A Birth Story

Philip's birth story is pretty simple. Simple and absolutely perfect. 

Mick and I weren't planning on getting pregnant until AFTER Kenny turned two but this last summer we both felt like it was time to add to our family. So we started trying and within just a few short weeks we had a positive pregnancy test. After months of severe morning sickness, weight loss and then too much weight gain, new stretch marks, and all sorts of aches and pains I finally made it to full term! Now we just had to wait out the last few weeks until we got to meet our little boy!

I kind of fibbed to my doctor and told him my last period was a few days before it actually was hoping for an  even earlier induction date (Don't judge! My first baby was a hefty 9 pounds 3 ounces). According to Doctor's calculations, he gave me the due date of April 21st and the induction date of April 17th (My actual due date should have been April 24th). 

I started having contractions irregularly Wednesday (April 10th). They eased up Thursday. Then Friday morning they got pretty intense and painful. I called Mick who was at work to make sure he didn't have any important meetings "just in case". I finished up my to-do list and enjoyed some play time out side with my Kenny. I wanted to make sure he had an extra good day because I knew those were the last few days it would be just us. I went to my doctor's appointment and he informed me that I was dilated to a 4 and probably wouldn't make it to my induction date. I called my mom and let her know and she and my dad packed up and began the long drive from Washington state to Utah. I pretty much have the best parents EVER!

We made plans to stay the night with Mick's parents just in case we needed to head to the hospital. We had dinner with them and I was able to rest for about an hour or so before my in-laws made us head to the hospital. My contractions were getting more and more frequent and little more painful. I was pretty skeptical  that it was true labor but to be honest...I had no idea. And looking back I am pretty sure I was in denial at that point. With Kenny I didn't really have any signs of labor. I just went to the hospital and they induced labor for me. This time my body decided to do it all on its own and that actually made me really nervous/scared. The moment Mick and I stepped outside of his parents house to head to the hospital I started crying because it was so different and I didn't really know what was going on. It was like I was having a baby for the first time.

We got to the hospital just after 9:15 p.m. They had to make sure I wasn't having false labor before they admitted me because they were so full and didn't have very many rooms left on the delivery floor. By 10: 30 it was decided that I was progressing and in true labor. They checked into a room and got me all prepped to deliver.

They hooked me up to the I.V. OW! I hate that thing. Then they called in the anesthesiologist to give me the epidural. With Kenny I was pretty desperate to get it so it wasn't so bad. This time it was pretty awful. It felt like some one kicked me in the back really really hard and then sat on my legs. I hated it. They then broke my water. The doctor and nurses were making fun of me because they could actually hear the water gush out...and it kept gushing. Whatever. So I have a lot of amniotic fluid! Haha!

By about midnight contractions were getting worse. My back hurt. My uterus hurt. What was going on?! Apparently when labor progresses fast the epidural doesn't have time to fully set in. By 1 a.m. I was in so much pain that I called my nurse to make sure everything was okay. She had just finished checking me at midnight thirty and I was almost dilated to a nine. When I called her in at 1 a.m. I was fully dilated and effaced so she called the doctor and told me to NOT push. So mean. Doctor got there at about 1: 30 and they got everything ready. He told me to start pushing at about 1:40. I pushed twice before a contraction began. Then at 1:45 I pushed again and at 1:47 a.m. baby Philip climbed out. Mick said his head came out and then his hand/arm which made it look like he was climbing out of my body. HAHAHA! When Doctor saw Philip's head he said "Oh he wont be as big as Kenny". Then he came all the way out and he was like "WHOA, he is chubby!". Um...

We decided to name him Philip John Swenson (after my grandpa Phil and Mick's grandpa John). He was TEN POUNDS AND 10 OUNCES! Sheesh! 21 inches long and absolutely perfect!

So far my favorite thing has been watching Kenny with his baby Philip. We are so pleased and happy and surprised at how much he truly loves this new baby. He often stops to give him kisses and is always saying "Awww! Baby Philip so cute!"

Mick's brother and his wife also had their baby boy the same day. Twin cousins!

This pregnancy and labor was so so different from my first. It was harder. A little scarier. But in the end it was again an absolutely perfect delivery. Its been just over two weeks and the love we all have for baby Philip is overwhelming! He is such a good baby. He sleeps well. He eats well. He poops a lot. He smiles. He coos. He is growing like a weed!

Philip John Swenson

We are so happy our little Philip John is here! At last! I will be blogging his birth story soon!!

Hunt Happenings Blog

My Hunt Family has our own blog where we keep in touch and share our lives with each other on a more personal level. Its hard living is different parts of the country and so for Christmas we kids decided this would be a good gift for our parents. It's a private blog because we wanted to keep it personal. It can sometimes be harder to be ourselves when we know there are a lot of people watching (or in the case of our blog, reading). One of the ways we (my mom and I) get the family to participate in contributing to the blog is by doing a what we call "project 52". Each week are assigned a topic and we send in a photo of whatever that topic happens to be.

This last weeks topic was "Tender Mercies of the Lord" to go along with Easter and General Conference. This post brought me to tears. The images captured of the little things that make us feel closer to God are simply incredible. I hope you enjoy getting to know my family a little better and I hope they don't mind me sharing this with everyone!

(This post is written by my Mom)

I must say, this has been my absolutely FAVORITE Project 52 assignment so far.  I have gained such a deeper understanding of who my family is and how truly wonderful you all are!

As Cassie was the first to respond, I will begin with her pictures.  

 Introducing Sully.  I got to see him in his natural habitat Saturday night.  Sully is an enormous cat--more the size of a small dog.  In fact, he sometimes wears a small dog harness and comes visiting with Tim and Cassie.  He is super affectionate and loves his people immensely.  For Cassie, he is a tender mercy of the Lord.  She says, "This big guy is a personal tender mercy to have in our home; I don't get depressed or lonely with him here."

As we all know, music is a big part of Tim and Cassie's lives.  Of her piano, Cassie said, "This is a tender mercy for me to have a piano in the house.  Ever since we got it, I've felt that the Spirit has increased in our home."

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These next pictures came from Dad.  I think they are a demonstration of the Lord's tender mercies in our family in many ways. 

 A couple of Saturdays ago, Nichole and Marissa picked Jamie and her friend Joseph up from a youth dance held at the North Stake Center.  According to Nichole, the car made a huge pop noise which was followed by white smoke billowing out from under the hood.  Happily, she was not driving at the time (a tender mercy in itself) and was able to call Dad.  The diagnosis was one of several possibilities.  A little tinkering under the hood produced this split hose--a simple fix in a difficult to get to area.

The auto parts store no longer carries that specific hose (apparently, no one does any more) but Dad is freakishly creative when it comes to fixing things.  "That's what I do," he constantly reminds us.  So he picked these two hoses and clamps up for a mere $1.50 (another tender mercy of the Lord).  Now, I did mention how this repair needed to take place in a difficult area to get to, right?  Dad put off fixing this one for as long as he could because of said difficulty.  Well, it couldn't be put off any longer.  Nichole is home from her trip, and school has resumed in full force.  So, into the cold evening Dad trudged with $1.50 worth of hoses and clamps in his hands, dreading the work to be done.  Here comes yet another tender mercy of the Lord.  Jamie.  Her little hands were perfect for the work Dad needed to do.  Her big heart never questioned what the cold would mean to those little hands.  She cheerfully went out, helped in every way possible, remained till the work was done (with the exception of the quick trip into the house for a jacket), and then merrily suggested they "steal" the suburban Nichole and Marissa used to get to YSA FHE and swap it out for the newly repaired car.  Truly, there are so many tender mercies in this little story.  Like how the Lord blesses the girls by keeping the car together till they are safely parked somewhere.  How He blessed us with a good man who braves the elements of nature to keep our cars running and who generally can indeed fix most of the problems we encounter with our cars.  How his working on the car allowed Jamie to serve and Esther and Serena to play outside till dark! How this car problem had a fairly simple and inexpensive repair.  

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This next one from Jessica touched my heart in a big way.

She sent, "Tender mercies. They come in so many different ways. Kenny is quite smitten with his Aunt Nicky. He doesn't warm up to people but Nichole was an instant hit! And boy has she been such a wonderful blessing to me!"  From what I hear, she was a big hit with Chaz as well. There is so much tender love in this picture.

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Tim sent this beautiful picture.

According to Tim, this is the "finished chapel in Kalkaska, MI. I was there for the ground breaking ceremony as a missionary.  I saw it on my honeymoon."  What a blessing to be able to see the work of the Lord come full circle and to be able to share it with the one you chose to spend eternity with.  Very sweet, indeed.

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We have been seeing a lot of daffodils lately.  This one is from Marissa.  The message is deeply meaningful.

"I like that can stand on its own.. It's not a perfect daffodil. But it has grown exactly the way The Lord wanted it to.. We are kinda like the flower, we may not be what everyone else wants but we are becoming what The Lord wants us to be."

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A sweet story about a profound tender mercy shown to Jamie. . . and to me.

Several years ago, when Jamie was a second year at Girl's Camp, she found this beautiful arrow/spear head.  She was extremely excited to find such a  precious piece of history.  Sadly, in the hustle and bustle of the day's activity, she somehow lost her treasure and was consequently heart-broken.  She came to me in tears, pleading with me to help her find it.  That year, Girl's Camp was a Stake event held on the side of Mt. Rainier.  Jamie had been all over the camp that day.  I knew there was little hope of us finding it, and even wondered if someone else might have "found" it.  We decided to ask the Lord for His help.  We prayed together in the forest and immediately felt impressed to retrace her steps.  We were led to a small hillside near the lodge where the meals were served.  I confess, I really thought this a lost cause if she lost her treasure there.  Surely, someone else would have found it by then.  Again, we felt impressed to pray.  As we ended our prayer, Jamie looked down and there it was. Right on the path on which we stood.   I couldn't  believe it!  My faith was greatly strengthened at that moment.  More importantly, Jamie that her Father in Heaven hears her prayers and loves her personally.  Truly, a tender mercy for both of us.

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I think that just leaves my pictures. . . and I hope you will forgive that I am posting several.  I have been blessed so much in my life.  There are so many things I could take pictures of and post here.  In the end, I decided to stick with the greatest blessings I have.  

For me, it all started with a date with an incredible boy. 

And then eternity.

 

Although we were sealed in the Oakland, CA temple, our family was turned into "happily ever after" in the Denver, Co temple, my heart turns to the Portland, OR temple where our forever has been growing. . . .

and growing. . . 

and growing. . .

True, there are some in these pictures that are not sealed to us for all time and eternity, but my hope is in Jesus Christ who made forever possible for all of us. Oh! How I LOVE my Savior, Jesus Christ!  He has and continues to bless me with all the desires of my heart.  I live such a happy life.  Family, YOU are my dreams come true and I LOVE you with all my might, mind, and soul. 

Kenny's Birthday Cake: Blue Velvet Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Blueberry Syrup

WHOA!

So what I loved about this cake was how light and fluffy it was! It wasn't super sweet which was great because the frosting of course was very sweet (and of course so delicious!!!). OH my it was just a really tasty cake! Here is the recipe! I hope you try it and I hope it turns out amazing!

and yes...my cake actually really turned out that color! SOOOOOOO fun for our little boy!

Blue Velvet Cake

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