Happy Birthday Sean!!

November 16th, 1989 will go down in the history of my life as one of my happiest days...EVER!!  It was the end of a difficult trial that I had endured. For those of you who knew me back then you will remember how my arms ached to have another baby.  We had been blessed with a baby girl on October 10th, 1985 and then I just couldn't seem to be able to have another baby.  I  had one miscarriage before Melissa, but after having Melissa, I just seemed to have problem after problem having another baby.  I was able to conceive which was a great blessing, but I just couldn't carry a pregnancy.  I had suffered through three miscarriages and then became pregnant for the 6th time and hoped again for a baby.  About 17 weeks into the pregnancy I started having problems.  I was devastated!!  The other miscarriages I had had were long term miscarriages and things looked very dim.  The doctor could see through ultra-sound that there was a large tear in the placenta.  He gave me a 50/50 chance that I would continue on with my pregnancy.  He put me on total bed rest and told me to come back in 3 weeks for another ultra sound to see if the placenta would heal.  I can remember receiving two tender mercies during that time that helped me sustain my faith.  First, I received a priesthood blessing from my Bishop. In the blessing I was told that I would have this baby and that he would be healthy.  Second, I received a phone call from a member of our stake presidency whom I didn't even know.  He told me that he had heard of my situation and that he had placed my name on the prayer roll.  It touched me more then I can ever explain.  During that time I continued to pray and plead and bargain with the Lord to help me have this baby.  Much of what when on during that period of time has remained in my heart as some of the most sacred experiences of my life.  When I returned to see Dr. Bryner, he told me that all looked well and I could carry on a normal life for the next 8 weeks at which point I would be put back on bed rest to help prevent pre-term labor.  So, again in August I went back to bed-rest.  At this point Melissa was close to turning 4.  It was a difficult time and the medicine I was on to stop labor made me feel terrible. Melissa and I spent our days reading books and watching videos and she went to be cared for by so many people who generously offered.  One particular video that we watched was Mary Poppins over and over again.  She loved it!!  I was told by Dr. Bryner that once I reached 37 weeks I would be able to get out of bed and things would more than likely be safe to have the baby.  I WAS SO HAPPY!!  I was supposed to still take it easy, but I was okay to get off of bed rest. So, on the afternoon of November 16th, I took Melissa's to King's in Bountiful. We were having fun in the toy department when my water broke.  This of course was back in the days of no cell phones.  I grabbed Melissa and we made the 2 minute drive home.  I called Tim and he hurried home.  My labor had hit hard!  I started trying to call to find somewhere to take Melissa.  No one was home.  Finally my nephew Rich answered at their house.  Rich would have only been about 10 at the time.  I knew that my sister never left them for a long time so we decided to drop Melissa there to be tended by her 3 cousins.  I am feeling grateful for cell phones right now.  What I learned later was that the 3 boys had strep throat and Kathy had gone to the store to pick up their medicine.  What a place to leave your child!  We arrived at the University of Utah hospital and I was in a lot of pain.  As a side note,  my Dr. wanted me to deliver at the University hospital because at the time it was the only hospital that use surfactant which is a drug used if needed to help speed up the development of lungs in pre-mature babies. Tim could tell I was in a lot of pain and insistent he get a wheel chair for me.  I was so embarrassed, but thankful when I checked into the hospital and was told I was dilated to a 10 and that my baby had a full head of hair!  Needless to say, Sean was born VERY quickly, without my Dr. there and with a room full of people.  They asked me if it would be okay if about 6 interns observed and I even had a male nurse.    I was rushed into a room and things were done in such a hurry that I remember seeing the blinds open and I could see into the parking lot, but I was in too much pain to let anyone know to close the blinds...I just wanted to have my baby...NOW!! In short order, Sean was born.  I WAS SO HAPPY!!  That night the U of U was lit on the mountain.  I could NOT sleep for hours after he was born.  I have felt different and very strong emotions after each of our children were born.  With Sean it was pure JOY and HAPPINESS!!  I remember laying in bed and wanted to get out and dance around and sing "Let's go fly a kite".  True story.  After all of those weeks of watching Mary Poppins.  That was what came to my mind!!

Sean has been my favorite son!  He is great and both Melissa and Megan have accused me of thinking Sean is my favorite child. For the record, I love all of my children!! I am so grateful for him and for his life.  He truly is a gift to me from my Heavenly Father.

Sean has had great support in his life from his family.  This is a picture of Grandpa Alan and Grandma Bea after Sean was ordained a teacher.

Everyone that meets Sean says he looks like his dad.  Sean shares his middle name with his dad...Timothy!

Melissa adores Sean.  She is a very good big sister and they share many things in common!  She even gave birth to her first born that has blue eyes just like her brother :)  Sean had been the only blue eyed person in our family who I believe he got from his Grandpa Alan and his Grandma Phyllis. When Sean left on his mission, the Stake President called me after he left not to check on me, but to check on his sisters to see if they handled saying good-bye okay.

Megan and Sean have always shared a special relationship.  They are only 22 months apart and have really gone through life together.  They have been in the same EFY group without being planned, the same seminary classed without being planned, they have spent their college years together living across the parking lot from each other.

Best hug of my life.  Seeing Sean for the first time after TWO YEARS.

I love this picture.  Look at how they are standing together without even being asked to pose.

For the past several months this is what I see at my front door when Sean is home.  These are his work shoes.  Every day he walks in the front door and takes them off right there.  He has loved these shoes so much that they now have holes in the soles of the shoes.  As I walk past these shoes each day my heart feels tender knowing that in just a very short time, I will not see these shoes by the front door.  However, I know in my heart that it is time for Sean to move forward and move on.  I love Lindsey. Having Lindsey in Sean's life, just makes my life better. She is not just the girl of Sean's dream, she is the girl of my dreams for Sean.  So, on this special day, I wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sean and I give my thanks to a very loving Heavenly Father for allowing me the privilege to be Sean's mom.  I love you Sean!!