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.