Riley has arrived...(it's a girl)...

Margaret and I went into the hospital on Monday. We were inducing her, since she had been due a few days before, and we didn't want to miss Thanksgiving. They started her on pitosin, which is intended to induce contractions; the doctor stopped the pitosin in the evening so Margaret could eat and rest. They started her back up at midnight. When the doctor came on Tuesday morning, he broke her water to speed up the process. However, by 7 o clock that night, Margaret had only dilated to 5 cm's. After contracting so long, Margaret was pretty exhausted, so we decided to go with a C Section. The procedure took about 45 minutes total, and by 8:36, Riley was here. She was 7 lbs. even and either 19.5 or 20.5 inches (I'm not sure which are official). They stitched Margaret up, and we spent the next 36 hours in the hospital until they discharged her. Our nurses were a bit shocked that the doctor allowed us to go home, since the minimum time after a C Section is usually 3 days. But Margaret's been doing well, and so has Riley. I'm amazed at how quickly Margaret's recovering. And I'm even more amazed with how well Riley's doing. Here's a couple videos of her first moments, and a few of my favorite pictures as well. I'm hoping to post more soon. God's blessed us enormously over the last year, but none of it compares to how much he blessed us this past week. Thank you to everyone who's prayed for us and supported us over the last 9 months. We wouldn't be where we are without you. :)

Hoppipolla.

This is probably one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. I could listen to this song over and over and never get tired of it. The video makes it even more beautiful. Its what I imagine Leif and I will be like when we grow old:) He's fun like that.
Sigur Rós is just brilliant.

Pictures of Riley's Room

Margaret wanted me to take some pictures of Riley's room to post on here. I just snapped a couple the other day, and though I'm not that happy w/ the quality of the pics, at least you'll get an idea of what her room looks like. It's turned out really well, although it'd be nice if we could paint one of the walls or something. We're hoping to add this tree wall decal in the near future...





The blanket and wall decor is by Amenity, which you can find on designpublic.com. We found the fox lamp at Urban Outfitters for $10, and the shade (as well as the dresser) is from Ikea.

Sunflowers.

The 15th of every month Leif buys me sunflowers:) Its something I look forward to each month. He's never forgotten. Not once. The 15th was when we started dating in April 2007 and to celebrate every month Leif would buy me my favorite flowers: Sunflowers. I'm blessed to have such a wonderful, thoughtful and caring husband. Really... He's the most amazing man I've ever known.

*I wanted to take a picture of the flowers he got me but I can't upload them to my computer because its broken:( So this image will have to do:


& a picture of us from like June/July 07. Its fun!

Some incredible wall paper.

I found this wall paper on designpublic.com today. It's an amazing site. Yes, it's a little pricey, but you'll be pressed to find a better site for decorating your home. Each of these are panels that can be placed next to each other seamlessly in whichever configuration you like. They're made by SUM. I can't wait to have a home to decorate, and the funds to do so...

Only 10 days left...

...until Riley's due date. We're not expecting her until a day or two later, but still:) November 22 is something we've been looking forward to since May, when we got to see her for the first time. I had heard that I would be super anxious and time would drag on around this point, but for me time continues to fly by. I think because I know that these are the last few days of just "Leif & Marge". This waiting period has been bittersweet I guess you could say... I'm really excited for Riley's arrival but I'm sad that things will be changing for Leif and I. The past 8 months with Leif have been amazing. We've grown so much, in our walk with God and our relationship with each other. Most couples get married and wait a few years before having children, giving them a lot more time for just each other. Leif and I on the other hand really only got a few months, but they were months filled with so much more than I would have ever imagined.

God has really blessed us in these past months and continues to do so on a daily basis. He never ceases to amaze me.

& I'm posting this picture because I think its wonderful
as is his music.

Ramona Córdova

A video of Riley doing somersaults, or something...

We're still waiting for Riley to get here, and though I don't have any pictures of her for you yet, here's a video of her having fun in Margaret's stomach. She usually moves even more than this. Every time I tried filming her she'd stop moving, just to frustrate me. I think she thought it was funny.

Some great pieces from Jeremy Scott

These are by Jeremy Scott. And although he may have been an ass on ANTM, these designs are pretty impressive. Now if only I could afford them for Margaret or I. The Rolls Royce Sweater is the cheapest, at $330, and it's not even cashmere.

Inaugural Post

This is the first entry in our blog. Margaret's making me post something, because I'm really bad at updating blogs. I always start off excited about them, and then I gradually forget that I even have a blog. But hopefully this time will be different, because now I can use this to write about Riley. She's two weeks away, and we're pretty excited to meet her. I hope she comes sooner, partly because I want to see her, and partly because I bet Margaret $5 that she would get here within a week. Anyways, we'll be posting on here, about Riley, and about us, and whatever things we feel like sharing. So check back often. And pray Riley gets here safely...with all ten fingers and all ten toes...or at least seven fingers and nine toes. That would probably be enough to get her through life...