Kaitlyn Jane Sumpter

She's here!

And we couldn't be happier! The past few days have been a whirlwind- with some moments standing still while other moments rushed by. But through it all Phillip and I have had only one emotion- sheer happiness. My love for this little girl is beyond what I thought possible (and believe me, after waiting for her for so long, I thought I knew how much I would love her). Phillip and I, though tired and sore (well... I'm sore...) are the happiest we have ever been!

I was induced last Tuesday, September 27th. They broke my water and started me on petocin at 8:00am. Since I started out only being dilated to a 1, the doctor said to plan on at least 12-18 hours of labor so we hunkered down for the long day. (by the way, yes I got an epidural, yes it was amazing, and yes I will do it again.) To our surprise, by 1:20pm I was fully dilated and after two contractions and 5 minutes of pushing, during which the doctor told me I could just laugh this baby out and not push so hard, Kaitlyn Jane was born at 1:31pm. She was 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. Yes I know this birth story seems too good to be true, but it really was a fast and smooth delivery.

Through it all, it was once again manifested to me just what a special little girl I have. I know I have said this before, but Kaitlyn's spirit is without a doubt in tune with my spirit. I felt her hurrying herself to get to me so that I wouldn't be afraid and nervous. The entire day had an extra special meaning to me as it was exactly 2 1/2 years after our son Benjamin was born. His delivery on March 27th 2009 was so similar to Kaitlyn's, and yet so different. Both births were preceded with a priesthood blessing from my sweet husband, whose special and sacred words of comfort directed and guided me through both of my children's deliveries. Then, both birthdays began with an early morning trip to the hospital to be induced. Both inductions began at 8:00 in the morning, and both ended in the early afternoon (Benjamin took longer to arrive, being born at 2:30 instead of 1:30). Through all these similarities, however, the biggest one was the overwhelming spirit and closeness to the veil. There is no other time on this earth when you feel heaven so close. I am convinced that Kaitlyn was very aware of my thoughts and feelings, knowing I was nervous, scared, and anxious to see a healthy baby at the end of this delivery. She came quickly and with no delay. She didn't even cry and instantly snuggled close to me on my chest, reassuring me that she was healthy, ok, and happy. I couldn't even cry because I was so stunned. It was assuredly the most surreal and special moment of my life.

Since her birth, she has been nothing but a blessing in our lives. We keep thinking that this is all a dream- way too good to be true. She eats like a champ and is a great snuggler. We are proud to be her parents to the point of obsession. . We just can't seem to get enough of her :-)

Thanks for your prayers. We felt them every step of the way. We are grateful, we are blessed, and did I mention that we are HAPPY!?

Here are some pictures of our journey so far:

Me on my 25th birthday- the night before Kaitlyn was born

Then came the big day
















Love this girl!