August

August is always an eventful month for us. But this year a few special things happened. First, my dear friend Courtney had her "coating" ceremony as a welcome into the new Physician Assistant program at U of D Mercy. I was incredible proud of her and I was honored to be the one there cheering her one. I know how hard she has worked to get into this program and to see them slip that white coat on her made me incredibly proud!

After Courtney's celebration we took our annual trip to Tawas to visit hubby's family. Lincoln had a blast!

I adore these last two photos. We took a day trip to Lake Huron and got our feet a little wet. Unfortunately it was unseasonably cool that weekend but at the highest temperature of the day, Fred and the boy took a little dip. I think these are two of my most favorite photos ever!

Lincoln's Birthday Party

So, I went pretty OAM on this first birthday- thats "over-achiever mom" for those that don't know ;)

I started planning Lincoln's first birthday party when he was like 8-9 months old. Of course I went to the authority on ideas of this sort....Pinterest!!! And I soon found the theme I fell in love with - the Farm!!!

I had a few friends and family who I knew could help me pull it off.

First, were the adorable farm-animal cupcakes designed and made by my Aunt Alicia. I loved the little chicks!

My Aunt also created the smash-cake below with Lincoln in his barn...I LOVED it!!!

We also went all-out on the guest list. We ended up with around 70-75 guests. Yes, seven-five...it was a bit crazy. But we are very lucky to have a lot of family and friends...and many of them helped us celebrate our baby boy's birthday!

In addition to the adorable cupcakes and custom smash-cake, my friend Courtney (who, herself, lives on a farm) loaned us some hay barrels to complete the decor....although we did have to give them back to the cows when we were finished with them.

And of course, what kids summer party would be complete without a pinata!!! I ordered a cow pinata from Oriental Trading Company and it was a hit with all of the kids...from 3 year olds to 12 year olds.

Below is one adorable guest, Cullen, taking a shot at the cow...

Lincoln was in such a good mood that day and it was just the icing on the cake!! He had all of his favorite people in one place at the same time. There was so much excitement and, of course, yummy food and cake- he had a blast!

I was told by several guests after the party that their kids had an absolute blast!  I was so happy- that is exactly what we wanted. We made sure we had plenty for kids to do- a double slip-n-slide, a kiddy pool, a baby splash pad and the pinata of course. The slip-n-slide and pinata were the big hits!!! Sure, the slip-n-slide ruined a good section of our grass, but it was worth it!

Lincoln was of course spoiled with many cool gifts- we have hardly had to buy clothes or toys for this boy yet. He is so spoiled!

Here is Lincoln with seven of the little guests on the slip-n-slide. So cute!

And what first birthday can come to a close without the smash cake. Lincoln loved diving into the cake, although he was a bit daintier then I expected. Never-the-less he enjoyed eating the cake and was clearly very pleased with himself.

As the big bash came to a close he took a dip with some friends in the kiddie pool.

So in retrospect all of the planning and money was worth it for Lincoln, and most of our guests, to have a blast. Sure, I could have certainly scaled back on some of the food (mainly munchy-food we put on the tables) - it was hardly eaten. And we probably could have had a few less dishes of food. Its so hard to know, especially with so many guests, how much food to have.

And its hard to believe the morning of the party we thought it would be a bust. At midnight we lost power. We had $400 worth of food in our fridge and freezer. Luckily we awoke right when the power went off and had a generator in the garage. We only lost a few items of food. However, cooking for the party in a house with no air conditioning in July was...interesting. Our smoke alarms were going off, the house filled with smoke as the mac-n-cheese started to burn....we were running around shutting off alarms...all while my mother tried to put Lincoln down for his first nap so he wasn't cranky for the party.

But, like a wish come true, right as the party was starting the power came back on.

It was destined to be a great day.

And it was.

Lincoln One Year!!!

Lincoln Andreas- what a blessing you have been this past year! It seems like just yesterday  I was counting the days until I could take a pregnancy test to find out if I was pregnant. We wanted you so badly and after two failed pregnancies we feared we would never have you. But, life had something more magical in store then we ever could have imagined. One year ago, after over 1300 lovenox injections, 22 months of waiting, 36 hours of labor and an emergency c-section- there you were!!!

You were born skinny, white and screaming with your fist held high in the air. Your daddy got to hold you first and brought you near my head; I spoke and you turned and looked directly into my eyes. That moment bonded us beyond measure and I have never known or felt such love.

Since that moment we have certainly had our ups and downs. You spent the first four days of your life in the special care nursery. We got to hold you very little and were fearful you would not gain weight. But, despite our fears you grew stronger every day and at the end of your 4th day of life you were able to come home with us.

We settled in and you were sleeping wonderfully at first- 5 hours in a stretch. But, then you starting experiencing reflux and I fought my milk supply and we had a rough couple of months.

But, as quickly as the troubles came they seemed to pass and before we knew it you were three months old, holding your head up and smiling constantly.

Before too long it was Christmas and you stared wide-eyed at the beautiful lights of the season. Then you were six months and sitting on your own. Life became easier now that you could sit and we started to take you to more places. You were, and are, fascinated by other people and you'll spend a good 20 minutes staring at them when we are out and about.

You also started rolling over and life was both easier and harder now that you were mobile. The days of being able to effectively work from home were certainly over. You suffered two ear infections and had difficulty napping (and still do). And we experienced the dreaded sleep regression that lasted an exhausting 7 weeks during your eighth and ninth month- that was aweful!

Soon, you were pulling up on everything and we knew walking was not long off. Your vocabulary grew and grew and you can now  say 6 words. You took to the sippy cup easily and do not seem to  be a picky eater. You were a late teether- with only 4 teeth by one year old.

By 11 months you were walking and we were chasing. You are silly, stubborn, sassy and affectionate. You love applesauce, yogurt, graham crackers, blueberries and tuna fish (yes, tuna fish!). You prefer water in your sippy to about anything else and you love, love, love to test your boundaries with climbing.

In a year you've grown from a scrawny newborn into a young toddler. You are beautiful - with long dark lashes, pouty pink lips and sandy wild hair. Its amazing to look at you and see so many members of our family. My eyes, Daddy's body and hands, Nonna's chin, Grandma's toes and Grandpa's ears. When I was pregnant I used to daydream about what my son would look like. I never could have dreamed you would be as beautiful as you are.

Thank you for blessing us Lincoln. Thank you for being you and giving our lives meaning beyond measure and joy beyond words. And as we venture into toddler-hood I ask you to be gentle on us :)

Happy Birthday my sweet, angel-faced boy. I love you to the moon and back.

Random Summer Fun

Its hard to believe that summer is already half over. In addition to Lincoln growing my the month (or day) and all of the changes that brings, we've been enjoying ourselves as a family and enjoying the summer-time. The older I get the more and more I hate winter. I hate the lack of sunshine! I just like being able to go outside and not have to bundle Lincoln up or being able to go for a walk after dinner.

There is so much more to do and my mood is 1000% better.

June was a celebration of Father's Day. I nabbed this cute photo of Linc and Fred on Father's Day (Fred leaning in for a kiss) and I adore it!

Later in June we visited with Great Grandma Betty, Great Aunt Alicia and of course Mr. Chicken (Lorenzo). The boys have such a great connection and I love to see them love on each other! Here they are holding hands (right after Lincoln tackled Renzo with kisses).

Lincoln also had a very brief ride on a Pony while we were at the park.

While we were at the park I also took some more official three year photos of Mr. Chicken. I CAN NOT believe he is going to be FOUR in January.

There were also some quitter moments, like playing the backyard, captured in this photo below by my friend Rachel.

And finally, before the big birthday party- was the 4th of July. We celebrated early in the day with a BBQ dinner with Nonna and Grandpa and went to bed before the fireworks. And, luckily, our little Independence Boy didn't wake up from the noise :)

Lincoln Eleven Months

Oh my dear, sweet baby boy! One month left until he is a full year old. Seriously it seems like yesterday that we were dealing with one of the hottest summers in recent record and praying for just a 4 hour stretch of sleep. My, my how things have changed!

Lincoln is now walking!!! I swore he was going to walk after a year...but he proved me wrong. Between 10 and 11 months he took his first steps and is now walking most of the time. He still has his tumbles of course but he's getting pretty good at it. At a recent graduation party he was walking up-hill and through grass. 

His vocabulary consists of mama, dada (his favorite word), baba, yeah, kitty kat (kit cat) and most recently, dog. He is sleeping 10- 10.5 hours at night and we've started weaning him off of formula and onto milk. His favorite foods are fruit, yogurt melts and he loves when I break off pieces of popcorn for him to eat. He loves water and is not a fan of juice (which is just fine by us). He has quite the little temper and has started throwing baby tantrums when we take something away. He still thinks "no" is funny- and that is becoming less and less cute.

Very recently he had his first day at daycare and he did really well. We, unfortunately, said good-bye to our friend Nicole as our part-time babysitter. From the beginning we made an agreement for her to watch him for the first year. So, while we're very sad she won't be around as much we also feel it is time for Linc to be around more children and learn socialization skills. She was a fabulous baby-sitter though and she and Linc formed an incredible bond in this first year (as you can tell).

He also won't see "big sister" Mandy as much (Nicole's daughter) but we still plan to get them together to play. Mandy and Linc adore each other. I am so grateful he got the chance to build a bond like they have. Mandy recently told my mom that she loves Lincoln more than "the world!" Adorable.

The big birthday party is right around the corner. On one hand I can't wait and on the other hand I am almost sad. This year has been a whirl-wind! And I have a feeling the next few years will fly even faster. Life keeps on going I guess, but one thing is for sure, this has been the hardest, best and more memorable year of my life. Even though he's only been in our lives for such a short time...it is hard to remember what life was like before him. 

The countdown to the big O-N-E begins!

A Wedding and A Vacation

At the end of May we took a trip to Grand Rapids for my longest and very dear friend's wedding!!! We headed out on Friday night in order to be there for the celebration on Saturday. Here we are at a restaurant on the way to Grand Rapids. Can you see how thrilled Lincoln is to have been in the car for so long? lol!

Once we got to Grand Rapids we got settled into the hotel and put Lincoln down for the night. The next morning (the Wedding day) I got up early to help the Bride and her parents set up the reception space...and took a few photos. 

Here is the beautiful Bride before the wedding.

The wedding was beautiful! It was such a pretty day and the temperature was just right. We had a blast! Its always more fun when you go to a wedding and know so many people there. Since Brit and I have been friends for 25 years (wow- 25 years...old ladies) I know a lot of her family very well and we share some mutual friends. 

Below are some friends and I at the reception.

And the hubby and I getting cute.

Below is me and the brother of the Bride. I've know this guy since he was in diapers (literally). He has grown into such a smart, nice, funny and all around awesome man!

Below - me with Lori and Rachel. 

We took some family photos with Lincoln before my mom took him back to the hotel after dinner. I love this family picture of the three of us.

He looks so mad at me in this picture. He hadn't seen much of me all day and he was making me pay for it. Geez...rip my heart out little man!

He loves Fred so, so much (as you can tell in this picture). As a mother I think we always want to be number one in our kids eyes. But, Fred and I really do split all parenting duties 50/50 - just like the rest of our lives. So, Lincoln is more attached to me in some ways and Fred in others. He takes naps better for Fred and prefers for Fred to hold him. He eats better for me and gives me more kisses and giggles and plays more with me. Lincoln and I are both so lucky that Fred is such a hands-on, involved and loving father. So many children do not get to have a solid, loving fatherly role model in their lives.

Lincoln and his Nonna. He loves her so much!

And Lincoln with the beautiful Bride. Brit is such a great Auntie to Lincoln. She spoils him with presents and makes a huge effort to see him often- and when she can't she always asks how he is and what new things he is doing. I secretly can't wait for her and her new hubby to have a baby. I hope Lincoln and he/she will be best friends! But more importantly I know how badly Brit wants to be a mother and I can't wait for her to experience the absolutely incredible gift that motherhood is. Although she is now the step-mother to two awesome little girls who I adore!

And at the end of the night, although they were exhausted, the Bridge and Groom let me snag a photo with them. Congrats guys- we all had a blast at your wedding and wish you the best in your new life together as Mr. and Mrs.!

On Sunday after the wedding festivities were over, we were off to Ludington. Fred and I fell in love with this city when we visited back in 2011 and we couldn't wait to take Lincoln and my mom there as well. 

On the way we stopped at Silver Lake Sand Dunes and took some photos at the bottom of a dune. This was Lincoln's first time in the sand...he didn't care for it much.

And while we were there he started showing off one of his latest skills- POINTING!!! (and now he points at EVERYTHING) lol!

Once we got to Ludington we explored the Downtown area and went on a Playground. It was too cold to walk the 1/2 mile trek to the Lighthouse with Lincoln so we took him on his first slide ride!

We also put him on a kid swing that he was a little too small for lol!

On our last day of our mini-vacation we went to the Ludington State Park. It is the most beautiful state park in the Mid-West. I wish we lived closer...I think we'd visit that park every weekend if we could.