Our Story
My name is Christie. I am a nurse. I am a wife to my partner, Greg. I am a mother to my son, Gavin. I am a certified yoga instructor. Being on my yoga mat is therapeutic and necessary to my sanity. I love coffee, wine, cooking, good music, hiking, biking, and rock climbing. I’m kinda a clean freak and have a some pretty remarkable organizational skills that I inherited from my mom.
Greg is an accountant in the healthcare industry. Monday through Friday he is a proud “Excel jockey”, but don’t let his suit and tie fool you. He is an adventure seeker, endurance athlete, and self-proclaimed connoisseur of type two fun. He faces life with a level of intensity and pace that is often exhausting to match. He has always encouraged me to try new experiences and push my limits. Whenever I am doubting my abilities, he will remind me that those that succeed “find a way to win”.
We met through mutual friends in the fall of 2010. We fell in love in 2011. I moved into his house and we adopted our first born son, a border collie named Maverick, all in the same weekend. One year later, we adopted our little girl, a border collie named Meeko. He asked me to marry him at the top of Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, on a beautiful and snowy June day. Maybe I was caught up in the moment, or the breathtaking views, or the altitude was impairing my judgment, but I don’t remember much, except saying yes! The climb was a challenging one but the rewards (not just the diamond) were worth it. As a family, we love camping, hiking, biking, rock climbing, and pretty much anything that allows us to enjoy the great outdoors.
After much discussion, we had decided that we did not want to have children. We both had demanding careers that we enjoyed. We wanted to be able to continue to be adventurous and carefree with our time. It sounds a little selfish, but we wanted to keep the freedom that we had. So when I found out that I was pregnant, shock is only one of the emotions we experienced. Don’t get me wrong, there was a part of me that was pretty darn excited. There was also a part of me that was nervous and terrified! We started to reprioritize. We adjusted careers. We made plans for kid friendly adventures. Greg bought pint sized gear. We were determined to succeed as a new family of three (humans). We knew that we would find a way to win.
Throughout the pregnancy, we went to all our appointments, did the normal testing, scans, and lab work. We were consistently told that we were to have a big healthy boy. I was induced at 41 weeks. I was in labor for 36+ hours and pushed for at least four hours before the team decided to use a vacuum to help our big healthy boy make his entrance.
He didn’t cry. He was grayish blue. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing. I was given the chance to hold him for a quick minute before they took him to the NICU. By the time I was able to go see him, they had already put a NG tube in his nose. They explained to me that he was not tolerating his feedings and therefore needed a tube to help him. It was clear to me that he wasn’t a fan of the tube. I asked for them to remove it and let me try to breastfeed him. They reluctantly did so, telling me that it would probably have to be reinserted. He breastfed like a champ. And the tube was never needed again. It’s as if he already knew, we find a way to win.
“You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.”
Mel Robbins
We continue to find a way to win everyday. Since Gavin’s birth, we have faced immense challenges. However, the joy from the amazing wins are indescribable. Some stories will make you cry, others will inspire you, and some are just too damn funny not to share. We are far from perfect, but we give this parenting gig our best shot. We plan to share our strategies, our wins, and our losses. So that others can learn from us, feel supported by us, and join us in our journey. I can promise you, it’s gonna continue to be one hell of a ride.
#TRUTH: You can find a way to win.