What I was doing 22 years ago!

I was just thinking today about the fact that my oldest child turns 22 tomorrow. 22 years old!!! I was thinking how quickly life goes. When I was 22 I had already gone through so much and was a mom to 4 children. But these past 22 years have gone so fast. I have learned so much, grown so much and have had so much love in my life!

22 years ago this morning I woke up miserable as usual. I was days away from my due date and so bloated I could barely walk. I had toxemia and had gained about 65lbs of mostly water weight! We had been at Thayne's brothers house the night before to eat and I had contracted the whole time we were there. Contracted all night but hadn't dilated at all so was sick of even thinking about it. I had been contracting for 2 months already. The contractions started the day I learned my uncle Willie had died. That was a devastating day... and the contractions hadn't stopped. They told me I had an irritable uterus. Yeah, little did I know how many times I would irritate my uterus after that!!!! ;) But that morning something was different. I got up with Thayne and kissed him good bye. He had to run around to the banks in town before he went over to his office, in a little town about 20 minutes away! He came by the house one more time to check on me. I had just showered and was putting on make up when the first TRUE pain hit. So I hurried up the process of putting on make up! Was doing my hair when Thayne walked in. About the time another pain hit. It must have been apparent that I was in pain because he quickly called and told them he was taking me to the doctor and not coming in to work. We got to Payson about noon.... because you know... there was no way I was leaving before I had my hair done and some things done around the house. Contracting the whole time. We got to the doctor and though I was barely contracting, they found that my water hadn't broke, but was leaking slowly (and likely had been for days). So off to the hospital in Provo.... where we waited, and waited, and waited. I wanted to do things naturally and did great for around 19 or 20 hours. But then they decided that I would likely need a c-section because my child appeared to be pretty big! Okay.... so pushing 10 lbs IS pretty big. But they were worried I wouldn't be able to have him naturally. So they pushed an epidural and hey, when they are pushing relief in the middle of a killer contraction, what did I know but to do what the doctor said! My parents came to the hospital and my mom freaked out watching me in pain. I was dealing with it okay, but she wasn't! She was demanding drugs and I was just wishing I could have some of the mashed potatoes from KFC that my dad and Thayne were eating! That could have been considered cruel and unusual punishment to eat food in a room with a laboring woman! ;)

I didn't give birth until the 26th of February. And I did give birth naturally... 13 days after I turned 19 I became a mom. The fulfillment of a life long dream. The only thing I ever wanted to be was a wife and a mom. He was the only one that we didn't have an ultrasound so we had to wait for birth to know what he was. But for as long as I live, I will always remember what I was doing on the 25th of February, 1987! It was a day I can never forget!