings. Gas bubbles. Popcorn popping.

I could not wait for this wonderful experience. To me, as strange as feeling the baby move may be, it was stranger still to know that something was growing inside of me (something the size of an apple, avocado, or other various produce) and I could not feel it. I mean, really how is that possible??? Ryan and were talking about this very thing once and came up with a few explanations:

• Before, the baby was so small, and perhaps did not move as much.
• The good old boiling a frog scenario… The change came so slowly I just couldn’t detect it.

I’m no doctor or scientist, so why it is exactly that expectant mothers cannot feel their babies moving until the kid is as big as a tomato or whatever, I don’t actually know… but! I am so glad that those days are behind me.

I first felt the littlest Aguiar moving inside me a few weeks ago… probably around week 16. When I was just 12 weeks I read that the kiddo was developing reflexes and if I poked my abdomen, the tiny human inside would squirm around in response. Naturally, it took all my self-control to not poke my stomach all the time. I knew that my child was still way too small for me to feel, but I was in love with the idea nonetheless. Starting at about week 15, I would lay in bed at night, when I was all alone (I tried this when Ryan was present and it just did not work. He is too loud. And moves too much. Even when you tell him to stop). I would gently poke my tummy. Then I would wait and concentrate really hard on the sweet little baby I knew was hiding inside of me.

At first I couldn’t really feel anything. A few times I had some strange sensation I thought might be the baby, but having never felt such a thing before (I am a first time human grower.) I just wasn’t sure… Gradually though, I decided that what I was feeling was indeed the tiny kicks and movements of Baby Aguiar. I also decided to go with popping popcorn. It seemed the most fitting description. Pop, pop, pop. Plus, I like the idea of popcorn in my belly a whole lot more than the idea of insects (even if they are only butterflies) in there!

I’m officially 19 weeks, and now throughout my day I am greeted by little nudging hellos from inside my growing belly. It is the most wonderful thing. I have found that if I am leaning over or in any way confining my stomach, baby starts to protest. So, just like I sometimes bug Bella on purpose to hear her tell me “Stop! Stop Kewwie,” I find myself jostling or in some way disturbing the little kiddo within, just to feel the answering “Stop! Stop Mommy!”

I wish my little one was big enough so that others might also be able to feel the stirrings and kicking and general commotion that the little acrobat produces. It won’t be too long now, but in the meantime, I will keep enjoying the subtle reminders of the incredible gift I carry.

Pregnancy Rhinitis…

“Pregnancy Rhinitis refers to the uncomfortable condition of severe nasal congestion – a stuffy nose – that troubles many women during pregnancy.”

Yeah. Soak that in.

I love being pregnant. I cannot imagine how any woman could go through this and not believe in God. It is incredible and so completely worth every minor inconvenience when compared to the reality. As women, we get the opportunity to create life and grow human bodies; a responsibility taken on by Heavenly Father and Christ, who then shared it with us. Awe-inspiring.

I would not trade this experience for anything… but can I just say, that no one ever mentioned to me the distinct possibility that I might not be able to breathe out of my nose for the next 6 months. Not to mention, the sneezing, coughing, headaches, and ever-glamorous (Yeah. I just sang the Fergie song in my head to ensure that word was correctly spelled. Judge me, why dontcha!) uncontrollable leaking of snot. Slightly less awe-inspiring. But still… oh so completely worth it!