Arlo - The Story of Baby Deux (and where we're at now)

Well, ready or not, here we go again (just a short 20 months later, we MUST be cray cray :))!

Arlo Weller Lindstedt (AKA Baby Deux ;)) was born Monday, October 12th at exactly 3PM on the dot.  Apparently we have a thing for going into labor over the weekend and having babies on Mondays.  He is 22 inches long and 10 lbs (official weight was 9 lbs, 15 oz, but there was a time lag and he, uh, pooped, so doc said that we can safely say he was 10 lbs, which, you know, is GIGANTIC).  I have purchased turkeys smaller than that, just sayin'.  It's becoming increasingly apparent that we don't do things small in the Lindstedt life.  Big people, big dogs, big car, big babies... you get the gist :)

Labor.  Oofta.  I won't spend much time on this, but let me just tell you, while these pregnancies were pretty much identical as far as symptoms go, the birth and labor could not have been more different.  With Axel it was extremely fast and insane.  With Arlo, I was in early labor with contractions all day Saturday and Sunday, and didn't get into second stage until around 2AM on Monday.  We headed to the hospital and I got an epidural, and then (gloriously) after 2 days straight of not sleeping and being in pain, I got to nap until it was time to push.  Oh, and pushing?  Even though Arlo was over a POUND larger than Axel, I only pushed for twenty minutes. TWENTY MINUTES!  Versus the two and half HOURS I pushed with Axel.  What the?!?  Okay, whatever.  Bodies are so weird.  Like, really.  Also, it definitely helped that I didn't have any major complications like I did last time, so recovery has been a breeze (comparatively, of course :)).

Anyway.

On to the name!  Arlo means "strong", "manly", and "a fortified hill". A hill you say?  Yup, but not just any old hill, it's a fortified hill, a place to take refuge, a space of calm in the midst of the storm.  That is our prayer for Arlo, that he would grow into these things, and we will raise him to love The Great Refuge, the ultimate provider of protection.  And what about Weller?  You see, our family tradition has been to give the boys two middle names, one from each side of the family.  Axel has the names of his grandfathers, Daniel and Randall.  We decided to start a new family tradition with this generation, and put a little spin on it.  My mom's maiden name is Wenig, and Ryan's mom's maiden name is Heller.  Wenig + Heller = Weller.  We were so happy to be able to include the grandmas in Arlo's name, honoring the rich heritage that he has been blessed with!  And Lindstedt. Well duh.  Although we did have a pretty interesting conversation with the Social Security lady about people who give their kids different last names (as in, not sharing the last name of either parent...?).  I guess to each their own, right?

So, in summary: We had a big baby.  And he looks a LOT like his brother at that age.  Sups 'dorbs obvi.  He's still a pretty chill kiddo (we'll see how long that lasts), but he is definitely different than our lil' Axe-man in many ways.  And, I gotta say, I am LOVING how snuggly he is :)  He's got some adorable quirks that we've already picked up on, and we can't wait to see how his personality is going to grow!

But.  Unfortunately, I am typing this update from another hospital bed, as Arlo decided to take after his big bro in another way - severe jaundice.

True to form with last time, the second Ryan went out to do yard work (with Axel it was to snow blow), the nurse called with Arlo's test results and the news that he would have to go back into the hospital for treatment immediately.

This obviously wasn't a "part of the plan", but Ryan and I had discussed this quite a bit after our last hospital stint with Axel, and even though everyone kept reassuring us that it was unlikely Arlo would have the same situation, we had prepared ourselves for that possibility.  And being prepared always helps in these situations (plus Ryn and I make a pretty good team if I do say so myself ;)), so instead of having a postpartum emotional meltdown, I fed Arlo and packed, Ry fed Axel, and my parents swooped in to help so we could head over to St. John's.  Which is where I sit now, typing away, waiting for another hour before I can see my sweet babe.

I'm not gonna lie, even being prepared for this possibility, this is hard.  It's way way easier the second time around in most ways, but in a few other ways (that I didn't anticipate) it's much harder.  This time I know things will be okay, Arlo is in good hands, and we are blessed to have good care for him.  But, this time around my heart is truly in two different places, at home with Ryan and Axel, and here, with Arlo.  I've never understood what people meant when they said they felt like their hearts were walking around outside of their bodies.  Now I get it. So, it's hard, and yet, this is SO temporary, the treatment is not invasive, and Arlo will be coming home eventually.

But for some people that isn't the case. And this experience is such a good reminder to pray for the families where this is happening on a much more serious level, in a permanent way, where treatment may just be to prolong the inevitable... So, I'll be praying for those families today, and I'd love it if you'd join me in doing that.  And, also, hug your fam/friends, we've had a lot of health/accident stuff happen over the past couple of months, and man, does it make you just so thankful for God's protection!  A fortified hill, you might say ;)

So, there you have it folks.  We had a baby.  And he's awesome.  #babydeuxlindstedtwatch is officially #over :)

We're Still Here!

It's been a B-U-S-Y past few months!

In case you haven't heard from us, but are certain we aren't dead since we occasionally still post on FB, here's a little update for you on the lives of the Lindstedts... just so you don't think we're intentionally ignoring you :)

We're having a baby!  
Yeah yeah yeah, old news :)  But if you know anything about how pregnancy affects me, this is pretty all-encompassing for 10 months.  I was pretty bed-ridden for the first 20 weeks, fine for a few, and am now back to the super fun nausea, which will likely last until the end (only 5 more weeks until we're full term!!!).  This is certainly not to complain, we are so blessed to have #2 on his way to our hearts and home, but it has presented a considerable opportunity for growth (as Ryan calls it :)) while parenting an ever-growing toddler, prepping a new space for this new cutie, and all of the other stuff you'll see below.  But we are so stoked!  So, dude, in October we will officially be the proud owners of two tiny humans, wooo hooo!  We hope know this lil' guy is totally worth all of the work!

We're remodeling!
I did joke about this before, but sers, it's like "Hey, we're preggo, and if that isn't crazy enough, we should totally throw our house into total and utter chaos by starting a major construction project, because that sounds like fun!"  Ok, so the conversation didn't go exactly like that, but f'real, I feel like we have a disease, gluttons for punishment or something, because we did this exact same thing when I was pregs with Axel and we swore on our war-torn brains and bodies that we WOULD NOT do it again.  But we did.  So there's that.  We really do have a good reason for this though - as we are "losing" an upstairs bedroom for the new babe, we really needed more space.  And when I say needed, what I really mean is, I was tired of tripping over laundry and dog toys and hunting gear EVERY TIME I MOVED IN OUR HOUSE.  And, since, as far as I know, you can't magically grow more space, our only option was to fix up the two back rooms and hallway currently in our basement.  This has meant that literally half of our house has been inhabitable for the most part for the past several months.  It's been a huuuuuuuuge undertaking since we (of course I mean Ryan) have been doing it all ourselves (Ryan), with some help from our friends and fam of course!  But this has meant that every free second that we've had since May has involved Ryan working on our house and me trying to help in my inconveniently-timed state of being with child.  As a side note, have you ever seen a 20+ week preggo use a radial arm saw?  Because it looks pretty hilarious, just sayin'...

We've gained some family (back)!
Most of you already know this too, but I just can't help but mention it every single time I get the chance because it puts such a huge smile on my face... Jordan, Kristen, Judah, and Joy have all moved back home to Minnesota!!!  Annnnnnnnnd Colin is home for the next several months in preparation for his next missions adventure in Brazil!  So, for the first time in about 5 years the entire Lindstedt clan (this gen) is in the same place - HUGE!

Ryan is a boss (but not really)!
Ryan has been working like a madman to finish up some certs before the end of the year and has been knocking them out like a boss!  It's been pretty crazy to watch actually, he really is a machine :)  With everything that we've had going on it is nothing short of a miracle that he's been able to accomplish this, and I am a pretty proud wifey!  He likely has one more to complete before the end of the year, so we're not there yet, but we're on the home stretch.

Birthdays, weddings, and bears, oh my!
Ok, not really "bears", but pretty much everything else under the sun has been happening this summer.  We've had the usual barrage of birthdays, weddings, and other social events.  But in addition to all of that, we've had a lot of unexpected/unplanned things as well: moving parties, new babies and showers, work events, concerts, and unfortunately, funerals.

So, those are the "big" things.  Obviously, in the midst of all of this we've been trying to be a family, working, still figuring out this whole toddler thing, and manage to keep our heads above water (and our house clean habitable).  As you can imagine, this has meant some really good days, and some not so great ones.  It's been a very busy season for us, especially socially, and while we are so grateful to have a fantastic community to rejoice (and mourn) with, I think we're also looking forward to a quieter fall.  And to be honest with you, the introvert in me is DYYYYING to have just a few days in a row without something going on!

I think that wraps up our update and gives you a little insight into our lives the last few months.  Just know that we are still here, we still have smiles on our faces, we still love you, we're just maybe a little less sane right now :)

Dear Target Judgers

Hi.  You know me.  We shop at Target together.  Or maybe another store.  Or really any public place for that matter.  I'm the mom with a sups 'dorbs 16 month old who is good-natured, active, and let's face it, takes after me, so he is very, VERY loud.


Believe me, I know my kid can hit decibels science cannot yet measure.  Try living in an enclosed space with him.  We buy ear plugs in bulk.  BULK, I tell you!  Like, the 500 pair box from CostCo kind of bulk.  I kid not. I would never josh about spending that much dinero on something that just gets shoved into your ears.  It's a tragedy, really.  But I digress.


Remember me?  I'm the lady who you've stared at, judging, because when said 16 month old starts getting cranky, and is, as afore-mentioned, "verbal", she bribes his silence by doing anything that works.  I'm that really-tired-but-trying-to-be-chipper momma who knows a melt down is imminent and is trying her absolute best to avoid it.  I'm the one who is doing pretty much anything from singing ABC's waaaaaaaaaay off-tune to giving in and allowing chips to be a "snack" (GASP!) in an attempt to keep the bubbling volcano of baby wrath from erupting.  And sometimes, well sometimes I'm the desperate-faced chick who is grabbing at literally any item in the store, including the super sized tampons, to distract my little wanna-be-hellion.


Yeah.  That's me.  

And I just wanted to let you know that even though we're all Minnesota nice most of the time, I can feel your judge-y stares, I can hear your not-so-under-your-breath-whispers about my parenting, and I can definitely hear the comments that you say directly TO me too. Unfortunately.

And you know what?  It doesn't feel great.  It really doesn't.  In fact, it feels pretty crappy. 

But. You know what else?  My circus-clown-like attempts at keeping my toddler happy (okay, let's be real, happy may be an overstatement, but let's go with civil at the very least) are actually not for me.  Or for my kid for that matter.  They are actually for you.


Yeah, you heard me.  I make an absolute fool of myself for you.  A complete stranger.  Someone I've never laid eyes on before.  

Because here is the real truth.  I don't actually mind toddler melt downs. Whoa, no wait.  That was definitely a lie.  I mean, I don't enjoy them, but they are a regular part of my day, and will be until approximately forever because I'm fairly certain that's how long toddlerhood seems to last.  So, my fellow Target-lover, I do not throw on my sackcloth and ashes to mourn each time my kiddo has a tantrum.  And I also don't do it for my little darling.  Because he is 16 months old, and he is going to have hard days and good days, hard minutes and good minutes.  Seconds even, really.  I parent him to the best of my ability, but since some melt downs are inevitable, I don't rake myself over the coals if he has one.

Yes, I do it for you.  

I do it because your ears might be more sensitive to the "oh-my-gawd-how-can-something-so-little-be-so-loud" cries of my child.  I do it because you might not have been around kids that much or understand that this is just the reality of this particular stage.  I do it because you might find it super annoying that a child who is not genetically linked to you (fooooorever) is bellowing at the top of their lungs for no apparent reason, and you can do absolutely nothing about it.

But most importantly, I do it because you might be having just as tough of a day as I am, and it's the small kindness that I can offer you, trying to keep my sweet, precious, little loud mouth from making it any worse for you.

So, dear fellow shopper/park user/general public, when you see me bribe my child, or act a little cray cray to distract him, or maybe even play a little shopping cart "race car", please remember that I'm doing this for you.  You don't have to agree with my parenting. I get it, we're all different. I'm good with how I do things, so you and me, we're cool.  I just thought you should know why I do what I do.  And that's how we do, yo.

Cheers to ear plugs and happy shopping! :)

(Un)Happy Valentine's Day?

So, it's Valentine's day.  And I have to admit, I've been feeling a little sorry for myself.

Ryn is super sick, Axel is teething and cranky, and I'm playing nurse/housecleaner/cook.  On Valentine's day.  Really?  The day of love and I'm here cleaning up dog hair while trying not to pull out my own. 

Oh, and Pandora just reminded me to "set the mood" with some R&B tunes.  Shut up Pandora.

I love Valentine's day.  And not in the "what I really mean is that I love getting roses and chocolate" way.  I mean, really, really, really love it.  Yeah sure, it's a "made up" holiday by the evil greeting card companies, but I don't care.  And you know why?  Because my parents raised us to enjoy V-day as a holiday of love, not romance.  We always had a little family celebration, we always gave and got cards from each of our family members, and, most importantly (obviously), we always got candy.  Sometimes there was even a candlelit dinner.  I'm not totally sure if this was to save money or if my parents wanted a little romance too, but hey, we loved it either way!

So, to me, Valentine's was never about the flowers and the over the top romantic gestures of romcoms, it was about celebrating those that you loved.  Everyone that you loved.

And today, as I sat here, sulking, looking at the really nice bottle of wine that we probably won't be able to drink, and the pile of undecorated heart cards that will probably go unmade this year, it hit me...

This IS love.

I get to be with my family today.  I get to show them love by cooking and cleaning, laundry-doing and diaper changing, nose wiping and temperature taking.  All of that I GET to do, I GET to show them how big my heart is for them.  And what have I been doing?  Sitting here indulging in a little woe-is-me 'tude.  Me!  Of all people!  Me, who has always said Valentine's day isn't all about the "stuff".  Apparently a little hypocrisy snuck in there somewhere along the line.

So, it's Valentine's day.  And I have to admit, I've been feeling a little sorry for myself... But, no more!

Bring on the snot, the dishes and the messes!  I get the chance to love today, and dang, if that isn't the biggest blessing on earth I just don't know what is.

Happy love day friends!

Being Still

You guys.  It has been a looooooong past few months.  And I am so tired.

We had a rough holiday season.  Thanksgiving was close on the heels of a LOT of social activities (read: exhausting) Christmas day found us with ear and throat infections, pink eye, and the flu.  New Years Eve found us at a wake.

I have found myself running on the proverbial "empty".  My grace and patience levels have basically been as low as the sub-zero temps here in good ol' Minne-snowta.  I'm fairly certain that I have been  a pretty non-existent friend and an only partially engaged family member.

So, that is why you haven't heard from me...

In all honesty, I kept starting to write, over and over again, different topics, different ideas, but nothing came to fruition.  And I realized it was because right now is a season where I just don't have much to say.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I won't blog just to fill up space.  I won't blog just to keep up my readership or to make sure that I'm still relevant.  I will only blog if I feel like I have something important to say.  If that means that not as many people read this lil' dandy, well hey, I'm cool with that.  I want to make sure there is space out there in people's heads for their own thoughts and not my continuous monotonous mind-dribble :)

And, I might even be quiet for a little while longer.  Because here is what I've learned in this season of shutting up: Being still is the very best medicine for all of what we've experienced recently.  

In fact, I actually miss the silence.  I love not talking, not pretending to know the whys or hows, or questioning the what-ifs.  Over the past few exhausting months something became very apparent - sometimes it's not the people around us, or the things that we are doing that tire us out - sometimes it's the lack of quiet inside.  It's me.  It's what's going on inside of me.  It's the voices in my head, in the least amount of crazy person way.  Yes, it is ridic busy, and yes, everybody needs something, and yes, it can feel like it's constantly go-go-go, but what I really need is some inside quiet, not outside quiet.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd like some outside quiet too, but as I currently have a 1 year old (ACK! How did that happen?!?!) who has decided that all things fun must be obnoxiously crazy-loud, I doubt that will happen anytime soon.  Or ever.  I can't always control the outside quiet, but I can actively work on the inside quiet.

Being still.  Cease your striving.  Stop fighting.  Be still.*

So, I'm still here.  Even if I'm a bit on the quiet side.  Don't worry, you know how much it pains me to shut my mouth, so that won't last long ;)

Cheers!


*Psalm 46:10