Happy Holiday Month!

December is one crazy month. Curtis's birthday on the 2nd, Neil's on the 7th, my parents anniversary on the 18th, June's was born on the 13th, Christmas eve, Christmas, my birthday on the 26th, New Year's Eve, our wedding anniversary on the 22nd, Holly's birthday on the 29th, kateandneil.com's anniversary on the 29th. It is a crazy month. It has been special this year thanks to June and having so much family around. I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope this next year will be as awesome as this last one. Here are some photos of the festivities!



June's New Year's eve bath. She got this awesome in-tub fish cover to make sure she was warm. She enjoyed it. She is also having trouble controlling her eye muscles. She was so comfortable.

Pink Leopard Print for the New Year's outfit.

Its been one week...

So the clan is doing well. June is a spitfire just like Laura. She is sleeping well, eating well, and is just amazing. Laura is also sleeping, eating, and doing amazing. Today is our two year anniversary. We celebrated with long naps, random meals, and a perilous drive down to Provo to pick up a friend and take her to the airport. It was one of the less romantic anniversaries that I have had, but it was nice to spend time together. Here are some photos of June.

Little June's Little Mullet

She does not like her mittens

December 13th a day that will live in...

Laura's side of the story to follow. Saturday morning, the 12th of December, we woke up and Laura was 42 months pregos. That is two weeks over due. In the current medical world she would have been induced four days before this. Just to give you a reference. We got up and went snow shoeing in order to induce labor. It did not work. We had an ultrasound planned for 2pm with Brianna our amazing midwife.
We got to her office and the man with the ultrasound had bailed; we rescheduled for Monday. Brianna did an exam and made the comment that she thought that June was coming soon, real soon. She even called her assistant midwife and made sure that she had the Sunday open. What a wise and prophetic observation.
We drove around Salt Lake and saw the lights and I noticed Laura was getting uncomfortable in the car. Not a novel occurrence at this point in time, but I did take note nonetheless. We got home around 6pm and started to settle in. Right around 7 Laura asked me to go to the store for her for some supplies. I got back and Laura was in the tub. She was complaining about cramping and pressure and thought it might be gas. Bad gas. By 8 pm she was commanding me to apply counter pressure to her back.
By this time we both had guessed that this was more than gas cramps. She could feel the contractions and they seemed not to stop. It was pretty much an hour before she felt like she could get a break between contractions. I called Brianna at 8:30 and told her that this was the real deal. She called Kathy her assistant and Kate a doula friend. Right around this time I started to set up the birthing tub. Russ, Laura's father, helped me finish filling it up with air and then the water.
Brianna arrived right around 9:20. By this time things were in full swing. Three minute contractions with about 15 seconds in-between. No rest. Just after 10pm Kathy and Kate were here and all five of us were helping Laura with her very intense-no-break contractions. We got her out of the tub and she labored on the floor for a few hours. All the time Sue, Kate, Kathy, Brianna, and I were applying counter pressure and massaging her legs. Right around 12am she started to have really painful contractions and started to push. A few minutes later her water broke. It was like a super-soaker spraying right at the couch. (Please forgive me for the image, this was how I remembered it, bear with me) None of it got anywhere, fortunately.
After that around 12:30am Laura switched from her back to her knees leaning on the the ottoman of the couch ( Kateandneil.com we did cover the ottoman with a towel). She started to push full time right after that. She progressed perfectly and just before 1:50 I saw a little patch of head with some dark hair. At 1:53 the little head popped right out. It was wild. With the next push I reached down and grabbed June as she came out. Brianna helped me pass June though Laura's legs. And that was that.
It was a life changing experience for me. June is beautiful. I am so blessed to have such an amazing wife and such a wonderful child. Life is beautiful and more so with such beautiful women in it.

Little June et al.

With the start of something wonderful, I hope that this blog can help share. June Beth Ransom was born last Sunday, the 13th of December, at our home. She is amazing! One savvy guest, it might have been me, commented that June, "...looks like Joel." If that is true then Joel is one beautiful man, because June is gorgeous. Please enjoy the ride with us!

Photos and Story will be published post haste.