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Wednesday, November 29, 2006

First Snow

On Monday Nov 27th we had our first snow of the year here in Sandy. So we got all rugged up and played outside for a bit. Renatah enjoyed a sled ride with her daddy down the hill!! But didn't enjoy her oversized outfit all that much - at least she kept warm though!

Hey Phil - recognise the coat I'm wearing!! Very handy in this weather- thanks heaps!!

Monday, November 20, 2006

Cramped Quarters


Renatah hasn't decided if she likes baths or not yet - sometimes she loves them sometimes she squawks through the event.

We were using the little tub from the hospital for a few days but as you can see in this picture - it is a tad too small - so we have graduated to a larger portable bath tub.

The Secret is in the Swing


We have found that the most successful way to calm our Poppy when she gets terribly upset is to put her in her sling.

The secret, however, is not to put the sling on - but to swing her in the sling. This quickly turns the tears into little squeaks as she calms down and soon drifts off to sleep.

Daddy figured this trick out!! It started with swinging in the carseat - but that was a bit awkward - so then we tried the sling that we are borrowing from a friend.

It works wonders!

Cuddles with Big Sister


Renatah is enjoying the cuddles of her big sister Shalom.

Shalom is 8 and a wonderfully helpful big sister to Renatah. This was their first meeting when Renatah was 10 days old.

Friday, November 10, 2006

First Family Photo


This was taken when Renatah was 2 days old. Her first day at home.



Thursday, November 09, 2006

7 days ago



With all the excitement of the arrival of Renatah I have overlooked letting you know how the whole 'being induced' thing went!

I was scheduled to go into hospital on Wednesday November 1st at 9pm. Earlier that evening I started with mild contractions every 7-10 minutes. It was exciting thinking that perhaps she would just come on her own.

At 10:30pm they gave me a gel to prepare for the petocin (the labour stimulating drug). I was to have the petocin 6 hours after the gel had been put in. Within an hour of having the gel contractions increased to every 1.5-2 minutes lasting for at least a minute ... it was pretty intense. At 4:30am they started the petcoin but because my labour was progressing so well they only had me on a very low dose!! That was an answer to prayer! Dialation was happening and the pain was increasing!! My Dr came in to see me and broke my water at 8:30am - I was 5 cm dialated.



After that I lost all track of time as I focused on getting through the contractions. Tim was an incredible support 'dancing' through contractions with me and helping me keep my breathing focused. Some time in there came the urge to push but I wasn't allowed to yet as I was only 7cm dialated. Things seemed to go quickly then though.


Just after 11am I was allowed to start pushing - my Dr was in surgery with another patient so the midwife on call was there setting up ... just as I was preparing to start the final stint my Dr arrived and a few minutes later (which felt like eternity) Renatah popped out!


The Story Behind the Name

We have had several requests for an explanation of Poppy's name - how we chose it and why etc. So for those who are interested but didn't ask ... here's the story.

As many couples do Tim and I talked lots about what our desires were for naming our children. Three things in particular stood out.

We wanted names that

  • were different but not bizarre,
  • had strong meaning
  • reflected the importance of family relationships

Renatah was a name I came across when I was at university and fell in love with. It is a stong yet beautiful name ... two things that were important to me. When sharing name ideas with each other Tim didn't hesitate in adding it to the 'keep' list.

When researching what it meant, this is what we found ...

Renatah is a Latin name meaning 'reborn', its Spiritual connotation is 'quickened spirit' and a Bible verse to associate with the name is Romans 12:2 which says:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

This is a prayer of our heart as Renatah's parents that she will grow into a child who reborn into Gods kingdom and seek after His will for her life.

Her middle names are where the importance of family relationships come in. We want to name each of our children after people in our lives that are important to us, specifically family but potentially others as well. For Renatah we chose to honor Tim's side of the family. She is named after his mom -Joan- and his grandma -Margaret- who we affectionately call Mimi. Mimi is 92 going on 93 and so we wanted to honor her while she is still with us.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Renatah Joan Margaret Ohlson


We welcomed our 'lil popette' into the world on November 2nd. She was born at 12pm in Gresham Oregon. She weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and was 19 and a half inches long. Mum and baby are both doing wonderfully and settling in at home. Thank you for all the vists, calls and texts welcoming our daughter.