The Best Birthday Gift EVER!

April 7th, 2009: My 29th (I mean, 38th ;D) birthday. My thoughts today have been super happy ones, as I have spent the morning cleaning house and reflecting on birthdays in the past 38 years. I have never had an unhappy one. My parents made sure the day was special by giving birth to me on my brother's birthday - and we shared some crazy birthday times. Lots of fun.
And my husband has NEVER once forgotten my birthday, in fact, he goes overboard to make sure I have a great day. I love him for that - he always gets it right. This morning, he got up with our early-morning Seminary daughter, just so I could sleep in. Now THAT was sacrifice!
But the best birthday ever was the year I turned 23. Chad and I lived in a palatial (to us - it had two levels!) two-bedroom apartment. We were both winding up our BYU years - I was looking forward to graduating with my Bachelors degree on April 17. We were pregnant with our first, and the baby wasn't due until April 26th. Perfect planning - right after graduation, but before our health insurance ran out!
That April 7th, Chad woke me up, excited like a little boy. He had the day all planned out. We went to classes, then drove up to Salt Lake to attend a concert - an acapella mens group - on the U. of U. campus. We went out to eat at a burger place (my choice - I spent that pregnancy craving hamburgers and fries!) and we took a bit too long eating. Chad had purchased my gift (an emerald ring - a very big deal for us and the main reason he was so excited) and we took a long time over that gifting. We had to RUN to get to the venue before the concert started. Being huge with child, I couldn't run very fast, but we got there in time. It was a great concert, and I really enjoyed it. But on the way out, I felt mighty uncomfortable and even the security guard asked me if I was feeling ok. We got home, and I didn't sleep that whole night. I was just uncomfortable...so I had a nice hot bath and felt a little better. The next day, I had to meet with a Writing Fellow who was helping me edit my thesis. We sat down in a private room at the Harold B. Lee Library on BYU campus, and just as we started going over the paper, my water broke. I didn't say a word. We had only covered about 5 pages of the 100+ page thesis, but I had to get him out of there so I could assess the damage! Poor guy, he must have thought I was crazy when I insisted that I thought I could handle the rest of it on my own, thank you very much. As soon as he left, I tied my jacket around my waist and waddled off to the bathroom, wet to my knees. The best part was when I was using the public phone in the library to call the doctor and then Chad. There was a guy studying in the room and I watched as he eavesdropped on my conversation. His jaw literally dropped! He wished me luck on my delivery, as I tip-toed out of the room and across campus, then down the stairs by the Smith Fieldhouse to my car. I was afraid the baby would fall out.

Needless to say, Megan didn't fall out. In fact, I labored for about 12 more hours and she was born right after midnight on April 9th. 17 days early, 6 lbs 9 oz of perfection. I fell in love with her immediately! It was magical. I could not have asked for a better birthday gift. I had to go back to school to take finals with an inflatable donut to sit on, and Chad sitting out in the lounge with my little baby girl so I could nurse her between exams. I didn't study a bit for those finals. I am sure I probably failed a few. But I got A's and B's that semester anyway. (Only at BYU!) I walked at my graduation - right across the stage, collected my diploma, and then right up into the stands to get my baby. I was crazy about that little tiny girl! And I still am! Every year, Megan tells me how sorry she is that I have to worry about making HER birthday special during my birthday. But I don't mind. She is worth every moment. And those memories of her birth day are some of my favorites!