March 18, 2016
My Dearest Heather:
Every year, on your birthday, I try to write a letter to
you. This year, you and Brandon have
moved to Taylor Mill, Kentucky for Brandon’s first real job out of college,
with Nielsen Marketing in Cincinnati.
This past year with you has brought us so much joy and we
feel so very blessed. We were able to
see you and Brandon graduate from BYU-Provo.
It is a big deal for you both to have graduated together, such a rare
thing. We are so happy that you
graduated from college.
We saw you work through some hard challenges with Extreme
Party Innovations. Even though there
were some very unpleasant events and challenges, we can see now that you both
gained knowledge and skills that you wouldn’t have obtained any where else. It will bless your future. We’ve seen it has already blessed you in
future jobs and situations.
We are grateful that you continue to accept calls from the
Lord. We are proud of you for digging
into Cub Scouting. Those 10 and 11 year
old boys are lucky to have you. You will
grow and learn a lot, so you will be compensated and blessed for your
efforts. It’s such an opportunity to
make a difference in the lives of young men and their families.
I am happy that you are willing to share all your talents
with your ward members and Matt. We are
always given more talents when we share ours.
I’m really excited for all the adventures and life you and
Brandon will get to make together in Kentucky.
I’m proud of Brandon and his new job.
I’m excited and hope you have a job soon. I’m excited to make a trip out there to see
you sometime.
Thank you for being kind, loving and helpful to each of your
siblings. Thanks for being good to my
parents and Dad’s.
I was remembering back to the evening you were born. You’ve heard it before, but I was at work on
campus at USU up until the day you were born.
I was about a week over due. I woke up on your birthday, and felt
strange. I called my work ladies – Teri
Price and Debbie Brunson in Range Science.
I told them I thought I better not come in today. They laughed and said,
“By all means, stay home”.
I called my doctor’s office.
I went in later that morning, was checked, and told I was in labor and to go to the
hospital. I went home, grabbed my over
night bag and Dad and I went to the hospital in Logan.
We were happy and naive.
We had attended a birthing class while I was pregnant. We had practiced La Maz breathing techniques
and other things to help me relax during labor.
As the day went along, the labor progressed. Contractions came closer. Things got serious. I wouldn’t listen to Dad’s coaching any
more. I ended up having an
epidural.
My nurse kept calling our doctor towards the end, because
your heart rate would decelerate with every contraction. So, we knew you weren’t doing well. My doctor didn’t come for a long time. When he did, he saw you were suffering and we
all tried to get you delivered quickly.
When you were delivered, we were overjoyed and
exhausted. We only got to hold you for a
little while, because your umbilical cord had been wrapped around your neck
three times. That’s why your heart rate
would go down with every contraction.
When you were floating in the amniotic fluid, you were okay, but when
you were squished in a contraction, the cord would clamp down too tight, and
cut off your air supply and your circulation.
You had go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where the
sick babies go. You were the biggest one in there. Most of them are pre-mature, so they are
tiny. That wasn’t your problem.
Grandpa and Grandma White came to see you. The nursery nurses let them in, they had to
wear gowns, masks and hats. I remember
Grandpa White stroking your little back.
You would quiver when his finger went down your back. They had you laying on your tummy.
My heart was sad and broken, because I couldn’t have you in
my room with me. Bishop Fife came later, and he and Dad gave you a
blessing. Bishop Fife told me, after the
blessing, that he knew you were going to be fine and come home.
However, I was discharged first, so I had to go home without
you for one night. The next morning, the
hospital called to say you were ready to go home! We had gone to the nursery as often as we
could while I was there, to see you, talk to you, hold you. Not long after your deliver, the nurses asked
if I wanted to go see you. Of course I
did, but the first time I tried to get out of bed to get into the wheel chair
they brought for me, I nearly passed out, and had to wait a while before we
could go.
We did get ready and went to the hospital two days after you
were born, and got to pick you up and take you home with us. We were so happy and grateful you made it.
Grandma White was with me for a day or two. I must have felt fairly good, because I wanted
her to go grocery shopping with us. She
took us, but of course, that was a mistake.
I should have kept you and I home, and let her go get the groceries I
needed. I quickly ran out of steam, and
I sat in the car with you while she got the things we needed.
We had so much fun getting ready for you birth. You were Grandma and Grandpa White’s first
grand child, and our first child, so it was a big deal. Grandma Williams made
some cute quilts and blankets for you long before you were born.
When we blessed you, it was at the church house where we
attended our USU ward. We had rented a
building in Providence, Utah to have the dinner afterwards. My friend from work, Teri Price, had some
connection there and helped me find it.
We had all of Blaine’s siblings and the children they had at that time,
the Ripp grandparents, the White grandparents and my parents brought your Great
Grandparents White and Williams.
Dad’s Ripplinger nieces and nephews snuck downstairs in that
rented building and found roller skates.
They helped themselves and skated all over in the basement. Grandma Ripplinger found out, and had a fit
and made them put everything back where they found it. That would have been Terry’s three oldest,
Mike’s three oldest and Shaun.
I had sewn your long baby blessing dress myself. It was gorgeous. Dad gave one of his first beautiful blessings
when you received your name and blessing that Sunday.
We had a fun, beautiful day that day. We were a family. We were in love with our darling baby girl. It was the start of a wonderful journey.
We’ve loved you ever since.
Love you,
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment