Great Gratitude

As we speak, Keenan is wending his way to California, driving our truck of things (he flew back yesterday for them). We're finally moving into our new place, and are very excited to get settled again! Meanwhile, we've been very grateful to those who've housed us and moved us around: Nancy and Sara helped us get our stuff out of the Logan apartment (Nancy and Craig let Keenan stay at their place when he needed to commute back up for shows); Dad Reesor helped us move our stuff to SL from Logan on a trailer from work; G-ma Marshall let us keep all our stuff in piles in her garage; my family helped us unload the trailer into G-ma's garage, then back into the truck yesterday; my parents let us stay at their house for several weeks; Meredith graciously gave up her room for us; my Sorensen Grandparents let Keenan stay at their place in St. George last night en route back to CA; many others have given us gifts that have made this transition so much easier for us; and here in CA, our dear friends Ben and Carrie have fed and bedded us while we've found a place of our own (and helped us find it)! Thank you all so much!! We'll try to remember all the blessings we've received along the way, and the generous help we've been given so we can give it back as often as possible.

Honorary Uncle Ben's got this baby wrapped around his finger...

Honorary Aunt Carrie has the magic touch for a happy baby...

With these two, we went this week to hear Samuel's first Brahms Symphony (Symphony No. 1), masterfully rendered by the L.A. Phil at the Hollywood Bowl. Thanks to Brother Schiavo from the Huntington Ward for the free tickets. :) Samuel loved it -- he might want to play the French Horn now...

I've been told that I'm not posting enough pictures of me on this blog. I looked through my pictures in iPhoto and realized that it's because there are really no pictures of me with Samuel! Probably because I always have the camera. Most of the ones with me in them are taken by me, and are not worth posting. But I have managed to find a few here and there worth sharing:

A candid shot taken by Keenan of Aunt Nell, Sam, and me...

Samuel's one-week birthday at Tracy Aviary...

My two-week appointment with Susanna, the skilled midwife who delivered Samuel...

Me, Mom, and Aunt Ariel, and the two best cousins,
Sammy and Hammie...

Honorary Aunt Sara, me, and Samuel (I think he's smiling)...

Wonderful Uncle Thomas, who's sure to teach my little boy all sorts of fascinating things (i.e. how to read, write, button his shirt, shoot a basketball, play with cans, throw rocks in the river, count to 10 in Swahili, tell funny jokes, put the silverware away, and everything about animals)...

Our California Boy

Samuel is loving being back with Keenan. Like his Daddy, he seems to have developed quite an affinity for the piano. Maybe he loves violin as well, but I haven't played since he was born (but with recovery and a move to CA I hope that's understandable). He certainly got a healthy daily dose of it while I was pregnant. I suppose he'll either love it or he'll hate it. We'll make that discovery soon.

I'm sure Samuel will have a musical pursuit of his own in a few years, though we don't know yet. There does seem to be some evidence that he'll make a fine pianist, as he has his Daddy's fingers.

My brother Richard, also a fine pianist, tested Samuel at the piano last week and proclaimed he can reach a good fourth already! His long fingers reminded me of this picture of Rachmaninoff:

Little Sam is healthy and growing well. He gained a pound in his first week and a half of life, and is proving a hearty eater. I think he may be going through a growth spurt right now because he seems to want to eat all the time! I don't mind though... I like nursing well enough. :)

Here's a sunset afterglow of Samuel's first ocean view at Manhattan Beach. (Though he was eating the whole time we were there -- I don't think he noticed.)

He's getting more handsome every day. It's fun to watch his features become more defined. He's become a consistent smiler already (I don't know if that's unusual). The evening of his fifth day of life, he let out an unmistakable chuckle in his sleep, with a grin from ear to ear. We wonder who was teasing him! We love this little guy, and are so glad he's with us here.

(Note the spread of his fingers here:)

Missing Daddy

Keenan drove off to Los Angeles yesterday. Fond farewells...

We miss him. Samuel speaks for both of us:

But we're excited to see him again when we fly out this Wednesday...

Keen's been such a great new Daddy...

Always eager to serve our little guy.

We're lonely now!

We're excited to join you, Keenan! We love you!

“God Heard” – Some Perspectives From Keenan.

He has blessed Nonie and me so abundantly during Nonie’s pregnancy and labor. He helped us decide when it was the right time to have our first child—just in time for Nonie to give birth before we would need to move for graduate school. He has helped Nonie as she has studied and prepared for childbirth. When labor finally began last Wednesday, He was there to give Nonie strength when hers had waned: by the time he was born, she had gone without sleep for nearly 50 hours. He blessed Nonie with a keen awareness of her body, confidence in her attending midwives and nurses, and a healthy baby. God heard, so we named him Samuel.

“God heard” is only one of several accepted translations of the Hebrew name Samuel. Others include “Heard of God,” “Asked of God,” and “God is his name.” We are overjoyed with the arrival of our son, Samuel Marshall Reesor. It didn’t take long to fall in love with him. How can one put these feelings into words? I could not have been prepared to see how Nonie would have to persist and sacrifice in order to give birth to our son. This experience has greatly increased my love for her and my testimony of the Lord’s love and concern for His children.

Although Nonie’s labor was long and difficult, what ultimately characterized the labor was her focus, stamina, and humility. I have never seen anyone do something so difficult, yet there was no preoccupation with the difficulty of the task. I’ve been trying for a long time now to describe it, but words fall so short. If one could see her focused gaze and hear her paced breathing transform for only one moment into a suppressed cry then instantly return to their former state; if one could see her complexion change to purple and her meek eyes swell from three hours of pushing; perhaps then one might begin to understand the struggle she and the Lord entertained to bring our boy safely here.

Seeing Nonie give birth has given me a new respect for women. Having a child can mean walking to Death’s door to get him. I learned that sometimes God chooses not to deliver us from suffering so He can bless us with transcendental joy. I learned that sharing the experience of childbirth as husband and wife can knit the heartstrings still more tightly together. Thank you, Nonie, and thank you, God, for blessing us with a beautiful baby boy!

Nonie's Labor Log in some detail

-- 6 August 2008 --
1:45 AM Contractions start and continue throughout the day roughly 5-10 minutes apart. The "progression" that I expected was a point of discouragement for me. The contractions were difficult from the start, and I got through each one by hanging on Keenan or leaning back from his hands while swaying my hips. Hip-swaying, counter-pressure, and staying upright were the best pain-coping techniques for labor. I am amazed how my body would just tell me what to do if I listened to it. At one point during the day, we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon and took a walk toward Air Conditioned Rock in a rainstorm -- the most lovely part of labor.
9:30 PM We decide to go to the University Hospital to have them check dilation (we used the midwifery group there). They found me to be 5 cm. dilated, which was heartening. We decided to stay at the hospital at this point and wander the halls while they get a jacuzzi room ready for me. We continue laboring in the labor & delivery room.
-- 7 August 2008 --
12:00 AM Contractions are getting closer and stronger. My Mom and sister Meredith come to the hospital to give support and witness/document the event. Pain techniques include all different positions, including a blue birth ball provided by the hospital, a warm relaxing bath, but especially Keenan. I could not have fashioned a better coach and support than he. He was so cheering, encouraging, and wise in his counsel. He helped me to breathe and relax and used imagery that helped me cope with the labor pains. I could not have sustained my focus and determination without him, especially considering how long the labor would turn out to be. Going through this labor together was such an incredibly unifying experience for us.
2:18 AM Dilated to 6.5 cm. I decide to let them strip my membranes in hopes that it will help speed labor along a bit.
4:53 AM Dilated to "7+." I decide to let them break my bag of waters, again hoping it might have the affect of helping me reach full dilation quicker. The hardest thing about labor at this point was not so much dealing with the pain as dealing with the fatigue. I hadn't slept since the evening of August 4th. At times during labor I just didn't know what to do anymore. I had to just keep going, though the most delightful thought in the whole world was putting labor on hold while I took a nap. No such luck...
7:54 AM I've had the "urge to push" for nearly two hours at this point, growing stronger and stronger with each contraction, a good sign in my mind. I had my midwife check me again, to find me at 8.5 cm. I couldn't believe I still had 1.5 to go! Resisting the urge to push before complete dilation may have been the most difficult part of labor for me, and required the most intense focus.
9:05 AM My midwife Susanna skillfully pushes the cervix over baby's head and I reach full dilation! Wahoo!! Now I can finally start to push. I was happy to be almost done, or so I thought...
9:27 AM My blood pressure has been quite high for over an hour at this point and they take some blood samples for some testing.
10:40 AM Still pushing... Susanna tells me that my blood labs have come back and indicate that I have preeclampsia. This came as a shock, as I have exhibited no symptoms of the same throughout my pregnancy. It worried the hospital staff and it became very important that baby be born soon. They put me on an IV of magnesium sulphate to help ward off a possible seizure.
11:53 AM As my contractions have spaced out a bit (due to fatigue??), we consent to a pitocin drip to speed things along. Susanna reminded us of the 3 P's: the Power, the Passage, and the Passenger. "The passenger is ready, the passage is wide enough, we just need to get these powers back."
12:15 PM Though baby is crowning now, there are doctors on hand who want to use forceps to get him out, which I really did not want. (I also hear tell of possibly doing a C-section... doctors will often do sections quite early in pregnancy if the woman is found to have preeclampsia.) They were very worried about the affect of the preeclampsia on both me and baby. Fortunately the pitocin really kicks in and I was able to push over and over. The room filled with nurses, pediatricians, doctors, and they all became my cheerleaders through these last moments.
**12:28 PM** After nearly 35 hours of labor, a quick episiotomy (without asking, but probably for the best), and BIG BABY BOY is BORN!! Lots of crying, rejoicing, smiling, hugging, and prayers of gratitude.

--A Few Thoughts--
I feel so grateful that my baby was born healthy -- the primary motivator for our desires to go for an unmedicated birth. Samuel's heart rate stayed up and the only potential harm that could have come to him was the necessary attachment of an internal fetal monitor right at the end (they couldn't keep his heart rate straight from mine for a while there), but he weathered it well.

While on my mission in Belgium a few years ago, I read a scripture that made me want to have my children naturally. It was John 16:21. This scripture made me think I had something to learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I can't think of anything more effective than natural childbirth to help me gain a stronger testimony of his sacrifice, though it remains a pitiful comparison. In natural childbirth, a woman endures indescribable pains to bring life to another person. By His great pain and suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior brought life to all who would receive it, without which, we could not live eternally with our Heavenly Father and loved ones. His pain came naturally and was borne out of love, as was mine (though during labor I did find myself more focused on the enduring of the pain rather than the fruit).

We indicated some things in our birth plan that did not end up happening as anticipated. I had to make some compromises to get the blessing I sought most: a healthy child. Things could have been so different if they hadn't happened just as they did (especially considering the dangers of my preeclampsia, which wasn't discovered until the last two hours). During the labor I wondered if I had been crazy to want to give birth in this way. Then in falling in love with my healthy, beautiful son, my feelings on the matter were only strengthened. This is partly why we decided to name our son Samuel, which I think Keenan is going to touch more on later. I feel so grateful for the divine help I had throughout the labor, as well as the indispensable support from the hospital staff, my family, and especially Keenan, who is going to be The Best Daddy for our little one. I can tell already.
Both of us are recovering exceptionally well. :)
Welcome to our family, Samuel!!

The Most Beautiful Announcement

Please welcome into the world Baby Samuel Marshall Reesor! He arrived 7 August 2008, at 12:28 PM after a 35-hour labor, weighing a healthy 8 lbs. 7 oz. He is the most beautiful blessing to his parents. Details and perspective on this event to come shortly...

The Very Last Leg

Nonie and baby have passed their July 31st "due date" (which was moved up from the original August 4th). We've officially moved down to Nonie's parents' in SL, though Keenan still commutes to Logan as necessary for shows (he has people covering him in case of labor conflicts). So at this point we're just biding time practicing, organizing, preparing to move, and hoping baby braves the birth canal before we head out to California in under two weeks! (Nonie may stay back a bit if the events feel too close). More to come soon, we hope... :)