Little Lucy Mae

What an adventure! I haven't posted for awhile because we have been super busy working on the house, trying to get things in order at work, and getting ready for the baby. Though I think it was all in vain, as when she decided to come, we were totally unprepared.

Last Thursday, against my mother's will (smart lady, by the way), we headed up north to deliver some horses to be bred, watch state track, watch a dance competition, and do some shopping for the house and the baby. I figured all would be well, as I was only 37 1/2 weeks along, and I went full-term with Stetson. Kenny made me a nice cozy bed in the back seat of the truck and him and Stetson rode up front. As long as I stayed laying down, it was all good (sitting up caused too much downward pressure, especially on the bladder). Anyway, we got the horses delivered and looked at some furniture. We found that it is almost impossible to shop for furniture with a 2 year old, as neither one of us could really think and focus, and one of us had to chase after Stetson the whole time. We stayed at my sister-in-law Jody's house, and she was kind enough to tend Stetson while we finished up the furniture shopping the next day. Thanks Jody! We watched our nephew Taylor and my brother Jade run in the 1600 meter race Friday morning, and they both did awesome! Taylor took 4th and Jade took 8th - good job guys. We finally ended up at Furnature Row, where we hit the jack pot and were able to find a couch and chair set, as well as a bedroom set that we both love. After a yummy dinner at Chuck-A-Rama (thanks mom and dad), we made the final purchase and loaded the furniture into the horse trailer - yay! It was kind of stressful, but tons of fun too. I was pretty tired that night, but slept well and felt refreshed and ready to go the next day. Jody kept Stetson again while we did our other shopping: house, baby, etc. We also got to watch my sister McKady dance and the National Dance comptition at UVU. They did great at took 3rd place - good job ladies! This day was a little more stressful on my pregnant body as there were not many comfy couches to sit on and rest while we made decisions. We did get a lot of shopping done though, including the basic baby supplies.

Though a little sore and tired, I felt pretty good, and since it wasn't too late, we decided to head home. About the time we hit Spanich Fork Canyon (at about 7 PM) the contractions started. I have actually been having what I call "firming" contractions for a little over a month now, but these were definately different. The puzzling thing was that the pain was all down low, not all over my belly as they had been with Stetson. I just layed down on the back seat, hoping they would stop. They didn't stop, but just started getting more regular as we bounced along headed for home. We stopped in Green River, and I really felt like I needed to use the restroom, but didn't dare get out of the truck, so we forged ahead. It was probably the longest ride home from Provo I can ever remember, and I was so grateful and relieved when we finally pulled into town at about midnight. I debated on whether or not I should go in and get checked, but decided to wait as I was super tired, and was still hopeful that this wasn't the "real" thing. So without unloading anything but ourselves and Stetson, we fell into bed.

The contractions stayed about the same until about 3 AM when the pain intensified. I still didn't think it was the real thing, but wanted to make sure that the baby was okay, so I woke Kenny up and we headed to the hospital, taking only Stetson and my purse with us. Of course we went to the wrong door and ended up having to walk halfway around the building to get to the emergency entrance where an ambulence had just dropped off a patient. I barely made it to a small chair before another contraction hit, even stronger than before. The first thing I remember them saying was "I think Dr. Jones is out of town". It was then that I realized that this probably WAS the real thing, and I wouldn't even have my doctor there to deliver the baby! But the Lord was on my side, and when they called him, he had just gotten back into town as well.

So I changed into a super cute gown and layed down on the bed. The contractions doubled in intensity; the nurse checked me and said that the baby hadn't even dropped. I thought, 'wow this is going to be a long night!' But after just a couple more contractions my water broke, and though I didn't think it possible, the paid doubled again. By this time everyone was rushing around trying to get things ready. When Dr. Jones arrived he checked me, the color drained from his face and he said, "this baby is breech." My heart sank to the floor. He asked them to call Dr. Fisher, then checked me again. This time he shook his head, "we don't have time". He explained to us that it is a lot safer to deliver a breech baby by C-section, but it was too late, the baby was on its way. Preparations continued, and FINALLY it was time to push. It only took about three to get her tiny body out, but that was the least of our worries as the head is the hardest, and most dangerous part. He told me to stop pushing and he repositioned the baby just a little. Just one push, and she was here! What a huge feeling of relief!!! The baby was born at 4:06, just 40 minutes after we walked through the emergency doors at the hospital. Of course they all got after me for not giving them enough time - sorry guys!

When Stetson was born, I heard him cry, and they set him on my chest for a minute, but this was different as they just whisked the baby away. At first it didn't really occur to me that something was wrong, as I was still pretty involved in finishing up the birthing process and getting stitched up where I had torn. They finally got the IV in me, but I was terribly weak and shaky. They kept bringing me warm blankets, but what I needed was some nourishment as I could tell that my blood sugar had dropped. What they noticed was the drop in my blood pressure, and acted quickly. They brought me some yogurt, and I started to feel better. This is when I noticed that my baby was still under the heat lamp, her body was limp, and they had a mask on her and were pumping her with oxygen. They kept calling in more people and bringing in more machines. I wanted to scream, "what is wrong?", but all I could do was cry. The nurse came over and told us that the baby would not breathe on her own, but they were giving her oxygen, and her heart rate had not dropped. This went on for a full, agonizing hour. Then the doctor came over and said, "we are going to have to fly her out, would you rather her go to Grand Junction or Salt Lake?" We decided on Salt Lake, and they made the call. At this point Kenny couldn't even talk because he was crying so hard. The nurse called my dad to come and give the baby a blessing. Him and my brother Jordan came, and the two of them, along with Kenny, gave her a blessing. I didn't hear a word of it because I was so far away and the fan was blowing pretty loud, but I felt the spirit stronger than I have felt it in a long time. The doctors continued to work on her, and the three of them came over and gave me a blessing as well. I felt a wonderful peace come over me and when I opened my eyes, I saw my baby girl across the room, looking at me with big, beautiful eyes. She put her arms out as if reaching for me, and I knew everything would be okay. They said that she started breathing on her own almost immediately after the blessing, and hasn't stopped since. If you don't believe in the power of the priesthood, you should have been there that day! It is REAL, and I know that it was God's will that this baby survived. I will forever be grateful for this miracle I had the privledge of being a part of.



People started filtering out of the room, and they cancelled the life flight. My baby was okay, but my arms still ached to hold her close to my heart. Luckily, I had the best nurse ever, Modessa Hancock. She unplugged everything I was hooked up to and wheeled my bed right over to my baby. As I held her little hand and kissed her precious face, I felt as if I had known her forever. Thanks again to Modessa, I was able to feed her before the put in the IV, which she would have to wear for the next 48 hours, kind of a bummer but it sure beat a life flight or 8 shots per day!



We had been talking about several different names, but when Kenny and I looked at her, and then at each other, there was no doubt in our minds. This baby would be named after both of her great grandmothers, Lucile Mae Black. Our little Lucy, what a blessing it is to have her with us now. We love you Lucy! Lucy weighed 5 lbs, 15 oz. and was 20 inches long. Her hair is pretty dark, she doesn't have much on top, but it is pretty thick in the back. She got my crazy cowlick in the front and my frowny lips, but she is beautiful!

Now that is one proud papa!

Mommy loves you!

Stetson and Lucy have matching hats!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped out through the delivery and the recovery, we love and appreciate you all!

By the way, Stetson LOVES his baby sister. He gives her the sweetest kisses, and actually sits still and holds her. Sure, it will be an adjustment not getting all the attention, but I know he loves her, and is already super protective of her.



Two days old

Three days old

Four days old