Baby Riaan

Baby Riaan Renee Christensen was born April 4th 2015 at 3:38am. She was 11 days early. I obviously haven't written in about 18 months and a lot has changed since that time. I hope to jump back on the bandwagon again and keep this little family blog going. 

I work with the Young Women in my ward and on April 3rd, a Friday, I was told that we had a meeting at the church with the Bishop at 7pm. At about 6:45pm, I was feeding LJ some dinner and felt a leak happen. It wasn't a gush, but I went to the bathroom. It kept leaking. I got LJ all done with dinner, he need a diaper change. I went outside to where Llyr was planting raspberries and told him that I think my water had broken, but I will go to this meeting and we'll figure it out. (My water didn't break with LJ and so I just wasn't sure.) I was of course late to this "meeting" and so I was getting a few phone calls from Young Women's leaders. Well, it turned out to be a surprise Baby Shower for me and another leader who was pregnant at the time. The girls threw it and it was really cute. I, on the other hand, was not so cute. I was pretty upset that we had a meeting that night and I was so worried about my water breaking. Well, they somehow got a hold of my mom and so she was there. It was really nice to have her there, because when Llyr called in a panic because my "water had broken", I was able to have her talk to him. (She didn't know yet, so after talking to Llyr she came and talked to me about it.) Well, the baby shower ended. Llyr had called a nurse at the hospital and she suggested that we come in. Scott and Kaye came over. I told mom that I would call her at the hospital if they said that I was in labor. 

We got LJ to bed and took off. The contractions were going but not painful until we started to the hospital. Luckily the hospital is only about 4 or 5 miles away. We got there about 11pm and they checked me and, yep my water had broken. So we were staying and unfortunately, it couldn't have waited until mid-night, because we had to pay for an extra night in the hospital for me, but we were having our baby girl and it was going well. I walked over to Labor and Delivery and they got me hooked up to everything. I had to have Penicillin for at least 4 hours prior to birth and so that got hooked up at 11:30pm. They asked if I wanted an epidural and my response was, "of course." If they are going to make me wait 4 hours, then I want some help. I don't know how mom had 4 kids without an epidural. Contractions hurt! I got the epidural by about 2am or 2:30am. Mom got to the hospital about 1:30am. Then we all waited. They didn't check me because they knew I needed the IV penicillin. At about 3:25am the nurse checked and I was dilated to a 10 and Riaan was beginning to crown. She got the doctor. I started pushing at 3:30am and Riaan was born at 3:38am. 

Being part of the miracle of birth for a second time is less new, but still a miracle. She had dark hair and cried right on cue. I am such a lucky mama.

Baby Riaan, Day 1

LJ has been such a proud big brother. He has really wanted to take care of, check on, and kiss his little sister. He does smother her sometimes and she will cry often when she hears his voice.

Baby Riaan and Big Brother end of May 2015, about 7 1/2 weeks old

Last week we went to Mexico with my family. (we had a blast and I will write another post on that) In the SLC airport coming home a little boy who was about 18 months old walked over near us and Riaan was in her carseat in the stroller. LJ jumped right up in front of her and told the little boy "No!" He did not want that boy coming any closer to his sister. I hope that he is always that protective of her. 

I love both my kids so much and am so lucky. Everyone told me that my capacity to love would increase and with that first cry, they weren't lying.