Illyria Providence Garmon was born August 31, 2014 at 1:44 p.m! She made her debut appearance at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek, California. On the evening of August 30th, I took a picture of me in my swim suit at week 37. I had wanted this girl to come before September -- but even with massages and daily swimming in the pool, I had come to the realization that this baby was more stubborn than I was and would come whenever she was good and ready! :) Little did I know that she would be here soon...
On Sunday morning at 3:23 a.m. -- after a very restful night -- my water broke. I got up, took a shower, got ready, and then woke up Elijah. We arrived at the hospital at 4:40 a.m. The staff settled me in comfortably, and by 7 a.m. the contractions had started, so of course I asked for the epidural. The doctor who administered it was very knowledgeable and careful, and after listening to my explanations of how I can't endure much pain, he took care of business without much ado. I felt the pressure of the contractions but no pain. I was happy and ready...to take a nap. The baby showed signs of wanting to make her appearance around 1 p.m. We call the doctor, and by the time the doctor came, I was ready to push. Our beautiful baby doll came into this world at 1:44 within 10 minutes of pushing. She was adorable and healthy; however, her breathing was a bit too fast and the nurses were concerned. I got to hold this sweet child for about an hour before the decision was made to take her to the NICU. My heart ached that I couldn't hold and love her, but I was also grateful that we had such excellent care for this angel of ours.
My recovery was quick and I felt great right away, another tremendous blessing. I was discharged on Tuesday night, after three days of relaxation, but my little Illyria had to stay much longer in the NICU. We would visit her each day, bringing her some of my milk, and later on I was allowed to nurse her. The children were dying to visit, so we would alternate - sometimes I would take a few of our crew, and sometimes Elijah would. My heart would break every time I went, worrying about this sweet little girl that had all those cords and monitors surrounding her. But I knew the Lord was in charge. Elijah had given her a priesthood blessing, we had the best care, and pretty soon she would be coming home!
Illyria beautified our home with her arrival on September 9th, and boy, was she surrounded by love and admiration. She has proven to be a sweet-natured child, with very little desire to cry, and a love for eating and sleeping, just like it should be!
During this exciting and stressful time, our friends and family have shown their love with delicious dinners, lovely flowers, desserts, and well wishes. We have felt loved and cared for by Heavenly Father's angels on earth. I know our Heavenly Father is aware of all of us, and although at this moment we still are facing various trials, I truly feel loved and blessed beyond my own imagination.
One last picture: This should give you a glimpse into how much love Illyria is shown each day. Add my mother and Charlton into the mix -- and of course I'm not counting Elijah and myself -- and you get a girl who is admired, cared for, and loved more than her tiny baby-self can handle. Lucky girl!
