Garcia

I just wanted to take a moment and express how grateful I am to have my dad. He is an incredible man whom I look up to! He has taught me important life lessons including how to change my own oil, the importance of work ethic and responsibility, and maybe a "little" road rage (though he probably isn't proud of that one). He is someone I know others look up to as well. When I tell someone that I am Dean's daughter, they always say, "Oh! I know Dean! He's a great guy. He helped me with so and so." He has always been willing to help me with my projects and ideas. I am so proud of him and the decision he made to make his life easier this year. I cannot believe how lucky I am to have such a great relationship with him. He is going to be the best grandpa!

And my amazing father-in-law! He is a great example to his family and a loving father. He definitely raised an incredible son!

And the future daddy-to-be. We can't wait!

Speaking of baby...

We thought we were going to have a baby here for Father's Day. Turns out we were wrong! Baby G decided she didn't want to be here yet. We are trying so hard to be patient, but it is tough. Kyle worked 12 hour days all last week and was disappointed that he never received a phone call. My mom took a week off of work because she was planning on helping me with Baby G. She got to clean my bathrooms instead! Not that I am super grateful for that, but I was hoping she would really be able to help me out with a baby.

People are constantly telling me Baby G is stubborn like her mama. I didn't think I was that stubborn, but apparently everyone else does! Talk about a wake-up call. I see what others really think of me now ;)

Anyway, we were hoping she would surprise us and give Kyle the best gift a father could receive. Clearly, that didn't happen. Now I'm just sitting here impatiently waiting. Hopefully my doctor will call me with some good news for an induction today! We had previously talked about it all happening tomorrow, possibly tonight (though I highly doubt that). Let's just all pray that she decides to make her appearance by the end of Tuesday!

Here we are. It's April. Where has the time gone?

In January, Kyle's parents took us to Hawaii for our graduation gifts. Even though I hadn't graduated yet, this trip was needed. Before we left, I received a call from my doctor saying my genetic test had come back abnormal and that I needed to meet with a genetic counselor for my next appointment. Now, if you know non-pregnant Sarah, you know that she rarely cries or gets over-emotional about anything...really. She likes to stay on the happier side of things and tries to avoid anything confrontational, negative, or sad. Pregnant Sarah, on-the-other-hand, is...a tad more emotional. Not over-the-top emotional about everything, but anything that hints at being sad turns my eyes into leaky faucets.

Anyway, back to the abnormal test. I was completely shocked. In my mind, nothing was going to be wrong with this pregnancy. Maybe some nausea and sore muscles, you know, all that expected stuff. But never this. I bawled every day for at least a week. Kyle and I had prayed for comfort and guidance and I still felt empty about the entire situation. How could this be happening to my baby?

It was on my mind constantly, but Kyle insisted that I try to enjoy the time away. Luckily, I have the best husband in the world, and our families are pretty great too! I had the opportunity to meet Kyle's Aunt Rhonda and her family, and they were wonderful! Spending time with them kept my mind away.

Tuesday while in Hawaii, we went to the Laie Hawaii Temple. Unfortunately, we were too late to attend an endowment session; but, we did get to do sealings! There was so much sunlight streaming through the windows, it was beautiful. After the sealings, we sat in the celestial room. I picked up the Book of Mormon and started reading about children. I was reminded of something my friend Kami told me before we left. She said that Down Syndrome children are pure in the sight of God. That I shouldn't worry at all. If anything were to happen, then that is the way it is meant to be. I should be grateful that God is trusting me with one of his children, and possibly one of the most precious. I started crying in the celestial room and Kyle tried comforting me. He said that he felt peace about our baby but I was still uneasy. I admit I was completely discouraged and lost.

Fast forward one week....

I was so nervous for our ultrasound. Normally, the ultrasound would have been done at my doctor's office. Because we had to meet with the genetic counselor, we had our appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. The doctor who did our ultrasound said that it would not be able to determine whether or not our baby had Down Syndrome. As the specialist showed us our baby, an overwhelming feeling of peace enveloped me. And then she told us it was a girl! Her heart and head were growing the way they were supposed to. Nothing looked abnormal, but of course it wouldn't tell 100%. The peace that was given to us was a gift. I had never been so thankful for the miracle of family until that time.

It doesn't matter that we don't know for sure if our baby girl has Down Syndrome or not. We will love her with everything we have. We feel peace and comfort and know that God has a plan for us. I am so completely grateful to my Heavenly Father for the comfort I have been given throughout the rest of this pregnancy. I cannot wait until I meet my baby girl! She will be the most precious thing in this world.

**And just so the post isn't all text, here are some pictures from Hawaii. We don't have many to choose from because most of them weren't taken on our camera. Hopefully we get them soon! This was the week where I started to "show" but it wasn't pretty. Enjoy!