Lincoln's First Christmas

The day after Thanksgiving the Christmas celebration activities began! First, with a trip to Taylor to visit Santa with cousin Lorenzo!!! The boys were so good and loved getting to spend time together, of course!

Lincoln was really good with Santa...although he did need his hands held down because he kept putting them in his mouth!

Later that weekend it was off to our friend's house where Lincoln had some adorable Christmas photos taken in his PJs!

I love this one. I wanted to get a picture of us snuggling before he's too old to want to snuggle!

And again with the hands in the mouth. He's so cute though I can barely stand it!

Soon, I was off work and ready to spend an entire 13 days with my boy. I was super excited. On the agenda (besides our usually 4 Christmases) was breaking Lincoln of the swing. He had gotten into a habit of only napping if he was swinging in his swing. So, my goal was to have him napping in his crib by the end of the two week period. Luckily, I was mostly successful :)

The first of the four Christmases was with Fred's side of the family. We had all 32 of them over about 10 days before Christmas. I was worried that it would just be insanity, but it worked out wonderfully and we had a great time.

Lincoln and his grandma.

Fred and his sisters.

Fred with mother and sisters.

Fred's sister Pam with her oldest, Gail, Richie and Gentry and eight of her ten grandchildren!

Next up was Christmas with the Antouns, my step-father's family. Unfortunately my mom was sick with a horrible flu that was going around this year and wasn't able to make it. Much of Craig's family had not yet met Lincoln, so it was great for everyone to get to meet the newest addition to the family.

Craig's really getting this "grandpa-thing" down :)

The third celebration was with my mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve. This year only my cousin's Andy, Abby and baby Sophia and Uncle Ed could make it. BUT, it was awesome that Sophia got to come and visit with Linc. They are so super cute together!

Linc was not really having the photos that day...so all I got was his super-serious poker-face lol!

Cousin Sophia, on the other hand, was all smiles!

So, this photo gives you a little indication of their differences in mood that day. Every time I look at this picture I crack up! lol! Look at that lip?!? He is so dramatic. And little Miss Sunshine on the right lol!

Sophia, just like her Daddy, seems super-outgoing and fun-loving. She was very interested in Lincoln and was grabbing at him a lot. He was more reserved and looked at her like "um, what are you doing?" lol! I can't wait to see them grow up together! 

Then finally it was Christmas Day! We woke up and opened some of Lincolns gifts from Mommy and Daddy and Santa of course! He didn't really know what to make of the paper and all the crinkle noises...he didn't seem too impressed. But, he did love some of his toys!

After opening gifts and stopping at Fred's mothers house for breakfast we headed downriver to my Aunt's house to celebrate with my Dad's side of the family. At my aunt's house Lincoln was showered with love by the "greats:" Great Grandma, Great Aunt Alicia and Great Great Aunt Theresa!

This was the first time meeting his Great Great Aunt Theresa!

My Grandma Betty spoiled Lincoln absolutely rotten! I think she had 20 presents for him, literally. It was insane!

And of course Lincoln and Lorenzo loved spending time together. God, I love my boys :)

I would say Lincoln had a very nice first Christmas.

Lincoln Five Months

Holy, moly! 5 months old. He's almost half a year...incredible!

Well, Mr. Lincoln is rolling from his back to both sides and from his belly to his back. He can sit unassisted for about 20 seconds or so (he's got the strength down...just working on the balance) and he's sleeping around 10.5 hours at night. Although he's only taking short naps during the day now...boo!

He now has a full routine of fruits and vegetables and is drinking only four bottles a day...although they are practically full! Our super skinny newborn is finding himself situated firmly in the 50th percentile for almost everything!

True to his sex he giggles like crazy when you make a farting noise or burp (how he knows that's funny already I don't know). And he loves when Mommy attacks him with kisses on his neck. He still loves to examine people and everything in front of him. He has way more interest in looking at books and learning his shape blocks then in crawling...and we're perfectly fine with that! 

He is smart. He already knows his shapes go in the holes in the shape box, although he doesn't know which hole is for which shape of course. He almost routinely "helps" us turn the pages of his books and is fascinated by how everything feels to his touch right now.

Right now he loves anything that makes music or lights up when you touch it and his favorite toy seems to be his excersaucer and a musical seahorse he got from his Auntie Nicole. He also loves a small music box toy his Auntie Brittani got him...this is his high chair toy and he plays with it as we're getting his food ready.

He has brought immeasurable joy to our lives and we can't imagine life without him. As he ages some things are getting easier with him and others are getting harder. We get more couple time (and sleep!) at night now that he is sleeping longer and going to bed earlier. We are able to take him more places as he is staying up longer between naps and can sit easier in highchairs, shopping carts etc. But, when he is up he's moving around more and trying to grab things within his reach, so we have to be more careful of what is around him. He's also a bit more demanding when it comes to keeping him occupied. But, all and all he's a pretty easy-going and happy boy and we're enjoying this age so much! His personality is developing more and more each day. He is a sweet boy that loves to cuddle but he also has a crazy temper and can get frustrated pretty easily. Fred and I sometimes laugh when we see his temper...I'm sure we won't be laughing later!

Sweet November

Ah, sweet November. The month of my birth. I am often disgruntled about being born in November. Although I suppose it is much better then not being born at all. There are no leaves, no sun, no snow. It is usually grey and raining and cold. But, not this year. This year November was full of light and love.

I happened to turn 30 this year. I don't know how the hell that happened...but it did. And my husband and mother, along with some help from my friends, threw me the best surprise party ever!! I did have a feeling something was up...but I didn't realize a party of that magnitude was in store. It was a wonderful time with all of my favorite people. I smiled for a week!!

I am extremely lucky with friends. I have many, many friends and all of them came out to celebrate my special day. I love them all so dearly and couldn't imagine life without them.

And as far as mother's go, I do have the very best. She has been with me threw thick and threw thin and she is one of my absolute best friends!

And my hubby, my rock, my wonderful Fred. I love this man so completely that I can't image growing old with anyone else.

Now, of course I don't have the month of November all to myself. We also celebrated Fred's mother's 70 birthday and his sister Dawn's 50th birthday. And of course there was Lincoln's first Thanksgiving! 

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Fred's family this year (we rotate each year) and Lincoln had a great time snuggling up with his cousin's Richie and Gentry. They absolutely adore him!! I mean, seriously, I've never seen a 6 and 8 year old so excited to hold a baby!

And of course what would a first Thanksgiving be without an adorable Thanksgiving outfit!!!

Halloween

In late September we got together with some friends and did a family photo swap. I am really happy with how our family photos turned out. It is incredible how much Lincoln has changed in 3 1/2 short months. He is holding his head up high and can push up onto his forearms (something I thought he'd take much longer to do). He sits well assisted and is babbling up a storm! He is the light of our lives.

We finally seem to be settling in as a family of three. It was a huge adjustment for us at first, especially when I went back to work. But, we seem to have the hang of it now and life is pretty good.

I read a research article that stated that families with clearly defined roles (aka stay-at-home mom and bread-winner dad) actually have less conflict. Normally I would have balked at the insinuation that this 1950's model of a family breeds less conflict, but after having a baby I can totally understand this.  Everyone's roles in this instance are clearly defined. The mother and father both know what is and is not expected of them. When you both work and both take 50% of the child-rearing responsibility there is going to be times when one parent feels the other is not pulling their weight. Trying to keep everything so balanced is incredibly hard! Not that I would change our way of living for anything...I feel a great desire to work and use my degree to its potential and I want a partner that takes 50% of the child-caring responsibility. But, I do have to nod my head to those who choose a more traditional lifestyle that in some ways it may lend itself to less conflict and more structure and predictability at home.

This Halloween was fun, as it was Lincoln's first but in some ways it was a bit of a bummer too. I was really looking forward to Zoo Boo with our friends and their children but it just didn't work out. We arrived and Lincoln was not in a good mood. Add to that the 40 degree temps and wind and he was just not having it. I was really disappointed but I learned that you can't make a small child cooperate if they are uncomfortable. So, we headed home. I regret not getting at least one photo of him with his little buddies...but it just wasn't in the cards.

However, we did have a ton of fun dressing Linc in various Halloween inspired outfits! Here he is in his skeleton sleeper with his Zombie-killing father :)  They are so cute together...my boys.

Fred wanted transformers on the pumpkin this year and since last year I choose the pattern we went for it. I know next year Lincoln might have his own ideas about what to put on the pumpkin. But one good thing about them being this little is its hard for them to protest about...oh being put inside the pumpkin :)

Halloween itself fell on a weekday this year (I hate that) so we tried to stick to our tradition of visiting Richie and Gentry and the Newmans. Below is Gentry (Gumball Machine) with her friend the cute little pirate wench. 

Richie (Roadkill) absolutely adores Lincoln.

Then we visited the Newmans and Linc got to chill with the littlest Newman, Cain- who also happened to be a pirate. Aren't they soooo adorable together!?!

And of course Miss Emma wanted to hold the baby. I think she adores him too!

And here he is, my little pirate. The cutest damn pirate I ever saw!!!

Lincoln Four Months

My, my how the time flies. Our little, scrawny preemie-sized boy is now a healthy, thriving, smiley four month old. At his four month check up Lincoln was almost 25 inches and a solid 14 pounds which lands him almost exactly in the 50th percentile for height and weight. He's come a long way in four months and we are so thrilled!

So, what is our little man up to? Well he's holding his head solidly on his own (as you can see) except for when he's tired and decides to go for a head butt!!! He is also starting to use his ab muscles a lot and pull himself into a seated position...and then he tumbles sideways (usually while giggling). I have no doubt in a month or two he'll be sitting all on his own. He is starting to grab things (and usually puts whatever he grabs right into his mouth) and he seems to know his name already.

Lincoln is quite the little ham. He is famous for jutting out his lower lip...just to see/hear you go "awwww" and then he cracks a big grin as if to say "gotcha!" He studies people very intently and watches everyones lips as they talk and facial expressions for social ques. His doctor says the way he studies everything is similar to what most 9 month olds do...so he says this is a sign of intelligence. We knew he was smart from the day he was born. And I'm not just saying this because I'm his mom (or maybe I am) but from the second he was born he was so aware and alert and looked curiously at everything. I've seen a lot of newborns and half the time their all swimmy eyes and not really "there." My mom said I was the same way when I was born and the nurses all commented on how alert I was. That's MY boy!!

But its not all roses and puppies. Lincoln still suffers from reflux and is still on meds. Its possible he'll need them for the entire first year or longer. He spits up a lot due to the reflux and fights tooth and nail about taking naps. Generally he cries, screams or fusses for up to a whole hour before finally giving in (or passing out) to take a nap. He usually sleeps 7-8 hours straight at night now (which is good) but some nights its super hard to get him down at all. Its as if he realizes when he's asleep he misses what's going on. He has a temper on him and when he's had it with something he screams a super-sonic scream that makes me want to put his ass in the crib and leave him there lol!. Although I never actually do that. But, I do have to say that most of the time he is pretty pleasant and easy-going.

He ran his first fever last week, which broke my heart, and was up crying every 2 hours. That was brutal. I tell ya, when you get used to them sleeping through the night and all of a sudden they don't- its like a slap in the face back to the newborn days! But, luckily it only lasted one night. He is suffering from an ear infection right now in his right ear and is on his first round of antibiotics- poor guy!!! We will be starting to try to spoon-feed him soon and in a few weeks he'll be on to eating his first solids- squash, sweet potatoes and carrots!!! I bet he is going to LOVE that!