#12 Juliana, Part 1

Many of you have seen the video of Noah's first run (see Noah's Heart Facebook page) It was a family outing where I got to push Noah in the running stroller while my wife, Jana, rode the bicycle.  In that short video clip, the one with the most enthusiasm was the two and half year old girl being pulled in the buggy behind Jana. This post will highlight that joyful little girl named JULIANA NOELLE RIEHM. 

Juliana is part of our quartet that makes up the D' RIEHM (pronounced: "reem") team.  (A little 1990's USA basketball spin off) Here is how her story began.

Juliana is named after two of her great grandmothers-- Julia and Anna.  Being born close to Christmas, we decided Noelle was as a perfect middle name.  She arrived on a cold and snowy day in December of 2017 with just 12 days to go until Christmas.  In contrast to Noah's birth, Juliana's hospital course was relatively uncomplicated.  We brought her home just two days later.  While Noah came home on a warm July day, Juliana's trip home was in a snowstorm.

Juliana's homecoming

We brought her inside and put the car seat on the coffee table to take a few pictures. We enjoyed the moment, then quickly jumped into "mommy/daddy mode".  Jana, a strong advocate for breastfeeding, hooked up all the parts to a strange foreign contraption (at least to me) --a breast pump.  Juliana's next feeding was due.  It was then that we realized our first problem as parents... the tiny membranes for the pump were left at the hospital.  A brief moment of panic led to my first "new father" mission:  Drive back though the snowstorm and retrieve these vital supplies from the hospital.

Cars were in the ditch along route 30 towards Galion Community Hospital.  This should have been my warning.  I should have been more careful.  After exiting the highway and heading towards Galion, the tail lights of the car in front of me were suddenly really bright, leading me to tap the brakes, throwing my Jeep into a tailspin.  I found a nice somewhat forgiving tree which was just enough to stop my vehicle.  A reaction that only took a second, left the Jeep trashed with windows broken and snow pouring in.  By God's grace, I was fine but still had a mission to complete.  My wife and new baby were waiting. 

I debated not telling Jana about the wrecked Jeep in the garage when I returned home.  The focus needed to be on our baby girl.  I knew emotions were high and all of her attention was naturally on our new bundle of joy.  Jana did eventually hear about my snowy adventure and the best part of that-- I got a new truck out of the deal.  

We have enjoyed every moment of life with our baby girl since bringing her home.  She is healthy, full of life and definitely keeps us entertained.  As written in Psalm 127, we are blessed with our heritage from the Lord and grateful to have two little arrows in our quiver.  

Juliana seems to have two modes: fast and faster.  I think she might be a runner like her father?  The only time she seems to sit still is when she rides along on the lawnmower or when I push her in the running stroller.  In both of these scenarios she may be sitting still but her desire for speed is still there.  "Faster Daddy".  Ok, I'll rev it up a bit... "here we go Juli girl". 

As I've learned and talked about in my most recent post, life can spin at a crazy fast pace sometimes. It's important to temper the speed and feel the rhythm, as there are so many blessings around that can go unnoticed.  Almost three-years-old now, Juliana is cruising along in our chaotic world.  Including Noah's heart condition, our family's attention is on many things.  We have done our best to be intentional with our daughter and get her involved with activities such as dance class, where she has her own "special rhythm"--Let's just say she didn't inherit her mother's Colombian salsa moves. 

Lately, Juliana and I have been learning to swim.  She is practicing to stay afloat and I try to get her to brave the water.  She is all about getting to the pool quickly but has been unusually timid in the deep end.  As a family, we sometimes are just trying to stay above water ourselves.  However, we are aiming to put things in perspective, trust in the Lord and enjoy our moments as the D'RIEHM TEAM. 

I love: The One I Love

I love: Noah

I love: Juliana

Part 1 was written by Juliana's father.  Part 2, written by her mother, will be posted soon.