mr leif and his mini

so, everyone says roman looks like his daddy..........with my hair, and skin color.
i can't wait.

will i really get to raise an ACTUAL mini mr leif??!!!

oh i do hope so.

and......... with mr leif for a dad, roman is simply learning the ropes of life from the best.

i can't wait til little rome is running to the door to meet dad when he gets home from work

i can't wait til romyroo is asking his dad to play catch or build him a fort!

i can't wait til romes is carrying around his own mini tool belt. just like dad.

(although mr leif doesnt wear a tool belt, so im not sure where that whole scenerio came from....silly me)

oh goodness......i don't even know where to begin. mr leif has been the BEST husband ever. and he is clearly a natural at this daddy gig. as soon as he comes home from work, he takes over.......burping, changing, and cuddling. he loves being a dad. he loves helping me. and..... this is for an entirely seperate post.......but i definitely have needed the help :)

bath time's my fave :)

hi guys!
yesterday i turned two weeks old!
wow, i'm big huh?!

i love bath time.

these pictures were from a few days ago, but i hafta tell ya, just last night mom and dad soaked me in a little red bucket.

although i was really slippery, mom held on tight, and i didn't go under :)

i loved sitting in the water.

i'm a fish, indeed.

first- they undress me and i squirm around nakey in my duck towel.

then it's bathtime!

now, back to my towel to get cozy and dry :)

my dad likes to soak up the clean baby goodness

silly guy, he even nibbles on my belly
and finally......mom gets me dressed!
i know i can't wear all the cute things that girls get to wear - but i'm trying to let my mom put whatever she wants on me...i hear she has some babylegs that she's gonna put on me soon....oh dear! it's ok though, she likes to help pick out my dad's clothes too, hehe!

a little recap...

...from my cell phone :)

this morning, i was browsing through my phone, and i realized that i have been capturing quite the memories........

i wish i would have my camera with me more - but trying to buckle romes up in his car seat is enough of a task for me right now :)

his first time at the doc....

i was so nervous to take him out into the 'real world'! we went home from the hospital on friday - and we had to go in saturday morning! he slept for 45 min in the waiting room, before going back to get his heel pricked...and he did so fabulous - only a little whimper!

he has already gone from his birth weight of 7lb. 12oz. to 8.3! i'm trying to chunk him up - but i have a feeling he'll be tall like mr leif so it will be extra hard to get him the millions of rolls i'm dreaming of :)

his first time in a sling...and his first time at the park!
sweet cousin time with charlotte

sitting in his little lamb...while mommy takes a shower!

(i've gotta get clean somehow!)

loungin' in his light blanket...

poor little rome had to wear this jaundice contraption for about 6 days after we got home

ahhhhh....this light blanket isn't too bad!

his first thrifted outfit :)

momma snagged this cute get-up for $2

his debut at church!

sporting some cute little sweater swag from great aunt joan!

more cousin time with char...

ohmygoodness.

tomorrow he'll be 2 weeks old. eeek!

my baby is here. part two.

hello!

so where were we.......

.....oh yes, i was floating away in epidural land.

you know, i was actually quite scared to get the epidural. however, the IV was acutally worse than the epidural. the pain meds i had received prior to the back-stab, totally took the edge off. before i knew it, it was over, and i was feeling numb. it was 6 am.

i didn't think i'd be going through this. the epidural part. you see, a couple months ago during our childbirth classes i became empowered to try and birth this babe the all-natural way. epidural-free. i began thinking that my labor would be faster, and i would 'know when to push' because i would be able to feel the contractions coming......... i really was convinced i would at least try to last as long as i could before screaming 'numb me!!!!' well. i DID make it to 5 cm before the epidural came. but i wasn't going to last any longer. i am so glad i made the decision.

mr leif opened the computer and went to my playlist.......he played some of my favorite songs, and i drifted off into a sleepy relaxed state for a while.

the nurses checked my every hour. my body worked like magic - doing just what it was supposed to. opening a centimeter each hour.

it seemed to follow this type of schedule - give or take a few minutes :)

6 am - 5 cm

7 am - 6 cm

8 am - 7 cm

9 am - 8 cm (call dr. nichols at the clinic and have her head to the hospizzie. time to deliver baby leif!)

10 am - 9 cm

11 am - 10 cm

at this time, i was feeling a strong STRONG urge to have a bowel movement (sorry, i know, tmi) but really, with every contraction i was like, "ohmy ohmy ohmy - this is awkward" however, i knew that it was a sign the baby was as low as he could go, and would make his debut soon!

the nurse says its time to get ready.

its almost time to push.

uh. oh. lindsey has mini panic attack.

really, i did. i got scared. they were setting up the table, positioning my bed, bringing the big overhead light down from the ceiling, and in came dr. nichols.

it was happening. the moment that we'd been waiting for. could i do this? was i ready? ahhhhhh????!

i quickly asked if i could have a popsicle. (they offered me one earlier, and i turned it down)

YES they said! so mr leif went to the dad's refreshment room and snatched me a popsicle :) i ate it like i eat my mac n cheese, chomp chomp swallow, as fast as i could..... so mr leif got me another one. and another one.

3 popsicles later, i was shaking in nerves, but my tummy felt calm. my lips were now purple. (the 3rd popsicle was grape). and i had no choice but to listen to their cues. it was time to push. time to have this baby.

mr leif was on one side, a nurse on the other, and dr nichols straight ahead.

before i even began pushing dr nichols suddenly exclaims,

"oh we can see his head already! do you want to touch it?"

at that point i thought to myself, oh my goodness, this is totally like the kardashian girl. what is she going to ask me next? if i want to catch my own baby?

mr leif went first. then i did. eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!! that was his HEAD!!!!! and wow there was lots of hair!!!

ok, i can do this.

i pushed about 7 times. pausing to look at mr leif and smile. i wanted him to know that even though my face was screaming 'im in pain' that i really wasn't. that i was ok.

then, out of no where, my dr. explained the baby was having major stress. his heart was beating WAY too slow. he was sitting in the birth canal. and it wasn't good. she quickly rambled off that she was going to either need to use forceps (sp?) or we would need to have an emergency c-section. WHAT? i wasn't prepared for this. she followed up her sudden news with the comment that she would highly suggest forceps. so - we went with it. we love our dr nichols. so we trusted her. we said forceps.

she responded with, "ok, i'm going to give you one more chance to push. if you can get his head out with the next push we won't need to do forceps. if not - we will"

somehow, somewhere, some sort of crazy womenly strength came over me and i pushed as hard as i could. a push that would declare everthing was fine. his head was out. we did it. no forceps. no c-section.

and with one more push...

our baby came.

he was here.

hairy head and all :)

hello to you..

...mommy's blog friends!

i'm one week old today!

nice to meet you!

my baby is here. part one.

oh its so nice to be typing in this white square again, getting my thoughts out, jogging my memory of the last week, and reliving what has been such an amazing life-changing experience.....

.....multiple times a day i am writing posts in my mind.....birth story posts, posts about the hard parts, posts about the amazing parts, the ups the downs, the details.

but.

wow.

to find the time to sit and let my fingers flow? that has been difficult ;) even as i type write now, i've got one eye on the screen and one on my romyroo.

here is the story.

part one.

on monday after school, i was exhausted.

i was to have one more day of work, then wednesday i would rest, and thursday we would be induced andhave our baby.

however......it didn't go as planned. i mean, as I PLANNED. however - it truly followed the Lord's plan beautifully. and i am so SO comforted in seeing, once again, that my God rules over me (and my 'wanna plan my life' issues)

on my way home from work, i stopped at the mall - you know - to power walk for a bit.

then, holy cow, the hot flashes hit big time. but, how remarkable to see the haagen daz ice cream shop right as i entered. um, dolce de leche in a dish please? yes. and yummmmmoh! then i was off to do a hip-shakin-baby-movin-down-low power walk.

as i tossed my empty ice cream dish into the trash can, i looked up to see a sign saying, "pedicure sale, $21".

hello?

i haven't had a pedicure in over a year - (i don't mind painting my own toenails)

so i walked in and took a seat.

yikes! ahhhhhhh.......the massage chair alone was a bitty piece of heaven.

later that night, mr leif and i decided on hyvee. you see, we had been finding a place each evening for the past week to do some walking - i was so sick of sitting at home! so hy-vee it was! we browsed the isles of the grocery store, throwing random things into our cart.........oreos, captain crunch......all sorts of goodies we don't usually buy :)

monday night came and went.

no contractions.

well, a few here and there, but nothing consistent.

i couldn't sleep.....and so i stayed up most of the night messing around the house.

i declared that i would most definitely stay home on tuesday.

i was not going back to work.

no. i was done.

i needed an end. and the end had come (for now........until my maternity leave is over, sad face). so tuesday morning rolled around.

i texted my principal. then emailed the necessary HR peeps and said hasta la vista to work.

tuesday = project get baby out.

power walks around the neighborhood. squats in the living room. more walks with mr leif when he gets home from work.

but boo........tuesday night rolls around, and hmmmmph still just inconsistent contractions. so at 11:00pm mr leif and i hit the sack. he fell asleep right away - i did not.

out of bed for me and to the computer.

i wrote a few emails, did a little fbooking, stalked a few blogs, you know - the uze.

at 2:03 - i went to bed. with intentions of sleeping.

2:17 - OUCH! big one. a contraction, that is.

2:35 - i woke up mr leif, we started timing them

3:15 - i suggested we try to keep sleeping - hospitals these days practically want you delivering as you walk in so i thought we'd kill some time by sleeping......??

4:10 - OUCHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! major major contraction.

4:16 -OUCHHHHH again.

then......for the next 30 minutes, they were comin like a freight train, about every 3-4 minutes.

4:30 - i called my doc.

thankgoodness, she was the on call doc!

"lindsey", she said, "you're in labor! come in girl!"

eeeeeeek!!!!

so at 4:35 mr. leif was wokin up.

we both quick a took shower.

packed up the last little necessary items.

and hit the rode.

OUCHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! horrible drive there. contractions were now plowin through my body, and there was no easing them. no way to lessen the pain. just withstand them. get throug the next one, in order to have about 30 seconds to 2 minutes until the next one would smack me upside the uterus.

i called my mom.

mr leif called his mom.

we arrived at the hospizzy.

pshhhhhh. they made me wait in a triage room, up in labor and delivery, until they could check me and let my doc know where i was......

well, i was at 4cm and almost to 5.

doc said, "get her into a delivery room, she's definitely in labor!"

so we halled our gear down to our room.

it was now 6 am. i was checked in to my room.

baby roman was almost here.

at 6 am, i was at 5 cm, and it was painful.

and i was now convinced. i could NOT do this without some relief.

please, can a girl get an epidural?

YES!

so i did.

well, first it was some pain meds. they made me woooozy. the nurse said i would feel drunk. i was sort of excited. as soon as the meds were in, i started giggling. uncontrollably. i felt amazingly free and loose.

then i told mr leif, if he could play some rap music, i would "drop it like it's hot" for him.

he laughed.

the nurse laughed.

i laughed.

then the epidural came.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....................

float away.

no. more. pain.

here's me. and mr leif.

the last time we are just us.

(post-epidural)

with my delivery earings :)

Welcome home MR. ROME, by Mr. Leif

Hey all, this is Mr. Leif guest blogging on Lindsey's behalf. We have been blessed with an amazing son, Roman Joe Leif. He came into this world Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 12:01 PM. Lindsey will let you know more about the birth story soon.

I had been told by everyone with children what an indescribable experience the birth of a child is, and that is the TRUTH!

Was I prepared? NO, I don't think you can be.

The fact of the matter is that life has now changed, and never again will things be the same for Linds and I, but I don't think we would want it any other way.

How will life change? I am starting to compile the things that have already changed, including:

1. I drive slower! (The ride home was funny, we hopped on the interstate and we were smack dab in the middle of Roman's first traffic jam).

2. I don't sleep more than 3 hours consecutively. I am guessing this changes, but for now I am cool with it.

3. I smile more than I ever have at all times of day and night, even when I can't hardly open my eyes because I am waking up for that midnight feeding.

I know that more significant things will change, but we are riding the wave of emotion and are loving it! Thank you for all your thoughts, and prayers. Linds will keep you up-to-date in the next few days.

am i ready?

...to have a baby?

yikes! there's all the lists, the tips, the advice, the classes, the weekly calendars, the countdowns.......and then. BAM! it's here.

of course no female will ever be able to fully prepare for the transition into motherhood.

it's unimagineable. you can guess, speculate, predict. but. you won't know until it happens.

i haven't been able to sleep. at all. the last couple nights. there are the weeks leading up to the big event where you don't sleep very well, can't get comfortable, have to pee about 5 times during the night, but these last few nights are brutal. i just lay there and randomly check my phone to see what time it is. then i flop over and grunt to try and get comfortable, maybe stare at mr leif for a while, and try to close my eyes. when that doesn't work, i hold mr leif's hand, and he squeezes my hand back. but he doesn't know he's doing that. because he is in a deep sleep - i know because he's snoring. but i pretend he does.

insert random thought: i haven't had any weird dreams this whole pregnancy. like any. no freak out weird looking babies. no scary labor situations. none!

i was supposed to go to work today. it was going to be my last day. but after yesterday's news, AND night #2 of not sleeping, AND my desire to stay home and soak up some peace and relaxation, AND all these cramps and pulls and tugs and even a few contractions - nada. no work for me :)

i got up with mr leif. ate some captain crunch :) and then went back to bed.

soon i did the sideways roll, over the bed, and moved my feet to the edge, so i could let gravity get me out of my new fleecey sheets. i plopped my feet to the floor, and achingly stood up straight......ok! time to dominate this day :)

so. i cleaned up the dishes. and ate an apple. did some laundry. and a cookie.

and then went back to bed. and slept for about an hour.

ok, repeat the roll to the side of the bed, plop out, and this time.........i brushed my teeth and put my contacts on. time for a walk!

i walked for about an hour. stopping only twice because, OUCH! was that a contraction? or just the baby trying to swim deeper into the ocean of my uterus :)

now. i'm back home.
time for a shower.

ohmygoodness.......this could be my last shower with my baby belly. yikes!

time to blow dry my hair. it takes so. long. because it is. so. long.

then i'll straighten it.

then i'll try on my delivery earings.

and after i take them back off and put them in their circle plastic case thingy,
i'll start doins some squats.

wiggle down babyleif.
wiggle down.

and after he wiggles down a bit further. it's off to the store. mr leif has been the bestest husband ever. ever. ever. so he deserves a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. imma get me some ingredients so he can come home to a fresh baked treat :)

i DID pop on 10-10-10...

...but not exactly with a baby.

you can listen for yourself.

ps. i've been nibbling on my nails again. ugh. must mean i'm getting anxious :)

watch them in order. ok? okay.

man, my nails are gone. gone. gone.

yeah...............sorry that these next two are sideways.

i'm just a sideways kinda girl. ya know?

PS............i need some braces. my teeth are really crooked. on the bottom row. (lauren hurry up and get through dental school)

what we do while we wait...

...for baby leif.

it's sunday.

(we've ran every errand possible)

(we've baked a second fresh bunch of monster cookies)

(we are getting restless inside)

SO..........mr. leif plays tennis in the garage.

against the garage door.

because i tell him i can't play, i might pull every muscle in my body.

that would not be good.

and i watch.

dodging the tennis balls.

senses of my saturday morning...

the sound of mr leif and my dad,

working together,

talking,

laughing,

while fixin our shower....

the feeling of our new fleece sheets,

they're cute too,

eggshell blue,

and so soft,

i never wanna get out of bed...

the taste of warm oatmeal,

like my mom used to make,

ahhhh...comfort food,

yummy breakfast...

the look of my belly,

underneath my soft,

pink pajama shirt,

i'll miss it when it's gone...

mmmmm and the smell of coffee,

i don't really drink it too much,

my dad does

and so does mr leif,

but i do like the smell, it's the smell of morning...

hope y'all have a great saturday :)

it's gonna be almost 90 here. yikes.

i better go on a hip-swingin walk... get dis babay out!

10-10-10....

....please?

that's what i thought...

as i left school today...

on friday...

ready for the weekend...

hoping for a 10-10-10 baby...

i mean, praying for a 10-10-10 baby.

but if not, that's ok.

HE already knows when babyleif is comin'

so, cheers to 39 weeks!

september vs october...

...september wins.

why?

oh, because it's fuller.

i mean, it WAS fuller.

and now, i regret not filling october, like i plumped up september.

it was stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey.

it's only october 5 and i'm jealous of how september was.

septmeber was so busy we could barely breathe.

september was so busy weeks just flew by.

september was so busy, there was no impatience for the arrival of babyleif.

however.

errrrrrrg. these first 5 days of october have seemed like 3 weeks.

and i'm wishing my calendar was full.

why did i clear out october anyways?

i mean, i thought i would have wanted some down time before the babe came.

eeeeeeeeeeeks. no down time no down time no down time.

down time = restless lindsey.

must. get. busy.

ok.

we're off to houlihans.

we have a free dessert coupon.

and we be cashin it in y'all.

ok,

but really.

i do know that EACH day is a blessing.

and i am truly thankful for EACH day.

i'm not wishing for days to fly by (well kinda) but i do know that each is a gift from GOD.

ok.

working on my attitude :)

thank you Lord for today.

and each day, regardless if i go into labor or not.

let me make the most of it :)

soakin up the weekend...

...cuz it could have been our last kid-free weekend for A. LONG. TIME.

well, babyleif had his 38 week celebration last friday.

i hope this doesn't scare you.

or gross you out.

how crazy is it that your tummy can stretch this far!

yikeSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

we kicked it off with a royals game.

and the royals are usually bad.

just sayin.

and tonight they won.

all 4 games we went to this year, they won.

babyleif is good luck.

oh yeah,

we spent lots of time with these friends.

this is colette.

she's sweet :)

we made our 'welcome babyleif gifts' for the hospital.

i did mention previously, we'd be doin something with puppy chow.

brief change of plans.

monster cookies popped in my mind as i was browsing through target for my delivery earings.

so monster cookies it is :)

and by 'we', i mean mr leif.

but he knows that.

when i say 'we should make monster cookies' or 'we should hang that shelf' ........ it usually 98% of the time means he should. he knows we means he. but he loves me anyways.

and here's the cute little baggies.

one cookie per nurse please :)

oh and visitors will get one too!

'we' BOTH have our bags packed. ready to rock.

come on little fella, go ahead and POP out!

diaper bag? check!

lindsey's bag? check!

mr leif's bag? check!

extra bag with blanket and pillow for mr leif? check!

yep. even my delivery earings are ready to be worn.

come on. a girls gotta look good while pushin a babe out, right?

well, truth is, i probably will forget to put them in.

but i did buy them for $5 from target, for the sole purpose to wear while giving birth.

we didn't get our carseat in yet.

i mean, it's in the back seat, but it's just floatin around back there.

if we do go to the hospital anytime soon, we're gonna need someone to step up and install that sucker for us :) colette? ok, colette will.

babyleif's pad almost complete

STILL waiting for the last part.

you know.

picking a name.

cuz i can't make my name thingy idea. if we don't know the name!?!?!

patience, lindsey. patience.

mr leif says wait til we see'im, i'll wait. i suppose.

:)

oh yes. we got festive.

who knew we could by fresh made donuts at a cider mill/pumpkin patch?

well. they were yummy.

i ate lots of bad stuff.

2 donuts.

large hot cider.

bottle of cream soda.

(and of course like 8 monster cookies when i got home)

thanks for the road trip C and Q

and yes, i am wearing the same shirt AGAIN.

thanks sissy for sending it to me.

i am officially out of maternity clothes.

i have no winter pants. so i rotate between black and grey tights.

and then i rotate my 3 long shirts.

occassionally adding a scarf or necklace.

SO ready for regular clothes again :)

she's having twins. boys. eeeeeeeeeeeek!

and funny thing. mr leif and i were doin our sunday night grocery thang......and while browsin those isles, decided to hit up the salty iguanna for some espinaaaaaaaaca.

so we walk in, and who is sittin right there? yep C and Q. yikes.

can't get enough of them two i guess :) its ok though, she's preggers with twins so we have LOTS to talk about. not that i'm havin 2 too, you know, it's just the whole, 'having a human(s) growing inside of you' thing......it promotes good convo.

it was a good weekend.

and this morning as mr leif brought me my cereal in bed. we both confirmed that we celebrated our 'could be last weekend without children for a LONG time' fabulously.

JUST fabulously.