I thought I would burst with pride when I first saw this!

Jarred has worked so hard and we have all been looking forward to this degree.

Just had to post a picture of it.

Jarred says you can all call him Dr. Henline now.

It's a Girl!

This is Ellie Henline

She was born on January 24, 2009

Lots of friends have been asking for details and how the birth went, so here is the story.

Caution: if birth stories are not for you, stop reading.

So, this time my dream came true and my water broke!! Yessssss! I know that is strange to get excited about, but my water was broken by the Dr with Dyson and Cambry, so it was fun to have it so unexpectedly rupture. I knew the baby was coming- a few weeks early- and what is more exciting than that?

I still felt great and wasn't having any real contractions yet ( no timed, regular ones anyway). We headed down to Orem, Utah to the birth center where my midwives were. It's about a 30 minute trip in good traffic, so we wasted no time getting there- to wait all day. I didn't start labor all day! We did tons of walking and still nothing happened. I got nervous that I might have to go be induced (this was NOT what I wanted and I was determined to go naturally) so I called my little brother who was close by at BYU. He came right up and they gave me a blessing. I totally chilled out after that. I knew my body was just gearing up and that it would happen when I was ready. Sure enough, that night at about 7:30 the contractions started, and with a vengeance! I pretty much started my labor out in transition ( Usually you work up to this phase...). I had been dilated to about 7 cm all day (no surprise, I had been that way for days with no regular labor) so when they started, the baby was COMING. With my other births, I had epidurals and didn't feel too many contractions so I wasn't sure what to expect, but once they started, I knew it wouldn't be too long for me.

I survived a few big ones out of the tub while Jarred and the midwives got the water going. The water was a huge relief and helped me relax between contractions- Crucial to surviving that phase of labor. In about an hour and a half, Ellie came in less than 3 pushes. I wasn't sure how I had survived it, but it was amazing. Jarred saw Ellie coming and caught her and handed her to me. She hardly cried and even smiled dreamily at me when our eyes met. It was indescribable.

I have never felt so strong and valuable in my life. I felt so close to heaven, partly because I thought I was going to die from pain *joke* and because I felt like I couldn't do it alone. I never knew how strong I was. I think we sell ourselves short and say "can't" too soon. I do anyway, but I think giving birth is a time when we can't give up. Even when we want to. Our babies need us and we have to go deep inside to find strength that we didn't know we had to make it through. For those of you who are wondering just how difficult birth is, well I can't describe the pain in words but I will tell you that my pain scale from one to ten has been permanently altered. So has my view of women. How did women do that alone, in a field or barn or whatever??! I have gained so much respect for the generations that came before us and the mothers that sacrificed and were so strong! Wow.

I am so glad to have Ellie. She is so alert and peaceful. Even when she cries, she seems calm inside. I can't wait to see who she becomes. It is so fun to see her with her sister and brother. Dyson is great with her. He knows she is too little to pick up (Cambry, however does not realize this...) and they both love to throw away diapers, bring me blankets or pacifiers, and even sing or read stories to her. It is so fun.

I can't believe I have 3 children. Where did the time go? How am I so lucky? How will I ever go anywhere with 3 children?

Enough from me. Here are some more cute pictures. I love this one where Jarred and Ellie are smiling at each other. She is only about an hour old. Amazing.

Here's Ellie in the bath. She loves the water. Maybe she will always have a special connection to water from her birth. We will see.