Our lovely daughter Sophia Anne Christianson was born this past Wednesday the 8th at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth at 6:29 p.m. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 11.5 ounces, just one ounce shy of a trophy in walleye world. Of course most anglers would stretch that to 8 pounds. The birth was no more difficult than could be expected and we could not be happier.
Last Tuesday while I was at work, Rachelle was having a luncheon with two of her girlfriends at our house. Our dog, Maggie, starting going ballistic when a giant wolf was spotted in the driveway. Rachelle said it was the biggest and most beautiful wolf she had ever seen up here. As she stood up to get a closer look at the wolf, her water broke.
She quietly snuck off to the bathroom before her friends had a chance to see what was going on. She then told them not to panic but she was going into labor and someone needed to give me a call. I was eating lunch at Gunflint Lodge with the crew when I got the call and quickly went home to pick her up.
Rachelle took an ambulance ride from Grand Marais to Duluth while our friend, Ericka Blaschko, and I followed her to the hospital. Ericka served as our birthing coach and was an absolute godsend. The nurses could not believe she had never done this before because she was such a natural. I get a little queasy in hospitals and occasionally had to step out during the pregnancy to regain my senses. The last thing we needed was Rachelle worrying about me. After six hours of pushing we finally got to see little Sophia.
I looked up Sophia’s Chinese birth animal and found out she was born on the year of the Tiger. I just wanted to see if there was any significance to the wolf. It says she is the ruler of the hours of 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. So far that has proven to be very true. We quickly learned the three basic needs to her crying. It comes down to a dirty diaper, burping, or feeding. It has only taken us a few days to become experts at all three.
We were worried that our wiener dog, Maggie, might have some adjustment issues but so far she has only been curious instead of jealous. She has even given little Sophia a couple of kisses so I think everything will be just fine.
Rachelle and I would like to thank everyone for the support that we have received from the community. Leaving the house in sub-zero temperatures is always scary, but our neighbors, Dave and Bonnie Schudy, kept the boiler going; our friend Forrest Parson plowed the driveway and of course the Wright Family babysat our first “child,” Maggie! That was a huge help and we cannot wait to return the favor someday.
Cory Christianson, a graduate
of the University of Iowa, has
worked as a fishing guide on
the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If
you have any fishing reports
or stories to share, send an
email to: christiansoncory@
hotmail.com or call 218-388-
0315.
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