The Phone Call That Changed My Life

Twenty years ago I went to the doctor because I was sick. Nothing terrible, just the typical sore throat-headache-stuffy nose-cough that wouldn't go away. It would have been a pretty forgettable appointment if it wasn't for a question the doctor asked and the follow-up phone call from a nurse later that day.

After a quick peek in the ears-nose-throat the doctor determined a prescription was in order and asked if there was any chance I was pregnant.  Erik and I had hoped for this news for a couple of months and I was in the "it's possible but too soon to know" stage. I mentioned this to the doctor and he said that a blood test could reveal the result much sooner than a urine test. Despite my fear of both needles and blood I agreed to be poked and headed home, prescription in hand. I'm not sure exactly how much time passed, but within a couple of hours a nurse called to let me know that the pregnancy test was positive. I was thrilled.

At that moment there was so much I didn't know. I didn't know that this pregnancy would cause insatiable cravings for BYU hot dogs and a strong aversion at times to lettuce. I didn't know that prenatal vitamins were huge and the last thing my body felt like digesting. I didn't know that the exhaustion from pregnancy was nothing compared to the exhaustion from motherhood. I didn't know that I was carrying an amazing baby girl inside me who has become an equally amazing woman today.

It's remarkable how much the news that day changed my life. Although it would still be 8 months before I'd hold my first baby in my arms, I knew at that moment that I was a mother, an instrument in God's hands to bring a life into this world. My mother heart was already born. It's who I am. It's who I was always meant to be.

Wisdom

It's College and Career Week at our elementary school and the 2nd graders were asked to describe a good college student. Thankful that Mason has such a great example in his oldest sister who seems to have mastered all eight items on the list. I hate thinking of the day when these gems no longer come home in the backpack.