Dixie Anne King

Well, now I know why my Dad uses the term of endearment, "Sugar", when he talks to my sisters, his daughters. To a Daddy, his little girl(s) are nothing but sweet. Our little sweet girl decided to make her debut on Thanksgiving day.

Dixie Anne King was born at 11:24 a.m. on 11/24/11 (pretty cool, huh? 11:24 on 11/24). She weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and measured 20 inches. And believe it or not, Dixie topped her big brother, Carson, in the hair department. She has a head full of beautiful, blonde hair that appeared very curly right out the gates, but now looks a little more straight after a bath. No problem finding a spot to place a bow! Like her ol' man, Dixie is a great eater. She latched right on soon after her arrival and eats well.

And now props for Mommy. You know how someone appreciates something more after working for it? Witnessing a natural childbirth sans medication helps me understand why a mother loves her children so much. A mother works extremely hard to welcome her children to Earth. I know that is an obvious understatement, but considering what a mother endures through a pregnancy, labor, and delivery is truly a testament of a mother's love.
Anne will probably give a better, more thorough account of the labor story but I'll give it a shot. Anne woke me up around 3:30 a.m. and we got to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City around 4:00 a.m. It was determined that this was true labor and we got admitted and situated in a nice room. The staff was excellent and caring, especially Anne's midwife, Diane. She helped comfort Anne with a birthing ball, jacuzzi baths, and massages. Steady contractions lasted until about 10:45 a.m. when Anne started pushing. Diane commented on how wonderful Anne was at paying attention to her body and the whole process went without a hitch. Then, this finally culminated in our sweet Dixie greeting us after many months of anticipation for her birth.

The Thanksgiving season encourages us to reflect on what blessings we are given in our lives and helps remind us of the things for which we are grateful. Although I have more to be thankful for than I realize, I don't have to dig too deep this year to see obvious gifts in my life. Dixie serves as a perfect reminder of God's love for His children and His desire to bless us. I am soooooo grateful for my sweet Anne who more than fulfills her calling as wife and mother. Anne and I are blessed with two of the sweetest, most beautiful children that we could have ever imagined. We find great peace in knowing that our family will be together forever and are very thankful for the children Heavenly Father has entrusted us with.