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 :)
