About three months after we were married, two things happened that would change the course of our marriage. First, Susan began to feel the need to have a child in the home. Second, her mother suddenly began to be very ill and passed away. Her father was distraught and afraid to be alone so he asked us to come and stay with him and help with his two boys, ages 13 and 17, left at home. We did move and soon Grandma's house was sold by my family to set up trust funds for the children.
The ward had no young families our age and even though I was asked to teach the 14-year-old Sunday school class, we still felt somewhat out of place. Susan took a new position with mountain bail for the maternity benefits that we would be using in the coming December. I had been hearing about a new field of study at BYU that dealt with computer-aided design, and after some deliberation, we made plans to transfer and complete my undergraduate work in Provo.
We began to make visits to the doctor and Susan started to show. At first, she wanted to be thin again but then wanted to be large enough that everyone would know she was pregnant and not just gaining weight. We enjoyed making plans for our new home in Provo, buying baby furniture and clothing, and even eating the banana milkshakes that Susan would crave. That summer we began our family tradition of traveling each summer. We visited Susan's sisters, Ruth and Carol, in Reno [Nevada] and Roseville California respectively. We were able to shop in San Francisco and bathe on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Susan returned so burnt that days were spent recovering and wearing clothes became unbearable.
In October we came to Provo and made arrangements for school and housing. Susan continued to get bigger and we began taking [birthing] classes at Lakeview Hospital so we would be wonderful parents prepared for the upcoming ordeal. We went through exercises and special breathing techniques, Susan felt they did little good and in the actual labor. The first of December we also bought a large uncomely Christmas tree and decorated our Provo home that we wouldn't be seeing until after Christmas.
Before Christmas and three weeks before the appearance of our first child, Susan was asked to attend a friend's marriage and serve at the [guest] book. About halfway through the evening she was having pains every few minutes. Even though those proved to be only false labor, the following Tuesday morning, December 22nd, Susan woke early with labor pains that were the real thing. She was uncomfortable enough that she couldn't sleep so she wrote a letter, wrapped some Christmas presents, and woke me only after she had been in labor for hours. Together we timed the contractions to every five minutes; we could have waited longer but the contractions had become so painful that we drove to the hospital anyway. The doctor broke her water and we were well on our way.
The contractions progressively got stronger, longer, and more painful. The doctor attached two monitors to the baby's head that was by then at the opening of the cervix. Susan concentrated on overcoming the pain and I would offer consolation and keep an eye on the heartbeat. About an hour before the baby was born the doctor came to say he would be delivering another baby and that any anesthesia in the next little while would need to be given then. Susan gritted her teeth and said she would wait; the doctor started out the door and as another contraction started Susan sent me running out to bring the... Next Page
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