I remember a little more of Jeannette's actual birth because I brought a video camera to the delivery. The doctor was kind enough to allow it. It was difficult for me to to the video taping because the sight of blood makes me very squeamish. I turned seven shades of green and on a couple of occasions during the delivery one of the nurses asked if I was going to be OK. The last thing that a delivery team, especially a C-section delivery, needs is a passed out husband on the floor, or worse, vomit from a weak stomached one. I held onto my cookies and kept my feet under me, though at some point a nurse might have insisted that I sit down.
An I-V was connected to mother's right wrist, but it wasn't drawing well, so the team connected a second I-V to her left wrist. So, as mother was being cut open, she lay on the delivery bed with each arm strapped to a board and a needle stuck in each wrist. The symbolism of the crucifixion was evident to me. I tend to see symbols in many things. But in this case it was particularly poignant.
We had a new doctor for Jeannette. I don't remember his name, but he would deliver Emily also, and then perform for us the tubal reenastimosis so that we could have Jacob. This doctor worked out of an office near the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Ut. So Jen was born in Provo in the same hospital as Adam, only by now the rooms were painted with pleasing colors and decorated like a room in an upscale home. Everything was like having a home delivery--except for the woman screaming bloody murder down the hall. Home was sometimes cacophonous, but not like that.
Because Jen was born in the Summer, I didn't have to worry about time off of work as much as I did with John. Retail sales in June are not particularly brisk. In 1988 I was still working for SILO in Orem. We had moved into our home in Pleasant Grove, so Jen came home to that house.
For the first few weeks Jen would have slept in the bed of a stroller that we got when Adam was born. We were probably still using the stroller, though we would eventually get rid of it, though we kept the bed for some time. The seat would fold down and the bed could be placed under the stroller's canopy. We could remove the bed and use it as a bassinet.
We had a crib set up against the east wall in what was later my study. I had a boom box that I got at SILO on which I would play classical music to help you children sleep. It was pretty effective.
We had an old wind-up mechanical swing that we would put Jen in. Unlike the battery operated swing that we later purchased, this one would only work for a few minutes before baby would be sitting still, would wake up, and begin to cry. So, Mom eventually insisted that we quit being so cheap and get her a battery operated model.
Jen had no hair for the longest time. Mother had little elastic bands that looked like garters to me, with flowers attached to look like a hair ribbon.
AS mentioned earlier, we had our video camera by now and as a person will do with a new toy, I took a lot of videos of Jen. She was particularly cute when she would pout, so instead of picking her up to comfort her, I would grab the video camera. Shame on me.
Maybe this is why Jen became a particularly stormy child. Just kidding. Jen was strong willed and children usually use crying to get what they want, so being strong willed, Jen did a lot of crying and complaining. I knew that we would have to help her with this or teen life would be unbearable. So, I took to calling Jen my little sunshine, which she loved, and grew to fit the name.
We had been in the habit of going for bike rides with the boys since I often had the mornings off. I built a seat out of pine which I attached to the back rack of my bike. I would tie Jen into this seat when we would go for a bike ride. Before the bike seat was built I took Jen in a little baby backpack. I think back on how dangerous each of these options were. But I was young and strong and convinced that no harm could come if I were careful, and none did.
Enjoy the time with your little ones. I know that it is hard work, and often stressful, but trust me, it will be perhaps the sweetest time of your lives--until you get grandkids.
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