Let it Snow

This is one reason I love living in Reno...

Notice the turkey fryer is still there. At least it blends in with the snow.

Gangsta

This is Doug's attempt at making his son gangsta. Nice try.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Olivia loves to dance. She will dance to just about anything with a beat - commercials, the doorbell, and even Daddy's snoring. (Well, maybe not that. She shudders in fear when that happens.) Doug thinks she got her dancing skills from him. He is only partially right. Back in the day I used to be quite an accomplished ballerina. I even danced with Ballet West in the Nutcracker. But then again, so did Doug. (Surprised? So was I.) But I will be the first to admit that Doug has skills. He is a great dancer, and not just ballet. He pops, locks, rolls, grooves, and gets his thang on! I look like a wounded bird trying to dance. It is kind of sad. Fortunately, Olivia got the best of both worlds.

She danced in her first recital a week ago. She was fabulous. It was a Hawaiian Christmas, complete with little hula skirts and flowers in her hair. For months she has been practicing with her class. When the mothers were first invited to watch their rehearsal I was so proud of her. She was chosen to act like a "bridge." She and the teacher were the first ones on stage, and formed a bridge, like the one for 'London Bridge is Falling Down.' I tried to give Olivia a life lesson. Olivia was much more pragmatic...

Me: Olivia, when you listen to your teachers and do what you are asked, you get to participate in fun ways, like doing the bridge. That is why it is always good to listen to what you are told. That way, you get more opportunities to do fun and important things.

Olivia: Mom, actually my teacher chose me because I am the tallest in class.

Me: Tall and cheeky.

She performed wonderfully, and didn't exhibit any fear whatsoever. Here she is after the performance...

I have officially become that mother. You know, the one that cries when she sees her children succeed and shouts and claps frantically. Yep, that's me. I swore I would never do that. My mom always bragged about me. And at the time I would get so embarrassed. But now as a mother I can understand why. In some small way it reflects on me, and shows maybe I can do something right. Olivia proves that all the time spent driving to and from class and wrestling with Ethan and Ben during class is worth it. And even more important than that, it shows that she is becoming her own person. I'm just along for the ride.

First Snow

It snowed in Reno a couple days ago. It is the first legitimate snow we have gotten since we moved here over a year ago (i.e. more than 3 inches at one falling). It snowed for nearly 24 hours straight. We got over 12 inches at our house. It even covers the burned patch of grass from frying the Thanksgiving turkey!

Conversation With a Toddler

Olivia loves to call Grandma Oh-Dear, the name she gave my mom because my mom frequently says, "Oh dear." Olivia talks a mile a minute, leaving no time for response from my mom. She walks around the house talking about what she sees that minute, or something she randomly remembers. It is the most disjointed monologue I have ever heard. Sometimes she doesn't even know what she's talking about. Case in point:

Olivia: Hi Grandma. How are you? (She doesn't wait for a reply). I am so bored. All I have done all day is watch Ethan. Mom is busy watching Ben. So I have to play with Ethan. He likes to play with my favorite toy, you know, that one, with the blue on it. It is so boring. Mommy feeds Ben all the time. She doesn't read to me anymore. My favorite book is Pinkalicious. It has that one girl and the cupcakes. Just like the cupcakes we got from my friend Anna. Do you remember her? (Again, no response time left for my mom). Anyways, I have been so bored. All we do is stay home. It is so boring. (She pauses to catch her breath and her thoughts, then continues.) Grandma, what does 'boring' mean?

Grandma: Oh dear!

Tides of Change

It used to be that every morning I would hear Ethan on the monitor sweetly calling, "Mommy, Mommy." I would go to his room and fall in love with him all over again. Those big brown eyes and big smile. What's not to love? This morning I heard him sweetly calling, "YaYa, YaYa." (YaYa is what he calls Olivia most of the time. It depends on his mood. Sometimes he calls her Livvie. Sometimes it's Olivia. And sometimes it's mean, naughty sister.) But this morning it's YaYa. Yesterday I heard him rustling about. I thought he would rush downstairs, desperate to find me. I waited. He never came. So I went upstairs desperate to find him. There he was, lying on Olivia's floor, waiting for her to wake up. I've been replaced.

They have always been close. They celebrate together...

They get sick together (see Ethan's boogie nose and Olivia's glassy eyes)...

They four-wheel together...

They kung fu together (and each other)...

And they meditate together...

And now little Ben is working hard, getting strong so he can join the fun. At seven weeks old he is pretty good at holding his head up. He likes to sit up and see the world. He is a talker, just like Dad. Seven weeks, wearing six-month-old clothes. He's my favorite big little man...

Soon he will find a replacement too. But that's ok. I have a good stand-by...

Angels

I was recently reading a friend's blog and came across a link to another blog for a woman named Sheye Rosemeyer. Several years ago her three year old daughter, Ava, died after being trapped in a hot parked car for only a little while. Reading her blog haunted me. It reminded me of the day we almost lost Olivia.

It happened on a hot August day in Las Vegas. I am sure the temperature was over 110 degrees. It always is that time of year. We were busy inside packing and getting ready for our move to Reno. Olivia and Ethan often played together in the toy room, which is where we assumed she was that hot afternoon. But in the middle of packing boxes something (or someone) nudged me and told me to check in on Olivia. She wasn't in the toy room, and after a quick canvas of the house, I couldn't find her anywhere inside. Again I was nudged, this time to go outside. The back door was unlocked and the garage was open so we could take boxes out to the moving truck. She wasn't in the garage. Quickly my gaze moved outside to our parked car. There with the windows and the doors closed sat my little Olivia. I could just see her little blond head peaking over the steering wheel. I rushed to the car. Olivia was weak, but awake. She was burning hot. She had probably been in the car 10-15 minutes. I rushed her inside, gave her fluids, put a cold pack on her head, and sat thinking of what could have been.

I think we all have angels watching over us. There is a higher power that silently guides us, and sometimes nudges us, to action. I will forever be thankful that I was compelled to look for Olivia. I believe that Ava is in a better place. Even though her mother's anguish and sorrow cannot be measured and even though she is missed every minute of every day, now Ava is an angel among us.

Deep Thinker

I guess it's never too early to start contemplating the meaning of it all....

Grandma's Visit

Grandma came to visit for a few days. The kids loved the nonstop attention. Grandma was exhausted by the time she left. But I think she would be the first to admit it was completely worth it and she loved every minute!

Grandma's Visits - A Brief History

August 2005 (Couldn't find any from June)

May 2007

October 2009

Thanks for all the help and support, Mom!

Fall in Reno... and China

I love fall in Reno. After living in Las Vegas it is so nice to be somewhere with seasons - not just hot and sort of cold. There is something so American about the fall - pumpkin patches, tractor rides, and fresh apple pie. I can't help but getting nostalgic.

Of course there is Fall in other parts of the world. Beijing is beautiful in the fall, similar to Reno, but also very different. I remember walking across The Great Wall in autumn. It looked like the mountains were on fire with the trees in colors of red, yellow, orange, and rust.

The air there is crisp in autumn, just like it is in Reno. But in China the air is also filled with odors of fried scorpions, frog legs, and fermented tofu. In Reno, the fall is a perfect time for riding bikes. In China everyday is a good day for bikes, but usually not for leisure. People carry all their possessions on bikes - furniture, livestock, food. I will always fondly remember my time in China. But for now, I'm glad to be in Reno.

Forgetfulness

It's amazing how much you forget as a mom. I have heard it referred to as "Momnesia," a condition of forgetfulness usually striking moms with young children. It accounts for why you suddenly forget even the simplest things, like why you went to Target in the first place. Or how to phrase a simple sentence. Or forgetting your keys in the car and then locking your child in it.

I think nature helps us forget certain things, like how miserably awful the first four months of pregnancy are. And how tired you get the first months after the baby is born. I forgot what it was like to be really tired. Not just the everyday kind of tired, but the tired to the bone, can't help but stare off into space kind of tired. It is a good thing we forget certain things. But then nature also reminds us why we do it....

Seeing them together reminds me that it is all worth it. It's moments like these that make the tired moments, the moments of frustration, and the moments of defeat dissolve away. I would like to think that we have a happy home. But since Ben came there seems to be just a little more kindness and a little more patience...

I always knew Ben was waiting. After Ethan was born I had dreams about Ben. When I see the kids together I can't help but think they knew he was coming too. Long lost friends...

It's moments like these I certainly won't forget.

Baby Benjamin's Big Day

I was beginning to think that the baby was going to take up a permanent residence in my womb. It felt like he was never going to come out. He didn't want to fill out a change of address card, I guess. But he had a plan of his own.

Late Saturday night I started having contractions. I wasn't too alarmed because I had been having contractions all week. Around 11:30pm they became pretty consistent every 15 minutes. So I decided to wake Doug up and go to the hospital. I was already 3cm dilated. I figured if I wasn't in active labor maybe they would induce me. Grandma came to watch the kids and we were on our way.

On our drive to the hospital the contractions became stronger and closer together. We arrived at Labor & Delivery at 1:18am. I was admitted right away; my IV was started; and I was checked - 5cm. By then my contractions were constant with almost no time in between. My blood pressure was so low that they could not give me the epidural. I was not prepared for that kind of pain. At 2:07am the doctor came in to check me, or so I thought. But nope. He was there to deliver the baby. I kept crying, "I can't do this! I can't do this!" The doctor broke my water at 2:08am. I reached down and felt the baby's head and I realized I had to do it. I decided it would be in my best interest to get the baby out as quickly as possible. I had had enough of the pain. After two or three pushes the baby was out. At 2:11am we welcomed Benjamin Reed Christensen into the world. He weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz, 19 inches long.

Here is our baby Ben...

Olivia and Ethan check him out...

Mom and baby...

Mommy in training...

Daddy and son bonding time (probably showing him the UFC)...

It's amazing how a baby can change everything. After Olivia was born I thought I could never love anything or anyone more than I loved her. When Ethan came along I was surprised that I had more love to give. And now with Ben it's love at first sight - like he was always a part of me and I was seeing a familiar face again. I think we are all feeling it. I see Olivia and Ethan in a different light. They grew up over night. They instantly accepted and loved Ben. The love of our Heavenly Father fills our home with the arrival of this little piece of heaven.

Experiment

After many attempts, here we go. The official start of the Christensen family blog. I have loved observing friends and getting glimpses into their lives through their blogs. Hopefully this will appease the grandparents, and offer whoever else wants a glimpse into our crazy lives a peek.

Currently we have one of these...

And one of these...

And pretty soon we will have another one of these...

The doctor tells me there is a 75% chance the baby will be born this week. My actual due date is October 26th. We'll see what happens. I feel like I have been pregnant forever. Part of me wants to have the baby and have this stage done with. But another part of me will miss our connection - the kicks, the hiccups, and even the jabs at my bladder that leave me scrambling. There is something so special about the feeling of life inside. It really is a miracle.

Hopefully this little experiment with blogging will turn into a great adventure - maybe more for me than for anyone who reads it. I'm ready for the journey.