Lincoln- Month Ten

We've got ourselves a walker folks!    After many fake-outs and moments of teasing with us watching you with camera laden hands, you are finally taking steps.  We aren't running any marathons any time soon, but you can take a few steps before lowering yourself back down to your bottom.  You've been ready for a few weeks, but you just needed to build your balance and confidence.  I know that now that you can do this, things are really about to change at our house.  Most of the baby-proofing from your sister is still intact, but there are few loose ends that will need to be taken care of.  You have such a logical mind like your Daddy.  I can see you watching us as we do things and then trying to do them for yourself.  You are already trying to get into the cabinets, and your Daddy caught you trying to fit your head into the space between the gate and the stairs to try and gain entrance to your holy grail--the stairs.  You can climb up those stairs as fast as lightening.  Thankfully the first time you tried it, I was standing right behind you so I decided to see how far you could get while I was there to catch you.  YOU MADE IT TO THE TOP!  Then to make matters worse, you turned around and smiled at me like "Ha ha.  I made it."  My poor little heart isn't ready for such a charming little dare devil.




You are  22.1 lbs and 28 inches.  I think some of the weight gain can be attributed to the fact that we are letting you try all kinds of new foods lately.  I was a by-the-book kind of girl with your sister, and I have been pretty good with you until recently.  I think I have fallen off the wagon though, and I'm not sure you will let me go back.  You really love all of it, and with every fork that is brought to my lips, I can feel you staring me down for more of whatever I have.







You traveled to go buy your daddy a new car and out for dinner and shopping several times, but we were too busy with parties, church, and work to go anywhere too far from home.  Spring break is coming up though, so I'm sure I will get you out and about soon.

You Eat: any vegetables and fruits that you want (other than strawberry), chicken and turkey mixes of baby food,  and Gerber treats.  You also got to try some special things like tea (thanks Papa), banana pudding, whipped cream, refried beans, rice, avocado, and other soft things.  Your teachers and I decided that they can start letting you try some of the regular daycare food on days when it is something you could manage eating.  I can't get over how eager of an eater you are. We haven't really found anything that you don't like.

You Like: your gumball machine that we got you for Christmas (you can even pick up the balls and put them back in yourself now), going for walks in the stroller, riding in the tank carts at the store where you can see everything, drinking things from a straw, eating "table food," snuggling with Mommy, comfort nursing, walking around and showing off for your adoring audience, playing with your toys (or Emmy's toys), getting into Mommy's shelves, general mischief, using that new tooth, playing hide and seek, and being outside.

You Dislike: teething, being alone in the dark, being hungry, running out of snacks, having to be patient, 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, falling down while trying to walk, Maggie (and she doesn't deserve your scorn), and not being able to do your own thing.

You Say: mama, dada, buh, bye, ba, and rah.  You also make a motorboat like noise and have loud shrieks.  I also could have sworn that you said nah the other day which means the dreaded no is just around the corner.

 Teeth: 1 (bottom right).














Here you are by week:

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!