Talin is Born!

So I had a friend (Karen) approach me about taking birthing pictures. I guess there is a thing called birthing photography now. Anyways, she wanted to do it for me. So me being the cheap thing that I am, of course jumped at the chance to get free photos! :) Ok, I didn't jump, I had to look into it first and see what it was. And although I love Karen to death now - and we have grown MUCH closer! :) But I had only really talked with her like 4 times before this. ;) A friend of a friend. Anyways, there are some pictures I look like a WHALE! and maybe I should have dressed in a cuter night gown or something - but hey, putin' on a little make up for the photos was more than I have done for ANY birth - so . . . :)

Labor: My body doesn't go into labor on it's own. In fact I wasn't even barely a "1" and there was NO effacement happening when I checked into the hospital.

With some medications they got the labor process "jump started" but at only 50 % effaced and contractions every 2 -3 min they were ready to send me home. (I am thinking, isn't this when people COME to the hospital? How will I know when to come back?)

Luckily my doc had mercy on my soul and came in to break my water. I was certain I would have him 90 min later (like with Kaylee). But since I wasn't given pitocin - I was wrong. AFTER breaking my water I was still "walking around the hospital" etc for 4 more hours!

Finally I begged for Pitocin and he finally came an hour or so later.

I DID NOT have an epidural. I DID have 1 mg of some IV pain killer. The nurses said the dose was so low, they wondered if it even did anything. :) It did for about an hour - made me sleepy and dizy and happy. :) In between the contractions that is. :) Of course there was hardly a trace of it once it was REALLY needed .

After holding back 8 - 10 "NEED TO PUSH CONTRACTIONS" (that is SuPeR hard to do!) I pushed for 15 min. Grunted a lot and let out one scream of frustration because I felt like I was pushing wrong, and every 3 pushes I would throw up a little in my mouth. Made my throat soooo sore!

I really can't complain! Considering he was "only" 8 lbs 10 oz and not the 9 lb 4 oz the ultra sound said! Thank goodness. (he is 9 lbs even today though!)

The recovery has been wonderful. I am thinking about volleyball next week! :)

Isn't it fun to have pictures of the whole process!? I might even PAY for it for my next kid :)

'Cause I know I wouldn't think to take such cute pictures like these:

And I am WAY too out of it to take pictures of the two most Handsome men in the world!

So, I think that Birthing Photography ROCKS! And so does Karen! :)

BABY RANDOMS

I am sitting down to feed Talin for the first time in front of the girls.

Mia : "Mom, what are you doing with Talin"

Me - thinking oh boy I get to explain this one. . . :) I explain I am a cow now. :) jk in way sweeter words i basically did though :)

Kaylee: "Mom! Talin is eating you!" (then she looks at herself seeing if Talin can eat her too.)

Mia asked how the doctor put my stomach back together after Talin came out. I explained that God made our bodies to make it fix pretty good. Then she asked why it was still so big. I tried to convince her that it was smaller than just days before - she wasn't convinced. I tried to suck in. Now I am not convinced! :)

Talin's first day

A year ago. . .

A little over a year ago today, we lost a pregnancy. I am now about to give birth to a little baby boy . . . any week now. I learned a huge lesson from that trial. I feel prompted to share it. It was a talk I wrote a year ago - but only had 2 1/2 min to give. This is for any friend who may suffer similar problems. Most of all I learned #1 The STRENGTH of a marriage and #2 HOW to turn over such a trial to the Savior, and allow Him to take away the pain.

This will be in the past tense, since it is copying the talk/journal entry.

President Hinkley referred to a temple marriage as "a Gift, precious beyond all others".

Recently we lost a pregnancy. It was very difficult for me. My hubby works long hours and I found myself very alone. I tried to be happy and positive, but I was alone.

I knew that I needed my Savior and I needed to be healed. I honestly have a testimony that He can and will take away all of our pain and heartache. The problem was I wasn't entirely sure HOW to give this pain to my Savior - But Mostly - I wasn't ready to give it up. I think I was almost punishing myself with the hurt.

I tried talking with my friends, but it didn't ease my pain.

One night I simply poured out my heart to my husband. I said much the same things that I did to my girlfriends . . . but this time it was different. ALmost instantly, I felt a huge relief in my hurt. I think a lot of it transfered to my husband, because I could see it in his eyes. Together we yolked this trial and burden and together we will get through it.

I learned some great lessons from that night.

#1 My husband is not only my best friend, but partner. I realized how strong our bond truly is. I realized that I needed HIM, more than I needed my friends, or even my mother. This was OUR trial. HE could only empathize with me. WE could do it together better than apart.

I now understand with more clarity a statement made by Elder Howard a few conferences ago.

" If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by."

He was talking about his wife's silverware and relating it to eternal marriage. As I read it now, I can only think of the way my husband lovingly cares for and protects me. How he helped to polish me until I gleamed like new again. Because he has made it so, it has grown more precious and beautiful as time goes by. He helped make me whole again.

The second lesson I learned was HOW to GIVE that burden to my Savior. Much like I did with my husband, I needed to sit and my Saviors feet and pour out my soul to Him. ALL my aches, pains, frustrations, feelings of inadequacy. I needed to leave my burdens at His feet, so that He could pick them up. And pick me up too. He already bought those pains, for me and for you. He has paid the price, He wants to help us.

And much like my husband helped to yolk this trial with me, My Savior will do the same. Just as I could see my hurt transfer to my husband, my Savior can take that hurt from me. My Savior can truly empathize because He HAS felt my pain. Just as I realized the strength of the relationship of my husband and I, I am truly grateful for my "other" Best Friend. I know that my understanding of the Atonement is limited, but I learned a huge lesson of how to allow the Savior to heal you from more than just sin, but from heartache and pain as well.

"Mine eyes have yet to behold His glory, but I know that He lives, for my heart has felt His presence." This is one of my favorite quotes. I know Jesus Christ lives, I know that He can heal all pain. I know because I have felt His loving arms encircle me at times when I could not stand, but only kneel. I am thankful for this knowledge.

I miss my left hand

Ever notice how much you use something AFTER you can't use it anymore? I mean really, how much do you do with left hand anyways? EVERYTHING but pick your nose. Seriously, I can't even put my hair back in a real ponytail right now. I have NO idea what I am going to do with my hair on Sunday. . . hmmm.

So, I so smartly did this DURING preschool teaching 5 kids. Luckily they didn't see the disaster. I decided to whip up a quick two batches of play dough during their play time. So that they could mix yellow and blue dough to make green. Then trace with the dough the letter D and d we were working on. While measuring the BoiLiNg water into a measuring cup, I OVER SPILLED it (hand slipped) and I poured about 2 cups of boiling water all over my fingers!

What do you do when you burn your hand? . . . Run it under cold water of course! PROBLEM: there is no such thing as cold water coming out of your faucet in Arizona in the summer! I discovered this as the water forced on of the quickly forming blisters to pop. I quickly rigged an ice water bucket for my hand. Finished teaching the rest of preschool with REGULAR - NOT homemade play dough. They didn't get to see yellow and blue make green. They just got green dough. (It was the color of the week.)

I realized part way through teaching that it was pretty bad and called my dear friend Janel and she dropped everything and got me some BURN JELL by water jell at Walgreens. IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOME ON HAND - I would get some! It is great. ;) It helped a TON. But I could tell it was still pretty bad. I finally gave in to the raging prego hormones that were making me cry and went to the doctor. (I mean seriously, I can give birth to kids - but cry over this?!)

I am glad I went. They gave me this amazing cream that they put on burn victims etc. It seems to be holding the dead skin (black in the picture) on long enough for the underlying skin to heal up nicely. If I even brush up against something the skin sluffs off though - so I have to be super careful! And of course my hubby is out of town this weekend at the BYU football game. Thank you mother in law for washing my girls hair today! :)

Enough about me - lets just say burns are SUPER painful. Honestly they would be feeling ok, but just walking out in the 110 degree AZ heat for 10 seconds would make them feel as they were just burnt again! I have a new respect for burn victims for reals.

So the black is all skin that is dead and will come off. Most of it has sluffed off the first finger. . . the white stuff is cream. but under there, all black. YUM YUM!