Growing Family

On Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 10:41 a.m., the Imig/Zomermmand family welcomed their newest addition, Isaiah Luca Imig. He is healthy, his parents are proud, and we are all blessed! I look forward to seeing this little bundle of joy become a little man. Being in the hospital, holding this new precious life in my arms, I could hardly believe that nearly 5 months ago it was me in the hospital bed beaming with pride as my baby girl was passed around the room.

Isaiah Luca Imig

Nearly 5 months ago I couldn't get sweet Baylie to eat the way I had always imagined she would eat. But countless pumping sessions later, and many more to come, she is a healthy 15 lbs. and 6 oz. Time consuming? Yes. Worth every second? Of course! I cannot believe the time has come for us to purchase a highchair. Baylie has taken a fast liking to rice cereal and will be trying new fruits and vegetables in the weeks and months to come. Do I need to make the airplane noise in order for her to take a bite? No. Do I do it anyway because I think it's fun? Yes!Mmmm!

Nearly 5 months ago Baylie would cry. Yes, she still cries. But more often she "talks." Sometimes I listen intently. But most times Derek and I are laughing so hard she then becomes intent on us. We enjoy listening to her stories that will someday turn to words, which will turn to sentences, which will turn to countless questions, which will eventually turn into back talk . . . maybe I don't like where this is headed . . . I will be content with the babbling for now!

Nearly 5 months ago you could lay Baylie anywhere and she would stay put. Now she rolls. For now she just rolls from back to tummy but it's only a matter of time before she figures out how to roll across the room. And then it will be time to baby proof everything. I can already see the frustration on Derek's face when he can't open doors or cabinets with ease anymore!

Soon Isaiah will catch up to Baylie and the 4 1/2 month age difference will go unnoticed! I am sure Baylie will convince him to play house, just as I did with my cousin Jeffrey! And I am sure Isaiah will have Baylie playing cops and robbers in no time! What an exciting time in our lives!

Saturday's Secret . . .

I use to eat my cereal with a fork because I didn't like much milk . . . today I wished that my old habit remained, as I realized the milk had gone bad . . . gross!

Do you have a secret?

Saturday's Secret . . .

My favorite days are the ones in which I go sans mascara.

Do you have a secret?

Tuesday's Tidbit (a few days late:) Up&Up Wipes by Target

Now that I'm an experienced mother of 3 months, I've decided to start sharing little tidbits that I have found helpful along my journey as a new mom. Today's tidbit is . . . I absolutely LOVE Up&Up baby wipes by Target!

I first received Target wipes as a baby shower gift, which I registered for. I also received brand named wipes, such as Pampers, at the same time. Upon bringing Baylie home from the hospital, I had already fallen in love with Pampers Swaddlers diapers, so I gave my Target brand wipes the stink eye and dove right into the name brand wipes. I mean, for upwards of .05 cents per wipe, they must be plated in gold, of course a soft soothing gold, that would keep my baby's bottom . . . well, as soft as a baby's bottom.

I was the first to think it. Derek was the first to say it, "These wipes stink." At first I thought perhaps I was crazy. But the fact that my husband, who had never changed a diaper until Baylie came into the world, proclaimed my thoughts aloud, reinforced that I was right. They were thick, they were scratchy, and they were dripping wet. No thank you!

I thought there was no hope left in the diaper wipe world. I mean, if a .05 cent wipe, not plated with gold mind you, did not fit our standards, what could I possbily find in that boring looking, generic brand container? I will tell you . . . I struck GOLD! These wipes are soft, just the right amount of wetness, and they have these nice little bumpies on them that make it easy to clean a dirty bum, without irritating your baby's skin.
Not to mention they are only .01 cents per wipe!!! I bought a box of 8 refill packages, thats 704 wipes, for $11 and some change!

Sorry Pampers, but my blog isn't very popular so you don't need to worry. I am sure you will have continued success selling your Cubic Zirconia of wipes, but not to me. I prefer Diamonds!

Do you have a tidbit, for me, a first time mom? I'd love to hear! I am proud to link to Things I love Thursday at The Diaper Diaries.

An ode to Derek . . . (and the dictionary)!

From a boy . . .

. . . to a man . . .

. . . to a husband . . .
. . . to a father . . .
I know that technically an "ode" is a poem that is meant to be sung. This is not a poem and nobody, I mean nobody wants to hear me sing! But once I have a title in my head it is really hard to replace it with another. So correct or not, it is what it is.

Now that we have that cleared up I want to talk about what a joy it is to married to such a wonderful man. I know that on a day like Father's Day, a majority of the world will claim that they have the BEST Father, Husband, Grandpa, etc. in the whole world. Now since I am in to defining words today, "best" indicates that something is of the highest quality, excellence, or standing. All of which, in my opinion, ring true for my mate.

He is one QUALITY guy! There are some 13 different definitions of the word quality, but the one I am referring to is: marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment.

I knew from day one that Derek would be an excellent father, but to be completely honest, he has surpassed the excellence that I had imagined. His INVOLVEMENT in everyday happenings is beyond what I would expect. Did you know that he never missed a Dr. appointment? Or that he voluntarily read my belly a book every night for 5 months? How about the fact that he wakes up at 1am, or 2am, or 3am to feed his daughter, even though he has to be to work at 5:30am, simply because he enjoys it? I am in no way implying that if a man does not do these things, that he is not excellent, but these are ways Derek chooses to be involved and I am so grateful for all of them!

Is Derek a CONCERNED parent? Um, ya, I'd have to say so. Situation: We put our crying newborn baby into the car to go home for the first time. Before we're out of the parking lot she is quiet. We spend the rest of the ride home with Derek trying to navigate the car while he is turning around to make sure she is still breathing. "Babies like car rides" I tell him. He doesn't believe me. He's certain that something is wrong. I appreciate his concern, but thank goodness we are past that:) Situation: We go to sleep expecting to be waken by hungry cries around midnight. It's 12am, nothing. 12:30am, nothing. 1am, nothing. At 2am, I am woken to the sound of a baby being burped. "Did she cry?" I asked. "No, it was just bothering me that she hadn't eaten so I woke her up." Our baby finally decides to sleep through the night and she is disturbed by her concerned daddy. I love him even more for the fact that he cares.

I think the fact that Derek is INVOLVED, and CONCERNED, shows that he is COMMITTED. He always gives 100% to our marriage, to our child, but more importantly to God. His foundation in Christ inspires me everyday. In fact, I long to have a charactor such as his. He studies IT, and he lives IT. He is humble, he is kind, he is oh so very patient . . . he is the BEST!

Don't hesitate to tell the world why you think the man in your life is the BEST. More significantly, don't hesistate to tell him!

Here's to 3 wonderful years of marriage . . .

This is where we met 8 1/2 years ago. The Salem Academy funnel cake booth at Oktoberfest.

9/11/01 waiting in line at the gas station . . . his gas light was on unfortunately

4th of July 2002
Dordt College 2003

Washington D.C. 2004

Just Engaged August 20, 2005 (It won't let me upload the photo)

Honeymoon 2006

Astoria 2007

Las Vegas 2008

Our new family 2009Here's to many more . . .

Two Months . . .

So I am a little behind on posting her 2 month pictures . . .

Growing like a weed!

Productiveness . . .

Derek brought to my attention the other day that we are so much more productive now that we have a child. It's amazing that once you bring a child into the world, being lazy isn't all that fun anymore . . . at least not for us.

I have finally figured out that I don't really require as much sleep as I thought I did. At two months Baylie sleeps between 6-9 hours at night, which I hear I should be thankful for. Before her birth I took a nap almost everyday. Even before I was pregnant. I love naps, but I couldn't tell you the time I took one. And I am more then okay with that.

Before Baylie I did one load of laundry a week. ONE LOAD! It was fantastic. Now I do 5. Three loads of clothes and 2 loads of diapers. Oddly enough, I am more then okay with that.

Our weekends used to be filled with pure laziness. Reading books and Derek catching up on his magazines, watching whatever sport was on, doing crafts, and my one load of laundry. Now it is strange if we are home for a full day. We have taken a liking to Saturday church and the rest of our weekend is spent with friends, family, or cleaning/organizing something around the house. We still take time to be lazy . . . as I type this Derek is playing Playstation, and Baylie is smiling at me while she kicks me in the arm.

I guess the purpose of this post is to announce that I have arrived to mother/wifehood. I thought I'd dread the day when I was always on the go. Yet something inside just cannot stand to do nothing anything anymore. My days of wasting time are over. Of course, I will stop to smell the roses (just not the dead ones in my backyard:)

One Month and Counting . . .

People always told me that your children grow up fast . . . I did not believe them until now. Baylie is changing everyday, and every change brings me to tears. I just made it sound like I cry everyday, which is far from the truth, but I definately have had my moments of not wanting her to grow up. I thought babies stayed actual babies for a long time? Don't get me wrong, she's still as helpless as all get out, but she sleeps less, smiles more, and is getting so strong. She reaches for objects that hang in front of her and her arms definately resemble the Michelin man!

I look forward to: the day she smiles on purpose, poops less, and rolls over.

I will miss: certain outfits, facial expressions, and her baby cry.

I can't wait to: see if she's shy or outgoing, tall or short, tomboy or girlie, sweet or naughty . . .

But then again I can!

Nap when your baby's napping?

This is the piece of advice that I have heard my whole life, but lately I am beginning to wonder if it is suppose to be, "cry when your baby is crying." Now before my napping baby wakes up and tries to tell me that she's hungry, poopy, cold, or just going to cry for no reason, I thought I'd take a moment and share the first few weeks of Baylie's life with you.

Leaving the hospital was the most excited and scary time of my life. All of the way home Derek and I just kept saying, "This is really happening," "So we are parents," "why isn't she making noise?" "Drive slower." Okay so the drive slower cdomment was obviously me, but in my defense Derek kept turning around to make sure she was still breathing. So I am not the only protective parent:) We truly were flying by the seat of our pants but I will admit, we are doing a fine job!

We came home to a very clean house, curtiousy of my sister! My mom welcomed us with Chinese and kindly sat with me while Derek went to get my prescription filled. Our first night was sleepless but we were so excited I don't think we noticed for the first few nights.

Baylie was having trouble eating in the hospital and still hasn't taken to breast feeding so we had to resort to bottle feeding. This was a very hard decision to make, but after losing 10% of her birth weight, we really didn't have a choice. We are still working on breast feeding but she either just falls asleep or screams and cries until she can't even breath. I have never cried and prayed over something so much in my life. The up side is that I am pumping like a mad women and I am able to give her breast milk at every feeding. It is not the same and I will be sad if she never takes to the breast, but I am so thankful that I can at least give her the benefit of my milk.

Baylie had a hard time getting her days and nights figured out which caused some sleepless nights. Now we are getting between 6 and 8 hours of sleep total a night and we are very thankful for that. There are definately times when the only word to describe her is being a major "pill." There is nothing more frustrating then not being able to console your baby. I told Mindy today that I know my singing voice is terrible, but the fact that it is one of the only things that can quite my crying baby is such a beautiful thing!

All in all the first two weeks have been a tiring, extremely fun, and wonderful experience! Here are some things that Baylie has enjoyed doing so far:

~ At 5 days old she got to watch her daddy play 2 basketball games at the Hoop!

~ She celebrated her first Easter!

~ We took her to watch her first Salem Academy softball game

~ She loves tummy time on her jungle mat and can already scoot herself along

~ Auntie M and I took her on her first shopping trip to Keizer Station

~ She loves spending time with her daddy when he gets home from work

Baylie is awake now and currently sliding herself out of her papasan so I better go pick her up before she topples over!

Cramps, C-Section, and a Beautiful Baby Girl

There is no moment like the present to finally blog about the greatest event in my life. Right now, my beautiful baby girl is laying on her daddy's lap while he flips through his pile of Sports Illustrated magazines that have been piling up.

Thursday March 26 10:15 AM: I had my week 39 Dr.'s appointment and much to my dismay, I had made no progress. I wasn't expecting to dialte early, but I still had my fingers crossed. In the back of my mind I knew that I would probably end up being induced after my due date and that it would be a long few weeks to come.

Friday March 27 2:00 AM: I woke up with the worst cramps. I felt constipated:( The pains came and went randomly and I finally fell back to sleep within the hour and had little pain throughout the rest of the night. Around eight that morning my pains were close together but I thought I really just had to go potty. And I did . . . 12 times that day:) I had heard reaccuring "BM's" was a way your body prepares for labor, but i didn't think much of it. At noon, I went to Olive Garden for lunch with my MIL, SIL, and her mom from Iowa. Some pain throughout but not a big deal. A trip out to Willamette Valley Fruit Co. to see Derek is what did me in. The pain was worse and the "BM's" were gone. I called my mom and she informed me that I had been in labor all day:) Who knew? Definately not me. Call me ignorant but I thought contractions would feel different.

Saturday March 28 1:15AM: The pain is getting unbearable. Contractions are 3-5 minutes apart lasting 45 seconds to 1 minute. Derek calls the hospital, we grab our bags and are pretty sure they'll send us home. We inform our family to be on stand by, but assure them not to get too excited. The nurse asks me my pain level. I tell her a 5. (Not really knowing what to compare it to:) She checks me . . . I'm at 9 cm!! I quickly change my pain level to an 8:) I just didn't want to sound like a wuss at first. We call our family and they are there faster then the speed of light. Little do they know, it will be a long night ahead!

4:40AM: Still at 9 cm! And in ALOT of pain!! I tried to not have an epidural but it was unbearable. Especially when they told me it could be hours until I would push! So I took a shot in the back and spent the next three hours resting up for my eventful morning.

7:30AM: Time to push! The epidural was wearing off and I was very aware of when to push. My nurse was a tad annoying at this point and I think Derek was getting as tired as I was. To me time was flying by but Derek said it was the longest wait ever.

10:00 AM: Not making any progress, I am informed that I am going to need a C-section. I never invisioned this and thus I skipped over these sections in the books I read! Oddly enough, they kept telling me I was the most calm C-section patient they have ever had. Maybe it's because I never read about it before hand:) Derek put on his blue garb and I dawned a hair net. During the surgery Derek watched and just said he saw a lot of blood.

11:08 AM: It's a girl!! Our little Baylie Mykel was pulled from my stomach at 11:08 AM Saturday March 28, 2009! She weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz. and is tall like her daddy at 21 inches long! Our lives are changed for ever!

Little Miss just woke up and I must tend to her! More on the first week at home to come!!

7 days . . . If I Could Be So Lucky

So the baby floating around to the right of my screen (which totally freaks my mom out by the way) tells me I have 7 days. Everyone else tells me it could be any day now. Then why do I feel like Baby Imig is going to be in here FOREVER?? I have never wanted to have a contraction more in my life then I do right now:)

Between my excitement and discomfort, the days just seem to drag on. My prayers lately have begun and ended with, "God I REALLY am ready when you are!" I wish He'd take me seriously:) No, I know His timing is perfect and I just need to be patient. But the more patient I am the more I start to freak out.

Who am I to claim that I am really ready to be a mom? I am really hoping that it's true that you get a motherly instinct upon the baby's arrival or I am in big trouble! It is weird to live each day knowing that it could be full of lasts. I was telling Derek last night that our days of throwing caution to the wind are coming to a close. He seems fine with that. Good thing, cause there is no turning back. People keep asking me if he's nervous. If he is, he certainly is good at hiding it. I couldn't be more thankful that he is soooo excited!

Let's take a minute to really talk about Derek . . . months before we discovered we were going to have a baby he seemed a bit uneasy about the idea. The second I told him the news he seemed a little surprised. And just hours later he was thrilled. He has never showed an ounce of anxiety. He knows the answers to alot of my questions and he even taught me the breathing techniques the other night that I had already forgotten:) He never hesitates to rub my back and my feet, I haven't unloaded the dishwasher in months, and I'm not even all that welcome to join him on Sunday morning trips to the store because it's his new idea of fun and I'm okay with that:)

I know in about 7 days those back rubs will become few and far between and I may have to unload a dish or two. But I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a husband who enjoyed making my life a little bit easier for the past 9 months!

Welcome to Penny For Your Thoughts

5 Minutes for Moms is hosting their annual Ultimate Blog Party. It is a great way to let people know about your blog, find other great blogs, and make new friends.

My name is Lindsay and I started blogging a few months ago. Right now my posts are random musings from throughout my pregnancy, but with the baby due in just a few weeks, I am sure it will turn into random stories, or desperate cries for help from a first time mommy.

Don't forget to bookmark Penny For Your Thoughts if you would like to keep tabs on my journey through motherhood. Please leave a comment with your blog address so I can check out your site as well!

Babymoon

I had my 36 week check up on Thursday and the result, as my sister put it, I was "still as tight as the security at Fort Knox." If history repeats itself, I won't progress much on my own, nor will my water break without medical assistance. Thanks alot Mom and Mindy:) Other then that, all was well at the visit. We were in and out like usual.

Two weeks before we had got the go ahead from the Dr. to go on our "Babymoon." It was a much needed trip away from home, and work. We all know that, that will not happen again for a long time. Now, a trip to Pendleton, Oregon may sound pretty uneventful to those who are not obsessed with high school basketball, but for us the trip was everything we had hoped for. With a few minor annoyances. We'll start with those first . . .

1. After the first session of games we headed to our hotel. Derek entered first and I followed only to drop my things at the door, grab the ice bucket, and begin dry heaving until I thought I was going to pass out. Turns out our room used to be a smoking room. And upon the turn around, they failed miserably to remove the odor from the room. It was horrible!!!! Derek went to see if we could change rooms but they were all full so they gave us an air purifier that didn't really help. The next day we picked up some Febreeze and Derek would enter first and spray the place down before I would go in. Normally, I could withstand the odor, as gross as it is, but my stomach can't handle much these days thanks to the baby! Oh and the ice bucket instead of the toilet you ask? If you've been pregnant before you will know that you can't attempt to throw up and not wet your pants at the same time. So I dropped my drawers as a precaution:) Good thing the heave was dry, as I noticed there was a huge hole in the bucket:)

2. After the evening session we head out to our car, only to find it piled with snow!!!!!! Grrrr! I am so over snow and ice. Unfortunately our hotel was located on top of a huge hill so we had to find an alternate route. We made it safely, but it still was an annoying surprise:)

3. I was already coming down with a cold at the start of our trip but having to sleep with the window open to air out our room only made it worse. So here I sit in bed on Monday, when I should be working! I have slept most of the day and will probably sleep again once I'm done writing this. I can't breath and I cough every 5 seconds . . .

Sounds like our trip was a bust, but it definately was far from it . . . aside from the minor annoyances we watched 16 great basketball games in 2 1/2 days and laughed more then we had in a long time! Derek and I spend alot of time together in general. We work together, coach together, spend the evenings together. Yet, this "babymoon" made me fall even more in love with him!

I am a little sad that our alone time together is up in a few weeks, but I can't wait for all of the fun times we will have with our baby! Hopefully our child likes basketball or we're in big trouble:)

Five weeks and I'm ready to go!

FIVE WEEKS- I really shouldn't say five weeks because I am sure it will be longer just to spite me:) I feel as though I have been relatively positive through this whole situation . . . as long as you're not my husband, sister, or mother, you probably will agree. They do get the brunt of it, but in my defense, they ask for it. And I know you didn't ask but I am going to share anyway:) Let's start with my fingers. . . they are like sausages! I have not dawned my wedding ring for weeks and I can barely bend my fingers without them aching. My back . . . the sciatic nerve is getting on my last nerve. My ankles . . . they look like they are sprained by the end of the day! So very big and throbbing! Stretch marks . . . ITCHY! I try not to itch. Derek tries not to let me itch. And yet, I still find a way to itch. Not good. I must stop! Morning sickness . . . I haven't had it all this time until a week ago. It's not fun. I would have been okay without ever experiencing it but I'll just be thankful that it could've been worse! Aside from all these normal pregnancy annoyances, I feel great! I have been sleeping so good that by the time I wake up I'm not sure if I'll make it to the bathroom in time. Praise the Lord, I have made it on time everytime!

AND I'M READY TO GO-Here are some pictures of the baby room. It turned out just like I had hoped and there is storage to spare for all of the baby "necessities" that will accumulate over time.

Showered with love

My sister is the best . . . not to mention my mother, and my good friend Melanie! They all made my baby shower so wonderful and it was a great turn out of friends and family that I will never forget! It is so special that so many people want to celebrate baby Imig's arrival!

Hearing Voices

Here I sit listening to little voices in my living room. No, I am not going crazy, but I do have a 9, 7, and 5 year old who managed to sleep no later then 6am. Sometimes I wonder why kids can't value sleep as much as adults do. I know I sure regret all the times I threw a fit for having to take a nap:)
I wish I could say that having my sisters kids over was a common occurence, but this actually is a rarity. I don't know how Mindy does it. Don't get me wrong, last night was the most fun I've had in a long time and it gave Derek and I a taste of what's to come in life. These kids are so funny and typical at the same time. Kyran enjoyed telling me all of the things he knew about the planets, and when I asked him what his favorite planet was, he responded, "No offense to Earth, because we live here and all, but I'm going to say Mars." It was so funny I couldn't stop laughing. Makenna spent the whole evening wanting to playing with my phone, send text messages, and listen to my ipod. None of which I let her do! When I was holding her doll carelessly on my lap she said, "Aunt Lindsay, I really hope that's not how you are going to take care of your baby." Thanks for the advice Mak:) And Camden only wanted to play video games. When we decided to play another game, "Pass the Pigs," Camden got upset because he kept losing. "I hate this game" he'd say and storm off. Only to return when his turn came up, he'd roll the pigs, hate the game and walk away again. Poor kid never won even though I kept letting him cheat:) Derek was quite the sport this evening. Picking out the movie, baking the pizza, and keeping score for our pig game. It is truly a joy to see him love his niece and nephews as much as I do!
Like I said, I wish this was a more common occurence but I still have more memories with these kids then you can imagine! I better go check on the kids, it just got awfully quite in the living room . . .

Aliens and leaky boobs

So I have had several milestones since I last blogged. The most interesting being a leaky left boob on two occasions. It was very random and still a little disturbing but I hear this is only the beginning! Aside from that, the baby went from moving a few times a day to a hyper active creature that just doesn't stop. Don't get me wrong I love the feeling of the baby moving, especially since I can see its movements more often then not. It actually looks like there is an alien in there wanting to get out. Hiccups are becoming common as well. It feels like my stomach has a heart beat! The last 32 weeks have had its ups and downs and I can't wait to meet my little baby!!

My First Baby Shower

My wonderful friends from high school were so sweet to have a baby shower for me a few weeks ago. I thought it may get canceled due to the Arctic Blast but everyone made it safely and I had a wonderful time!

They gave the pregnant girl the comfy chair!

I miss her when she's in Houston:(

What a yummy cake!The girls!