Happy Birthday, Mom!

I owe you a post about pneumonia, but today is my mom's birthday and today I want to write about her.  Happy Birthday, Mom. I can't believe we're both 29-years-old...weird.

To say my mom and I are close is to say that we look alike. It's kind of obvious and a slight understatement.

We talk every day. That's right, daily. Whether it be just to say hi, or for me to ask her the ingredients for her sugar cookie frosting recipe, we like to hear each other's voice on the other end of the line.

I wanted to list a few things about my mom that might give you an idea of what kind of person, and mother, she is:

She has boundless energy. She never leaves a dirty dish in the sink for more than five minutes and I don't think she's ever left a load of laundry in the dryer for more than five minutes. Currently our sink is full of dirty dishes and the load of whites in the dryer has been restarted three times.

She is dedicated. She's worked for the same company for more than 40 years. It's changed names four times since she started, but she's been a fixture.

She is handy. The woman painted my whole house and the bathroom twice. She helped Rob lay the flooring and packed up all my stuff from four dorm rooms/apartments in half the time it would've taken me.

She's disciplined. Every morning she wakes up and walks two miles on the treadmill. She always orders a side salad instead of fries. She never goes a day without ice cream either. That's discipline, people.

She sacrifices...constantly. Whether it be her time or talent, she's always willing to drop everything to be there for me when I need her. This past week has been a prime example of that. More on that later.

She's fun. All the kids love "Aunt Jan." It might be because she has a mini playroom underneath the stairs in her house and likes to offer small children sugar, but regardless, she's just a happy person. Adults like her too.

I could go on, but I'll just sum this up by saying I am fully aware that I'm turning into her and I love it. I appreciate her parenting style so much more now that I'm a mom. I'm in awe of how she instilled the beliefs I hold today without hovering over me as a kid. She was born to be a mom. And if she ever decides to write a handbook on this whole parenting thing, I'm totally getting a signed copy...and hopefully a portion of the proceeds.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

The Immaculate Receptacle

Yes, I'm talking about the Diaper Genie II we have. A whole blog post to talk about a poop holder? In essence, again, yes. If you're not a parent, then you probably aren't sure what a Diaper Genie is, but you've probably inferred by now.

Beep beep beep: this just in. Diapers are stink. Not stinky; they are the definition of putrid and where the smell that gets in your throat comes from.  I have been blessed with a beautiful family and new baby girl (obviously mother's looks).  But damn. She's only eating/drinking milk! And if it wasn't for that little white container that seals the lid from the flames of seedy nostril poison, this would be tough.

Nicole and I have a bit of a routine, and it works out pretty well. At night we take turns getting up and feeding/changing Faith (except last night I cheated and got five consecutive hours of sleep - amazing I know). Not only do we have to run downstairs to the aforementioned receptacle in the middle of the night, but by the time we make it back upstairs, Faith has blessed us again.

I think I have this down (non-parents beware): first she poops, smiles, and fusses. Then, we head to the changing table. I let her sit for a couple of minutes, because sometimes she surprises us. Next, I change her and place the A-bomb in the container (which should have a toxic symbol-logo-thing on it) and turn back just in time to see more fun. I change her again, cleaning the changing table appropriately. *Quick side-note: this is totally the story I will tell at her wedding in 30 years :-)

Wouldn't you know it - I had to pause here for a diaper.

To finish my (already long) story: it's not uncommon for Nicole and I to go through three diapers in one changing. And because of this, we have learned to let her sit for a solid (pun somewhat intended) five minutes (and no it's not mean or wrong) after she smiles coyly waiting for her moment to squirm.

Baby and Mom are doing great. Pictures are still flowing on Facebook, and Dad is slowing learning the intricacies that is the bull-ride of parenting. I mean, come on, you only get eight seconds or you're in a lot of sh*t.


~Rob

It's a Girl!

momma's turn: so today was probably the greatest day of my life other than my wedding day (i'm not just saying that...our wedding day was pretty amazing in my humble opinion). anyway, for the first time, we got to see an up close and personal look at our baby girl! she is such a mover! i like to think she's dancin in there...hopefully she won't inherit her dad's moves :) if you read rob's post, you saw how she told us it was a girl. it took at least 10 seconds for it to sink in because i had thought all along it was a boy (so much for mother's intuition). i definitely had tears in my eyes and said 'i can't believe i was wrong' about 10 times. (guess i'm just not used to it ;) i have no regrets about finding out as i feel a real bond with my daughter - let me say that again - my DAUGHTER now. doctor tomich said she looks like a lefty and that made me smile from ear to ear. i would love it if the lefty tradition in my family carried on another generation. i was so nervous and anxious going into today and now i couldn't feel more at ease. from what they can tell, baby girl is healthy and measuring right on schedule with weight (a whole 13 ounces)and all the zillion other measurements they took. we have a strip of pictures of baby in all different positions and i could just stare at them all day! 19 more weeks and our little one will be here! we can't wait and i'm so excited to see daddy with daughter! yay pink!

who needs sleep?

4:42... that's what time i woke up this morning... starving mind you. so i stumbled downstairs, ate a Special K bar, which brings me to 21, 866 special K bars for my lifetime, and logged on to facebook. a half an hour later i'm wondering do i go back to bed or just find something to do for the next hour. back to bed it is as soon that won't be an option. 5 months from today baby lindquist will be here. it kind of hit me yesterday, i'm going to be a mom, a MOM! i can't wait to meet this little person inside of me...what will he or she's personality be like, will he/she have hair...so many questions. it's been fun asking my mom what pregnancy was like for her...until she told me she gained close to 60 pounds...not cool mom, not cool. so far i've gained 5-7, i'm hoping the other 20-30 fills out my "golden globes" as someone put it the other night. before i sign off and go back to bed, i just want to say how much i love the show Kendra with kendra and hank. i'll leave out the part about bawling when i watched the baby episode recently. when you're preggers it's fun to identify with other pregnant ladies and for some reason i'm fascinated with her. and so since i look like shit at 5:39 a.m., you're getting a picture of her and the handsome hank. enjoy. and goodnite. again.