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!

Let's discover the true meaning of Christmas

Paul and I drove to Louisiana this weekend to visit with my father's mother, Granny B.  On Saturday, we had a nice visit...it had been too long since I had seen her last.

Granny B and I on my wedding day.  Isn't she pretty!

You see, Granny B and I have always been close.  Very close.  When I was little, I would spend weeks with her in Louisiana and she would come to Alabama and spend weeks with us as well.  I have so many great memories:  snuggling with her on Christmas morning waiting for mom and dad to wake up.  "helping" her in the garden and getting bit by the ferocious north Louisiana mosquitoes.  encouraging one another in our faith in Jesus.  being so aggravated by her stubbornness, yet knowing that she's where I get if from!  And many many more.  She is an integral part of who I am today and I am so thankful for her love and guidance.

The flip side is that Haynesville is a 10 hour drive from Huntsville.  Hating the interstate and loving country back roads, Paul and I wandered our way to Little Rock and stayed there for two nights, driving down to Haynesville on Saturday.  As you can imagine, we had a lot of quiet time to ourselves on the drive over and back!

One of our conversations centered around Christmas and what we would like Christmas to be like for our family.  You see, each year I get more and more disturbed by the commercial and material emphasis that corporate America has attached to Christmas. And its stressful...this pressure to give the perfect gift to EACH AND EVERY family member.  I mean, really???  And each year it seems my reaction gets stronger...this year I am ready to boycott all gift giving entirely and ask that my family do the same.  There are so many compelling reasons for this:  Money is tight.  Do we really need the latest doodad?  There are those less fortunate out there that could really use the money from that latest doodad to fund a real need.  Purchasing the latest doodad is the easy way out.  With little thought and minimal effort, I have a gift to give and can check you off my list.  However, my thoughts and my time are more precious than anything else I have and by giving you my thoughts and my time, regardless of the end result, you will experience my true love for you.

Paul and I have talked about this before Matthew was even a thought and we always seem to come to the same conclusion.  Christmas is about celebrating the birth of our Saviour.  Christmas is about creating family traditions. Spending time with those we love most.  Giving to those less fortunate.  Going to mass on Christmas eve.  Lighting the advent wreath each night.  Decorating the tree with ornaments made by family through the years.  Trekking through the neighborhoods to see the Christmas lights!  Letting your loved ones KNOW they are loved through your actions.  Going to a local Christmas concert.  Making ornaments.  Leaving the Christmas tree up through Epiphany, when the three kings visited baby Jesus. Taking a family vacation. Making peppermint bark to share.  Volunteering at a local charity. Baking croissants on Christmas morning.

Some of these things we already do and some we'll add as the years go on...but the main thing is this...love.  And let it spread beyond December 25 throughout the whole year.  Money and material possessions can bring some fleeting happiness but Love! Love is eternal. Love conquers 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!

encouragement for those who hope

I just ran across this blog post and it really struck a chord. Unfortunately, i too am perpetuating the myth...that once we quit trying and decided to pursue adoption, i turn up pregnant.

For couples trying to conceive, being told that once they give up and pursue adoption THEN they'll finally get pregnant, well, it is hurtful. Being told that they just need to relax only stresses them out more. I know that these comments are well meaning and meant to encourage, but please, take my word for it, it hurts. The best thing you can do for your friend struggling with infertility is to listen and offer them your prayers. The solutions aren't easy and the journey is unique for every couple.

We have a name!

Robert Matthew Lindgren

Robert is my grandfather's, father's and brother's first name.  Seemed fitting to continue the tradition.

Matthew means "Gift of God".

Keeping in the Baird tradition, we will call him Matthew.

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!