Happy Birthday to Melissa

Another special day celebrating Melissa's birthday. It 's fun to go back 34 years ago and think about the gift that was given to me. Melissa was a bit of a surprise to us all because Joy was only 9 months old when I found out I was expecting again, and this was even after a miscarriage!
I had a good pregnancy but during the last two months we moved to Tucson, Arizona. I was so homesick! I had never lived far from home before, and moving into a new ward, new town was a bit much for me. Since I didn't want to change doctors I decided to just live with Bill's parents and wait for our delivery. Melissa was a week overdue, but the day finally arrived for me to go to the hospital. What a surprise I had when I got checked. I was dilated to a 5.... yippee... Then the doctor broke my water, and boom... about 10 minutes of pushing came and there she was!

That is the perfect way to have a baby! We were thrilled with our new arrival, she was blonde, and had a very round face! ( you can ask Ryan about the round face thing, he laughs and laughs)
Melissa was a good baby, and we were still staying with the Mccooks, but for some reason I was so very tired! I couldn't get my strength up. Then the bomb burst! One night I bled and bled, and to keep the gorey details short, I bled so much that finally I couldn't move. ( Bad sign) they had to carry me out to the car rush me to the hospital and there they discovered that part of the placenta was still inside me which was causing all the bleeding. My blood pressure had fallen 70 over 0.... I was near dead. Quickly they pumped some blood into me and then did emergency surgery. I believe I was given 4 units of blood.
I stayed in the hospital for a few days and then was able to come back home and recover.
I prayed a lot those days, Begging the Lord to give me a chance to raise my babygirl. It was very scary and I came very close to dying. Giving birth is a miracle, but having everything turn out okay is a blessing.
We adjusted to life in Tucson and grew to love it there. Melissa was about the cutest thing ever!
She had a friendly personality. Everyone loved her. She is just like Bridget, but I think a bit less sassy! She made us laugh all the time. She was a busy child. She loved to draw, but she was especially good at making messes! And always too tired to help clean up.
She had beautiful blue eyes and hardly any hair, she also was slow at learning to talk, but certainly made up for it as a teenager on the phone!
Melissa is very smart, she always did well in school, she was good at the piano even though she hated to practice. She loved her sisters and she loved her cousins.
When she was little she would always leave me little notes that told me she loved me.
I'm really proud of what a wonderful mother Melissa is to her children. She has tons of patience and was so awesome taking care of the twins. Melissa has been a blessing in my life, she has taught me many things and I believe she has helped to refine me as a person. I love her very much and proud of her.
Happy Birthday Melissa, January 6th 1974
love,
mom