Lincoln: 11 Months

Our little man is 11 months old. We are officially on the final countdown to one year old, and my heart can barely handle it. I swear he was just born yesterday, and really cannot wrap my head around how time can go as quickly as it does. Lincoln is so darn sweet you could just eat him up. And two seconds later, he will be knocking over a table or chewing on the cord of a lamp in the corner. He has us on our toes every second of every day, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Okay, maybe I wouldn't mind if he didn't knock over furniture, but then I guess he wouldn't be the Linky that we all know and love!

Age: 11 months

Height: Somewhere between 31-32 inches. Pretty much impossible to measure him because did you know having someone try to gauge your height is the equivalent of cruel and unusual punishment? Just ask Lincoln ;-) So this puts him anywhere between the 95th-99th percentile. His growth seems to have slowed a bit, but he is still huge! Wearing mostly size 18-24 month clothing, size 4 diapers, and size 4 shoes.

Weight: 26ish pounds? To be honest this one is a total guess. Our scale died and I haven't gotten around to replacing the batteries, but with how he eats I would venture to guess 26 is a pretty accurate number!

Milestones: He can walk behind his push and go puppy, but only if he wants to. Just this week I kind of put him behind and pushed him off, and he walked clear across the room, hit the wall, dropped to the floor and then crawled away like nothing had happened. He also has been waving 'buh bye' and gets so excited when he does it! Sometimes it requires both arms :-) Not much for talking quite yet, but we are working with him on mama and dada, and are pretty positive he has said buh bye.

Sleep: He is still our good sleeper. He goes down pretty much like clockwork at 7pm every night. He will often wake up crying around 9pm or so, which usually just requires us giving him his nuk and he goes right back down. He is still an early riser, up between 5-6am typically. Overall though, we still can't complain about our nights. He also still naps twice per day, usually a 2-3 hour nap in the morning, and another 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon.

Best Moments: He is just a little ball of sweetness lately. He has a smile that immediately turns me into a puddle, and his giggle is so sweet and innocent that it almost makes me sad. Maybe it is because I know he will grow so quickly, and I am recognizing how fleeting these days really are. We have gotten to spend good amounts of time outside, and it is good not only for Lincoln, but for mom and dad, too. He would sit outside on someone's lap all day just soaking in the sun and feeling the wind on his chubby little cheeks. We spend a good amount of time just daydreaming about this summer and how fun it will be watching Lincoln really start to discover the world around him and being outdoors. 

Worst Moments: The general act of keeping him out of trouble has been a source of frustration lately. He knows how to open the cabinets and drawers now, so he is constantly trying to pull out glass bowls, grabbing and pizza pans and cookie sheets, and trying to pull out makeup in the morning. He manages to get across the entire house and to the toilet to flush it in a matter of seconds, so fast it is scary. He is constantly trying to climb around everything meaning sharp edges. He has knocked over our end table numerous times, because he just can't crawl around the thing when it is so much more fun to crawl through it. Sigh, I know these phases are short lived, but he really is so dangerous right now!

Eating: Food is his love language. It is still a little early to tell, but I have a feeling he is going to be my better eater. He loves any and all things sugary, and will pick up any scrap he can find on the floor. He loves fruit, lately we have been eating lots of blueberries, grapes, and strawberries. He will eat pasta until he is about to burst, and tried sloppy joes recently and seemed to eat quite a bit. Pizza is a favorite, which is no surprise considering that is a staple food group in our household. He does have a few things he does not like. Cheerios are just the worst, and he won't touch them. He is somewhat picky with vegetables, however he loves steamed cauliflower! He isn't the biggest fan of deli meats, and if it is offered he will take a few bites but then will leave it alone. 

Teeth: Six teeth! He did finally cut his front two teeth. His side top teeth are still much more grown in, but I am thinking in the next few weeks his silly little teeth will finally be balanced out a bit.

Likes: Food. Getting into all sorts of trouble. His favorite things to do are climbing over and under things (rather than around, which is the practical option), flushing the toilet, splashing in the toilet, climbing the stairs when mom and dad look away for two seconds, and carrying around the new plastic golf clubs that we bought for Jackson. He is really starting to enjoy playing in the toy room, and it is so nice to be able to put him in there and know he can keep himself entertained, even if it is only for a minute or two because he always gets distracted by things he SHOULDN'T be doing.
He is much more aware of what is on the television lately, and just like his big brother, he loves Wallykazam. Mickey Mouse clubhouse has become a big deal in our house lately too, both for Lincoln and for Jackson. It really never piqued much interest with his older brother, but lately that darn hot dog dance will cause Lincoln to stop dead in his tracks.

Dislikes: Diaper changes are his least favorite thing in the entire world, followed closely by getting dressed. We have started pinning his legs down during the process, which infuriates him, but it is literally the only way to get his diapers on. He isn't a huge fan of being touched by his brother. Lately Jackson loves to give him hugs, insists Lincoln sit by him on the couch, and tries to hold his hand when we go on walks. And Lincoln wants none of it. Maybe it is his way of getting payback for all of the times Jackson pushed and hit him when Lincoln was little and defenseless?
Overall, this little guy really does not have many dislikes.

Tweet

Lincoln: 10 Months

Our little man was 10 months old this weekend! I cannot believe how fast the time is flying, and how quickly we are approaching the one year mark *sob*. This month, our babe has bonded a bit more with big brother, and he continues to get into whatever trouble he can manage. He is a little daredevil, constantly on the go and giving us a heart attack. He is also snuggly, smily, and silly. He is quick to give a smile, and his smile will melt the heart of absolutely anyone. He is such a joy to have around!

 

 

Age: 10 months

Height: I seem to have a hard time getting a 100% accurate measurement on this, I blame a squirmy baby and a less than stellar tape measurer. However, Somewhere in the ballpark of 31-31.5 inches. Either measurement puts him right at the top of the charts in the 99th percentile. He is still wearing 12-18 month clothing, especially in his pants. He has started wearing some 18-24 month stuff, partly because his mama got the urge to go through Jackson's next box of old clothing and it just made sense to pull it all out at once. Some of it is a little bit big, but for the most part it all is starting to fit pretty well! He is wearing size 4 shoes, and size 4 diapers. 

Weight: 25 pounds. Little chunk keeps on growing! This puts him around the 98th percentile still.  He really isn't all that chunky at all though, there aren't many rolls to him. He is just a BIG guy across the board!

Milestones: While very brief, he has stood on his own for about five seconds! He is very funny about standing and walking, though. He is either in the mood or he is not. And if he isn't, the little stinker won't even bear weight on his legs! I really can't predict exactly when I think he will be walking, but if I had to guess I would say it will be right around when he turns one. He has started cruising along the furniture, so he is getting there! 

 

Sleep: This month was not the best sleep month. Between teething and a week long sickness, his schedule has been pretty thrown off. Now that he finally seems to be on the mend, we are hoping to get him back on schedule. 

Best Moments: He is really just the sweetest little thing, there are so many precious moments with him lately. He has started to babble a lot, and after he eats early in the morning, he will typically break away and talk so softly. And he has the sweetest voice, I could listen to those babbles all day long!

 

Worst Moments: Definitely dealing with sickness. He came down with a fever on a Monday, and really wasn't back to acting like himself until Saturday. After four days of fever, it broke and he then got a rash, so while it isn't an official doctor's diagnosis, I am pretty sure it was roseola based on that and all of his other symptoms (swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, general fatigue). Poor little guy had a rough couple of days. There is just never anything worse than having to watch your baby be sick.

Eating: He continues to eat like a champ! Whenever he sees food coming, he starts breathing really fast through his nose, which he also does when he is excited about being picked up or given a bottle. He scrunches up his little nose and squints his eyes while he does it. It is so darn cute! He is developing a few food preferences, and go figure,  vegetables really are not at the top of his list. He also wanted nothing to do with barbeque meatballs. We have started introducing meats, but as they are a bit harder for babies to chew, I have been pretty slow in letting him try those. He continues to love blueberries, corn, cereal bars, string cheese, yogurt, pastas, and pizza. He isn't too crazy about fruits like banana and peaches, but he will eat them. He has refused butternut squash, black beans, and potato rounds, however he will eat mashed potatoes!

 

We are still nursing when he wakes up and before bed. Throughout the day, the pump has been put away (YAY!), and he is receiving bottles of pumped milk, both during the week and now on the weekends as well. He takes bottles well, and now will drink milk hot or cold. He still prefers nursing, and so when he is sick or in a bad mood that is what he will fight for over the bottle!

Teeth: He has three teeth, and the fourth will be through any day. And they are coming in out of order! He got his side top teeth before his front teeth, so fingers crossed he cuts those soon, otherwise he is going to be one cute little vampire baby!

Likes: He is still loving bath time! He also got his first taste of playing outside and LOVES it! He had so much fun just picking up and examining all of the leaves. He loves string cheese and blueberries most. Loves to snuggle, and if the mood is right he loves to cozy in to rock to sleep, which is such a treat. Likes car rides most of the time. Gets so excited whenever we walk up the stairs, he always smiles and flaps his little arms like crazy! Loves puppies. Loves any toys that make noise. Still likes the baby channel, but has also been caught giggling at Wallykazam. Everyone in this house loves Wally!!

 

Dislikes: In all honesty Jackson knows how to push his buttons like no other! He can make him laugh so hard but he also has to do one tiny think and Lincoln will scream his head off. He does not like butternut squash and is starting to get a bit more picky with his foods. He is not a fan of having orajel put on his gums at all! Hates whenever his mama is in his presence but someone else is holding him. Dislikes sleeping through the night lately...hopefully that one is off the list next month!

Sweet Lincoln, we love you more and more every day. You are the perfect balance to our family and remind us every day to go with the flow a bit more and just let life happen. You are so perfect and we love you to pieces!

Tweet

Lincoln: 9 Months

Nine months old. Doesn't that seem so much older than 8 months? Just me? Regardless, this has been a big month for Lincoln. He is officially mobile and is T-R-O-U-B-L-E. He is the reason that people baby proof. He is a danger to himself, because he is absolutely fearless and is into everything, all of the time. Overnight, he has discovered the stairs, all of our furniture which is perfect for climbing on, every scrap that the vacuum missed, and of course, the dreaded electrical outlets. His big brother honestly never even noticed the outlets, but you best believe Lincoln has already been caught trying to stick his fingers into the holes or chew on lamp cords. Despite being a complete and utter wild man, he is also the sweetest, happiest little guy. He is so much fun, and is determined to do all of the 'big kid' things that he can!

Age: 9 months
Height: 31 inches or so. Still sitting at the 100th percentile.
Weight: 24.5 pounds. 98th percentile. He is still up there, but already seems to be leaning out a bit. He may be big and sturdy, but there really aren't many rolls on him!
Milestones: This month has been HUGE for this guy! He started crawling mid-January, and since then has probably given me a hundred gray hairs. He started pulling himself to standing within days of crawling. He also has started cruising furniture a bit, and can climb the stairs. He can make it up our entire story-and-a-half staircase, and often is a few stairs deep before we even realize what he is doing. Needless to say, the baby gate has made its return. He babbles all of the time, and is just an absolute blast to have around, even when he is giving us panic attacks!

We also switched him over to a convertible carseat, because he is so tall we really had no choice. He was at the maximum height limit, so while it was the last thing I wanted to do during the darkest and coldest month of the year, he seems to be tolerating his new seat. He was pretty unsure at first, but seems to be enjoying having more of a view now!
Sleep: He is still sleeping through the night pretty consistently. He occasionally will wake up around 10-11pm, usually on nights where he fell asleep early or didn't eat enough before bedtime. Often giving him his nuk will put him back to sleep, and very rarely I will give in and nurse him as long as it is before midnight. He is, however, waking up by 5am most days, which has this mama feeling pretty tired. Both he and his big brother are almost always both awake by 5:30am, so we get lots of morning time in before the work day begins!

Best Moments: Watching him crawl really has been a lot of fun, even though he is getting into SO much trouble.
Worst Moments: He escaped our sight, made a dash for the stairs, and fell down a few the other day. Not fun at all! He got some sort of gash/wound on his upper lip, and a scratch on his head, but nothing major. That is what really prompted the return of the baby gates! He also loves to climb under and through things, so often gets stuck underneath the kitchen table, and he manages to wedge himself under and into our end table, which usually results in him getting pretty scared. This kid, I tell ya.
Eating: All solid food, all of the time. I have started keeping as many fruits and veggies on hand as possible, to make sure he is getting a good variety. He loves blueberries, string cheese, PIZZA, rice and noodle casseroles, and of course, anything sweet. He about loses his mind whenever he sees the container of puffs come out of the pantry. Really, he will eat absolutely anything. The greatest tragedies in his life occur when someone has food and doesn't give him any.

He is still nursing, and receiving bottles of pumped milk when I am at work. Since starting solids, he seems to be taking in less milk, which is totally normal. He nurses right away in the morning, gets a few bottles throughout the day, and gets one final nursing session before going to bed. We have quite a bit of milk stored, so I am thinking I will be cutting out my pumps at work in the next 1-2 weeks!
Teeth: Still just those bottom two. It has been a few months, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see the top two soon, but from what I can tell they aren't there yet!
Likes: Any and all food, climbing the stairs, climbing under things, picking up and eating everything he finds on the floor, getting thrown in the air, taking baths and splashing in the water, his pacifier, watching football (seriously!), laughing at his big brother, and using the end table as a jungle gym.
Dislikes: The most ironic dislike of Mr. Lincoln is his hatred of being taken OUT of the bath. If you go back and read his first 6 months or so of updates, you will notice he despised taking baths. He would scream bloody murder, and I truly dreaded bath night because he (and everyone else) were so miserable throughout the process. Now, he and Jackson often take their bath together, and when it is time to get out Lincoln comes out first. And he screams and throws a fit! I guess we just will always see tears during bathtime one way or another ;-) He also doesn't like being pushed by his brother, not getting fed fast enough, and when mom walks by without holding him. He also hates the baby gate. This week he sat at the bottom of the stairs and cried because he wanted to climb and couldn't figure it out!

He is giving us a run for our money, but life is so much more fun and entertaining with Lincoln in it! I continue to be amazed by how independent and determined he is. I love watching him become his own little person, with what is definitely a mind of his own! I wouldn't mind if this next month was slowed down just a bit, but knowing this baby boy, I have a feeling we won't be slowing down anytime soon! We love you so much, Mr. Lincoln!

Tweet

Lincoln 7 Months

Oh my goodness. To say that Lincoln has changed in the past month would be the understatement of the year. While he still holds his feisty, independent personality, he truly has become such a happy, sweet baby. Long gone are the hour long crying sessions, refusal to lay on the floor, and dislike of sleep. He has a giggle that will melt your heart, eyes that twinkle when he smiles, and the most perfect dimple on his right cheek that I could kiss all day long. He is at that most perfect stage where, if someone asked you to describe a 'baby', it would be him. Sweet, squishy, and loveable baby perfection.

 

Age: Seven months

Height: 29 inches. Apparently I got a little generous in my measurements last month, because he measured 28.5 at his 6 month appointment. However, measuring him he is in fact 29 inches now! This places him at the 98th percentile.

Weight: 23 pounds. Again, he must have eaten a huge meal the last time I weighed him because he weighed less at his 6 month appointment than I had measured, and he is now actually at 23 pounds. Even so this has him sitting at the 98th percentile. He is pretty darn snug in his 12 month jammies, and basically all of his clothing has moved to the 12-18 month size. He wears size 3 shoes and size 4 diapers.
Milestones: He started rolling over both ways this month. Before he would roll off of his back onto his belly but then get stuck, and as a result usually would scream shortly after. Now he can roll in just about every direction whenever he wants. He is also scooting, so while he cannot crawl forward yet, he moves backwards pretty quickly and I really cannot leave him unattended and trust to come back to find him where I left him. He has scooted across the living room and wedged himself underneath the Christmas tree, and can maneuver himself to get just about any object in his sight. He is not quite getting up on all fours yet, but he is really pulling his knees up and getting his little booty in the air. He is trying so hard to crawl! He is a really determined little guy, and the more independence and body control he gains, the happier he seems to become!

Sleep: HALLELUJAH HE HAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT! I have another blog post to highlight what we did, but ultimately we did force a few tears. He was back to waking up 3-4 times a night, and we were about to lose our minds. Not only that, but he was napping terribly as well, many days getting by on one 30-45 minute nap. We decided that the best thing for everyone involved as to do a little tough love. A week of tears, no matter how hard, seemed worth it compared to seven months of miserable sleep. Again, I plan to share our process soon, but he only had to 'cry' for one night. He woke up crying once the first and second night but put himself back to sleep, and since then, he has slept 12 hours every night! Not only that, but we are laying him down awake and he is putting himself to sleep. I cannot express how much control we feel like we have gained back over our lives with this new sleep schedule! And, Lincoln is liking it too and is benefitting because the poor baby was not getting near the amount of sleep he needed, and we know it was affecting his mood throughout the day. This is just the best and by far the greatest area of change this month.

 

Best Moments: Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Watching him learn to play with his brother. Playing games and really having him begin to interact with those around him. And dressing him up in all of the Christmas jammies. That is probably just a best moment for mom, but hey, I can't help myself!

Worst Moments: He came down with a random stomach bug one weekend this month, and we checked on him during nap to find that he had thrown up all over himself. Poor baby, and always so scary because you worry about them choking. Over the following few hours, he proceeded to throw up pretty much  non-stop. After one of the instances, his little eyes and lips actually turned blue for a few seconds, and it scared me so much! The color returned quickly, and after about 3 hours he didn't throw up at all and seemed pretty good to go. There is just nothing worse than a sick baby!

Health: Aside from the random 4 hour stomach bug, he has been pretty healthy! He had a cold but got over it fairly quickly. I really believe that breastfeeding helps to keep my babies pretty well protected from illness during their infancy, and for that I am grateful. The scariest part of having a sick baby is that they are incapable of expressing how they are feeling or their needs. Having some extra protection by nursing is fine by me!

Eating: This guy just does not like baby food one bit. He will get a bit adventurous when he is offered the veggies, but he purses his lips and outright refuses basically any fruit. He does, however, love real food, so I have conceded and am just going with the flow of what feels natural and allowing him to taste things as the opportunities present themselves. He loved the sweet potatoes he got to try over Thanksgiving, and goes nuts when given a teeny piece of bread, or a potato chip crumb if he is really lucky. He also ended up eating nearly all of the pineapple off of my Hawaiian pizza last week! I couldn't feed it to him fast enough! We are basically moving in the direction of baby led weaning this month, especially when I figure that, at 7 months, he is not far off from being able to feed himself very soft foods. I have no plans to buy more baby food! Feeding Lincoln has been an entirely different experience than feeding his big brother (here is Jacksons 7 month post!), who by this point was eating 2-3 solid meals every single day. I am very curious to see how this process goes moving forward for us!

Teeth: He has his two bottom teeth! Ah, I love the toothless, gummy smiles of babies, but seriously is there anything cuter than when a baby has those two bottom teeth?! I think not!

Likes: Eating the food of anyone around him, the baby channel, scooting backwards, grabbing his toes, eating his toes, giving kisses, being tickled, being thrown in the air, when his big brother talks to him, being held, going on walks, puppies, and he has fallen in love with taking baths! He loves to stand while the water finishes running and put his hand in the stream, and then he loves to kick and splash like crazy!

Dislikes: When someone walks by without picking him up, the sleepy cat cartoon on the baby channel (he is all smiles until it comes on, and then he gets MAD!), when Jackson gives him unwanted hugs, basically all baby food. His list of dislikes has just been getting smaller and small every month, and we are not complaining! He really has become such a happy guy!

 

Lincoln Michael, you are the sweetest soul and have become such a joy in our lives. You have tested us and pushed us on many occasions, but the reward of watching you grow and thrive has been more than worth it. We are entering such a magical stage with you, and know that we are all going to start having so much fun together. We love you to pieces, honey man!



Tweet

Lincoln: 6 Months

Six months. Half of a year has absolutely flown by. I cannot believe our little boy has been with us for so long already, and yet I think back to last spring and how completely different our lives were and it seems like an eternity. In May when he entered this world, I had a different job, we lived with my in-laws, our house was but a frame being laid in the dirt, and Jackson had not yet started daycare. Life has changed so much, and for the most part, they have all been wonderful changes. I can only imagine how much sweeter life will continue to get in the next six months as our baby continues to grow, learn, and develop the precious little personality that is so very Lincoln.

 

Age: Six months

Height: 29 inches. 100th percentile. Huge.

Weight: 23 pounds. Still sitting right around that 100th percentile. He slowed a bit though, as he only gained one pound this month ;-) He is wearing 12 month clothing, and all new items I have been purchasing are 12-18 months, which are pretty roomy but he can pull them off (the outfit above is 12-18 months we just cuff the sleeves once). He is wearing size 4 diapers, he still fits into 3s but the 4s are much better for overnights and preventing him soaking through. He wears a size 3 shoe, but he really never actually wears shoes because he kicks them off and mama is afraid of losing them :-)
Milestones: He has truly changed SO much this month! I don't know if I have much for particular 'milestones', but overall we have just seen a HUGE shift in his temperament. He is finally content being held, at least some of the time, while we are sitting down. Up until the past few weeks, he basically demanded we walk around and bounce him a huge chunk of the time, which was wearing on everyone. He is screeching, babbling, and makes so many precious little sounds all of the time. He is still drooling up a storm. We are talking going through 5-6 bibs a day because they are totally soaked within about two hours. He is starting to enjoy Jackson a bit more ;-) They have started noticing each other in the backseat, and have started giggling back and forth. I literally cannot handle it, I have pulled over just to watch them jabber in my rearview mirror.

Sleep: He is still by no means a good sleeper, but we are seeing some progress. I recently purchased some of sleep sacks, and am totally a new believer. He rolls over in his sleep all of the time now, and while it makes me nervous, we have discussed that what is best for everyone is probably him learning to stay asleep on his stomach at this point. He is strong and mobile, and he tends to flip over and then wake up hysterical. So, if he is going to flip anyway it makes the most sense for him to learn to put himself back to sleep. However, we have always covered him with a light blanket, and with his new acrobatic moves that was just not happening anymore. He is so clearly cozy in the sleep sacks, they are warm and snuggly, and he seems to have become better with him sleep in the week since we started using it at bedtime.

We have finally started putting him to sleep in his crib again. With Jackson being next door, and a whole other battle at bedtime, it was too tricky trying to put Lincoln upstairs, because usually just as we would get him down, Jackson would make enough noise to wake him right back up. Jackson is finally at least somewhat putting himself to sleep (PRAISE!) so we braved the new bedtime routine with Lincoln, who is seriously just about at maximum capacity in his bassinet. While he hasn't slept through the night, we have had nights where he woke once and then stayed in his room the rest of the night! I am doing my best to be consistent and keep him in there as much as possible. Maybe this will be the month we finally get a full night of sleep! (if my children could read I am sure they would laugh with an evil glint in their eye at what I just said)

Best Moments: My absolute favorite moment this month has come at bedtime. With his fussiness and general upset behavior, even when holding him until he falls asleep it was always away from my body, in whatever position managed to get him to calm down. I say this what a truly heavy heart and not one bit lightly-I had never cuddled my baby. Sure, I held him all the time, he sleeps in our bed some of the time, but holding him to my chest, listening to him breathe, rocking him while his little body relaxed against mine? I do not exaggerate when I say this is something we had never experienced. And we finally had a breakthrough this past week. I was rocking him in his room and nursing him, and he fell asleep. Usually at this point I am terrified to touch or move him, and as quickly as possible get him into his crib or bassinet and cross my fingers he stays asleep. Instead, I decided to be a little risky and lifted him up onto my chest. And he snuggled right in and kept sleeping like a precious angel. I did not want to move. I sat there and savored every sweet second. And I am now finally looking forward to bedtime and those cuddles. I write this in tears in my eyes because while I have always loved my sweet boy, it has been as if there was a wall up that prevented us from ever 100% connecting. I truly cannot put into words how full my heart is having finally held my baby in my arms, content, full of love, and happy. I hope this is a corner we have fully turned, because I am loving these new moments with him.

Worst Moments: This really has been a good month, I can't think of too many 'bad' moments. He does have a cold though, so listening to his mucous coughs has not been very much fun. For whatever reason he has also been spitting up more it seems, so that always has us a bit on edge.

Health: Poor little guy has had quite the cold this month. With it has come a pretty icky cough, and some wheezy breathing. He has been pretty happy despite his cold, though! I am hoping it resolves soon because there is nothing worse than listening to your poor baby wheeze.

Eating: For whatever reason, he has really decided he does not like baby food. He outright refuses to eat fruits, especially peaches and apples. He will eat things like squash and sweet potato, but he grows tired of them quickly and then the pursed lips come out. He is at an age where I don't worry about this too much, as his nutrition still primarily comes from breast milk. However, he gets so excited when he sees food and even lunges at it, so his refusal to eat is frustrating. I am leaning towards baby led weaning at this point, even though my knowledge on it is pretty limited. I purchased this great little piece on Amazon, and it has been helping! I put in things like strawberries and bananas, and am thinking I might try out some veggies like steamed peas and carrots soon. I had similar items with Jackson but the piece for baby to chew on was mesh, and one use of bananas and I swear it was never clean again. This piece is great because it is similar to the nipple on a bottle, and it washes out with such ease! Bonus points that it comes with a little lid, so I can throw in some fruit, clip on the lid, and have it on hand if we are out and about and baby gets fussy! This weekend I even threw in some beef and macaroni casserole, and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree after you had a taste. Every time I would take it away he practically lunged to get it back. I am thrilled that real food did not disappoint!

Teeth: No teeth yet! I am kind of hoping he gets them soon, as I recall with Jackson once those bottom teeth broke through the drooling really slowed down. My poor mother is growing pretty tired of washing 4-5 bibs a day at her house, we can barely keep up!

Likes: Giggling, the baby channel, going for walks, talking to himself, laughing at his brother, going for car rides (seriously a 180 from a few months ago, he LOVES the car!), tasting real food, gnawing on apples, being tickled, his jumparoo, his sleep sack, being thrown up in the air, when mama hugs him and goes 'squish squish squish!', when grandma says she's gonna 'get you!', watching grandma's puppy, chewing on anything and everything, grabbing things (he has great hand eye coordination).

Dislikes: When his brother sits on him, when his brother pushes his head down, basically whenever his brother tries to touch him ;-) He is not a fan of pretty much any pureed fruits (but give him all the strawberries!). He really does not like being on his tummy for long. He hates whenever mom isn't directly in his line of vision. Still not a huge fan of bathtime, but it is also not quite the end of the universe as it once was.

We love you more than words can say, sweet boy. Every day with you we learn new things, both about you, about ourselves, and about the world surrounding us. You constantly are keeping us on our toes, and I can't imagine that changing now as you grow more mobile and capable of doing things for yourself.



Tweet

Lincoln: 5 Months

This little turkey is five months old! And getting busier by the minute. While I wouldn't say he is any less demanding, he is certainly becoming fun entertainment and one smiley little guy. His baby babbles are coming out in full force, and slowly but surely him and his big brother are starting to become buddies! He has grown so much in this past month, I can't wait to see what month six has in store for us!

Wearing his jersey for his 5 month update, in honor of the Vikes going 5-0 yesterday!!

Age: Five months

Height: 28.5 inches. Still growing, still off the charts. Still huge.

Weight: 22 pounds. Again, off the charts. This boy is tall, sturdy, and soo very squishy.
Milestones: He has started rolling over from back to front! He was getting over like 90% of the way and was just stuck on his shoulder, and he was starting to get so frustrated by this. As of last weekend, he has officially started to make it all the way over, which definitely had his mama doing some cheers for him! He has started eating solids, too! In fact, he is up to eating twice a day already, because this guy gets HANGRY and so very excited when he sees food.

He is getting very good at grabbing onto things, and reaches for things that he wants. Rolling over has really helped with this, as he can now reach for things that aren't quite in reach by flipping onto his side or belly. He is SO observant, and has also discovered his reflection. He loves to flirt with himself, and he is his favorite comedian because he giggles like crazy when he watches videos of himself.

Sleep: Still terrible. The best night this month was when he made it until 2am, and then slept after that until 5am. It is pretty typical to be up around midnight, then 2ish, then 4ish. With that being said, it is not uncommon for him to fall back asleep, and this past weekend he slept in until 9am, and only woke up because his big brother broke into the room and started making noise. I keep reminding myself that they DO eventually sleep. Of course, I am still waiting for sleep to not be something we battle with his brother who is two years older..they do sleep eventually, RIGHT!?!?!?

Best Moments: He is just oh so sweet, and loves to giggle, coo, and gurgle, especially before bedtime when you can tell he is getting sleepy. It is the most precious thing to listen to, the kind of sounds you just want to bottle up and keep with you forever. Watching him learn to eat has been fun, too!

He has really taken to his jumparoo and is becoming more content to lay on the floor (when his mood is right) so for mom and dad it has been a GREAT moment to be able to do a few other things besides holding him.

The absolute BEST moment this month, though, came last weekend. This little guy is NOT a snuggler. He likes to be bounced and held when falling asleep, but even then he often would rather do a bit of fussing and put himself to sleep. However, early on Saturday morning we were up and I had the baby channel on, and he sat on my lap, little head against my chest, just content watching TV. If it is any indication of his temperament, I truly think that was the first time my baby has cuddled with me without it being for food or sleep. I sat there, closed my eyes, kissed his little cheeks, and just soaked up every second of it. I am not holding out hope for him to ever be super snuggly, but I am hoping moments like this become more frequent as he grows.

Worst Moments: Just sleep. What is sleep. Someone hold me, or hold Lincoln while I sleep. The end. We tried moving him into his crib for a few days, but I was making my way upstairs at least two times a night, and every time resulted in him ending up in our bed anyway. So, for the sake of my brain cells and being able to function as a normal human being, he is back in our room, in the bassinet he is quickly outgrowing, where I can scoop him up and nurse him in bed while I fall back asleep. There's always next month!

Health: He is a healthy little guy. He seems to have gotten a touch of the cold that mom and big brother have been sharing, but overall we have been blessed with another healthy baby. He has had plugged tear ducts since birth, and while they still give him grief, they do seem to be clearing up so hopefully the eye 'gunk' will be gone soon! There is definitely an improvement in that over the past month or so, which is great to see.

We did kind of go out on a limb and try giving him reflux medication, even though he has no physical sign of reflux. His tantrums and fussiness were getting hard to explain (he is seriously SO fussy and never content) and I knew silent reflux exists so we figured it couldn't hurt to try. And within 12 hours, everyone who was around him commented he was seriously like a different baby. SO much better. Was it truly reflux? I guess we don't know for sure, but we have definitely seen an improvement and I am so glad we made the decision to give the medicine a try!

Eating: Like a champ! He still nurses, and thanks to our new bottles (review coming later this week so stay tuned!) Eating during the day bas become a million times better with grandma. Of course, anyone who gives him a bottle must heat it to the exactly perfect temperature our mayhew will ensue. He loves pretty much all fruits, and while he doesn't seem to like veggies quite as much, he has still eaten them without much of a fight. He seems to go the most crazy over apples, but I am sure that will change as he grows. We pretty much skipped right over rice cereal, we served it up a few times and he did okay but I mean, it doesn't taste like anything. Partly because I am lazy and partly because his pediatrician told me it was okay, I don't really do much mixing with oatmeal and instead serve him the fruit straight up. I was shocked when, on only his third attempt, he put down an ENTIRE container of bananas. So I may start adding back in the cereal just to fill him up because he is now eating two containers of baby food every day and seems eager for more. My growing boy!

Teeth: None yet, but his bottom gums have the appearance of teeth being not too far beneath the surface, so I am thinking they will be breaking through fairly soon. He loves to chew on EVERYTHING and thinks having his gums massaged is the greatest. Those babies can't be far away from making their appearance.

Likes: Playing in his jumparoo, or mobile car while at grandma's house. He loves to watch his big brother play, and is just a snoopy little thing, always listening in on conversations. He loves attention from pretty much anyone, whether it be mommy, daddy, or a complete stranger. He is a big fan of diaper changes, and gets super excited when he gets taken out of his clothes and is allowed to hang out in nothing but a diaper in the early evening. He is a big fan of eating at all hours of the night, and also thinks that mom and dad's bed is the best place to sleep. He enjoys ceiling fans and when he is in the right mood he loves to have conversations with them. He is in love with the Baby Channel, especially Hide and Seek/Peekaboo, which was Jackson's favorite as a baby as well! His most recent LOVE has to be food; he gobbles down his apples and bananas faster than I can feed them to him!

Dislikes: Snuggling (cue the sad faces), being hit on the head by big brother, being shaken while in the jumparoo by big brother. He still is not the biggest fan of bath time, but basically just the part where I wash his face and hair, so we still save that for last ;-) He does not like being set down, or whenever people are not within eyesight. He will be happy as can be but if I get up and leave the room he will be hysterical almost immediately. He is not a fan of being held while nursing, and basically the only way I feed him is laying side by side, which makes it a bit tricky if we are out and about!


The days with this boy keep getting sweeter as his personality blossoms and those tough baby days become a bit less frequent. He is a determined, hard-headed little guy, it is clear to everyone who knows him already. It is a joy to watch him work so hard to reach his milestones and grow big and strong. He is a precious soul, and we are so lucky that he is ours!

Tweet

Lincoln: 4 Months

Another month, another chalkboard. Pretty sure I am going to blink and it will be his first birthday. This little boy has changed SO much in the past month, and most of the changes have been very welcome! If you can't tell by the picture, he is becoming one happy, smiley little guy. And please excuse the sloppy chalkboard. His big brother is obsessed with coloring lately, and decided to decorate the chalkboard with crayon. In case you were wondering, chalk does NOT go on well over crayon. Hoping this is something my magic eraser can fix!

Age: Four months

Height: 27 inches. 98th percentile. Seriously. This kid is huge!

Weight: 20 pounds. 99th percentile. He is my chunky little monkey!
Milestones: He has really gotten strong this month. He can hold himself up in the jumparoo like a champ. We can't leave him unattended in the bumbo chair for a second because he arches his back and is so close to getting out. He outgrew pretty much all of his 6 month clothing and is solidly wearing 9 month stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if we were moving into 12 month clothing by the end of this month. He wears size 3 diapers and has been for awhile.
In terms of personality, literally in the few days before turning 4 months he just started to shine with lots of screams and babble and giggles. He is so playful, loves to be tickled, and will stand on your lap and screech at anything and everything for hours. Despite a rough start in the termperment department (the 4th trimester was very real with this guy), he is seriously becoming the sweetest little honey man.
Sleep: We have not yet made it through the night. On a good night, he will make it until 3am or so, and then is usually back up to eat around 5 or 5:30 after that. A lot of nights he is up twice, sometimes three times. I keep wanting to transition him out of the bassinet in our room and up to his crib..maybe making the switch will encourage him to sleep better, but I fear it will be the opposite and he will keep on with his current trends and I will be climbing our big staircase multiple times per night. Hopefully I am able to pull the trigger on it this month!
Best Moments: His precious, precious baby babbles! He has become SO vocal this past week, loves to scream and jabber and giggle and I cannot get enough of it. And, despite always wanting to 'kiss' Lincoln, Jackson has really started interacting with him a bit more, and last week as I was driving I heard Jackson talking softly in the backseat. I looked and saw he was glancing at Lincoln, so I peeked in Lincoln's reflective mirror and saw him just smiling away at his talking brother before dozing off to sleep. You guys. I almost died. I can only hope we have tons of sweet moments like this ahead. I can't wait to watch these little brothers grow up together.
Worst Moments: Lincoln is at that magical age where he is immobile..for now. Until one minute he decides to become mobile and then it is game over. He rolls over from his belly to his back all of the time, and is working so hard already to go from back to belly, and I think he will be successful soon. With all of that being said, earlier this month he was lying on the ottoman (bad mom, I know) and I was in the kitchen prepping dinner all while keeping my eye on him. Well, the little guy had apparently mastered scooting by pushing his legs off of the floor, and I felt like time was in slow motion as he started creeping towards the edge. I set down my huge pot of water, bolted for the living room, but was not fast enough and his little body back-flipped to the floor. He of course started screaming immediately, and was lying on his belly. I had those few seconds of sheer terror before touching him that he would not be able to move, but thankfully I picked him up and all was well, besides his mood. I think we will be baby proofing this house way earlier this go around, I don't see this guy slowing down for anything!
Health: His health is good! He has had what I would call 'touches' of a cold here and there, but nothing major. He is still obviously growing, and is losing more and more of his fussy behavior to just become the happiest little guy.
Eating: Yes. 99th percentile. Need I say more? This is also probably why I am waking up three times a night still..growing boy has gotta eat!
Teeth: None yet. He drools like CRAZY, and has been gnawing and biting on everything, so I think they may come soon. But I remember thinking that with Jackson, and he was close to 7 months before one finally broke through. Whenever they come though, he is showing the signs and we are cycling through 3 or so soaked bibs per day to show for it!
Likes: Eating, talking and playing with anyone who will give him attention, chewing on things, especially his hands, playing in his jumper, reaching and grabbing for toys, ceiling fans, his sound machine light projector, holding hands. He has also come around go going on walks, and while he doesn't necessarily like car rides, he no longer screams bloody murder every time we go somewhere, so at least I can take that off of the dislike list! He also seems to be calmed down when he is having a fit by being strapped in his carseat and covered with a blanket, which is a 180 from a few months ago. He LOVES to have soft blankets up around his face, and that is pretty much the only way he will fall asleep. It is a little scary for this mama, but I just wait until he has fallen asleep and then go in and remove the blanket to make sure he is safe!
Dislikes: He has come around to bath time, except for getting his hair washed (so we save that for the end!). He hates being left alone, laying on his back, loud noises, when his brother screams and wakes him up from a nap. I am so happy to say the dislike list has grown much shorter in the past few weeks. He is seriously a different baby than he was a month ago, and while we have always loved him, we truly just adore his new little personality that is coming out!



Tweet

Jackson at Two

I am going to start this off by being honest and saying I had zero intentions of doing a chalkboard for Jackson at age two. I did them monthly up through twelve months, and then progressed to updates every few months, but had let the chalkboard go. However, one day recently as I was working on a three month board for Lincoln, Mike asked when I was doing one for Jackson. To which I probably gave him a blank stare. Another chalkboard? Huh? And wouldn't you know, the father of my children enjoys these little posts and was a little upset that I didn't have a birthday board planned for our Jackson. So, although it isn't right on his birthday, I decided I could manage a once-a-year chalkboard for my babies beyond the age of one. As long as they will agree to them, that is!

Here you see the evidence of why I have let the chalkboards go. Fingers crossed that by age 3 he is more willing to pose for a picture without demanding a piece of chalk!

Age: Two Years

Height: 38 inches. Per the old wives tale, this would put him at 6'4 full grown. Tall, dark, and handsome little guy that we have! He is wearing size 3T for shorts and pants and shirts, but we have moved onto buying 4T pajamas and shirts as we move forward. He wears a size 8 shoe, but I anticipate we will be moving onto a 9 sooner rather than later. He is in size 5 diapers, but we are working through our remaining stock and will then likely be wearing 6's, he is so long that the 5's are starting to seem a bit small!

Weight: a little under 33 pounds. This surprised me a bit, because he really has not gained much more than one or two pounds in the past six months, even though he grew two inches. He is definitely thinned out, he might just get the lankiness from his mama!
Milestones: He has finally added a few words to his vocabulary. He is definitely still pretty behind in terms of speech, but for MONTHS he would only say 'mama' and 'dada'. Now we also have bubble, tja-tja (tractor), hi, the letters 'o', 'm', and 't', 'yes', and a funny little grunt when you ask what the bear (or truck or Jackson) says. Despite his lack of speech, he is very perceptive and picks up on a lot. He can identify objects by color, can point out and identify just about any item in a book, and gets creative in getting what he wants (because we just can't break through the barrier to get him to use his words and ask). The other day, he was out in the living room while I was getting ready in our bathroom. All of the sudden he came walking in, with a diaper in one hand and the package of wipes in the other. He has no problems telling us he needs to freshen up! He is also really growing in his role as big brother, and it is so sweet to watch. He will grab his brother's blanket and cover him (unfortunately usually when his brother is already sleeping and content), or will try to give him his pacifier. He likes to hold him, but once he is done, be prepared because he will shove his brother right to the side and go about his playing! He still loves to give him extra slobbery kisses on the head, and whenever you ask him where Lincoln is, he will still smile like a fool and breathe like he is hyperventilating. So I guess that can go under speech too, right? 'Say Lincoln' gets the response of crazy fast breathing, so there's that.
In other huge news, he started daycare this month! We are only about two weeks in, and there have definitely been some rough mornings with tears, but they are basically always followed up with a text from his daycare provider showing a picture of a smiling, goofy boy. He also brought home his first cold from daycare (YAY). It is fun seeing him grow to know the other kids, and really start interacting more. Between daycare, mom going back to work, and moving into a new house, this little boy has really had a lot to deal with this month, but he has taken it all pretty darn well!
Sleep: We have definitely made progress in the sleep department in the past few months. He still wakes up, but he also sleeps through the night without us needing to go to his room at all a good chunk of the time. On the fourth night in our new house he had his first official time sleeping through the night, and woke up happy and chit-chatting over the monitor. So, while he doesn't let us sleep all night every night, he does at least give us about every other night-which I'll take!
He has also had a HUGE sleep milestone in that he is learning to put himself to sleep. Some nights, this means him getting up and out of bed, turning on the light, and playing in his room, but it is progress nonetheless. It is funny, because for two years we couldn't get him to lay down without one of us beside him, and now he loves to lay down, and once he thinks we aren't watching he shuts the door and turns the lights on! I am shocked to see the day where he is happy being alone in his room with the door shut. This has also given mom and dad a bit more freedom, because we are able to hang out upstairs in the loft and watch TV together for the first time in literally a year. So, huge successes overall in the sleep department just in the past few weeks!
Best Moments: There have been a lot of great moments with this little guy over the past few months. He lit up like a Christmas tree when he woke up from his nap and saw the kitchen decked out for his birthday party with Thomas the Train decorations everywhere! Hearing him say some new words has been amazing, and we do everything we can to praise and celebrate his accomplishments so that he knows how proud we are of him. Watching him love his little brother is one of the sweetest things I have experienced, even when it is often followed with him smacking Lincoln on the head with a car seconds later. Watching him eat his first s'more by the campfire on the Fourth of July was great. It was also great to watch him learn to love 4-wheeler rides this summer, go on walks with his grandparents, and enjoy being outside. Despite all of the crazy going on, our sweet boy has had what I would deem a pretty wonderful summer!
Worst Moments: He has developed a new habit of being very aware of when his diaper is dirty, and for whatever reason his reaction to this awareness is sticking his fingers in to assess the situation. Which has resulted in poop on little fingers and in the carpet on more than one occasion. I should at least be happy he hasn't wiped it on walls or all over his room (yet), but now the second we realize he has gone #2, we are all over it and changing his diaper immediately!
Health: Aside from an occasional runny nose, he really is a pretty healthy kid. We had our terrible bout with Influenza A this past winter (which was two full weeks of absolute misery for all) and since then he has had slight touches of a cold once or twice. He is growing great, is tall, thinning out, but right on track for everything besides his speech. We did decide to get him assessed again (which we did at 18 months) and will be doing so in the next few weeks, because if he would qualify for any extra help that will get him up to speed with his speech, we will take it. We want our sweet boy to have every opportunity to grow and thrive possible. Overall though, his health is pretty excellent.
Eating: He has gotten much better with eating. He is still picky, but dinner seems to be the meal where he is most willing to try new things. He absolutely loves pizza, which really comes as no surprise because after all, he is our child. He is all about hot dogs, and will eat them until you stop offering. He has also eaten stir fry, spaghetti, pasta alfredo, enchiladas, meatloaf, and a variety of other things. He also is throwing less of his meals on the floor now that we are in our own house and there is no known dog available to come pick up his mess ;-) He loves chips, and if he ever gains access to the pantry that is the first thing he will grab and demand be opened. He is wary of cold foods, which I find a bit strange. He will steal bites of our ice cream if we are eating it out of a bowl, but he is very skeptical of ice cream cones. And he pretty much wants nothing to do with freezy pops or popsicles. Seriously, what kid doesn't like popsicles!? I'm not sure if he just finds the cold shocking, or if maybe he has sensitive teeth.
Teeth: Sixteen teeth. At this point, I honestly don't even know when they are supposed to get more teeth, and how many more they are supposed to get before they hit kindergarten age and start losing them? We are enjoying the break from teething and all that goes with it!
Likes: Thomas the train, any train actually, tractors, trucks, cars, buses. Anything with wheels will provide him hours of entertainment! He also loves to cuddle, and still loves Wallykazam, as well as Thomas the Train and anything on the baby channel. He loves his brother (when he wants to). Loves his mama and dada. Recently he enjoys pushing his cozy coup all over the yard, and as a result it is often parked to the side of our house. He loves dogs, and will giggle hysterically when a puppy decides to play with him. He has grown to love books more than I ever imagined, and will read them for hours on end if you let him. He also loves to color, especially on mommy's chalkboard.
Dislikes: He is not a fan of daycare dropoff, but I am hoping we turn that corner quickly. Every day I have gotten reports that he is getting more and more outgoing and social, which makes me so happy. He HATES having dirty diapers, as is evidenced by him rubbing his poo in the carpet. He is afraid of the dining room light fixture in our new house, and refuses to sit anywhere near it. He also dislikes being told he has to go to bed. And staying in bed. He is not a fan of getting his fingernails clipped, so we have to strategically do it once he has fallen asleep.


Some days I cannot believe our little baby is already two years old, and some days I feel like he has been two forever. He is the sweetest little boy, and we just cannot get enough of him. He smiles nonstop, and it is contagious. He is hard to stay mad at, because he knows just how to melt your heart. We love you so much, Jackson, and can't wait to continue watching you grow!

Jackson at 21 months // Jackson at 18 months // Jackson at 15 months // Jackson at 12 months

Tweet

Lincoln: 3 Months

It is so crazy to think that our little man is already three months old! He has grown and changed so much this past month, and his personality is really starting to shine through. He has the sweetest smile, loves to coo and talk, and also loves to scream when things aren't to his liking ;-) He is just the most precious little thing, he melts my heart every single day with the sweet looks that he sends my way.

Age: three months

Height: 26 inches. 99th percentile. Ask me how surprised I am to once again have a huge baby?

Weight: 18 pounds. 99th percentile. Again, he may have more of daddy's gene pool for looks, but mamas genetics for hanging out at the top of the charts are winning!

Milestones: Nothing major this month, but he has really calmed down quite a bit with his fussiness. He definitely still has fussy times, but less frequently than before. He also has let out his first belly laughs! He loves to be tickled, and when you give his belly a little shake he will giggle and it is just the absolute sweetest.

He has started to recognize people and sights from  further away, and I have noticed he now will watch the TV, is amazed by some of Jackson's electronic toys, and will watch his brother play with a precious smile on his face.

Sleep: Nowhere close to sleeping  through the night! This month we really got at least a bit more predictable with sleep, and typically he is up around midnight-1am and then again around 3 or so. As long as we get that first decent stretch in it isn't too bad! We are moving any day now and plan to make the move to him sleeping in the crib (which is currently disassembled and he has never used) the first night we stay there. It will be so nice to finally have a separate room to rock and feed him!

Best Moment: Those sweet giggles! And while he has always been generous with the smiles for mama, it has taken awhile for others to experience his charm. Seeing him finally start enjoying his dad and brother a bit more has been great. 

Worst Moment: Nothing major this month! I suppose we can say those 2 month shots. Never a fun experience for baby!

Health: Growing and thriving! The only real issue is he still seems to have plugged eye ducts so they get 'goopy', especially when he cries or has watery eyes. Nothing to be concerned about or that we can really fix, just hoping they clear up soon because crusty eyes are no fun for baby!

Eating: Eating is his favorite. He is just a BIG baby, which likely is why he wakes up a few times a night to eat. A lot of eating needs to happen to grow that much! 

Teeth: None, but the drooling has begun. Who knows when he will cut any teeth, but we have definitely whipped out all of the bibs on the regular. 

Likes: Surprisingly, the dreaded diaper changes are now his FAVORITE. He is all smiles during every single change. He loves to be talked to, tickled, and swayed when he is laying down. He will hang out in his swing or bouncy chair for hours at a time. He loves watching Jackson's new Thomas the Train toy. Likes background noises, especially the vacuum cleaner! We may have let him taste a Dilly Bar, and I'm pretty sure he likes that, too ;-)

Dislikes: Bathtime, but he is finally coming around on that one and has made it through a few without having a total meltdown. Still hates the car. He is very aware of his surroundings, and gets upset whenever mom or whoever is with him gets out of his sight. 

Life with Lincoln is getting sweeter every day, and I cannot wait to see him really start to develop a personality and his own ways in the next few months! We love you, Lincoln!

Tweet

Lincoln: 2 Months

Another month has passed, and Lincoln is already two months old. Time continues to move by faster and faster, and while it seems like he has been with us forever, I also cannot believe it has been two whole months. We have seen such change and growth in him, especially over the past week or two, and it is so fun to really see his little personality begin to shine through. He is becoming less and less fussy and more and more interactive, and we couldn't be happier or more in love with the little guy! 

Age: two months

Height: 24.5 inches or so. Again, these are my measurements and we will get the doctors tomorrow! 

Weight: We have an official weigh in tomorrow at his two month appointment, but the scale at home says he has solidly passed the 15 pound mark. Jackson was about 13 pounds at two months (see his post here), and I remember thinking that was so big! He is just a big baby all around. So big, and sooo squishy. Both height and weight put him at about the 90-98th percentile!

Milestones: So many smiles this month! He is really starting to coo and use his voice, which is really what gets a mama through the first difficult weeks. He also holds his head up like a champ, and has progressed to semi-regulated and scheduled dirty diapers. It is a good day when not every diaper is a poopy one, just saying. 

Sleep: I really don't think there was much of a change in this over the past month. He is up about twice a night around midnight and 3am. After 3am, he is kind of up on and off and we don't get another solid stretch. His days are hit and miss; sometimes he naps a ton and is hard to wake up, and other days he takes mini cat naps and really won't sleep no matter what we do. I am hoping this month is where we really start to see longer stretches. I'm not even hoping for sleeping through the night, but if we could just get it to once a night, that would be amazing!

Best Moment: Listening to his sweet sweet baby sounds. He is spending so much more time awake, and is becoming more and more reactive to our facial expressions and noises. A boop on the nose has this sweet boy full of smiles and coos. He is just the sweetest. 

Worst Moment: I will be honest, this month was just rough all around. From about 4-7ish weeks old, Lincoln cried all. the. time. All he wanted was to be held and rocked and fed, and that is challenging when your older child is still a baby himself. I had one week there where, being honest, I said to myself, usually while driving as he screamed in the backseat, 'I do not like my baby'. I hate to even put that in writing, but it was how I was feeling. My mom stepped up and treated me to a pedicure, and Mike and I did his brothers wedding baby free, and we both had the best night and it was exactly what I needed. Once I recharged my own batteries, I seriously think my babies could sense my calmness and we kind of turned a corner, Lincoln started smiling and becoming more interactive, and now I definitely like him and think I'll keep him :-)

Health: He did get a touch of the cold we had going around the house, but nothing extreme and he seems better already. 

Eating: He is a big eater, but really hasn't gotten too consistent yet. He gets gassy a lot, so often eats small amounts more frequently versus larger amounts in one feeding. But, obviously growing isn't an issue (see his weight ^^^)

Teeth: None, but he has started to drool a bit. Thinking we need to get him some bandana bibs, they are the cutest!

Likes: He loves to be held all the time, and is super into his pacifier. I have them stashed all over the place because I don't dare be caught without one. He loves to eat, and smile at the wall and light fixtures. He also has grown to like diaper changes, which is a breath of fresh air after over a month of him screaming every single time he was changed.

Dislikes: He is not a fan, but is somewhat coming around to bathtime. He HATES dirty diapers and loves to get changed and into a clean one as soon as possible. He does not like to be cold at all. He isn't a fan of his brother intentionally hitting him on the head with his toy cars. He dislikes being forced to take a break during feedings when my milk comes in, because if he doesn't then I practically drown him, which he also dislikes. He gets pretty darn grumpy when he is gassy. He is not a fan of his carseat or car rides, and screams about half of the time we drive anywhere. He is just a very particular guy and knows what he likes and, more importantly, he knows what he dislikes! 

Mr. Lincoln, you certainly keep us on our toes, and we are so lucky to call you ours. Your smiles are infectious, and nothing beats a little chatting with you. We can't wait to see how you continue to grow over this next month!

Tweet

Lincoln: 1 Month

It seems like the more we think time can't possible go any faster, it does. We are already one month into life with Lincoln, and it has definitely been a change around here. Some days are challenging, but for the most part, having two little men around the house is wonderful. Quite opposite of when his brother was little(see Jackson's one month post here), Lincoln has a voice, and he will definitely let you know when he is not liking something. Once he gets what he was looking for, though, he is usually quick to return to his calm, sweet self. He is not the most content baby of all time, and I already have a strong gut feeling we will be babyproofing and dealing with mischief much earlier this second time around as parents. It has been amazing to see how, even at a few weeks old, you can really see the differences between your children. Of course, when you have a big brother who steals your pacifier, smacks you on the head, and attacks you with loving but vicious kisses, I would imagine you learn to be tough and resilient pretty quickly!

Age: one month

Height: 23 inches

Weight: 12ish pounds. This is from me stepping on the scale with him and then without, but I would say based on the readings he is solidly in the 12 pound range for sure!

Milestones: Staying awake for longer periods of time, making eye contact, and he has rolled over from tummy to back multiple times! Of course he isn't really doing this intentionally yet, but he is a strong little guy. He is constantly pulling his legs up beneath him during tummy time, and can hold his head up like a champ.

Sleep: He is not too bad in the sleeping department. We get three hour stretches some nights, some nights it is a little less. So far, our best night has been waking up to eat twice around midnight and 3am. Because of our living arrangement, he is in a bassinet in our room and will be until we move in about two months, and it doesn't take much crying from him to wake Jackson, so as a result Lincoln ends up nursing in bed with both of us falling asleep quite a bit. There are pros and cons to this, but I will say I feel like I am getting more sleep this way than with Jackson, who I always made an effort with to put back in his bassinet after feedings. I think doing things that way resulted in a LOT less sleep!

Best Moment: Seeing him smile! While he hasn't done it much, we have definitely seen a few real, authentic smiles, and they are just the sweetest. I cannot wait to see more of his gummy grin in the coming weeks.

Worst Moment: Honestly, we haven't had any terrible moments so far. Jackson is just the sweetest with Lincoln, but during moments of jealousy the poor baby has gotten a smack or two on top of the head. He is a champ at ignoring these attacks though, and usually just goes about his business of eating as if nothing even happened ;-)

Health: So far so good! At his two week checkup, everything from his growth to his healing from his circumcision looked great. He is eating, pooping, and doing baby things just like he is supposed to!

Eating: He loves to eat all day, every day! He got the hang of nursing pretty quickly, and this round has been a bit easier than it was with his older brother. Most specifically, his ability to nurse while laying down has been a lifesaver for this mama, because that makes it so much easier to wake up for feedings than when I have been forced to get up and move to a rocker in the past. His weight gain clearly shows he is getting plenty. He had his first bottle about a week ago, and ended up drinking down about 6 ounces like a champ! I was shocked when my mom told me!

Teeth: None, and let's keep it that way for a while!

Likes: Being held, his pacifier, eating, being warm, looking out the windows, being in motion, his bouncy chair, hanging in the Solly wrap with mom.

Dislikes: Being cold, bathtime, having his diaper changed, driving through roundabouts, when mom stops driving, being taken out of the Solly wrap, loud noises.

Mr. Lincoln, you are just the sweetest, and we are so glad to call you ours. Already it is hard to remember life before you, and we are so very excited to watch you grow!

Tweet