The Birth of Eden Rose

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philipians 4:13

Before I became pregnant, I knew I wanted my next birth to be a Christ-centered birth.

I am part of a facebook group for LDS moms who choose natural birth, and I have been following their posts in my feed for a few years. From time to time the idea of a Christ-centered birth came up and I loved the idea. Those who had tried it highly recommended the book "The Gift of Giving Life" by Felice Austin, Launi Axman, Heather Farrell, Robyn Allgood, and Sheridan Ripley. I borrowed the book from my sister. It changed me.

I went into this birth with a greater understanding of the sacredness of what I was doing. I was prepared to feel a deeper connection with God, Jesus, Heavenly Mother, my baby, Eve, and all the women supporting me on both sides of the veil. I planned to pray throughout the labor and receive priesthood blessings. I picked inspiring arrangements of Hymns about Christ to play during the labor. I pondered on scriptures and quotes about mothers, babies, and Jesus Christ and His love. Although I worried about complications and worst-case scenarios, I prayed throughout my pregnancy for a smooth labor, health for me and my baby, and to feel a closer connection to Jesus Christ. I never expected Him to answer those prayers with such perfection. 

I began having early labor pains in the first midnight hours of Friday June 23rd. As with my previous labors, they kept me up most of the night but didn't become regular or progress. In the morning, Myles gave me a priesthood blessing before leaving for work. The pains came and went throughout the day as I picked up my Mom from the airport and we went about getting the house more organized. Friday night I was blessed to sleep through the night. I woke up well rested and went through most of Saturday with no contractions at all. Saturday night as Myles, my Mom, and I were watching a movie, I began feeling pretty uncomfortable in my lower abdomen so I decided to take a warm bath and see if it would help. That's when the contractions started coming regularly - probably about 5 minutes apart. The warm water soothed my belly as I swayed through the surges. I was smiling. I felt so calm and happy. Myles came in to see how I was doing and he helped by being with me and answering requests. 

Eventually I decided to get out of the tub and go to bed. I figured if they kept coming regularly after getting out of the tub then this was probably real labor. I slowly sucked in air with each contraction and exhaled the tension while Myles rubbed my back. Contractions got closer, and at about 1 am Sunday morning I called the midwife, Katia. I described what I was experiencing. She wasn't completely convinced I was in active labor, but we decided that If they kept progressing we would meet at the birth center at 2 am. I put on my robe and Myles and I got everything ready to go. He gave me another blessing as we prepared for the birth of our daughter.

Surges were getting stronger and I moaned through them. We woke my Mom to tell her we were going and drove to the birth center. We arrived, chatted a bit, and they checked my dilation. 4 cm. They directed me to the birthing suite. The suite has a bedroom area fully-furnished with a queen size bed, side-tables, an electric fireplace, and a chair. Through another door is our large private bathroom with a large jetted birth tub and everything we could need. 

We got settled and turned on my music. I wanted to get in the tub right away, but the midwives recommended I move around to help labor progress. For a while I bounced on the birthing ball, leaning on Myles as he sat in the chair in front of me. I groaned through each contraction - stealing kisses in the quiet moments, enjoying the music I had chosen. 

I really just wanted to get in the water so we filled the tub and I put my swim-top on. I was so relaxed in the water. I leaned my head back against a towel on the back of the tub, and held Myles hand. I smiled, telling Myles how content I was, how this was my most relaxed labor ever, how there was so much love in that room. You might have thought I was high on pain pills but I had not had any medication! I was thinking of meeting my baby and of how much Jesus Christ loved that baby, and loved me and my family. Eventually I became so relaxed I started dozing between contractions and time slipped by. 

A couple hours later when Katia came to check on me I asked her to check my progress. 6 cm. That's all? I felt a little discouraged and let some negativity come into my mind. I wanted things to move faster. What laboring mother doesn't? This was my third labor, after all.

I thought about getting out of the tub and walking around to help things progress more. I got out of the tub and put my robe on. I stopped to sit on the bed and said a little prayer asking for guidance. I felt that I needed to trust the Lord's timing and not rush things, so I gladly laid down on the bed, propped up by pillows, and dozed between contractions for a while longer. Myles held my hand and I would squeeze it during contractions, then relax and go back to sleep. 

A little while later, I felt ready to get up and walk around. The morning light was beginning to shine through the windows. I had hoped she would be born by then. It was slow-going. I would take a few steps, feel a wave coming on, and stop to lean on Myles and groan and sway through it. My doula/student midwife would squeeze my hips to relieve some of the pressure. Then I would take a few more steps and repeat. We did a few laps like this when I got the news that my sister Fiona had arrived. I was happy and relieved to see her there. I had been letting my impatience create negative thoughts and I needed her. She took over as doula, told me how well I was doing, reassured me that all was going well and it wouldn't be too much longer. That helped a lot, but there was still some tension in me. I wanted labor to move faster. 

I got back in the tub and silently prayed again to know what I could do. I asked to try the nitrous-oxide the birth center provides. They showed me how to use it and I slowly breathed it in. It helped calm me, but pretty soon my fingers started tingling and I didn't like that so I stopped using it.

I asked Myles to pray for me and ask for labor to move faster. Myles, Fiona, and I all prayed together. A few minutes later the surges got stronger. I felt a stubborn cramp in my lower abdomen but the minute I tried to change positions to ease the pain another contraction was coming. Suddenly things were moving very fast. My body was telling me to push. A strong push ended with a pop. My water had broken. The midwives hurried in. Another push and I could feel the birth canal opening as the head slid right through. I was so surprised! That was fast! I wanted to hold her! I instinctively reached down, pushed again, and she slid into my hands. As I was bringing her up to me Katia stopped me to pull the umbilical cord out of the way.

I brought her purple, waxy form up to my chest, and she stretched her neck, lifted her head up high, and opened her eyes for the first time, blinking against the light. It was beautiful! It was like watching an angel stretch her wings and take her first flight. 

I loosened the tie on my swimsuit for skin-to-skin and someone placed a towel over us. I talked to her, told her I loved her and was so glad to meet her. I asked her if she liked the name Eden Rose. She didn't seem to object, so I announced the name to the room.

I can't compare this feeling to anything else. The feeling of awe as we all marveled over this precious new soul... it's so unique and sacred. I imagine I might feel similar when I see the Savior's face again.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me... Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.

Eden Rose Porter was born on June 25th at 9:29 am. She weighed 7lbs, 3oz and was 21 inches long. She fills my heart and my home with love and joy.

Baby Steps and Tender Mercies

Paisley's time at Primary Children's Hospital - Days 8 & 9

Over the next few days Paisley continued dialysis. It was tricky because they would plan a certain amount of time on the dialysis machine, and then it would just stop working and they would have to stop the whole process and reevaluate. Then, sometimes the catheter in her jugular would weaken and she would have to get a new one. That is another ordeal. It was worth the struggles because we could tell the dialysis was really helping her. Gradually, her lungs began to improve and she started to pee more (a sign of good kidney function). Meanwhile, we were still crossing our fingers that the breathing tube could come out soon.
Occasionally, the effects of the sedatives would weaken and Paisley would start to wake up a little. This was good because we could get an idea of brain function and she was showing some good signs, but it was also very hard for me and my family. When she would start to wake up she would grimace in pain, make strained noises, and try weakly to raise her arms. It was clear to me that she was hurting and there was nothing I could do to help but hold her hand and tell that I was there and I loved her. That combined with the constant ups and downs of dialysis and disappointment over the breathing tube was very hard on me emotionally.
The night of day 9 Was one of those break-down moments when I needed to get away and have a good cry. Myles and I left Paisley in the very capable care of the ICU nurses, went outside to one of the hospital gardens, and sat on a bench under some trees. We talked and cried for a while, and then we had an experience that was very special to me.
We were talking about trials and how God helps us learn from them. I told him I didn't know what God wanted me to learn from all this. He gently said:
"Why don't you ask Him?"
"He doesn't talk to me!" I cried and hung my head and sobbed. Myles went quiet. For what seemed like hours (but was really only a minute or two) I just cried. I felt so lost and alone.
Then, clearly in my mind came the scripture reference- Doctrine and Covenants 121. I opened the scripture app on my phone (thank you technology) and looked up the section. These verses stood out to me:

"O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? [...] My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands."

It was as if God Himself were saying it to me personally. He was talking to me. I knew it, Myles knew it, and I knew that God was listening to my every prayer and cared about every detail of my struggles. I felt such comfort! Myles and I hugged and cried some more.
I am so grateful for the scriptures. I am so glad that I studied them in seminary and religion classes, and I am so thankful I knew that scripture well enough to find it when I needed it. I know that the scriptures are God's word and he speaks to us personally through them. They bring the spirit and open a conduit to heaven. If you ever feel lost and alone, open the scriptures. God is there for you and He will give you what you need. Whether you need comfort, love, or guidance, He is there for you always. Just reach out.

To the Music Therapists Who Sang My Daughter to Sleep

November is the month of Thankfulness and there are 2 people I am thankful for today. The problem is, I don't know how to tell them, since I don't remember their names.

To the Music Therapists Who Sang My Daughter to Sleep,

My 2 year-old daughter was in rehab in the Neuro Trauma unit of Primary Children's Hospital recovering from a very serious illness which had affected her brain. It was early September, 2014.
I was excited for you to come! I love music, and believe in it's power to help other's heal and stimulate development. You came prepared with your guitar and gave my daughter instruments to play along to fun songs designed to help her recovery. Her participation was minimal and it soon became clear that she was too tired to cooperate, and how do you persuade a struggling toddler? Wanting to help in any way you could, you offered to sing her to sleep.
"Are there any songs she likes to fall asleep to?" You asked.
"Do you know any primary songs?" I replied
In my church we use primary songs to teach children about Jesus Christ and God's plan. I don't think you were members of my church, but you did know one song - "I Am A Child Of God." You began to play. I sat there on the bed of the hospital room cradling my daughter, rocking her like a newborn, and I sang along.

"I am a child of God
and He has sent me here;
has given me an earthly home 
with parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me.
Walk beside me.
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
to live with Him someday."

I began the second verse; "I am a child of God, and so my needs are great." That line was all I could manage before the sobs came. I was overcome with thoughts of the great needs of my beautiful daughter, struggling to recover from this serious illness at such a young age. God had given her to me and it was my responsibility to take care of those needs. I thought of my own great needs as I was also struggling through this very difficult time. I thought of all the people God had sent to me to help me with those great needs - including the two of you.
You continued to play and hum along to the sound of my sobs. You respected my pain and sustained me with your heavenly tune. Your music brought such great comfort as I felt the love of the Lord for me and my daughter. My weeping was an essential release, a way to remove some of the stress that had burdened me for so long. Your beautiful music made that possible.
I believe that music can bring peace, hope, and healing in a most beautiful and powerful way. It connects us to those around us and reminds us that we are not alone in our emotions. Your music did that for me.

Thank you, for helping in any way you could.
Thank you, for using your amazing talents to benefit those who truly need it.
Thank you, for knowing the song which meant so much to me.
Thank you, for respecting the struggles of me and my daughter.
Thank you, for facilitating that therapeutic release of pent up stress.
Thank you, for finding the beauty in my pain and struggle.
Thank you, for sharing your love with me, and reminding me of the love of God, family, and friends.

I still weep when I think of this powerful experience. You cannot know the effect it has had on me, or the effect you have on all those you work with. My daughter probably doesn't remember you (I don't think she remembers anything from her time in the hospital) but I will never forget the power you gave me.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Melodie, the weeping mother.

6 Months!

Now that school is done and my life is a lot more relaxed, I thought it would be a great time for another post!

Paisley is 6 months old now! It's gone by so fast! It feels like it's only been a month! I've gotten so used to changing diapers, washing clothes, and soothing her that it easy now. I love her more every day!

However, since it's been so long since I posted I had better rewind  pretty far and go over all the major things that have happened.

Paisley has always been such a good baby and I am proud to be her mama. She doesn't fuss much, she's never really spit up much, and every major transition has gone pretty smoothly. Not long after Paisley was born she started sleeping most nights. Not sleeping through the night but she would only wake up to eat and then usually go right back to sleep. But once the sun was up, she was up too! Sometimes it was difficult to get her to fall asleep in her bassinet because she preferred sleeping in our bed with us (and because I would fall asleep while feeding her and wake up a few hours later and she'd be hungry again...) but even though we loved snuggling with her we tried to get her to sleep in her bassinet when we could. 

Paisley's first time in her crib.

Paisley loved the wrap!

She did go through a phase at about 2 months when she cried often, but mostly in the evenings which happened to be the best for me because Myles would be home and we could take turns soothing her. 

This year we did Christmas morning in our home with just our little family. It was modest, but fun! We got most of Paisley opening her presents on video so we can remember it forever. Then soon after opening gifts we rushed over to Fiona's house and went to church with my family. she had such a pretty Christmas dress! 

The day after Christmas was her baby blessing. We did a small gathering in our church building (not a sacrament meeting) and gave her a blessing with family present. We chose the day after Christmas because my family was in town for the holiday and we didn't want them to have to make a separate trip. After the blessing we had refreshments and took some pictures. My mom and mom-in law have those pictures. If I can get my hands on them I'll post them. Myles family stayed for a little while and Paisley loved spending time with all her Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents while they were here. I think she liked the attention!

For her first Valentines day I got Paisley a cute little outfit and a new book to read to her about God's love for his children. She likes books but she mostly just chews on them. Although for a while she enjoyed turning the pages! When she was 3 1/2 months she started rolling over. Once she got the hang of that, we couldn't get her to stop! Any time we would lay her down on her back she would roll onto her tummy. Then it wasn't long before she learned to roll the other way too! It was her favorite method of travel.

When Paisley turned 4 months old we made a whole bunch of changes all at once. First, we started putting her in her crib in the nursery to sleep. This meant letting her "cry it out" to get to sleep. After only a few nights of crying she started going to sleep by herself very well.  We started this because our pediatrician said it was time. As soon as she started sleeping in the nursery she started sleeping for longer periods of time at night- at least 5 hours. She also started sucking her thumb! I guess since she didn't have me to give her her pacifier every 2 minutes she needed to find something else to suck on to soothe herself. We also had to provide her first bottle of formula when she was 4 months old. I had so much going on with school and taking care of her that I failed to pump enough milk to feed her while I was at school. Myles said she loved the formula which is good because it made it easy for us, but I was a little sad because I wanted her to prefer my milk. I sort of regret starting her on formula because since then I have had a few struggles producing all the milk she needs. I'm hoping my supply will build up again soon.

Now she is 6 months old and she is sleeping 7+ hour stretches at night, getting up onto her hands and knees, rolling/scooting around the house, putting everything she can reach in her mouth, sitting up without support (for short periods of time) and smiling at everyone who talks to her! Everyone loves her and I don't blame them. She is the cutest!

Paisley I love you so much and I can't believe how much you've grown! You are so strong and smart, you amaze me every day! You mean so much to me and I hope I can be the mother you deserve. You make me so happy, and I hope I can extend that happiness back to you. I love you!

I Love Being a Mom!

Life with Paisley is great! She is the CUTEST little girl in the whole universe! And I'm not just saying that because I'm her mom. :) I'm so glad I get to stay home with her all day. I do take a few shifts a week at work and Myles watches her while I'm gone, but for the most part, I'm a stay-at-home Mom now. I'm glad for the time at work because I do go a little crazy after a while of not leaving the house so it's relieving to be able to leave for a few hours.
When Paisley was about 2 weeks she rolled over twice from her tummy to her back! She hasn't done it since then and I think it's because she's put on a few pounds and her muscles haven't developed fast enough to keep up. But we'll keep putting her on her tummy and hopefully she will roll over again soon!
She is a very strong baby! She can hold her head up fairly well and she can push herself up with her legs as long as someone is holding her.
When Paisley smiles, the whole world stops to look. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and it makes me so happy inside! She has cute little dimples and I have no idea where she got them. Myles is so good at making her smile, and I'm getting the hang of it too. She just needs to be in the right mood.

We found out that she will go to sleep without being held if she is in a swing. But soon after we made this discovery, our used swing broke. :( But we borrowed another from my sister. My life is much easier when she will fall asleep somewhere besides in my arms. Although sometimes I like to hold her anyway. :)

Paisley went to the emergency room this week. :( Right around midnight she got a fever so we called our pediatrician's night call nurse and she said to definitely take her in right away. We hate the ER, but if we hadn't gone and anything bad happened to Paisley that could have been prevented I couldn't live with myself. So we got and of course her fever had already gone down by the time we checked in. It took all night to get all the tests done to make sure she was ok and of course everything came back normal. When they put her IV in and tok it out she didn't even make a face! She was so perfect it was amazing! She cried a tiny bit with the catheter they gave her to get a urine sample, and she cried the most when they sucked the mucus out of her nose. But she was really an angel the whole time. I have such a good baby girl! So we came home and Myles ate some food and then left for his last day of finals. Crazy!

Paisley with the IV in her arm. She was tired. Sorry it's bad quality I took it on my phone.

I love my baby girl so much!

Paisley's first Thanksgiving.

Paisley's Birth

 Paisley Kaye Porter

Born on her due date Oct 30 2011 at 7:53 am

7lbs 12 oz

21 inches long

Basically, I was in labor for over 4 days. That's if you count "early labor" which I think should be counted. I woke up around 3 am Wednesday morning Oct 26 with crampy contractions that were pretty strong. They were also pretty close together. I thought maybe it was the real thing! Then morning came around and they slowed down a lot for the rest of the day. The next 2 days were the same story: lots of contractions at night but slow during the day. However, they were gradually getting more regular so that was a good sign. I barely got any sleep, but it was good practice for real labor.
Friday afternoon I realized I hadn't felt the baby move much all day so I called my midwife and she suggested we go to the hospital to make sure everything was ok. It was. No problems with the baby. I was dilated to 1.5 at that point. Kind of disappointing after 2 days of strong contractions.
Saturday morning I realized that if I made a low moaning sound with the contractions it helped me to release tension and made the pain turn into more of a discomfort. I just had to close my eyes, relax my muscles, especially the muscles in my face, and focus on using that exhale/moan to release the tension in my abdomen. This is what it looked like:

Joey was helping me relax. :)

Myles was so great all day Saturday. He knew I didn't get much sleep and that the contractions were hard to deal with so he made me food and cleaned the whole house while still helping me time the contractions.
Finally, Saturday around 4:30pm the contractions started to feel different. I still felt that campy feeling but there was a lot more pressure with them, and some lower back pain too.  I told my sister who is a natural birth instructor and she thought it sounded like the real thing. We were diligent in timing the contractions after that, and at 9:30 they started coming 3 to 4 minutes apart. we waited a couple hours to make sure and at 11:30 Myles, my sister Fiona and I went to the hospital, but we knew they might just send us back home. They checked me and... I was at a 5! So they admitted me into the hospital.

It's funny how many people have this perception of "going into labor" like it happens suddenly and in a super exciting way, but most people know it's happening long before heading to the hospital. If your water breaks before going into labor that's a different story, but I read somewhere that only happens in about 8% of pregnancies.
The back pain with my contractions was getting worse. Fiona was my doula and she and Myles took turns giving me back rubs to help during the contractions. But it was still pretty bad. If it weren't for the back pain, labor would have been easy.
After about 4 hours in the hospital I was pretty exhausted and I wanted a break! I had only progressed to a 6 so I knew I still had a ways to go. I was hoping there was something that would help me to zonk out for an hour so I could regain my energy. The nurse gave me a drug called Fetanyl to help me sleep but it didn't do anything. Because of that I can't say my labor and delivery were 100% drug free, but I still call it a natural birth because there wasn't really any pain relief. If you are ever considering getting Fetanyl to help with labor and delivery, don't do it. It's not worth it. It doesn't even work, especially on back pain.
After that labor just got harder, mostly because of the back pain and because I was so tired. We knew the back pain was because the baby was in a posterior position, which means head down with her back against my back. This puts a lot of pressure on my back which causes the pain. We tried some different positions leaning forward to get her to turn anterior, hoping that would make the pain go away. It didn't seem like anything was working and I was too tired and weak to stay leaning forward for very long. By this point I was thinking that if we couldn't get her to change positions I would get an epidural, not just because of the back pain, but also because I've heard it's very difficult and painful to push out a posterior baby. Update: one important detail I forgot to mention. I remember at this moment praying that God would help me by getting Paisley to turn so I could have the natural birth I wanted. We called in the midwife to see if she knew of anything else we could try to get her to turn. Right before she came in I felt the baby move but I thought it was just an arm or a leg. Soon after she came in my water broke with a big pop! They say when your water breaks labor speeds up. Well, it sure did! She checked me right after and I was complete! And even better, the baby had turned! What a relief! God answers prayers!
After days of contractions, I hadn't even thought about pushing. So after feeling all that relief, the next thought was "How the heck am I going to push this baby out?" I started trying to "breathe the baby down" like they say in hypnobirthing but I was tired and impatient and didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. The midwife coached me through the kind of pushing she finds works best. So I waited for the urge and then gave it my all. After a couple of tries I got it right and I was making progress! A few more of those urges to push and she was born. I was so relieved I exclaimed "I had a baby!"
By this point I was so tired I was nearly delusional. They put the baby on my stomach for a moment and Myles cut the cord because it had already stopped pulsing, then they took her away because she had junk in her respiratory system and wasn't breathing. She was in the same room but I was still sad. Then the nurse tried to give me pitocin and I didn't know why so I took my arm away and told her I'd rather not. Then the midwife told me I was bleeding a lot so I needed pitocin so I let her give it to me. They kept telling me not to worry and everything would be ok. I thought 'What? I'm bleeding a lot? Why? And why is my baby over there and not in my arms?' I was told I had two minor tears. Everything was happening so fast and I was so tired I had no idea what was really going on.
A few minutes later everything was finally okay and I got to hold my precious baby. I was so glad to look into her eyes and say hello to her. She is so beautiful and perfect. I can't believe I grew her in my tummy! I love her so much. They asked us what her name was. Myles and I agreed so we told them "Paisley Kaye Porter". Hooray! Welcome to the world Paisley Kaye!

I held her and just stared at her and fed her for over an hour. Myles was right next to me marveling with me. She was so alert and she would just stare into my eyes like she was memorizing my face. One of the first features I noticed was her nose. She has her grandma Janeal's nose.
Later, although I was exhausted I couldn't get to sleep. I decided to try and get up and use the restroom so I called the nurse. While I was out of bed I lost so much blood that I passed out! It was kind of scary! The nurses saved my life by waking me up and taking me to the bed. They gave me more pitocin and more pain killers. Then I was finally able to sleep a little.
It's been a week since then and the rest of the recovery has gone very very well. I get pretty tired after long nights and when I get tired I get emotional. Most of the time it's because I'm overwhelmed by how much I love my daughter! Overall my mood and energy has been good, and I still laugh and play with my family. Physically, the healing has been very fast. I'm out going for walks and running errands already and the swelling is almost completely gone. I can do anything for myself that I need to... If I can find time and energy.  The hardest part has been learning how to breastfeed. It takes a while to perfect the art of latching on, and it can be frustrating when your milk comes in and things get messy... but we're working on it. I'm learning new things every day.

Myles has been such a great daddy to her. He loves to hold her and he is always willing to help out in the middle of the night. I'm so grateful that I have him as my companion to help me take care of our beautiful daughter.

Paisley has been such a good baby. She only really cries when she's hungry. She loves to be held. She even let me sleep for 5 hours one night. Everything she does is cute. I love her. 

Paisley's first bath. She didn't like it much.

False Labor...

... is no fun. No I haven't gone to the hospital thinking I was in labor and been turned away, thank goodness! But it is still very frustrating.
Early Wednesday morning I woke up to some strong contractions and I was noticing some other signs of labor too. I was excited because I thought it meant I would go into labor within the next 48 hours or so... but then all of Wednesday passed... and all of Thursday... and now it's Saturday. I definitely think I should have been in real labor by now. The worst part is that the contractions get strong, frequent, and painful in the middle of the night when I should be sleeping, and they keep me awake! And then as soon as I get out of bed they get weak and far apart. This means I wake up excited thinking it's time, then become quickly disappointed as I realize it's still false labor and then I sit around the house all day tired and bored because I can't plan anything in case I do go into labor, which could happen at any minute. By the way, did I mention that contractions hurt? One good thing though, they have been getting more frequent and strong over the past few days, even the ones during the day. That means I'm making progress. It's not for nothing!

Come on sweet baby girl. We're ready for you. We're just waiting to hold you in our loving arms.

Baby Girl

Well for those of you who read my blog but not facebook, we're having a GIRL! I'm way late posting about it considering we found out 17 weeks ago. In fact, I'm really just way late posting anything. I'm now almost 37 weeks pregnant.

A few important things have happened in the past few months, besides gaining 35 pounds.

• I had 3 baby showers. One in AZ, one in ID, and one in UT. I guess that happens when an Arizona girl lives in Utah and marries and Idaho boy.
• I almost thought I had Gestational Diabetes, but then I passed the second test with flying colors. I was really scared for a day though.
• I found out I'm very anemic when I'm pregnant! The doctors have me taking two prescription strength iron supplements a day! But I feel better when I take them. I used to get really faint and tired with headaches quite often, but now I feel great!
• I decided to give birth naturally with the Hypnobirthing method. It sounds weird but it's not. I took a class on it. My sister did hypnobirthing with all 3 of her children and she will be there to support me.
• We have the nursery almost ready!
• I've almost completely packed the hospital bag.
• I got stretch marks.
• I crocheted a baby blanket for her. It's yellow. It's not perfect but it's made with love!
• I'm also crocheting a few other small things for baby.
• I started doing water aerobics because I was gaining a little too much weight.
• I'm feeling Braxton Hicks contractions.
• Don't ask if we've picked a name. We haven't. We will. You'll find out her name very soon after we do!

Well as soon as I reach 37 weeks (Sunday) I will be full-term which means labor could kick in anytime. I hope I have at least another week and a half because I still have to finish school for the term and perfect a few things around the house. She's still a very active baby. I think she spins around on her head to pass the time- like a break dancer. I feel huge but I'm able to do all my daily activities with only a little more effort and discomfort. Any inconvenience is worth it because I love her to infinity and I can't wait to meet her!

On a side note- we are harvesting TONS of veggies from our garden. I don't know what to do with them!

Conception is to Marriage as the Sky is to the 3 Kingdoms of Heaven

Does that title slightly confuse you and draw you in to read my blog?

Good.

And here's an added plus: It's relevant!

So I'll start by explaining how the sky relates to the 3 degrees of glory.

If you're a Mormon and you've ever gone to Sunday school, you already know.

Heaven=3 kingdoms; Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial.

Telestial is the lesser.

Terrestial is next best.

Celestial is the bestest.

Well, the scriptures relate their glory to stars, moon, and sun. Hence: the sky.

Telestial=Stars.

Terrestrial=Moon.

Celestial=Sun.

(see 1 Corinthians 15:40-41)

So, have you figured out how conception is to marriage?

I was writing a paper about abortion the other day,

(btw, I loathe abortion),

and I read a quote from a General Authority

(I can't remember who but I can look it up when I get home).

It spoke of how conception occurs when two cells join together to form one living organism which will grow to become a human being.

Do you see the relation?

When a marriage occurs, a man and a woman join together to from one living entity which has limitless potential.

If you think about it a little harder, there's all sorts of neat insights one can gain from this metaphor

(like how you need two different cells to make a human embryo, you can't smush two sperm or two ova together and make anything from it).

So, in conclusion, Conception is to Marriage as the Sky is to the 3 Kingdoms of Heaven because one is a type of the other.

" True types will have noticeable points of resemblance, show evidence of divine appointment, and be prophetic of future events."

I love these little insights I gain when studying. :)