"On the Day I Was Born"

On a Monday night...I started having inconsistent contraction...but they were still pretty painful! I drove myself to the Banner Mesa hospital after I put the rest of the kids to bed...I think it was around 9:pm. I checked myself in...and they monitored me for about an hour...but my contractions weren't quite strong enough or consistent to keep me...so they sent me home with a sleeping pill. I came home a little discouraged...but thankful that at least I would get some sleep that night. You were the only baby that I had contractions with for several days before I actually went into labor! On Thursday morning, around 4:am, I started having some pretty painful contractions again. I didn't want to go to the hospital because I thought that they would just send me home again...so I went about my daily routine and waited and waited. Jonathan, Lilli and Jared were all in school...so it was just Cosette and me. Daddy went to work...and I told him to keep his phone on in case my contractions started getting closer together. Throughout the day...I didn't do much...I just watched Cosette and laid in bed. Around 1:30 pm I lost my mucous plug and my contractions were getting closer together...so I called Daddy and asked him to come home to take me to the hospital. He didn't get home until about 2:30...by that time I had packed my hospital bag and called our relief society president to watch Cosette while we were at the hospital. I called the school and asked them to tell Jonathan, Lilli, and Jared to walk home to Grandma Seller's home. They weren't quite home yet...in fact they were at a family dinner with Kendall and Tammy...which we were supposed to have attended. Daddy helped me in the car and we dropped Cosette off at the Liechty's house...then we went to Grandma's house to check that the front door was open for the older kids. While Daddy was checking Grandma's front door...my water broke all over the front seat of our car. This was the first time that my water broke on it's own while I was in the midst of labor! The pain got even worse...and when Daddy came back to the car...I told him to drive fast! We arrived at Banner Mesa around 3:15pm...and as soon as we walked through the door...the nurses could see that I was in a lot of pain. They quickly put me in a wheel chair and whisked me up to the sixth floor which was labor and delivery. The labor and delivery nurses were just as good...they got me out of my wet clothes...into a hospital gown and bed within just a few minutes. When they checked me to see how far I was dialated...they said that I was a 6 1/2! No wonder I was in so much pain...they quickly called for the anethstitiologist so that I could get my epidural. I remember that the doctors that put my epidural in were real jokesters! I don't remember what they said...but I remember being thankful for a little laughter in such a painful situation. The epidural set in and for the most part took away most of the pain...I still felt most of the pain in my cervix though. I dialated pretty quickly and before I knew it...you were ready to come. Dr. Huish delivered you...I really liked him...he was my doctor for Cosette and Jared as well. He was in his forties when he delivered you...but he looked like he was in his early thirties...he had a real baby face. I remember that he told me to push...and then after the first couple of pushes...he told me that he didn't want any "fake" pushing...but to put all of my effort into it. I did and out you came! You were so BIG...you looked like a butterball turkey! You weighed just over 8 lbs. and you were about 19 inches long! You had blond hair and blue eyes...and to put it mildly...you were just plain BEAUTIFUL! Daddy and I had expected you to be a boy...the first ultra sound said that you were a boy and we had some impressions that you would be a boy...BOY DID YOU SURPRISE US!!! We were so very happy to have you though...and as time went on...I was thrilled that you and Cosette were so close in age...and that you had each other to play with! You two have been the best of friends...and at times...the worst of enemies! You have a love/hate relationship...and I think it will always remain that way. In fact...I think that you waited to be born on November 9th instead of the previous Monday because of your close bond to your sister Cosette! That made you 2 1/2 years apart to the day...since Cosette's birthday is on May 9th! We had a hard time naming you too! Since we were expecting a boy...we had a boy's name picked out for you...so it took us almost the full two days in the hospital to come up with your name. We played around with the idea of Emma, Kimari, and Harmony. We settled on Savannah...because I had always liked that name after watching "Savannah Smiles" when I was a kid. "Marie" came from "Me" because we had always used Daddy's side of the family for middle names or first names...Like Jonathan David or Jared Michael...and I wanted my last little chicken to have a piece of me! So we named you Savannah Marie Allen...and haven't looked back since! The name fits you perfectly! We are SOOOOOOOO grateful to have you complete our family...and you definitely do!

Your First Diaper:

Your First Bath:

In Mommy's Arms:

Your First Stuffed Animal: