KIRSTEN-ANNE ELIZABETH BIRTH MEMORIES
From
my journal:
Weds. Jan 16th, 1991
What a way to begin a year…United States
Air Forces have advanced on Baghdad in response to Iraq Leader Saddam Hussein’s
repeated refusal to leave Kuwait, a country they (Iraq) invaded last
August. The United nations set a
deadline of January 15th for Iraq to evacuate.
I guess most knew that it would happen,
but I was surprised at how soon. As
Americans we should be grateful that the operation seems to have gone
successfully, with few casualties; but
as human beings, our prayers are with those innocents who suffer by reason of
wicked and egotistical leaders.
Sunday, March 3d (1991)
Guilt has finally gotten the best of me-I
see my journal sitting on my dresser each evening and realize much is going
unrecorded.
-Like the birth of our seventh child,
Kirsten-Anne Elizabeth, on my birthday January 17th. Jeanne went in for a blood pressure check
because it felt like it was high. It
was, and the doctor sent her to the hospital for more tests. After more checks, they decided to keep her
and induce labor. It was not long (about
6 hours) but was very painful; the epidural she asked for did not get
administered until right before delivery, and did not kick in (fully) until
afterward. But she’s (Kirsti) been a
healthy, good baby, worth the sacrifice (easy for me to say). I
think, however, she will be our last.
Current:
Thursday, October 20th, 2016
So all these years later, it hurts that I
was such a pathetic journaler during this time period (a warning to you
all). I will say that I have many more
photos of Kirsti in my collection, only two of which I have used here.
Of course I have often said that Kirsti
is my best birthday gift ever, but there has been a special bond there, perhaps
because I knew she would be our last. We
share a love of tennis, and got to play numerous times, as she got better and better, and I...well.
She is like her mother in that she is
fearless about undertaking anything that requires talent, believing that if she
asserts herself, she can do it.
She was not only a good baby, but an
exceptionally easy child to raise. Her
older siblings have accused us of “spoiling” her. My response is that we made all our mistakes
in child raising before Kirsti arrived.
The truth is, we didn’t need to spoil her, as she rarely did anything that
displeased us. Like Joseph Smith
described his youthful days,
“…no one need suppose me guilty
of any great or malignant sins. A
disposition to commit such was never in
my nature.
Well, I digress. This completes the recollections of the
births of our seven…from first to last I couldn’t be happier with the experience, nor prouder
of the results.
