Giving thanks

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Gunnar has had lots of firsts. At his 4 month checkup, he weighed in at 17 lbs 7 oz and 26 1/4" long. He dropped down to the 90th percentile, and Erik's getting nervous that his hopes for Gunnar to hold the World's Strongest Man title may be in jeopardy. I guess I need to eat more spinach. We tried starting him on solids, but Gunnar thought I would look better wearing the rice cereal, so we let that idea rest for a while.
Gunnar is now quite the little roly poly - he rolled over for the 1st time at daycare a couple of weeks ago. Mommy felt a little left out when she saw a sign on his crib that read, "Look at me, I can roll over!" But he then showed us his new trick at home a few days later, so I stopped pouting. Gunnar's become a chatterbox, even getting notes on his report card that he "babbles a lot" at school. Is this a sign of things to come? This morning he was testing out the acoustics in our bathroom and found that he can shriek at a fairly high octave - not a Michael Jackson high pitch, but more like a Little Richard squeal.
For Thanksgiving, Grams and Grandpa came to town and helped us cook. Gunnar had made Indian feathers to wear for the occasion (ok, so he finger painted them - it'll still be a few more weeks before he masters the scissors). And then we went to Blacksburg to meet the Davis cousins and Uncle Scooter and to cheer on the Hoos. We had a great time, but next year we'll have to cheer a little louder for those Hoos!

3 month photos

From 3 month photos

While Erik was away in Europe for work, Gunnar and I had a secret photo session so that we could surprise Daddy with some pictures for his birthday when he got back. Our sweet friend, Mary, came over to take the photos, and Lindsay was our excellent assistant. I think I went through 5 shirts that day, as Gunnar had just started on antibiotics, and I got to learn the hard way that antibiotics can cause lots of spit-up and loose stool (sorry 'bout that, Lindsay!!). But even though he didn't feel much like smiling, he was still able to give us lots of cute looks. Check them out!

Milk memo #2

I actually wrote this one last week but am just now getting a chance to post it...

I’ve now been back to work for a little over a week, and I think I have everything under control… well, for the most part anyway. I no longer cry when I drop off Gunnar at daycare, I actually get to work almost on time, and I’m surviving single motherhood while Erik’s in Europe for 2 weeks. And until today, I thought I was making due on 6 hours of sleep per night - that is, until I realized that for the second time in the past week, I have gone to work with my underwear on inside out! Oh well. I was always told that once you become a mom, you just have to let some things go. Like a manicured lawn, keeping up a perfectly clean house… but I never thought that list would include how you put on your underwear. Maybe that list is longer for me. I guess I should be thankful that I remembered to put some on! The next time I have a glass of wine (which may only be a few short hours away), I am going to raise my glass to all of the single moms out there who have managed to keep their underwear right-side-in all of these years. You are my heroes.

Family Fun!

The last couple of months have been filled with lots of visits with family and, of course, more milestones as Gunnar continues to grow quickly in his quest to become the World’s Strongest Man.
At his 2 month checkup he weighed in at 14 lbs. 7 oz. and 25 ¼”, which put him in the 95th percentile for weight and 97th for height. And unfortunately, we had to make an unscheduled doctor’s visit last week to take care of a couple of ear infections (welcome to daycare!). But that gave us another opportunity for a weigh-in – at 3 months, our little man is a whopping 15 lbs. 15 oz. He is now rolling from his back to his side (he sleeps like that - with his hands clasped by his face, looks like he’s praying), grabbing onto rattles, talking all kinds of baby talk, and has successfully trained his parents to break into song and dance anywhere, anytime, rewarding them with many smiles. We've spent lots of time outside, and Gunnar got to go on his maiden voyage in the jog stroller.

Gunnar has gotten to meet many more family members over the past month. Great Aunt Mary Ellen and Great Uncle Joe stopped by for a visit. And Gunnar dressed up in his pumpkin costume for Great Aunt Sue's 60th birthday party. Cousin Paisley thought his hat was pretty cute and stole it right off of his little bald head!! I guess she was trying to make room to go in for a kiss. Now there's a little girl who knows what she wants! The Hamiltons flew in from Denver, and Gunnar got lots of lovin' from Aunt Lizzie and cousins Andrew, Grace, and Will. He also got to meet cousins Connor and Bradey and watch them make bottle rockets out of 2 liter bottles and water, while Gunnar made his own version (involving a diaper and, well, his own concoction).

Time flies!

So I got to my last week of maternity leave, and realized that my to-do list of things I wanted to get done while on leave still remained untouched. I wasn’t too concerned about that, because I did spend my time doing the most important thing – caring for Gunnar – but I did want to try and check at least a couple of items off the list. So, the blog fell to the bottom of priorities, and now I have some catching up to do! I promise to post pictures next week (we’ve probably taken at least 1000 since the last post)! In the meantime, check out my milk memo…

Milk memo #1

My prenatal yoga teacher, Cheryl, told me about a book I need to start reading – “Milk Memos.” It’s a book of memoirs from working moms who would write in a communal journal as they would pump at work. So here’s my first “milk memo.”
Tuesday was my 1st day back at work. We did a test run at daycare Monday morning, and I had barely set foot in the building when the tears started flowing. The last 12 weeks have been the best of my life. Physically, things weren’t exactly smooth sailing (PUPPPS, mastitis, the list goes on…), but none of that matters because hanging out with Gunnar and watching him grow was the coolest thing I could have ever done.
While I was pregnant, it seemed like every parent told me “Having a baby will change your life.” And all I wanted to tell them was “No s***, Sherlock!” That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?!! Anyway, I’ve been able to reflect a little bit on how it’s changed my life.
Being a kid is fun. And having a kid lets you re-live that fun. You see, these days, I don’t need an excuse to sing all day, make funny faces in the mirror, or play peek-a-boo. An outsider would look at me and think, “Awww, she’s entertaining her son.” And yes, that is what I’m doing, but those things just happen to make me smile and laugh too!
My favorite activity: loading up Gunnar in the Baby Bjorn (facing outwards), looking in the bathroom mirror, and singing while Gunnar dances on the counter. One of these days I’ll get a video camera and post our act – it may even be Broadway worthy!!
Our latest discovery: hands. What an incredible invention! They are attached to us, so they are like toys that never get out of reach, and fingers win over a pacifier any day! I love watching Gunnar examine his hands. He has been known to stare at them for 10 minutes – just looking in amazement.
Ah, to be a kid again!!!

All Smiles for Fall!

Between the first days of fall and Gunnar's favorite song, "Skinna Marinka Dinky" this little man was all smiles!

Humpty Dumpty

Last week Erik left on his 1st big work trip since Gunnar was born. He was off to Houston - yes, to the eye of Hurricane Ike. And if that wasn't an omen...
Mom came to stay with Gunnar and me for the week - thank goodness since I was struggling with my second bout of mastitis! But when Mom got here, she started feeling not so good herself - and it turns out that she has a kidney stone! And she had just left Dad, who was recovering from straining his back, and we were all looking after Chick, who is still limping from her injury! Could anything else go wrong? Actually, yes. Little Sam called to tell us that he was headed into surgery Wednesday night to remove a popcorn kernel from his ear that his buddy in preschool had put in there!
Then we got the call I think we all needed - Elizabeth was headed home with Will and Grace to visit and help put all of our Humpty Dumpty selves back together. What a relief!
They arrived on Friday evening, and we had a great weekend! We took a trip to the county fair, where Grace got to test out a few tractors, and Will had fun watching the little ducklings go down the slide. And we all discovered the great fair food - fried Snickers bars are now a favorite.
By the time the gang headed back to Richmond, I was well on my way to recovery, Dad's back was on the mend, and Mom was headed home for the doctor to get fixed up. And Sam was the bravest of all - he endured his first surgery like a big boy. There will be no corn growing out of his ear anytime soon!
Last but certainly not least, Erik made it home exactly 1 day before Ike hit Texas. Phew!

New parenting rule #73 - Introducing pets to your newborn

Erik and I skipped over the details of this rule in our handy new parenting books. This was even discussed in on of our classes, but seeing as our only pets are fish, we decided that they did not need special attention as we embarked on this new chapter of our lives. We were wrong - dead wrong.
The other day as Erik was putting dinner on the table (I'm still working on becoming fully domesticated - thank goodness he doesn't mind cooking!), he let out a loud "ARGGGGHHH!" I turned around, startled, and saw that he was holding up our fish. He had apparently stepped on it!!!
All we could figure is that our little betta became so jealous over all of the attention that Gunnar has been getting, that he sadly jumped to his demise. So the little fishy took a swim in the toilet bowl and went swirling off to fishy heaven. What a sad day.

Richmond week

The week before last, I got to take Gunnar back home to Richmond to spend some time with Patty and Rooty and to meet all of our friends from back home. Well, at least we can call most of them friends...
Our 1st visitors were Steph, Andrew, and Eamon. Steph and Andrew are our buddies from UVA, and they had Eamon just 5 weeks before Gunnar was born. So we thought it'd be cute for the boys to meet each other, but apparently Eamon had a different idea. He tried to turn his visit into a boxing match. Check it out!



But not to worry... Gunnar stood up for himself (ok, maybe with a little help from Mom)...


We decided that Eamon was intimidated by Gunnar's size - they weighed in at about the same (thanks to Gunnar's buddah belly - more to come on that later) - even though Gunnar is 5 weeks younger. But in the end, they decided to be friends.


Here's a picture of Eamon and Steph - is it me, or does it look like Steph is trying to show off her son's right hook???

Be sure to check out Steph's blog to see more photos of the boxing match! (link in left column)

During the week, Gunnar got to spend lots of good quality time with Patty and Rooty.



And we got to spend a day at The Rivah with great-grandmother, Nan, and my godmother, SueSue. Do ya think this kid gets enough love?!!



And we had a delicious dinner with our friends, the Pierce's. Sydney wasn't too sure about Gunnar until she realized that her status as Princess of the House wasn't going to be threatened by this little prince. She warmed up quickly when we made it clear that he was only visiting. Who knows, maybe in a few (ok - more than a few) years, she'll be asking for Gunnar to visit. Gunnar has a thing for older women!



And our last stop... Dixon's house. Dixon was my high school guidance counselor, and here I am, in my 30's, still with his phone number etched in my brain. I couldn't wait to introduce him and his adorable wife, Kate Roy, to Gunnar. We tested his patience, but Dixon showed off his talents, and here we have The Buddah Belly and The Cutest Hiney Ever!



Thank you to everyone for a wonderful trip home!

Grandma and Grandpa to the rescue!

Gunnar got to spend lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa Lindhjem in the past couple of weeks. They came to visit just after Grandpa Jay got out of the hospital and was feeling better. And he definitely is feeling better - I thought he was going to fight Gunnar for his bottle when we ran out of ice cream! They were a huge help, letting Mom catch up on some sleep. They went back home on a Wednesday and called to check in a few days later - they asked when they could see us again, and I did not hesitate. We're still figuring out the whole day/night thing (babies may inherently know how to suck down milk, but God forgot to teach them that nighttime is for sleeping!!). So, I instantly asked if they were ready to come back... like... now! So the next day, we got to see Grandma and Grandpa again! Gunnar was happy to see them, and Mom got to reintroduce herself to her long lost pillow. What a great reunion! I think we're back on our feet now (thank you Grandma & Grandpa!!), and next week we're off to see Patty and Rooty in Richmond.

Milk. It does a body good!

Here's a picture of Gunnar right after a meal. He really likes his milk, and it shows! He was born weighing 9 lbs 8 oz, and when we left the hospital 2 days later, he had dropped to 8 lbs 15 oz. But then 2 days after that, he weighed in at the doctor's office at 9 lbs 6 oz, which was pretty good since all they look for is that a baby gets back to his birth weight by day 10. And then, at his 2 week checkup, he was up to 10 lbs 4 oz! In Erik's words, what I may have lacked in pelvis size to get this baby out, I have made up for in milk jugs! Milk does a body good.

Gunnar's 1st Week

Welcome home, Gunnar!
Here are some photos from our 1st week at home. Our camera is getting quite the workout!!

New pics - at the hospital

I am finally starting to see through the fog of new motherhood (though my eyes still seem to get a bit teary and hazy when I stare into Gunnar's oh so handsome face!) and have rejoined the land of the living. Aunt Crazy came to visit last week and took us on our 1st mall excursion, and Grandma and Grandpa Lindhjem are finally getting to spend time with the little guy this week. Thank goodness Grandpa is feeling better! Gunnar is doing wonderfully, and now I have a minute to share some more photos with you.
Gunnar was born in the afternoon on Monday, July 21st, and we stayed in the hospital until that Wednesday. Our hospital is a big advocate of keeping mom and baby together, so I think during our entire stay, we only got separated for a total of 1 hour. Though the little sleep that we did get was quite paranoid (I woke up at every squeak and whimper), I wouldn't have had it any other way. And we got lots of visitors. Patty, Rooty, Aunt Crazy, and the entire Hamilton family got to hang out with us. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the Hamiltons on Tuesday, as they needed to get back to Virginia to prepare for their big move to Colorado. Check out their blog - The Hamilton Adventures (link in the left column) - to see what they're up to!
Enjoy these pictures of our stay in the hospital...

I've got what?!!!

I was hoping to be back in the land of the living by now and have been anxious to catch up with all of you, but my body apparently has different plans. I've been recovering from the surgery almost perfectly, but according to this full-body rash that has taken me over (and brought out all of those tears I was able to contain during most of my pregnancy), my body did not agree with my son's DNA. (kind of ironic isn't it - didn't I have something to do with making that DNA?!!) Anyway, I have this nasty thing called PUPPPs. It stands for a very long medical name, with the 1st word meaning "itchy." And that's no joke. Basically, it's the new mom's version of the chicken pox x10. But I am now on steroids, so not only am I on a speedy road to recovery, but my son is going to triple in size by next week (but hopefully his chest hairs will wait a few more months before growing in). I appreciate everyone's patience with my backlogged blog (I've got so many pictures I am dying to share!) and my lack of phone calls. We can't wait to catch up soon!

The Birth

So much to catch up on! I'm sorry it has taken us so long - as anyone who's been through this before knows, times flies by with a newborn! Because I don't want to forget how it all happened and some of you are wondering, I'll describe the birth in some detail, and so if you are a bit sqeemish, you might want to skip this part. Here's where it all started...
We went into the hospital Sunday at 3pm to start the induction. They hooked me up on a fetal monitor and saw that I was already having contractions! I guess I mistook them for being the baby moving around. They weren't exactly regular, but what a relief to know that I was actually making progress. Then I got the Cervadyl, which is supposed to get me ready to dilate, and Erik and I tucked in for what we thought was going to be a calm night. After about 1 hour of sleep, my contractions really started to pick up and become regular - about 4-6 minutes apart - and I definitely felt those! However, I didn't feel much in my belly - it was all in my back. So, Erik didn't get much sleep that night either, as he was a very diligent back rubber. Around 7am, the doctor came in to check on me, and I was finally 1 whole centimeter dilated! (hint a bit of sarcasm here) Anyway, he broke my water, hoping that that would progress things, and they started me on pitocin, which is supposed to increase the severity of the contractions to help with dilation. That's when I took Lamaze breathing to a whole new level! There were not enough "shhssh shhssh heee heee's" in me to keep my head from spinning, so I quickly started screaming out for the epidural. The epidural man is my new best friend!!
I soon got to the point where the contractions were heating up, but thanks to my new BFF, I just felt a little pressure. We were excited to see our progress, but my body just wouldn't cooperate. We tried to up the pitocin a couple of times to convince this baby to start its journey, but instead, the baby's heartrate would start to drop. So we backed off the drugs, and by 1pm, I was only 2cm dilated. It was time to talk c-section. As soon as the good doc said it was time, Erik and I quickly agreed there was no sense in putting our baby through unnecessary stress, and we said the magic word.
Apparently saying the word "c-section" is the key to getting every hospital employee to run to your attention. On top of the nurses, doctors, and techs, I wouldn't be surprised if the janitor and lunchlady also made appearances. It was a whirlwind. My ER episode officially began, and I started calling Erik my George Clooney. Within 20 minutes, we were prepped and wheeled down the hall to the OR. I had about 5 seconds to cry and freak out, and the next thing I knew, my BFF (remember that epidural guy?!!), was poking at me to make sure I was numb. I told him, yes, I was quite tingle-ly, but I could still feel him poking at me. He said that was normal - I should be able to feel the pressure, just no pain. WHAT?!!! No one ever told me about this. I thought I was supposed to feel nothing. It was time to start Lamaze breathing again - not to get through contractions, but to get through my freaking out! Dr. Brandner started the procedure, and unless you've been through it, I'm not sure my description will do it justice. But I felt an enormous relief of pressure when he pulled the baby out, followed by the strangest feeling of someone's hands vigorously "massaging" my guts back into place. The doctor did explain that he would be "massaging" my uterus to help it to contract back down (something that would happen more naturally with a vaginal delivery). But if I didn't know any better, I would have thought the doc was trying to knead a loaf of bread in my belly! At the same time, Erik and the nurses were all describing what was going on with the baby - apparently he peed all over the nurses - the plumbing works! Gunnar let out a few cries, and I was an emotional mess. Unfortuantely my temperature dropped, leaving me shaking and scared to try to hold my baby, but they braced him in bed with me so we could travel the halls together back to our room.
As I worked on warming up, Erik got to hold Gunnar "skin-to-skin" - the bonding process that's encouraged just after birth - and Gunnar was sucking his hand so loudly that the nurses outside our room could hear it! At first, we thought Gunnar was giving his dad a huge hickey, but apparently he was giving himself one.
It was official - Erik and I were now the proud parents of an amazing baby boy.

Henry Gunnar Lindhjem

Happy Birthday, Gunnar!

We welcomed Henry "Gunnar" Lindhjem on Monday, July 21st at 1:55pm. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs. 8 oz. and 22 1/2". He will be starting kindergarten next week.

Actually, we are still getting our parenting feet wet at the hospital and will get to go home tomorrow or Thursday. Everyone is doing great! Enjoy these photos, and we will fill you in on more details when the dust settles. Thank you for all of your support and well wishes!

Plan B (or is it C or D?... ahhh... to heck with plans!)

We went to the doctor's office this morning to have a non-stress test to check on the baby, and it just about kicked the monitor off of my belly! So all is well, and we are continuing to wait. For all of you out there believing in the heartrate theory for deciding if it's a boy or girl, when the baby was quiet, the heartrate hung out around 130 (most would say that's a boy). And, when I looked at the poster on the wall of the female reproductive system, the heartrate soared to about 160. I'm even starting to think it's a boy.
So now we are scheduled to go to the hospital at 3pm on Sunday to start induction (unless, of course, the full moon does its thing tonight and gets this baby movin'!), and then the doctor that we have been working with for the past couple of weeks will deliver our little monster on Monday. We're looking forward to working with Dr. Brandner, as he's a fellow biker, and we can welcome this baby as we all watch the Tour de France (well, hopefully the doctor will be watching the baby!). Erik's declared that the baby will be named after whoever is leading the Tour at the time... if the baby were born right now, it looks like Cadel would be the winning name (and no, I never said I agreed to all this!). All I can say is thank goodness Riccardo has been eliminated from the Tour (Riccardo Lindhjem... I don't think so!!!).

Stop playing with my emotions!!

So... we were literally walking out the door to drive to the hospital for our 5pm induction, when the doctor's office called. And now it's 9pm, we're still at home and are still waiting on a baby. To make a long story short, the doctor did not want to induce tonight and thought it was a good idea to have the nurse call at the 11th hour to tell a 9-month pregnant woman that the baby she thought she was going to give birth to very soon would have to wait. As you could imagine, that went over like a turd in a punchbowl. So, now we're back to trying every old wive's tale out there to get this baby to make its own entrance while we figure out our next plan of action. If you've got any suggestions, bring 'em on!!

We've got a plan!

This baby is teaching us very early on who the boss is, and it's definitely not me! We were hoping by now that I would be at least a little bit dilated or showing some signs of Baby's arrival, but as of this morning, not much was going on except that the head has dropped slightly since last week. So... since the doctors are pretty insistent about not letting us go past 41 weeks, we're going to start the induction process tomorrow evening at 5pm. That will hopefully get us a baby by sometime Thursday! If things don't progress in a reasonable amount of time or I get to the pushing stage and have any problems, then a c-section is still very possible, but we'll see how things go. Keep your fingers crossed for us, and we can't wait to introduce you to Baby Lindhjem!

Sonogram picture

So it may look like a little alien, but I still think it's a very cute little alien with adorable chubby cheeks!

(In case you are having a hard time figuring it out, the baby is looking at you - the 2 darks spots on the right are the eyes, and the picture is cut off on the left at the top of its chest. Apparently it had its arm squished against its face, and that's what the blurs at the bottom are.)

Yup, it's a whopper!

Well, we're now at 40 weeks +1 day, and no baby yet! It sounds like that's not unusual for a 1st baby, but as I have been suspecting for a while, we do have a whopper on our hands. Yesterday's ultrasound estimated the baby's weight at 9 lbs 9 oz! Yikes! And on top of that, I'm showing no signs of any progression. You'd think that a baby that big would realize that it could beat up any other kid in the nursery and shouldn't be scared to come out!! I've tried to have a talk with it, but it's already letting me know who's the boss around here.
So anyway, the doctor started preparing us with the thought that it's highly probable that we'll need a c-section. Not what I wanted to hear, but we're looking at all of our options and trying to figure out what's going to be best for everyone. We go back in on Tuesday for another checkup, and we've been advised not to let this go past next Thursday. Of course, we'll continue to keep you all posted! And as soon as we figure out our new printer/scanner/does-it-all-machine (except deliver babies!), I'll scan in the ultrasound picture so that you too can see the cutest chubby cheeks ever!

Dr. Seuss in 'da crib!!

Maurene and Jay came to visit this weekend to deliver... The Crib!! This is the latest (and in my option, the greatest), masterpiece to come out of Grandpa Jay's workshop. Now the Dr. Seuss nursery is complete and ready for a baby! So Baby, what are you waiting for?!!

This was definitely a joint effort - Jay's crib is gorgeous, Mom made the adorable ABC needlework, and Erik and I found the "Oh the Places You'll Go" lithograph that's hanging over the crib. We even pulled a few pieces out of retirement. The porch swing holding our Dr. Seuss friends was made for the Rheutan girls by our family friends, the Greenwoods, when I was just kneehigh to a grasshopper. And the bear in the rocking chair was Erik's "waiting" bear - Mo and Jay's buddy as they awaited their baby's arrival.

Baby, I hope you like your room as much as we do!

The Three Great Physicians

We checked in with The Beav last Thursday - one week until the due date! - but nothing new to report. Baby still seems to be happy in my belly. I never would have guessed that my giant beachball would be such a fun place to hang out, but according to the kicks and jabs I get, Baby seems to be entertaining itself pretty well.
Anyway, The Beav wanted to go over what our options of induction will be if things don't start progressing soon. Next week, on our due date (Thursday), we'll get an ultrasound to check the baby's size and to make sure its got enough fluid to swim around in. So I guess the good news is that one way or another, we'll get to see the baby on its due date! And depending on how things look, we'll talk about when they might induce or wait another week.
All that talk of induction wasn't exactly what I was hoping to hear. I realize that if the baby doesn't start thinking about making an appearance on its own, then induction may be the safest option. But I'm really hoping to be able to avoid it. That night, Erik and I went to dinner at our favorite noodles place in the neighborhood, and I think my fortune said it all:
"Nature, time and patience are the three great physicians."

Thanks, Mom!

As my pregnant days are winding down, I've had a few moments to reflect on this whole experience. There seem to be 3 kinds of pregnant women: those who love the feeling of carrying a child and somehow translate the aches and pains into "the miracle of life" (not sure who you are or where you came from, but more power to ya!), those who put up with the heartburn, cankles, and back pain so that they can have a child (that's me!), and those who didn't expect to be in this position and are miserable being there (see "Billie" from previous post).
Don't get me wrong - those little kicks and now daily hiccups are pretty darn cute, but what's not so cute is seeing me trying to walk these days. It literally is a waddle. And something as simple as carrying a load of laundry down the hall... you try picking up a large watermelon and holding onto it while grabbing a load of clothes out of the dryer. I've become pretty well skilled at picking up things with my feet and flinging them in the air so I can catch them.
So anyway, I'm not sure which of the 3 pregnant types my mom was, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the 3rd option. Mom, if you were one of those who loved it, then, you're welcome! I'm glad I could provide you with such an amazing experience. But, if you were anything like me, then THANK YOU for carrying me around for 9 months! Thank you for putting up with all of the kicking and rolling around I did in your belly at 3am. Thank you for giving up those foods you loved so I wouldn't get sick, or make you sick. And thank you for wearing the many times ill-fitting maternity clothes so that I could grow big and strong before I was ready to enter the world.
And to Little Lindhjem, you are welcome! :)

Fort Knox

So I've never had my body compared to Fort Knox... until my doctor's visit last Friday. We were looking forward to this visit, not only to find out if Baby Lindhjem was thinking about arriving soon, but because we couldn't wait to hear what Dr. Panner had to say about our new friend. We met Billie at the neighborhood bar where we ate at the night before. She was our waitress and was anxious to hear about our baby. And then she proceeded to tell us that she's about 5 months along, awaiting the birth of her 7th child! When she said this, apparently my jaw dropped, but I was able to get something out like, "Congratulations - you are an amazing woman!" She then responded with, "No, I just got drunk on my birthday and left my husband in charge." Not much we could do then but laugh with her. So anyway, we came to find out that we go to the same doctors, and we were going to see her favorite the next day. The minute we saw Dr. Panner, we told him that "the woman with 7 kids" says hi, and his only response was, "Billie's crazy!" I could definitely believe that.
So on to Fort Knox... Dr. Panner said that my baby was contained in Fort Knox and not showing any signs of making an appearance soon. Of course, he continued to remind me that these things can change quickly, but for Erik and me, it meant another weekend of house projects. And so after a couple of days of sanding drywall and painting doors and baseboards (in the room that we decided would be quick and easy to finish - and now we're in 4 months deep!!), the house is actually starting to look like it's ready for us to settle in and enjoy some time with our baby. Now the question is... Baby, are you ready? (no response - Baby must be sleeping - all that painting wore it out!!)

Please don't have a 10 pound baby!

We just got back from our weekly checkup. This time we saw The Beav (aka Dr. Beaver, and yes, that is his real name). Still no signs of the little one emerging soon. I asked how long they would let me go past my due date until they would finally induce, and he said usually no more than 1 week. So the latest we'll see this kid is July 17th. But The Beav also reminded us that "things change quickly in this business" so we still should be ready to go anytime now! I told him of my fear of having a little giant - considering Erik was 9 lbs 10 oz at birth, and I was over 8 lbs, I'm just a little terrified. His only comment was, "Please don't have a 10 pound baby!" I'll do my best, doc! Right now he's estimating it to be around 7 lbs. That's funny, I could swear it feels like I'm carrying around a 20 pounder.

The Belly Shot

So I've been spending the last several months reading my friends' blogs about their new arrivals, and I finally decided that it's about time that I get in the game. We're down to just over the 3-week countdown, and so technically, Little Lindhjem could arrive at any time! We'll try to keep this site updated as frequently as possible so that you can follow the smiles, funny faces, and new parent mishaps that will keep us all entertained.
Here's a quick update as to what's going on:
Our official due date is July 10th, and we are checking in weekly with our doctors to see if there are any signs of the little one arriving early. So far, the baby seems to be happy hanging out in my belly. And yes, my belly is huge! Some think I have tucked a basketball under my shirt, but lately the basketball has been upgraded to a beachball. Many of you have requested a "belly shot," so here you go! For some reason, a lot of people think it's fun to look at my belly, and I wouldn't want to deny any of you. :) In the photo with the onesie on my belly, it says "Lindhjem Creation" on it - compliments of Grandma Mo (aka Maurene). Thanks Mo!
And coming soon will be a picture of the nursery. Maurene helped me finish painting this weekend (a lovely "Daffodil" yellow), and I've started arranging furniture and all of our fun Dr. Seuss characters that will decorate the room. Mom and Dad will be here next weekend to help with some final touches, and then I will be sure to take some photos.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check in on a regular basis to see what's new!