Lincoln- Month Nine

You are now a force to be reckoned with.   You are  20.4 lbs and 27 inches.



You are a tornado that has hit us unexpectedly, and we are all grasping for straws trying to keep up with you.  You crawl at lightning speed all over the house.  You are now able to pull up on the furniture and walk along the couches.  You dive head first into the unknown, and I don't mean this metaphorically.  You actually dove into your little red car head first the other day.  I laughed until you started to cry, which brings us to all of the head traumas.  Your daddy is threatening to make you wear a helmet if you don't stop bumping your head on everything.  We counted the other evening, and you hit your head five times before I picked you up and swore to never put you back down.  When you sit at your high chair, you will excitedly bang the back of your head against the chair as we feed you.  My poor little heart cannot take the stress that you are forcing on it.

BUT--because you knew there would be a but-- you are also the sweetest little boy the world has ever known.  You cling to me in the mornings and rub my arm; you snuggle up and watch TV with me just because you want to be held.  You also give the best little kisses and hugs a girl could ask for.  So maybe being a boy mom isn't so bad.

Other than being super mobile, you are also trying all kinds of new foods.  You have tried almost all of the different Gerber puffs and yogurt bites, and you LOVE THEM ALL.  I'm pretty sure you would eat the whole bag if I let you, which I almost do at church to keep you quiet.











You traveled to GiGi's house for New Year's, but other than that, we didn't do a lot of traveling in January.  We had lots of engagements and "stuff" to do at home, so we stayed close.  It was a nice month.




You Eat: any vegetables and fruits that you want (other than strawberry), chicken baby food (usually in a mix), puffs and other Gerber treats, cream puffs (just one at your dedication party),

You Like: being held unless you want to play (and vice versa), sleeping in your bed (HALLELUJAH!), playing with your toys, the daycare ladies, your sister, going outside, your blue car, your cube toy, EATING, and seeing people that you know.

You Dislike: being alone in the dark, being hungry, running out of snacks, sitting in your car seat for one second after we have walked into the house, lying down to take a nap (but you love sleep once you are out for the count), having to sit still to get dressed or get a diaper change, being told no, and watching us eat regular food and not being able to have it too.

You Say: mama, dada, buh, bye, and rah.













Here you are by week:

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's First Beach Trip

After all of the craziness of Christmas, we loaded up the Durango and headed out to the beach one blistery winter day.  The sun was shining, but the wind was also blowing.  So while, it was a beautiful day, we weren't going anywhere near the water!

Our trip was spurred on by the fact that Andrew said he had never been to the Gulf of Mexico.  Since it is all of 45 minutes from our house, we knew that a trip was a must.

Look at my beautiful baby all bundled up in a hodge-podge mix of clothes.  We call this style "put on as many layers as possible so you don't freeze."



The boys wanted to stroll down the beach and look for shells and driftwood.  Kari and I set up shop near the pier, and made a camp for the babies and ourselves.  Can you tell we were cold?  Look at poor Lincoln's cheeks!



He wasn't scared of the grand expanse of water.  All he wanted to do was crawl around the blanket and play with the toys we brought.  The only problem was that I just wanted him to stay under the blankets where it was warm.



Emmy convinced Kari to walk around with her so she could look for shells.



They came back pretty quickly so they could burrow back under the covers.



We did enjoy listening to the waves roll in and taking in all the beauty that comes with being at the beach.



Emmy decided that a dance and gymnastic performance was on our agenda.  We buy so much stuff to make them happy, but I don't think anything we bought made her as happy as having our undivided attention while she performed and played.  Food for thought next year when I am trying to decide what to buy for Christmas.



After a while, we decided to go and explore on the jetties.  Kari found a walking stick and proceeded to start climbing and jumping way farther than she had any right to.  She made some comment about needing to put her yoga pants to work...or something to that effect.



Before we knew it, we were chilled to the bone, and Dad called and said he was making chili at his house.  That was all of the incentive we needed to pack our stuff up and head back to EC.



Lincoln's first beach trip was a success.  Maybe next time he will actually get to go in the water.  ;)

Henry's 5th Birthday Party

In the heart of December, we traveled to College Station for Henry's 5th birthday part at the College Station Museum of Science.  They had an adorable party room set up and ready for fun.  The kids entertained themselves by playing with plush snakes and frogs while they waited to eat snacks.



Next, they traveled to a room where museum employees brought out real animals for them to touch and learn about.  They were a rapt audience!



Henry was so brave and said that yes he would pet the snake.  When they got to Emmy, she gave them a you-are-freaking-crazy look and said, "No thanks."



Lincoln entertained himself by crawling around on the floor looking for pieces of lint to put in his mouth. Oh the joys of having tiny humans.  It was super exciting to get to see Avery!!



The next station was in another room where the children got to decorate foam snakes.  Emmy showed off her mad penmanship skills and wrote her name on her snake.  Thanks Methodist for making me look like a rock star at the party!



We went back to the party room and had cake.  It was adorable, and Henry seemed to think it tasted pretty good too!



After they finished cake, the kids went on a scavenger hunt in the museum, and I stayed in the main room to hang out and talk to Lauren.  Can you believe that no so long ago, we were high school kids trying to decide if we wanted Taco Bell or McDonald's for lunch?  Now we both have two babies and we are throwing birthday parties and doing our best to adult.  Time is crazy!





We had a great time at the party, and we sure are going to miss these guys while they venture off to Oklahoma for a new adventure.  I'm betting they will come back to visit though!

The Nutcracker 2015

This year, we were invited to attend The Nutcracker with the ladies from our church.  Kari was supposed to come down and go with us, but she had to study for a final.  Bradley and Lincoln were going to have a Daddy-Baby date, but he had to go to San Antonio for a family member's graduation, so we all headed out for an afternoon at the ballet.  I was very nervous about how my very active little boy was going to do.



Our seats were amazing.  We were five rows back, and we were almost dead center.  If you are in Houston and planning on going to The Nutcracker, I high recommend attending a performance at the Stafford Center.  It is a smaller production, but it was so convenient and affordable.  Mom and Brit went the year before at the Wortham, and they could hardly see what was happening on stage.  We were definitely not going to have that issue!



They chose a special princess to come on stage and meet the principle ballerina.  I snapped this photo before the little lady made it there because I thought the dancer looked so regal--like a real princess.  Lincoln slept through the first half of the show, and after intermission he started to stir.  I pulled out the snacks and silently gave him puffs while he watched the mice running around on the stage.  Such a champ!



Emmarie LOVED the show.  She kept going on and on about how she wanted to be a dancer and how pretty all the dancers were.



Another benefit to attending a smaller show is that the cast members come out and take photos!  We were of course all about that, and Emmy was not shy about jumping in.



Before we left the theater, we put my phone on a brick in the wall and snapped a photo.  We had such an amazing time, and I cannot wait to make this into an annual tradition.

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!