Birthday Gift From My Mom

This year I had a great birthday! I'm 25! woo hoo! Not only did I get visitors for the weekend before, the weekend of, and now this weekend my parents are coming, but I got some awesome gifts. For Valentine's Day and Birthday combined, Jon bought me an amazing camera. I've been wanting one, but knew we couldn't afford it. He went to Wal-Mart "to get ice cream" ;) and came back with a camera. I cried... then scolded him, then cried, and kissed and hugged him. Pregnant women are blessed with being able to have multiple emotions at any given time. It's our right. Then, Jon, Traci, and Carter came and we had a great weekend putting together wedding invitations, eating cake, and they got me New Moon the movie for my birthday. My mom sent a sewing machine with them to give to me, mine had broken a couple weeks prior, and it is an amazing one at that, I might add. Then, Jon's dad, Becki, and Emily came over to visit for the weekend, to check out Glacier National Park and other camping areas for our family reunion we're having in July and got me a gift certificate for a pedicure! I've been very spoiled beyond compare and... loved every minute of it. Thanks everyone! I feel so blessed! The best part was having so many family around, we've missed everyone and it has been so nice to have them here. I can't wait for my mom and dad to come.
This next gift, was given to me by my mom and it has been so special to me. She e-mailed it to me late last night and I got it this morning. I don't know if I would have appreciated it as much if I hadn't gone through having a child of my own, but tears came to my eyes as I read it. She sent me the story of my birth! So, here it is for you all to enjoy, laugh, and cry with me.

3/25/1985

We lived in Marina Arizona about an hour out of Tucson. I had 2 to 3 weeks until the scheduled c-section for Amy. The doctor kept putting my due date back into April because the baby was so small.

I babysat a little girl and a little boy everyday while their mom worked. We lived in a small rental house with no phone and one car, a grey Honda Civic station wagon. Dad worked for the dairy and took the car to work while I stayed home with the kids. I rode my bike for months with the 3 boys in the orange cart hooked on the back of the bicycle. Until I got too pregnant with Amy and the doctor said I had to stop riding before I fell and hurt her and myself. So the sister from church came to get her kids the night of the 25th about 6 PM and when she saw me she said, "You will never last 3 more weeks." I said I had to because my mom and dad from Tacoma, were not coming for 2 weeks, and they were coming to help take care of the family.

Dad came home about 7 PM that night so I decided to take a bath and relax. When I got out some water was trickling down my leg. I went into the bedroom with a towel and kept wiping just a little trickle. I asked dad to come and help me and asked him what to do. I thought maybe it might be that my water broke. So dad called the doctor and he said to go to the hospital. Dad went back to the pay phone and called the sister from church that I watched her children and she said that she would be right over and take the boys. Between her and the Relief Society president they took the boys for the next 4 days and shifted them around to people in the ward. Dad and I got to the hospital around 10 and they hooked me up to monitors and the contractions started hard so they got me prepped for surgery. Amy was born about 11 Pm , this time dad came into the operation room but the doctor had to get him a chair before he passed out, fainted. This was the first birth Rod was at the hospital and in the room with me. The doctor we had was one that was on call, never saw him before, very short, so he got a stool to stand on, cut me opened and pushed very hard on the top of my stomach and Amy popped right out.

For one thing she was a girl, with 3 boys that was so different, she had long dark hair, very olive colored skin, so different from the boys. We thought someone changed our baby around from us. But no, she was the right little baby and we were able to take her home and a few days after we got home my mom and dad came to help take care of the kids. we were only in the ward for about 6 months before she was born so not a lot of people knew us. The sisters gave us a big shower. The sisters came to support the new family in the ward with a lot of pink baby stuff. We stayed in Marina until Amy was 5 weeks old then we moved back to the farm in Nibley, Utah. I drove the Honda with Amy and Ryan and dad drove the moving van with Mike and Eric with him. We were on a winding rode headed for Utah going about 5 miles an hour and Amy was screaming. The road was straight up, narrow, and a cliff to the right side. So as we followed the moving van Ryan steered the car sitting in the passenger side while I held Amy and nursed her. Wasn’t supposed to drive yet but you do what you have to do.

Love you Amy,

Love Mom