Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Gunnar's big boy room

A few weeks ago, we transitioned Gunnar from the nursery to his new, "big boy" room. I was extremely nervous that he would have a hard time being out of the crib and out of his beloved Dr. Seuss nursery, but it was time to get ready for the new little guy. So Dr. Seuss moved to the playroom, and trucks took over what used to be the guest room. Gunnar was so excited to finally move to his new pad - it did, after all have cement mixers on the wall (his favorite) - and the big boy bed was a hit! Here are some photos (we still have wall decorations to put up)...
From Levi's 1st week

From Levi's 1st week

Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy Birth Day, Levi!

On Friday, June 11th at 9:28am,we welcomed Levi Everett Lindhjem to our family! Delivery went just as scheduled and incredibly well - a far cry from the ups and downs of Gunnar's last days in the womb - and we are already home and settling into our new lives as a family of 4. Levi entered this world weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs. 3 oz. and 21.5" long, just 2 days before he would have been officially at 40 weeks gestation (Gunnar was 9 lbs. 8 oz. at 11 days late). So it won't be long before the 2 boys will be staging WWF events in the living room and driving Mom crazy!
Since I was convinced until the last minute that Levi was going to be a girl, we were still not fully decided on a name when he emerged. But Levi was one of our favorites - meaning "united as one" - and Everett is a Rheutan family name - Rooty's grandmother's maiden name and Aunt Sue's middle name. Everett means "strong as a boar" - something Levi will need to be to keep up with his big brother! Gunnar has been a perfect big brother, constantly asking to give Levi kisses and wanting to play with him.
Here are some other pictures from our big weekend!
Waiting to go to the operating room...
Just after delivery...
Mom took a while - had to get a couple of hernias repaired before they put me back together...
Our family of 4!
Both sets of grandparents were there to welcome Levi. (need to get more photos from Grandpa's camera)
First bath...
A familiar looking outfit...
Time to go home - I'm tired!!
Home at last!!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Today is your day...

I just got back from my last doctor's appointment before the big day. No dilation, but I was having contractions last night! Anyway, I got home and checked my email - got an incredible message this morning from our across-the-street neighbor.

"Hey -
When I was watering the grass this morning I saw this beautiful rainbow above your house. Who knows....maybe today is the big day!
Sandra"

Here's the picture that was attached...
From Bump

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Belly Laughs

Now you see it...
From Bump
Now you don't...
From Bump

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Catching up!

This will be a long one... so much to cover! We've been running around, realizing that the arrival of the Peanut is now less than a month away. We're still trying to finish up Gunnar's big boy room so that he can move out of the nursery, and needless to say, the nursery isn't at all ready for a baby. Yikes! Anyway, ready or not, Peanut's scheduled arrival is officially set for June 11th at 9:30am. I still find it kind of weird to have a date and time set, but that seems to be the best way to go. Plus, if all goes well, the general surgeon will be standing by to fix one, maybe even 2 of my hernias immediately after the C-section. 2-for-1 surgeries - what more could a woman ask for?!! Of course, all of these plans may be thrown out the window if Peanut decides to make an early entrance. Stay tuned!
So, what have we been doing?
Easter weekend was a trip to Charlottesville so that Erik could attempt to claim the Lindhjem family record in the 10-miler from me (he came close, but better luck next time!). However, he did complete the race with more smiles than I've ever been able to share during that hilly course. Gunnar had fun cheering him on but started crying when Daddy kept running past him.
We had fun at Grammy and Paw-paw's, driving the tractor and visiting the playground.
Gunnar did experience his 1st Easter egg hunts. We went to one in our neighborhood, where he gathered more eggs than he could hold and had a blast. Of course the camera died for that excursion. And then he hunted for eggs at school, but was tired and decided to sit down and just hold on to the first 3 he found.
Back at home, we've been having fun in the yard. Gunnar declared that there was no reason for leaving sled play to the snow.
And he was so excited that Mommy found such a deal on a playset on Craig's List. However, Daddy has now banned Mommy from Craig's List because he says his arms are tired.
Actually, the entire playset is now assembled in our backyard and has been well used. We've got video of the maiden voyage down the slide - will post later. Thank you to Daddy, Rooty, Mr. Mike, and Bryan for all of their hard work!! It was well worth it!
And now for the first haircut. Yes - at age 20 months, Gunnar finally had enough hair to cut! Here's the before photo - I was reluctant to give up the curls!
But Dana was a charmer, and Gunnar had fun.
And he approved of her fine work!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Gunnar's Obsession

From Gunnar and the grill



Gunnar loves the grill. I'm not sure where this love came from, as this affair started in the cold weather, when we had not been grilling out at all. When Gunnar wakes up in the morning, he immediately starts talking about wanting to see the grill. When we go to get in the car, he runs to the grill and insists that he see it before we go anywhere. When we come home, he runs to the grill and insists that he see it. This "seeing" involves removing the cover, lifting the lid, and touching the grate. Sometimes when we're playing outside, Gunnar will run to the grill 5 or 6 times in a row and ask to see it. I'm not sure if this is normal behavior for a 20-month old, but Gunnar's friend, Eamon, has a similar obsession with stop signs (see his blog via the link at the left). My theory is that Erik was telling Gunnar about his love of girls, and Gunnar misunderstood him and thought he is supposed to love grills. In any case, both Erik and I have become quite tired of hearing about the grill and being insisted upon to go out in the cold and rain to see it. We are also tired of the tantrums that ensue when we must say "bye-bye" to the grill. Therefore, we were absolutely elated when we arrived home the other night to a surprise package from Eamon. See video below...