TWO!!!!!!!

My (Big Boy) Two Year-old!

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Morgan's birth was miraculous. I see it as that now, though it has taken awhile. Having him grow inside me was a beautiful, relatively easy experience, but laboring to bring him to our arms was a long, painful road that took us far, and back again. I know we will never ever forget our experiences. In retrospect, I was taught perseverance, the importance of trust, the importance of accepting and letting go of some dreams, and coming to see that through everything, Heavenly Father is real, and is at the helm. From then to now, I only see growth. And feel the realness of the power of the priesthood, and the realness of the strength I find in my husband, who, through those 41 hours, only believed in me.

I see now how that pain solidified my heart and spirit; my love for Jared, and my love for Morgan. It is made of the purest emotion. When he holds his own little darlings one day, I think he'll understand why the very thought of him brings me to tears. 

Today is a day of celebration. Two years ago, at 1:30pm, my angel was born. He had dark curly hair and the chubbiest naked body you've ever seen. He weighed 8 lbs 10 ounces and was 22 inches long. He was healthy and perfect, which is the truest miracle of all.

Happy birthday, my little sweetheart! What a blessed mommy I am to call you mine!

    

Remembering new parenthood:

Jared was such a great birthing coach, my midwives asked him to come back and teach a class to other expectant fathers.

I bit Jared really hard two times during labor.

I fell in love with Jared again during labor, and again after we brought Morgan home. He was perfect in every single way. 

When Dr. Dyer delivered Morgan c-section, Jared was right by my side, and the first to see him, since the sheet covered my stomach area from my vision. After we brought him home with us, Jared said he honestly thought Morgan was born a little black dude. We laughed and I wondered what he was insinuating -- which was nothing, really-- just that the color he was those first few minutes had him thinking something was up.

When my milk finally came in after FIVE days, (holy smokes!) I had (another) meltdown and my mom had to call Jared at work to have him come calm me down. My aunt Jackie told me to try to sing Jingle Bells really fast each time Morgan started nursing to help with the pain. (Like hell!) It never worked.  

From day one, Jared always took the first night shift. What a gift!

During Morgan's first night home from the hospital, he got so worked up my mom nor I could calm him down. Jared woke up and took him in his arms, and he immediately stopped crying. I will never ever forget the sweetness of that moment. I'm so thankful that when I wasn't able to be with Morgan the hours right after he was born, that Jared was able to. I know that time he spent with him solidified a bond that will always be in place forever. 

Our moms saved our lives after we came home from the hospital. We had help from them for three weeks after he was born, and I know we could not have done it without them. They cooked, cleaned, played new mommy even during the night, and kept us (somewhat) sane.