An Expecting Father

Rach and I were coming home from Miami this week and she mentioned that I hadn't posted in a long time.. and so here I am giving you all the update.

We've done a lot of fun things over the last few months, or should I say the last three years!! Things have really worked out well for us and I feel very blessed to have had this time with Rach before all the excitement of parenting. We know each other very well and we are better prepared to enter this new phase of life together.

I have to say that I LOVE my job - it's the kind of opportunity that is perfect for me as a person - very much geared toward building relationships, presenting a lot, and working with others so that we all can achieve our goals. It also helps that I get to sell something that I actually know helps people and the environment!

If you'd like to know more about the company here is the website - www.wattstopper.com


Now I'd like to change gears here and discuss something that has been absolutely incredible for me - Rach's pregnancy!! I'm one of those guys who never understood why people would post pictures of themselves and their naked belly on facebook or their blogs...GuuuhhRosss!! It seemed super weird to me and now I can honestly say it makes a ton more sense now.. They aren't showing off their belly as much the fact as how excited they are for that little life growing inside..

The highlight of my day is getting to feel that little guy kick! It's amazing to think about the beauty of creation - growing from a Poppy Seed to a Watermelon is so wild.. my other thought on this topic is how could anyone who has given birth or is the father of a child think there isn't a God??? You feel so close to the Spirit and I feel humbled by this awesome opportunity that we have to be parents. It makes me sad to consider the state of our society regarding families and parenting.. I wish the whole world could know the song from my primary lessons - I am a Child of God - that simple song holds so much truth and gives meaning to this life.

It has been a whole lot of emotions these last few months for me. I'd like to give some thoughts directed at the husbands out there who are going to be dads and are going to participate in the nine months -

1. You can choose to be right or you can choose to be happy - don't argue based on logic during this period - you'll lose, so just be happy and enjoy the ride!

2. She will cry - don't be surprised if anything creates an emotional response - tears of joy, fear, or any emotion might come out during this period - expect it to be a crying time - there will be times when she doesn't know why she's crying!!

3. Be prepared for weeks 8 thru 13 - soon after you find out that you're having a baby the period of nausea and sickness hits like a ton of bricks - be supportive and do everything you can for her at this point - I would recommend a run to a grocery store and get some of the things you know she likes.. salty to sweet and let her nibble on a little of each item so she can figure out what sounds good to eat - Rach found out she only really wanted to eat Cheddar Cheese and saltines for about two weeks, eventually we introduced turkey on top of the cheese and cracker.. but ice cream and chocolate weren't gonna work..

Another thought - I'd be hesitant on planning any trips during this period.. weeks 15 - 25 are much safer bets as far as traveling is concerned.

4. Know her love language - remember that this whole experience can be made more positive by understanding what things she needs to feel comfortable during this time - she might need words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time, gifts, or acts of service... figure out with her what ways she wants you to communicate your love and appreciation for her during this amazing peiod.

5. Love it - it can be a scary and confusing time for a would-be-dad.. don't let it be - enjoy this time and just know that you'll make mistakes and not everything will be perfect.. she'll get mad at you at some point for something you do or didn't do.. but you gotta let it go! This time is too precious to be spent thinking about any negatives, you have to remember that!! Like Joseph B. Wirthlin's mom always taught him - COME WHAT MAY AND LOVE IT!!

Ok dads - these are my five thoughts on the pregnancy process - as the scriptures say - if ye are prepared ye shall not fear - take these things to heart and you'll be better off!

I am so grateful for Rachel - she has been so amazing during this whole process - we had our birthing class yesterday and it was so fun to see her there with all the other moms. I can't get over how great she has done throughout this whole thing - there is no waddle in her step, for being almost 37 weeks along she has handled it very well and is physically carrying the baby so easily. She honestly walked all around Epcot yesterday and owned it!

I'm so excited to meet our little guy - I can't believe in less than a month he will be here!

My Brother - The Missionary!!

I need to give a shout-out to my brother, Michael. He had quite an eventful weekend! He is preparing to go on a mission and submitted all his paperwork a few weeks ago. He's at BYU for his freshman year, but he flew home this weekend to be with my parents and Steven to open the call. Since now the mission call process is done online, you can check the status of your mission call and see if it has been issued or mailed out from Salt Lake. They saw that the call was mailed Tuesday, so my mom had figured out that the letter should arrive at their home in Arizona on Thursday or Friday. Michael had his flight booked to arrive in Arizona Thursday night and would go back to Utah on Sunday - so they were anxiously checking the mail!

Thursday .... No call

Friday ... No Call (my mom even saw the mail carrier drop the mail off this day, and had him double check in the truck)

At this point we were all really freaking out because he was flying back to Utah on Sunday, and the call was supposedly in the mail headed to Arizona! So Saturday was the last chance.

Luckily, even though the mail came 3 hours later than normal ... it FINALLY arrived on Saturday afternoon. Tyler and I were in Florida of course, but we quickly got home and on Skype with our webcam, as did my sister Paige and Ben from Ithaca New York.

So fifteen minutes after the call came in the mail, our family was all "there" and could see and hear each other - don't you love technology! Now, finally Michael was able to open the call. He had always said he really did not care at ALL where he was called. He didn't have a dream call, or any preconceived ideas of where he'd go. Mostly, he was just hoping he'd be able to leave as soon as he could after he turns 19 on May 20th. "I'll go where you want me to go..."



So we all watched as he opened the call and found out he'll be serving a mission for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the UTICA, NEW YORK mission!!! He reports to the MTC on June 2nd!!

We were all freaking out, first of all - he's going to New York, who would have guessed?? But especially because Paige and Ben happen to live in that area! Seriously as soon as he read the call my mom dropped to the ground freaking out. My mom just visited Paige and Ben 2 weeks ago in New York and while she was there she met the Mission President who just happened to be speaking at church that day. What are the chances??? Ok let's be honest, it didn't happen by chance. Now instead of having her kids all spread across the world, she just has one in Florida and two in New York - not too bad, right?

I am so excited for him, especially because he leaves June 2nd, he was thinking he might have to wait around until July. He'll be out in New York by the end of June, so awesome!!

So now Tyler and I can plan our summer trip out west - we will be out in Arizona at the end of May then we'll be in Utah the start of June. But maybe I should rephrase ... our BABY BOY ... will be in Arizona and Utah at the aforementioned dates. I think everyone is just a bit excited to meet him! We'll be excited to introduce him to the rest of our families and friends!!

For now, Tyler and I are getting really excited to meet him -- 29 days, ahhh!!!

Orlando Shower

This weekend we had a baby shower out here in Orlando, here's the cute invitation!


There is a lady in our ward who makes amazing cakes and she was nice enough to make one for the shower! She asked what my nursery colors or theme was and I told her black white and blue - here's what she came up with! And a bonus ... is that it tasted amazing!!

It was a fun shower and of course we forgot to take pictures. But here is one that we took at the end with some proof that I'm looking 34 weeks pregnant!!

Anniversary

We had a great anniversary in Naples! It's a really cute beach town, but the high was 61 that day, and with the ocean breeze it really felt cold! (I'm sure if last year I was in 61 degree weather in February I would be LOVING the heat wave, but its all relative I guess). This part of Florida is where all the old "snowbirds" flock to this time of year. We saw licence plates from every state in the Northeast and Midwest it seemed like! There weren't too many other young couples walking around the town thats for sure ... It kinda reminded me of our cruise actually ... But it's still an awesome place to visit, very pretty!!

We started out with lunch at The Turtle Club, right on the beach!

I ordered this amazing salad with grilled shrimp! So dang good...

The place to be in Naples is 5th Avenue, it's a really cute street with fun shops and restaurants. We ate dinner there at Cafe Lurcat - rated the best in Naples! We were able to afford it by getting the early bird special before 6:30 pm luckily :-)

It was a great day to celebrate 3 years of marriage and also the end of an era. These first 3 years have been great, but they'll be nothing like the next 3 or 30. I'm sure our next anniversary will be quite different with baby :-)

3 Years!

Time sure does fly, today Tyler and I are celebrating THREE years of marriage!! It's crazy to think that it's been 3 years since this day...
This anniversary is going a lot better than last years, when I was in New Jersey and Tyler was in Texas (http://tyandrach.blogspot.com/2009/02/best-two-years.html).

We're making up for it this year, we're not at home, but we are traveling together! We're down in Naples, FL which is on the southwest coast of Florida. Ty's working this morning, but is going to take the afternoon off so we can go to the beach and walk around 5th Avenue Shops. It's a little colder than we'd like (63 degrees) but I guess we shouldn't complain!

Valentines' Day 2010

Valentines' Day 2010

Last night Tyler and I went out to dinner and then just came home and watched a redbox movie (on our new awesome tv of course). So obviously if we wanted to pay only $1, we had to return it today [Sunday]. Being raised to not shop on Sundays, I feel really weird and guilty entering stores on Sunday, especially after having just attended church. But hey it's a whole $1 and it's not a big deal to return a movie on Sundays, right? So on our way home from visiting friends, we stopped by the grocery store to return the movie. I ran into the store and Tyler waited in the car. As I walked in the store, a lady I know from church (and had seen at church a couple hours ago) was walking out the door with her cart of food.

{The following paragraph takes place in 1.4 seconds}
So I start thinking fast ... what do I do?? OK it's too late to turn around or hide, she's about to pass me, so what do I say?? My first response is to blurt out, "I promise I'm just returning this movie!" Luckily I don't say that, because -it's obvious she wasn't going to just return a movie ... So the question remains ... what do I say as I pass her?? This is an awkward situation and I really want to say something funny or clever to make it not quite so awkward. My mind thinks fast, fast, fast, what to say, what to say. We pass. We make eye contact. I say "hi" and smile really big, clutching to the movie in my hand. She says "hi" smiles not quite so big, clutching to her bags of food.

That's it. That's all I could come up with. I couldn't think of anything else to say!!! What should I have said? I'm still thinking about something clever or funny to say, but I can't come up with anything that might not have offended her.

So now it's Valentines Day for real, and I'm upstairs on the computer and Tyler is downstairs playing host. He kinda unintentionally invited 6 14-year-old boys over to watch the NBA All-Star Game tonight. I guess that's what happens when you are a cool Young Men's leader who tells 1 kid at church he should come over and check out his new tv tonight. So he's moved the furniture around, popped popcorn, and now is trying to find other treats to give these kids. It's cool though, the kids in our church really look up to Tyler and like hanging out with him. It's just not the kind of surprise you would plan for Valentines' Day Night ...

*** Update*** The boys wanted to start wrestling and Tyler wouldn't let them in our house. So they all just left, after only 1 1/2 hours or so.

Update

Just thought I'd share that BabiesRus corrected the pricing error for that pack'n'play on their website. I'll just go ahead and share - we bought it for $84, it's now $200. I have no idea how we got so lucky, but now Tyler absolutely LOVES this little bassinet. It's funny how getting a good deal on something makes you appreciate it so much more, but it is so true!

Today Tyler had jury duty, he watched Runaway Jury this weekend to get tips onto how he could avoid being picked, haha. Luckily, after he waited for a few hours, they picked all the jurors before even calling on him - so he was done by noon! Since he had already taken the day off from work, we spent the afternoon at Disney's Animal Kingdom. We're trying to visit all the Disney Parks one more time before our son joins us and our life turns upside down!

Also, what we learned ... Disneyworld is SO empty on weekdays in February! 5 or 10 minute waits for all the rides. So, if you want to come to Disney, schedule the trip in February if possible!