Birthdays & A Different Kind Of Labor Day

Caylee, Dylan and Emily celebrated their 9th birthday today. We probably didn't celebrate it as they would have planned (we drove back from St. George), but I think they still had a good time.

As we drove past Salt Lake City at about 3:30 pm, I looked out east toward the mountain and saw the big U. My mind raced back to exactly nine years ago. I was in a hospital room at University Hospital about to be taken to the delivery room. It had been a long day (in fact a long month) there at the hospital and I knew that in a short time my 3 babies would be delivered. In honor of that memory, I am going to flashback to that time and record a scrapbook/journal entry of that day:

"At 10:15 pm on August 31st the doctors called me at my hotel room and told me to come back in (and plan on staying). They were worried about preeclampsia (I had gained 8 pounds in one week). That night I started having contractions again... At 5 am they checked me ... it was time to call Alan (who was up in Logan) and tell him to hurry. They scheduled me for a 7 am c-section, giving Alan just enough time to get down from Logan."

"Dr Fausett came on duty at 7 am, September 1st. He looked over my ultrasound and determined that I could have the babies delivered vaginally....It wasn't until about 4 pm that the doctor said it was time to deliver ... They wheeled me into an operating room which was right next to the Newborn Intensive Care. In fact, there was a window in which they passed the baby through. There were at least 15 people in the room. ... What an amazing birth! Dylan was born at 4:39, followed by Caylee at 4:42 and Emily at 4:46" .

Dylan weighed in at 3 lb 11 oz, Caylee at 3 lb 13 oz and Emily at 4 lb 9 oz. Of course there's much more to the story than the short little synopsis here, but I think most of you already know it.


It has been an amazing experience these past 9 years. Alan quietly reminded me as I was reminiscing on the drive past Salt Lake that our kids are now 1/2 way through their time with us and their childhood. What a sad thought. I have enjoyed every day with these precious souls and don't think I tell them that often enough. What a pleasure and honor it has been to be their mother! I certainly feel at times unworthy but grateful for this gift I have been given.