Charlotte's Baptism

Sunday Best

I love dressing this little girl up on Sundays in the most impractical of clothes.  This is one of my favorite dresses.  My mom made this beautiful heirloom dress for her and it fits her just perfectly right now.

The Honest Truth

I am a little nervous about this post.  But here it is.  I have always used this blog as a place to be transparent and honest, so here goes.

I happily dropped Matthew off at daycare this morning.

There. I said it. Happily! Gladly!  Going to work felt like a vacation!

We had a rough weekend.  With Paul on the home stretch towards the end of tax season, he was working most of the weekend while I tried my best to do laundry, make dinner, and tidy up the house AND keep a fussy baby happy.  By Sunday evening I was not a pleasant person. And I felt horrible that everything out of my mouth was just plain acidic. By the time I went to bed, I was in tears thankful that my sweet overworked husband loves me anyway.

So, for those who have chosen to stay home with your babies, my utmost respect.  I can't do it.  Well, no, I won't do it.  Because I could do it if I really set my mind to it.  But I am choosing not to.  There, I said it. I am choosing not to.

The wonderful thing is that by early afternoon I could barely contain myself in anticipation of picking him up!

Today gave me a good feel for what my days will be like with Matthew.  Up, ready for work, drop off Matthew, work, pick up Matthew, home, bath, book, a bottle and to bed.  Start over.

This also helped me come to the following conclusion:  I no longer have time for all of the things I previously had time for.  I just need to accept that and move on.  I need to stop trying to do all of the things I have an inclination to do.  So, if you don't see me for a while, it's not personal.  I am just spending the little time I do have before and after work and on weekends with my sweet baby Mateo.  Family comes first.

  

One month old!

How has it possibly been a month since Matthew's birth?  Time is just flying by.

The World Stopped Turning

Tuesday morning was quite surreal.  I wake up, get dressed and am ready to head out the door.  Meanwhile, my husband is taking his sweet time...a nice long hot shower and a shave and then walks out of our bedroom decked out in dress pants, shirt and a tie!  REALLY?  

I am about to have a baby.  And Paul has decided that this is the moment to focus on improving his personal grooming habits.  I couldn't convince him that a suit and tie were simply not practical for the OR.  He insisted.  Then he continues on his rambling preparations to pack a handful of cigars and a flask of whiskey.

I almost have a complete come apart right then and there.  While he is making his last minute preparations for the birth of our son, I am packing up the car...in a lightning storm!  It begins to pour just as we get the last item in the car.  And we are off.

As we both settle in to the 4 minute drive to the hospital, we apologize for our mutual short responses, take a deep breath and admit we are scared to death. 

Paul drops me off at the entrance, parks the car and we make it up to the labor and delivery floor.  Our friends Steven and Jane meet us there to pray with us before we are taken back.  I am so thankful for their love and prayers.  The calming presence of Jesus washed over me as I realized we were about to welcome Matthew, our gift from God, into the world.

We are called back and taken to a private room where I have to sign paperwork, get hooked up to monitors, start the IV, etc.  All quite routine.  Matthew in the meantime, knew something was up and my belly was just dancing around with his kicks and maneuvers.

We requested our friend Lindsay be our nurse and she comes bounding in like a ray of sunshine.  If you know someone who is a nurse in labor and delivery, request them.  Having a friendly face and someone I knew walking us through the steps was quite comforting.  

Finally, the time had come to go back to the OR.  It was a little after 7am.

Everything from here on out happened really fast.  There were nurses everywhere. I was administered a spinal.  It didn't hurt at all and took effect immediately.  Dr. Raiford arrived.  I was laid back with my arms outstretched.  A curtain was raised and everyone got to work.  They called Paul in to the OR and by the time he arrived, I am pretty sure Dr. Raiford was well on her way to wrestling Matthew out of my belly.  I could feel a lot of pressure and jerking, but nothing terrible.

Then I heard him cry.  January 17th, 2012, 7:15 am.  The world stopped turning.  It was the most amazing sound I have ever heard.  My son.  Robert Matthew Lindgren.

After that, I am not at all sure what exactly happened...I hear Paul talking to Matthew like he has been part of the family forever.  Paul says things like: "He's all cheesy!  Just like his dad!".  "He has Josie Lindgren's nose"  "He looks just like Lee Lindgren" 

Paul's account of it is hysterical.  "I was anxious up until the point they called me through the doors into the OR. Stepping into the OR was like walking onto a live gameshow set. It was seemingly so chaotic and quick that I didn't have time to get nervous. No lie, it looked like they were fighting a prize-winning smallmouth bass before nearly tossing him from behind the curtain to the scales. I was not in the OR for more than 3 minutes... tops."

Then they brought him to me to see for the first time.

After that, Paul went with him to give him his first bath and I while I was being sewn up and whisked off to recovery.

Little man has some lungs!

All cleaned up and ready to meet Momma

Finally the time came to wheel me to our room to finally hold Matthew.  I was a little concerned about this actually, because I couldn't stop shaking.  It took a while for them to bring him in, so I took the opportunity to send out a text blast to let people know of Matthew's safe arrival into the world.

Finally, they brought Matthew in to our room.

If you look at the time stamp on this picture, it is 8:17am. It felt like much much later.

The day flew by in a blur...we had lots of visitors.  Here are a few pics from the day.

Proud grandmas, Lola and LB!

Aunt Joey

Dad loved his snuggle time after everyone had left for the evening...

Nursery is almost done...

Here's the mural!  My sweet friend Heather gave Matthew a beautiful blue bird mobile to hang above the crib and the changing table has been ordered.  It may be a few weeks before these things come in...and Matthew may be here by then!  So, while it's not complete, it has definitely come along nicely this week!

Lots going on

There has been a lot going on this Christmas season...it all started with a trip to North Louisiana to visit my sweet Granny B and will end this weekend with a trip to Charlotte to spend Christmas with Whit, Erin and Abby.

In between we have celebrated the Lindgren Thanksgiving (always a big to do)...a couple of baby showers...a trip to New Orleans...a massive work deadline...childbirth and breastfeeding classes...Christy's birthday...

I am so ready for a nice relaxing weekend of just hanging out at Whit and Erin's.  Good food and good company and a few new traditions for the families.

Matthew is doing well. I finally gained some weight, but everything is going just fine.  Last week, my feet decided that they would start swelling.  It was miserable.  To try and combat the swelling, I have stayed far far away from salt, fast food, processed food and I am trying to drink as much water as possible.  By the beginning of this week they seem to be back to a reasonable size (still a couple shoe sizes larger than pre-pregnancy, but better than not being able to put shoes on at all!)

We have an ultrasound next Wednesday to find out how big he is and if he is head down and all of that.  We'll finally talk "Birth Preferences" with our OB.  I can't say I have my heart set on his birth being one way or another...I just want him to be healthy, however it needs to happen.

On a somber note, my dear Granny B passed away two weeks ago.  She is missed dearly but I am so joyful knowing that she is finally with Jesus, knowing that her body has been restored, that she knows Matthew, and that she has been reunited with her dear husband.  She has been waiting for many many long years for this.  (please forgive me if any of my theology on this is off...just my thoughts on where she is now...someday I'll know how accurate I am about this...)  Now that she is gone, I feel so much closer to her than I have in years.  As her memory and health failed, her ability to travel and communicate suffered, leaving me very lonely for her companionship.  We were always so close.  When I was a little girl she and BB (my grandfather, Bob Baird) would take care of me on the weekends that mom and dad had to work.  Once we moved to Alabama, I would spend several weeks every summer at her house and she would come and stay with us for extended periods of time at Christmas and when mom did her Martha Pullen schools.  I usually slept with her until I was in high school (and she started snoring).  Christmas mornings were always so sweet.  We would lie awake early early waiting to hear mom and dad stir...only then could we get dressed and go downstairs to see what Santa had brought.  I am at peace knowing she is watching over us in Heaven.

We found out that Matthew's new cousin is a girl!  We can't wait to meet John and Melinda's baby girl sometime in April!

Baby Shower on Sunday, December 4th

Hilary was home for an early Christmas with her family!
Baby Girl Lilja is due in February!

The shower was absolutely fantastic!  Thank you to everyone who
helped make it happen and shared the day with us!

A few pictures from the Duhon Family Christmas on Sunday, December 18th.

 

Uncle Mel always has a money jar...whoever guesses the closest to
the actual amount in the jar gets to keep it!

Dirty Santa gifts waiting for their time...

Nothing better than a big pot of yummy gumbo!

Everyone rooting for the Saints!

Sisters!

The Pinata is an annual favorite for all!

Child's Play

I have to be honest, by the time Paul and I got married, I had moved beyond a desire for children.  When I moved back to the states I discovered a career that totally consumed me.  Paul and I were having a great time and I couldn't imagine introducing something into the mix that was going to get in the way of my new found fun.  You see, I didn't have much fun in my 20s.  The things people do in college and right after college, I didn't get to do until my 30s.  This was all my choice, but still, I didn't have your typical college / 20s experience.  So I found myself turning 30, with new found freedom, a great paycheck and having a lot of fun, honestly, adding kids to the mix just didn't sound too appealing.

It wasn't until my friend Katie and I were talking one day and she described having kids in a way that piqued my interest...she told me that having a child was like getting to work on the most amazing creative project that was always changing...and this project was going to last forever.  Well, now that sounds a little more interesting than what I had been imagining.

Shortly thereafter, an amazing thing happened...I got a life.  Outside of my job.  I am not quite sure how it happened, but it seemed to happen the year that I decided to do an olympic distance triathlon.  I had this project...swim bike run (a lot) while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  It took quite a bit of work, all this training and fundraising.  And at the same time I discovered that I love to grow things.  All of a sudden, my job didn't come home with me anymore.  It didn't keep me up at night.  I didn't obsess about every little detail.  Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE what I do and I work hard. There has simply been a shift and a new interest in other things.  Balance, I'd like to think.  This is about when we started thinking that it was time to grow our family.

Today, here I am, 30 weeks pregnant, expecting baby Matthew in January.  And for me, this adventures seems to go back to Katie and her comparison of raising children to a great life long creative project.  How exciting! Along those lines I have found a few great blogs out there that are great inspiration but this one is my favorite.

http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/

It's all about creating meaningful play places for children.  This absolutely captivates me.  It was actually the topic of my senior year design thesis. And now,  I can't wait to give Matthew his own little corner of the world to learn and create his own places and experiences!

26 week appointment

Things are going well! Matthew's heartbeat is strong. I passed the glucose 1 hour test...by ONE point! Yay! I don't have to endure the three hour test! Thank goodness!

I still haven't gained any weight, and as a result the doctor asked if i have been eating, which led to an explanation that i have reflux so bad that eatIng has become quite painful, so i tend not to eat much. I haven't been able to sleep because of this either. I was starting to wonder how i was going to get through the next few months. Thankfully my doctor prescribed pepcid and wow!!! The difference has been immediate! I actually enjoyed dinner the past two nights!

My iron is low and i read today that calcium inhibits the absorption of iron...and guess what, i have been taking my vitamins every night chased with a big glass of milk! Hopefully a good steak and laying off the milk will get my iron where it needs to be :-)

Matthew is moving all of the time now which is lots of fun! I have also learned that I LOVE people touching my belly...but funny enough, most people are too shy to be so bold, so feel free next time you see me and if the mood strikes!

It's a Boy!

 It's official!  It's a boy!  Erin did a great job photographing the event and you can see her pictures here: http://threebairds.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-nephew.html 

The pictures below were taken with Paul's cell phone :-)

The cake was amazing!  A huge thank you to Bob, my mother's hairdresser who did a fabulous job!

We saved the top tier for baby's first birthday!

Abby was just adorable in her little monogrammed t-shirt!  She has gotten much better at eating cake since her first birthday :-)  I was hoping for a good cake face picture, but no such luck!

18 Week Ultrasound

You know, there just might be a real live little person in there!  I don't know if its normal or if its due to the long road it took to get here, but during the days leading up to the next big appointment I start to fret about the welfare of the baby.  Crazy thoughts...that I won't even try to articulate here.  And amazingly, each time, there is this sweet little baby growing in my belly that is doing just fine.  We even got a little wave today!  Praise God!

The tech was able to figure out if it's a boy or girl and we managed not to see...so with the secret safely tucked away in a sealed envelope, it was given to the baker for the cake on September 10th.  When we cut the cake we'll all find out together!  Can't wait!

Aren't those the cutest little feet?

Here's the wave!  "Hi Mom, Dad and LB!"

Since we have both a neice (my side) and nephew (paul's side) we have an idea of what kind of babies our families produce. Paul has been hoping for a "squishy" baby like Abby. (Sorry Abby, if you are reading this someday, you were most definitely the cutest squishiest baby ever!) Noah on the other hand was an absolute doll with long wirey legs...nothing squishy about him!  And those look like Lindgren legs if I have ever seen them!

Profile.

First Ultrasound

As I was cleaning up my posts...I found this one unpublished from a few months ago...

Thursday morning Paul and my mom joined me for Baby's first ultrasound.  Turns out I am only 6 weeks pregnant.  I think that makes the due date the end of January. Dr. Harper says everything looks good.  We are cautiously hopeful that this baby will make it! But, I am still not out of the woods regarding a miscarriage and will have another ultrasound next week to keep checking that Baby is ok.

In the meantime, so much seems to have changed.  Foods I used to love, I can't stand the thought of.  Foods I would never consider having in my house are now a staple.  If it weren't for fruit smoothies seeming to keep my tummy happy, my diet would be most unhealthy!  All I want to do is sleep.  But then I can't sleep at night.  My dreams are insane.  I can't really remember most of them, but they are downright weird.  I cry at the drop of a hat - anything sentimental sends me over the edge. And Paul and I are now sleeping in separate rooms.  I toss and turn all night and have been keeping him from getting a good night's sleep so he decided one night last weekend to sleep in the guest bedroom.  I think he feels bad about how well he slept...every night around bedtime he carefully asks if its ok to sleep in the guest bedroom for another night.  And yes, it is just fine.  It keeps me from worrying about my tossing and turning and multiple trips to the bathroom.  And all of this is just fine...it reminds me that I am actually in fact pregnant.

Tonight I am going to try eating fish...we'll see how it goes.  I did have a salad last night and seemed to be able to keep it down.