Summer Time and a BABY!

The summer has come and gone all too fast, but we did our best to make the most of it.  In June we made a road trip to California.  We went to visit Sequoia and Yosemite National Park.  We had much fun with the hiking, biking, tubing, and sightseeing.  We’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Then in July Gary and Jade made the trip to Colorado for the Christensen Family Reunion.  I was unable to go because of how close the reunion was to my due date.  It was a special time for the Christensen Family with everyone there in one place to celebrate and welcome home their parents from their mission in Georgia.  We sure are proud and thankful for the great example our parents have been in accepting the call to go and serve.  However we are glad they are back.

In July and August we had a few family visitors from out of state.  My sister Jen and her family joined us for a few days.  With our time we went to visit Grandpa Lund’s grave and went to a Real Soccer game.  We had a great time together.  Then a few weeks later my sister Melissa and her family joined us to visit our ASL Ward and then we just enjoyed the afternoon/evening together.  We concluded the evening by having Grandma and Grandpa share with us their testimony. 

In August we had my parents come to Utah for 2 weeks while they received training for their next missionary assignment.  They are the very first called to serve as missionaries to the Air Force Academy Cadets.  They are so thrilled for the opportunity and it is the perfect fit for them.  While they were here in August, we thought for sure we could get our little boy to come out and show his face.  He had other plans.  Jade absorbed all the Grandma and Grandpa time she could get.  Two weeks came and went all too soon, but we knew Grandma Sparrow would be back again when Cedar decided to come out. 

With Grandma and Grandpa Sparrow leaving, we were thrilled to have Grandma Christensen come and spend some time with us.  Grandma Christensen came at the perfect time.  She helped tend and watch Jade while I went to the hospital to be induced.  We feel so grateful that she was able to watch Jade since our stay at the hospital was a little longer than we had hoped for.


So the details of the delivery…  It went something like this.  We thought for sure Cedar would come early because Jade came early, but Cedar decided he wanted to take his time.  As my Aunt said, “Boys just need a little extra time to grow their little spout.”   We tried anything and everything to get my contractions more consistent.  I have been having them off and on, but nothing intense enough to get me to the hospital.  So my doctor said he would induce me on Monday August 20^th because he was concerned about the size of the baby.


Monday comes and the hospital tells us they might not be able to squeeze me in on Monday and that I might have to try again on Wednesday.  However thanks to a good Doctor, he stayed later to make sure he could deliver for us.  We get a call asking telling us if we can get to the hospital in 30 minutes they would induce me.  They broke my water and induced me around 4:30/5 pm.  We decided to go for the natural delivery again.  Near the last 30 minutes I decided I was done and wanted my epidural, I didn’t realize however how close I was to delivering baby Cedar.  Gary was once again the great coach and mentor through the whole process.  I am so glad he was at my side the whole step of the way.  The nurses commented on what a great job he was doing saying that he needed to go help the other dads do a better job.

Happy, in Pain, and Emotional

After about 2 hours of labor Cedar joined us at 7:34 pm on August 20^th weighing 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 21 inches long.  I’m glad we didn’t wait another day.  He was a big baby.  We had to stay in the hospital an extra day because I tested positive on my strep B test.  We made the most of it and I used up the time to rest as much as I could.  Grandma Christensen had to leave the day we got out of the hospital; however I was fortunate that Gary had the rest of the week off to help me at home.  We look forward to the next time Grandma comes back for a visit with Grandpa Christensen.

Grandma Sparrow came back a week later to help at home.  She cooked, cleaned, did nighttime feedings for Cedar, and helped with Cedar and Jade constantly.  She was a miracle worker with all the wonderful things she did to help me for a week.  We wish she could be here more.  I don’t know who will miss Grandma more, Jade or me.





So now I’m a mama of 2 kids.  It has been an amazing roller coaster of experiences to make the adjustments to being needed in more ways.  I find myself wishing I could be in more than place at a time.  Just when you think you start to understand what love is, you learn your heart still has more room to grow.




One of my friends (a mother of 5 boys, the last 2 were twins) has a signature quote at the end of her emails that I love.  “You think my hands are full, you should see my heart.”  I guess that is the best way for me to describe the feelings of my heart with the joy of bringing Cedar into our family.  My heart is full of love, thanks, and gratitude to be a wife and a mother.