Lincoln- Month Eight

This was a big month for you Buddy!  You had your first Christmas, and you loved all of the lights on the tree, brightly wrapped packages, and extra love that you got from family.  You wear size 6-9 month clothes and size three diapers.  You weigh 19.35 pounds and are 26.5inches.

You can drink water from a sippy cup now, and you have almost mastered the art of holding it up high enough to get your water from it.  We found Tommy Tippee sippy cups that were for 7+ months and it is awesome.  The doctor would like for you to drink six to eight ounces of water a day, so we all have water goals for the new year.

You are crawling all over the place now, and you are SO FAST!  We can't set you down anywhere and expect you to  be there for very long.  You are also pulling up on everything and trying to let go and stand by yourself.  It is times like these that make me wish we had tacky shag carpet.  You have fallen a few times on the tile, and it breaks my heart every time.  It doesn't seem to phase you, but I still have ice packs on standby.  Since you won't stay on the area rug, we have also resorted to pulling out the pack-n-play.  You are content to play in there as long as we are all in the room, but if we leave, you are highly upset.

In fun news, you went to Nutcracker with the ladies group from church, and you behaved like a dream.  You slept almost the entire first act until the clapping woke you up.  Then you play during intermission, and slept part of the second act.  While you were awake you were enraptured with the beautiful dancers and lights.  I was pretty nervous beforehand, but you couldn't have done any better if I had planned it all out myself.

You got to be in the Christmas play at church!  You were baby Jesus during the manger scene, and it was quite adorable if I do say so myself.  (You get a good part when your Mom is the director and you are the only baby boy at church.)

During this month you went to the Christmas mall, you watched The Nutcracker in Stafford,  you went to Henry's party in College Station, you went to Channelview for Christmas Eve, you went to Beaumont for Christmas Day, and you traveled to Gigi's house for New Year's.  You also got to attend the El Campo Christmas parade, and we did lots and lots of Christmas shopping this month.  

Speaking of Christmas, you will really really enjoyed all of the packages. You love the colors, you loved all the different shapes and sizes, and you loved when it was time to tear open the paper.  You liked your gifts but I'm not sure that you like them as much as you enjoyed the paper, the bows, and the sound of everything tearing as you ripped into it.  We bought you  really exciting presents this year like socks ,a new thermometer, clothes, and one fun toy that lights up and sings.  I figured we better buy you things you needed instead of just more stuff to sit around the house, and don't worry you got lots of toys from your other relatives.

You eat: green beans, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, apples, bananas, prunes with apples (only if you are feeling a bit clogged), banana puffs, banana yogurt bites, and the Gerber maple syrup puffs (who even knew they made such a thing).  You still drink milk (5- 5.5 ounces at a time) and water (5 ounces a day).

You love: crawling, pulling up on the furniture, your new car, the rubber duck, all your new snacks, splashing in the bath tub, clicking the keys on a keyboard, grabbing things with your ever developing pitching reflex, giving kisses, snuggling at bed time, and eating (we haven't found much that you don't like).

You dislike: being alone, having stuff taken away from you (like leaves you found on the floor), not being fed fast enough, being strapped into your seat if we aren't in the car, waking up in the dark, loud noises, and not getting your way.






You were playing a little game that I like to call "I Will Not Sit Up for a Picture No Matter How Many Times Mommy Tries" today.  It was super fun.





By the week, here is what you looked like this month. 











It's been a whirlwind of a month, but you survived your first holiday season.  We can't wait for the many more we will share.

Lincoln- Month Seven

You wear six-nine month clothes.  You wear size two diapers, but when this box runs out, we are moving to threes.  You weigh 18.13 pounds.You are a little over 26 inches.

You are MOBILE!!  You are crawling everywhere and getting into everything!  Nothing that is within your grasp is safe.  You are super curious, and you will not be deterred.  When we are holding you, you immediately grab for hair like it is your safety preserver.  You don't let go once you have  it within your grasp either.  I am constantly pulling strands of my hair out of your fingers.

If for some reason we don't immediately do what you want to do, you have a new trick that you pull out.  YOU SHRIEK LIKE A BANSHEE.  I'm not talking about a regular cry or a yell.  This is full out what are they doing to that baby; is he dying?  I thought that maybe you saved all of that awesomeness for us at home, but your daycare teachers have confirmed that you do it there.  In fact, your cries once drew the daycare director down to the nursery to investigate.  You are smart though.  You know we are no match for that cry; once you start, we all do whatever you want.

You are eating so many new things these days, which is building other skills as well.  You are honing the "crab pinch" to pick up small items with your fingers and thumb.  You tried the Gerber puffs (that your sister adored) and you gagged as soon as we put them in your mouth.  You hated them.  We have found a new use for them though.  If you are fussy when I am cooking dinner, I like to put you in your high chair and give you puffs.  You practice picking them up and throwing them on the floor.  I know that it is wrong to waste food, but sometimes moms just have to do what they need to do to get dinner on the table.  I know that your aversion to puffs is only temporary, and I'm sure you will like them soon.

While we are on the subject of trying new things, let's talk about grandparents.  You got to try two new things over the Thanksgiving holidays thanks to your grandparents.  Pappy Barnes gave you whipped cream (Mommy and Daddy did not react well) and GiGi fed you a container of baby food that wasn't labeled out of my bag.  It turned out that it was a container of apples that I brought for you to try.  You loved them of course, but you thought they were a little tart from the description of your reaction that GiGi shared.  I'm sure this is only the beginning of the things you will try without our permission.  You are reaching for people's plates now and sampling when they aren't looking if you can get your little fingers on stuff. 

You are sitting up like a champ now.  if we help you get up, you can sit there forever playing with toys or watching us.  You can't quite get to a sitting position by yourself, but I know by next month that skill will be under your belt--no problem.

You traveled to: a Ricebird football game, Atascocita for photos, Cedar Park to visit family, to Pearland for Ollie's party, Milam to visit GiGi, and to Tyler to see Uncle Bill.

You like: doing what you want to do, crawling around, looking at and exploring new things (we need to make sure all of our baby proofing is still in tact), playing with the piano bouncer,your Sophie giraffe, the steering wheel toy, being swaddled, your pacifier, snuggling (more so in the evening), and giving big kisses ( you still try to eat/suck on our faces).

You dislike:Sitting in your car seat if we arent in the car, the word no, mommy walking out of the room at home, not being allowed to crawl wherever, bumping your head, sitting up, puffs, and loud noises.

You Eat: Green beans, peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, apples, puffs, water, and milk.

Here are your photos from this month. You are just adorable if I do say so myself.









By the week, here are some photos of you from this month!

Lincoln-Month Six

You were sick this month!  You had some kind of viral infection that was all in your respiratory track, but the gross part was that it led to discharge from your eyes.  They were bright red and running constantly for days.  You didn't act like it hurt you, but it was pitiful.  The doctor released you to go back to daycare, but Aunt Jeslynn watched you at her house for three days.  Then your sister got strep, and I got whatever you had so we all got to stay home for two days.  Since I never take off, it was glorious.  We just relaxed and rested--two whole days of movies and jammies.  Then one day your eyes cleared up, and you were as good as new.

You weigh 17 pounds and 4 ounces. and are 25.5 inches tall.  We are moving you into 6-9 month clothes now even though the other ones still fit.  There is just too much to wear.  It's a problem that every girl wishes she had, but you are the lucky one Lincoln.  You will wear size two diapers, and they fit perfectly.

You are rolling all over the place.  I will put you down on the floor under your gym, and look over at you a few seconds later and you are long gone.  You grab everything and put it in your mouth.  You say Mama (10/13) (occasionally) Dada (all the time).   You push up on your tummy and hold yourself up for a long time.  You screech and scream if you are hungry or if we are taking too long to get you the food.  You are fine again as soon as you start eating, but the screams will return if the spoon doesn't.  You play with toys on the floor by yourself (especially when you are on your tummy).  You are really interested in the lights and motions on the TV.  It can distract you easily even while eating.  I don't know that you really care what is on (BONUS for Mommy), but anything bright and with sounds is a winner. 

You also got to go trick-or-treating.  I didn't actually get to go since I was working the city-wide trick-or-treat, but Daddy and Grandma Susan said you did a great job.

You traveled: You went to Adalyn's birthday party, National Night Out, the Ray Wedding, the pumpkin patch,Dylan's birthday party, and trick-or-treating!

You like:EATING (we can't feed you fast enough), playing wiht your toys, trying to push up, sitting up, grabbing anything you can get your hands on, feeling everything around you (with your fingers, with your mouth, with your toes), PUMPKINS (you must think they are giant orange amazeballs), your lion, your light up giraffe, staying home with mommy, playing with halloween candy, snuggles, being swaddled, and bath time.

You dislike: having things taken away, not being fed quickly enough, running out of baby food (it takes your stomach a few minutes to catch up), being woken up from a nap, sore gums, the dark, and not being picked up quickly enough.

You eat:green beans, squash, peas, carrots, water, and milk.











Your weekly photos are my favorite.  I love that later I will be able to quickly flip through them and see all of the little changes over the year.





Nana Cory got him the little sail boat set, and I love it.  It is so reminiscent of an earlier time.



Even though it isn't a weekly update, I had to include this one because I just love how his eyes look.



This is a photo from when he first got sick.  It got worse from here.



By the end of the next week, he was all better!




This was just the beginning of the holiday season Lincoln, so the real fun is still to come!

Lincoln- Month Five

You weigh 15.4 pounds and 25 inches tall (long).  You wear size two diapers and you still wear size 3-6 clothes.  You are still just the happiest baby and a joy to have around.

You can roll over both ways, so we cannot just leave you lying on the bed anymore.  Now let us all bow our heads and say a prayer for your Mommy's sanity now that you are becoming more mobile.

Okay.  And moving on.

You shriek and squeal with laughter when tickled, and you especially like when your Daddy acts like he is going to eat your stomach.  You laugh so hard that you almost cry.  You realize when you have been left alone now, and you aren't too crazy about it.  The double edged sword is that you respond positively to just my presence.  So while I can just walk into the room and you feel better, I have to walk into the room.  You are going through a small "mommy" phase, and sometimes other people just don't do it for you.  The exception to this is the ladies from school.  You practically jump out of my arms every morning to get to them.

You can sit up (with protection around you) for a few moments now.  We like to sit you up in the middle of the bed or on the rug in the living room with pillows all around you.  You will sit there for a few seconds and then your whole body will just plop over to the side.  It's incredibly cute when I know that you are safe.  You have the biggest smile.  I just can't emphasize that one enough.  It melts my heart every time.  This could be very dangerous in a few years.

You went to Andrew's ring day (College Station), to meet Elizabeth Kathleen (Pearland), the Downtown Houston Aquarium, and Cookie's bridal shower among other various events.

You like: chewing on your fingers, eating anything we will put on a spoon and head your way, playing with the lion and giraffe on your car seat, playing and getting tickled, your pacifier is still the biggest asset we have with you (you love it),  playing on the floor, your jungle gym mat, looking at the TV and listening to music, hugging everyone, kisses, and snuggling.

You dislike: Being left alone, Mommy walking out of the room, being "forced" to be somewhere (like strapped into a seat or swing You just want to move at will), the dark, your pacifier coming out in the car and not being able to reach it, and not being fed quickly enough.


You eat: green beans, milk, and water.


Monthly and weekly photos are below.

This one showcases that killer smile I was talking about earlier.





Those eyes.  I can't even.





He seemed to grow up so much this month.







You can see his little "tripod sitting" showcased here.

Lincoln- Month Four

You wear three month clothes now from Carters and 3-6 from everywhere else.  You wear size 2 diapers  You weigh  14.5 pounds and are 24 inches.

You eat every three-and-a-half  to four hours.  When you are at daycare, I really try to get them to stick to the four hour mark since I only get to pump twice while I am gone during the day.  You sleep from around 10:30 or 11:00 until 6:30 when I wake you up to eat before school.  Our morning routine consists of me getting ready, getting Emmy ready and then feeding you at the table while we eat breakfast.  So far that seems to be working out for you.

You can push up on your stomach for a long time, you can roll, but you won't unless you are mad, you can annihilate a bottle, you try to stand up by yourself and push off if we are holding you, you can (still) hold yourself up in our arms.  I'm pretty sure that I could carry you around on my hip and you would be fine.  I'm still enjoying the close snuggles though so I carry you around close to my chest.

You traveled to Dallas this month on your first family vacation.  You visited a water park, the downtown Dallas area, the Fort Worth Zoo, the stockyards, and other places. You were an excellent traveling companion.  Even though it was as hot as Hades, you were content to go with the flow and see all of the sights.  There were a few times that I got nervous with you in the heat so we gave you some water from a straw and put some cool compresses here and there.  You were fine, but Mommy worried.

As you probably got from earlier comments, you started daycare this month too.  Those ladies are enthralled with you and you are pretty sweet on them too.  I was much better when it was time to leave you and I almost made it out the door without shedding some tears.  A few well meaning comments from one of Emmy's teachers sent me over the edge.  You are fine though, and I know that getting to be apart some is the best for both of us.

You like: being held, smiling at people, looking/staring at everything around you, watching animals move around (the zoo was awesome for you), being swaddled at night, eating like a big boy, lying and playing with your toy gym, and talking and playing with your sister (other than me she might be your favorite).    

You dislike: Being hot and sweaty (August was a bummer for you), waking up before you are ready, being startled, not being fed quickly enough, waking up alone, mosquitoes, and getting out of the pool if it is already cool outside. 

You eat: green beans (1s), water, and milk.  (We are living on the edge here.)

























You made it through big changes this month Buddy, and we are so proud of you!

Lincoln- Month Three

You have officially outgrown your newborn clothes.  They fit, but the way they split you down the middle can't be comfortable.  0-3 still fit, but I am putting them all away this week so I can get your next set ready before I go to school.  You wear size 1 diapers still.  They are fitting a little snug though so I may take your two boxes of ones back to the store for 2s.  You weigh 13 pounds even and are 23 inches.

You eat every three to four hours.  I am trying to slowly edge it towards the four hour mark.  You sleep from around 10:30 or 11:00 until at least 4:30.  Most nights it is at least 5:30.  When we are lucky,  you will doze until 7:00 or 7:30.

You traveled to Austin and Marble Falls this month to see your Daddy's family for the 4th of July.  You also made your first trip to Grannie Nelson's house.  Both trips went extremely well.  You slept a lot of the way there and when we stopped to go to the restroom, we changed and fed you and kept trucking.

You go pretty much anywhere and everywhere.  You enjoy going to the Country Club to go swimming and watching your sister go down the slide.

You like your swing, nursing, the rock-n-play, being talked to, "the Bohemian bounce", snuggles, watching everything that your sister does, looking at the colors of the tv, your floor mat and all of the hanging toys, Mommy and Lincoln time, and swinging.

You don't like staying by yourself for too long (you can stay a lot longer than your sister did though) (and we never really leave you we just get out of your range of sight), being forced to wait to eat, being hot (Texas can be cruel buddy), shots, and being woken up from a nap by Sissy.







Week by week he sure was growing this month!









He looks like such a chunk here!




Love you Lincoln, and we love watching you grow big boy!