May 13, 2003

That was the day that Jamison joined our family. I still remember very vividly the day that Grant and I found out we were pregnant...we had just bought our first home (the condo) and the Bishop came by to visit. As soon as he left we were jumping up and down, so excited we could not help but smile for who knows how long. Months later, she finally was in our arms. Her story of coming to us involves so much, but for now I am going to focus on her arrival.

Monday morning Grant woke up with pink eye, and I woke up having small contractions. Mom was here to help, so we both took the day off work. We got him into the dr's and got him started on medication. We went home and mom made us yummy sandwiches. After awhile we went to walk around Target to try and get the contractions really moving. It got them to get a little closer, but they were not too painful. Eventually we got them down to every five minutes and called the hospital. They told us to come on down, so we did.

It was about 20 minutes to get there from where we lived, and Grant drove like a madman...he was nervous and excited. We got there about 6pm, and they checked me. I was only dilated to a 1 so they were telling me I needed to go home and try and get some rest, but they had to do a stress test first. After an hour or so of monitoring and being unable to really get Jamison to respond, they did an ultrasound and discovered she was extremely low on fluid, so we needed to induce.

About 8 o'clock they got the pit started and labor began. By 11 the pain was really starting to kick in. The dr told me I would not deliver until around noon the next day, so hang on for a long day. Finally by about 2 am the pain got to me and I could no longer stick with my plan to go natural, I was done and knew I had a long night ahead of me, so I asked for the epidural. I finally got it at 4:30 and was much more comfortable. But Jamison's heart rate kept dropping and they were considering and amnio-infusion. We finally got it under control and "broke" my water (though there was not any, hence the induction.) The checked me after the epidural and I was finally a 3.

2 1/2 hours later Jamison was quickly born, the dr wanted to get her out because her heart rate was dropping again. She had a somewhat difficult labor and her face was very swollen, but was fine otherwise. She weighed in at 6 lbs 2 ounces and 18 inches long. It was so wonderful to have her in my arms. She was/is such a special addition to our family. There is so much more to her story (her complications with head size, eyes, and mental speculation: but that is another day's tale.)

Jamison, you are still my sweet little girl and I still treasure those moments we share together. Thank you for being brave enough to come to the world first for us and teaching your dad and I so much about being brave and strong. You teach us great things all the time. Happy Birthday sweetie, I love you the mostest!