It's Complicated

If there is doctrine that I believe with everything that is in me, I think the following three paragraphs would be it.

"In a poignant exchange with God, Adam states that he will call the woman Eve. And why does he call her Eve? 'Because she [is] the mother of all living.' (Genesis 3:20; Moses 4:26.) ...Eve was given the identity of 'the mother of all living' --years, decades, perhaps centuries before she ever bore a child.

It would appear that her motherhood preceded her maternity, just as surely as the perfection of the Garden preceded the struggles of mortality. I believe mother is one of those very carefully chosen words, one of those rich words--with meaning after meaning after meaning. We must not, at all costs, let that word divide us.

I believe with all my heart that it is first and foremost a statement about our nature, not a head count of our children.

...some women give birth and raise children but never 'mother' them. Others, whom I love with all my heart, 'mother' all their lives but have never given birth. And all of us are Eve's daughters, whether we are married or single, maternal or barren. We are created in the image of the Gods to become gods and goddesses."

-Patricia Holland

(Ensign, October 1987, pp. 32-33)

Happy Mother's Day to ALL the women out there!

Friends

"Are you ready?" and "When are you due again?" are followed closely by "Is Scrunch excited?"

To which I have no response.

She is acutely aware that there are about to be significant changes in her life, but I don't think she has a clue as to what. I don't have a clue as to what.

In her mind, the world's axis rotates solely around her. I think the same is true for most first children, but is amplified in my mind because she's also the only niece and grandchild on my side. It wasn't exactly a cake walk to bring her into our family and once she got here she's been the sun, the moon, and the stars.

I whined in an octave higher than my normal speech (this defines whining) to my mom as I drove to work a few weeks ago.

"I'm about to shatter her world."

"She is the center of the universe and she's going to wake up one morning and not be anymore."

My mother is no-nonsense and does not do whining. Her response, "There is more than one universe."

A scientific fact.

And with that, the whining was over.
...

She sat on my lap like this for about twenty minutes the other morning. I asked what she was doing and she said "listening".

"Are you listening to your brother?"

"Uh-huh"

"What's he saying?"

She was quiet for a minute. I wasn't sure I was going to get an answer. Then she said "Ummmmmm...." like she wasn't sure she wanted to give me an answer. She kind of sighed. And then...., "We're friends."

Dude, you're not helping.

I don't trust dentists or plumbers farther than I can throw a stick. They'll bleed you dry of your child's imaginary college fund, and who's to say they aren't total hacks? But what can you do? Call me crazy but something about an impending water birth prompts me to ensure that there will be hot, or at least warm, water.

So I walk out to the garage to check on how much closer I am to a hot shower and without even looking up I hear him say, "Oh! So that's how these things work!!"

Awesome.

I'm gonna go nuts!

Go?  

Go? you're asking.

Oh, you think you're so clever.

On the one hand, I don't know what I'm waiting for.

On the other, I know exactly what I'm waiting for.

And. I'm. going. to. go. nuts. waiting. for. him.

Thanks much, friends!

Sunday Night (Random) Thoughts

Scrunch asked tonight at dinner where God was. Did you know you can choke on rice?

There is no point in taking a nap if you're going to wake up more tired than you were before you went to sleep.

Even though I can't think or put a coherent sentence together, I can still multi-task. I sat on the birthing ball while blow drying my hair today.

Everyone has a take on how to induce labor. And they share them with you without you even asking if they see you coming. Walking seems to be the most commonly suggested, followed closely by (shhhh) s.e.x.  It's funny  what people will come up with. Just an FYI- teaching Relief Society doesn't work, but you'll get a whole lot of women telling you they'll pray for you. While sweet, you come home wondering if anyone listened to your lesson and asking "How bad do I look?"

Funny stuff only a midwife could say... "Oh. He feels so cute." And my personal favorite, "Your pelvis is a Midwife's dream."

I bought a new blender yesterday with the whole purpose of making fruit roll-ups. Tonight I'm making yogurt in the crockpot. Why? Because I can. I hope it works or I've wasted a whole lot of time researching stupid subjects on Google. What's new?

One popcorn flavored Jelly Belly can ruin the whole handful.

After re-reading my random thoughts (checking for spelling errors I won't find) I realize that it's no wonder where my daughter gets her gift for random dinner conversation topics.

This is nesting.

With the completion of every house/painting/decorating project completed, I have been accused of "nesting." I don't think it has anything to do with nesting at all. I think is has to do with buying a new-to-us house less than a year ago and the never ending trips to Home Depot that go with it. I can finally paint any garish color I want to-just because I want to! If you are a homeowner, household projects should not count towards nesting behavior. A never ending list of "Git 'er done" projects is just the way it is.

Now, if you want to talk nesting. My Target shopping cart last Wednesday might have been indicative of this behavior. Six packages of regular sized hangers, six packages of infant/toddler hangers, a shower caddy, a stove top scouring pad, a Mrs. Myers product for every room in the house, and a razor blade to scrape the remaining ick from the stove. In short, the most boring Target shopping cart ever, and yet one of the most fulfilling when put to use.

Happy Saturday folks! Hop to! There are projects to be tackled. Not because we're nesting, just because that's what Saturday's are for. Or as my mother would say, "Just git 'er done!" Oh yes, my mother really does say that. An unlikelier fan of Larry of the Cable Guy you'll never find.