October 15, 2007 - Happy B-day Ryan

I was in Washington for Ryan's birthday but my thoughts were with him, not only on that day, but on many previous days leading up to and after the 15th. My thoughts wondered fondly back to that special day when Ryan was born. Our little growing family of Larry, myself, Brant, Ashley and Erin was shortly going to include another little boy!! Two boys and two girls - how blessed we were and, at the time, we didn't know that Ryan would be our last child. Brant was six years old, Ashley was four and Erin was a year and a half old.

My journal entry - August 31, 1980 - "I am now in the last month of my pregnancy and feel fine. However, I am really trying to hold my weight to a hault now. I am where I was when I delivered the other babies and still have a month to go! This baby kicks all the time and hard! I haven't felt a lot of pressure yet which is certainly a relief."

Then on - October 14, 1980 - "Today was spent in anticipation of our new baby to come. The kids and I made some Halloween cookies (pumpkins) and when Larry got home we all took them to the new family that moved in down the street and have two children. We also took some to Brant and Ashley's friends Brent and Sarah Baumann. They enjoyed giving their homemade cookies to their friends! We had walked to their houses and when we got home I felt pretty tired and the baby seemed down a little. Later that night I started to bleed fresh blood and had some contractions.

Wednesday, October, 15 1980 in big letters across my journal page - Ryan's Birth!!
"It has been six days since little Ryan blessed our home with his presence and I want to account for all the special events which have happened concerning his presence in our lives. When I got up this morning I told Larry that this could be the day so I called Dr. O'Dell. He said to come to the hospital and he would examine me. We called Mama and Daddy and they came in to stay with Brant, Ashley and Erin. Sure enough, the baby was trying to come. At around 11:00 a.m. Dr. O'Dell undid the stitch and broke my water against my request that he wait because he was in the midst of delivering another baby. As it happened, I dilated to 9 cm so the nurse took me to the other delivery room where I had to do my panting breathing to keep the baby from coming. Through all of this Larry was so sympathetic and helpful. I was burning up so he would put a wet rag on my forehead and fanned me. Finally, after thirty minutes of hard labor, Dr. O'Dell came in and when he told me to push my work began. I guess I must have pushed for twenty minutes or so, off and on, because at 12:36 p.m. we were blessed with a beautiful 7 lb. 14 oz. and 21 inch long little boy - Brant's twin six and a half years later! A little boy! How fortunate we feel. I was able to hold Ryan in my arms right after the nurses syringed his nose. He seemed so big to me and yet so little. Larry held him in his arms for a few minutes also. It's so very hard to express the joy one feels at this time. I felt a surge of emotions flood forth as he entered the world and all I could do was cry with joy. After I got to my room I walked down to the nursery where they let me go to Ryan and hold him. He was under the heat lamp warming up. Larry left to go get the kids and bring them up to the hospital to see their new brother. They were so excited. Brant was glad to have a brother. Ashley was chattering like a magpie and little Erin just looked and was very quiet. I wish I knew what was going on in that little mind. That night Linda Baumann and Kathy Winslow and their kids came up to the hospital. Mama and Daddy were there, also."

After 27 years, the memory remains most clear and I go back to this moment in time each year for each of our children's births. Mothering brought immense joy into my life. How thankful I am to Heavenly Father for showering Larry and I with four precious gifts from heaven who, to this day and forever, bring added meaning, joy and reason for striving to perfect ourselves so we can continue these loving relationships into the eternities.

Happy Birthday Ryan,

Mom