Kate Patrice Fowler

On the night of February 18, I was lying on the couch feeling a bit crummy because I was 40 weeks pregnant and I just had a root canal. Gavin said good night and then told me the baby would be born the next day. I replied with a, 'we'll see and good night." Would you believe he was right!?
About 2:30 am, I woke with a start and realized something was happening. I ran to the bathroom and discovered my water had broke. I yelled for Greg to start packing my bags. Yes, I was unprepared. Even though I was only a few days from my due date, I still didn't have my bags packed. I truly didn't expect my water to break in the middle of the night. While Greg was throwing things into a bag, I hesitantly called my great, wonderful, incredible friend, Michelle Day. I had cleared it with her before to come sit with the kids if something happened in the middle of the night, but of course, prefaced it with, "I'm sure it won't be that way. I'll probably be induced." She was so great and came right over. We also paged Dr. Saunders.
We woke up Gavin and said good bye and then headed for the hospital. I was very nervous. Probably more nervous than with any of my other deliveries. Why? I have no idea. I think I had been dealing with anxiety with so much of this pregnancy, that I was just beyond worried at that point. Greg was great and just kept talking to me about our little girl, Kate. We were sure that was her name. With the boys, we hadn't decided on a name until after they were born. We really liked the name Kate and it was the front-runner my entire pregnancy. I also liked the names Greta and Elsa. When I was struggling with my abscessed tooth, Greg and his dad, Dee, gave me a Priesthood blessing. During that blessing, I knew that our baby would be Kate, named after Dee's mother, Kate Fowler.
It was a long walk from the American Fork hospital drop off doors, up the elevators and down the hall to Labor and Delivery. Of course, I was leaking everywhere, which made me laugh and cringe at the same time. I checked in, changed and got settled into my room (very end of the hall on the left). The IV was a long process, but they finally got it in. I had a wonderful nurse who let me be in charge. The nursing staff was teasing me because I brought my own pillow. I hate flat hospital pillows and wanted my own. The nurses said after two other deliveries, I should know what I want.
Dr. Mark Saunders came in and checked on me. My labor had stopped progressing (it always does at that point), so they put me on a low dosage of Petocin. Dr. Saunders left to preform another surgery. My labor sped up faster than they thought it would, so they took me off the Petocin and let me progress naturally. I asked for an epidural after I was dilated to about a 5. It was great, the best epidural I've had. No pain, but I could feel and somewhat control what was happening down there. About 9:30am I was finally dilated to a 7. I told the nursing staff the baby would be here soon. Every one of my deliveries happen that way. A long time to reach a four, labor slows down, and then once I hit a seven, the baby is there within 30 minutes.
Luckily, my nurse believed me and checked to see where I was. Sure enough, I was ready to push. She called Dr. Saunders and he literally ran to the hospital (Greg could see him through the window). He got there just in time. I gave a small half-push and the baby slid right out.
The first thing Dr. Saunders said was, "She has red hair." Greg and I couldn't believe it. Greg took a look and said he was right. She was so beautiful! My first thought was she looked just like Enoch as a newborn. I couldn't believe I had a daughter (I'm crying right now typing this!). She was so perfect. I just wanted to hold her and never let go. Of course, the nurses had to take her, clean her up and weigh her. But then I got her back.
They wheeled me down to recovery and took Kate for shots and a bath. Greg went with her while I rested. We called family and Grandma Fowler picked the boys up at home and brought them to the hospital. Gavin was thrilled. He loves babies and just wanted to hold Kate. Enoch wasn't sure what was going on. He was a bit scared to hold Kate, but I could tell they were just getting reacquainted. When the nurses brought her back in from her bath, they had put a little bow in her hair. I started to cry and I think it frightened the boys a bit. I had to tell him I was just happy.
Like I mentioned earlier, we knew her name was Kate. We hadn't decided on a middle name, if any at that point. We had talked about a few name, but Greg and I both really liked Patrice. I think it's a beautiful name and it went well with Kate. Patrice is my mother's name who died when I was 18 months old. We knew she was our Kate Patrice.
The rest of our hospital stay went smoothly. We had some visitors: Grandma and Grandpa Fowler, Grandma and Grandpa Randall, Aunt Michelle and Stefanie Ellis. Aunt Valerie was at home with her new baby girl.
I was just happy. I don't know what other word to use. Every time I looked at Kate, my heart melted. I could tell immediately that girls are so different than boys. Kate was just different than her brothers, discernible at even a few days old. Kate was also a bit fussy as a newborn. The afternoon of her birth I was napping. I woke suddenly and could hear a muffled cry. I knew immediately that it was my baby crying from the nursery (clear down the hall and around the corner). She had a really good girly shriek already! Sure enough, a nurse brought her in and Kate was ready to eat. I felt so connected to her already and knew my baby after only a few hours. I just wanted her to be with me all the time.
Greg and the boys loved to come visit in the hospital and hold Kate. I would catch Greg just staring at her with such love in his eyes. I never knew how much a baby girl would open our hearts.
We spent our time in the hospital relaxing, talking and holding Kate. However, I was excited to get home so our family could be together.
I'm always amazed at how little new babies look in their car seats. My mom had bought a cute outfit to bring her home in and Grandma Jordan made a cute pink car seat cover. Greg is obsessive about getting the car seats in the car correctly and the nurse was very impressed with his thoroughness. Soon, we were on our way home with our entire family.
We loved having a new baby in our home. She has brought such love and commitment to our family. She is a good baby, sleeping well and is an absolute joy. Grandma Randall stayed for a few days and Greg took a week off of work. I had my usual breastfeeding problems, but worked through them. Our family is truly blessed.

We love Kate Patrice Fowler!
February 19, 2008; 9:54 am
7 pounds, 3 ounces; 19.5 inches long