My Husband. 5 am.

Pregnancy is not for sissies. I truly believe that we would eradicate the teen sex problem if we could give the little darlings an accurate dose of hormones (not just the cute little belly and larger breasts) to upset their system and then let them know that 97% of all women who are having sex regularly will at some point experience a pregnancy. Most, I believe, wouldn't make it past the nausea and vomiting. I'm certain that they'd all swear off sex by the time their backs started to hurt, they stopped "glowing" and started waddling, and the mask of pregnancy appeared. Alas, while it is worth it to have this beloved and much-anticipated little person wiggling inside of me every day, I am not my most attractive or comfortable.

The other day, I hurt my shoulder pushing myself out of bed. Really, I haven't gained that much weight - just about 10 pounds - but somehow the act of hoisting my awkward & growing belly out of bed wrenched my shoulder. The pain has been unpleasant, especially when lying down. Then I got a cold. I'm so tired and I want to sleep but the pain in my shoulder keeps me awake.

Yesterday, we went to the doctor, who had a million other things he thought more important than my sleeping habits. We left with an antibiotics prescription but nothing for the shoulder. At home, I asked my husband for a Priesthood blessing (a special prayer given by those who hold the Priesthood) to help me heal. He agreed, of course, but the night ran away from us. We were lying in bed when the ache in my shoulder reminded me but I hastily added that I could wait until the morning.

By 5 am, the Tylenol had long worn off and the ache had grown to pain. I was trying to keep from waking my husband but failed miserably as my tossing and turning to try and find a tolerable position disrupted his sleep. He comforted me the best he could and then got up. I assumed he was getting me a Tylenol when the light came on. I continued to search for any possible sleeping position.

After a few minutes, my sweet husband reappeared. At 5 am, he had dressed in his suit and tie so that he could give me the requested blessing. As he laid his hands on my head, I felt very blessed to have found a man who would do something so sweet. I knew God would hear his prayers - how could he not?

The blessing, sweet and simple and a little sleepy, ended. My husband removed his suit and fell back into bed. However, instead of resuming his usual crashed-out-in-sleep position, he moved over to wrap himself around me and rub my shoulder until I fell back to sleep. I'd fallen asleep across his chest and that's where I found myself the next morning.

My husband, to his credit, has not so much as commented on feeling tired or sleep-deprived today. I went to work knowing one truth: I am a very blessed woman.