20 months

As the days go by, our little man is getting older. With the 28th come and gone, he's now 20 months old. Twenty?! We are well on our way to a 2 year old. And we are still so very much in love with him and all of the joy he brings to our family.  

He is interacting and just so much fun these days! Sidney was pulling him around on the hardwood floors using a big blanket as her sled the other day. The giggles from his mouth were heard throughout the house. Ryan finally shouted from upstairs with a "what is she doing to make him laugh so hard". Lincoln could hardly breath he was laughing so hard! He adores his sisters, they really do make his world go round. One of his biggest joys in life is having them take him for a ride in the pink Cadillac. It won't be long and he'll be the one giving rides, and crashing into mail boxes (Sidney was still the driver, despite the location of seats below....)!

When we leave, make a transition to a new room/activity, have to run an errand, I've learned that life is so much more smooth if he is allowed to say "bye" to the slide, the shopping cart or the car. Then he knows we are moving on quickly. It really works! Tonight it was his beloved toothbrush (loves to brush those choppers), and eventually I told him to say 'good bye' and he gave me the tooth brush and in his southern most accent says "bayyee'. My other go-to trick is to offer the neighbor's dog as a reward.....yes, it's a bribe, but it's innocent and it works! "hey Lincoln, stop playing in the puddles and let's go say hi to Sophie". Instantly stops and starts running towards the fence! When he fusses about adding shoes to his wardrobe before leaving the house: "hey Lincoln, should we put on our shoes and go say hi to Sophie?". Works like a charm!
(I can't find a photo of him with Sophie, so I'll instead you get him saying goodbye to my car and it's blown tire).

With a recent trip to the pediatric allergist, we are learning the ropes of a whole new menu. We walked out of that office, armed with answers and most importantly an action plan, but also with extremely heavy hearts. Yes, we realize in the grand scheme of life, he's healthy and that's all that is important. But this stuff is scary; really really scary. We've been lucky and have had to completely change our eating habits. In the reality of our family, it is a huge shift. I'm scouring the internet for food ideas, non-dairy alternatives, and safe restaurants. The peanut allergy is a breeze in comparison to egg and dairy; unfortunately, the reactions are both the same: life-threatening. And so, we will follow with the allergist for as long as we need to, and avoid all threatening foods. 

As for play-time, he has recently fallen in love with the play kitchen. In. Love! One session, he played for nearly an hour. He babbles and chats like I understand all that he is saying as he goes about cooking me meals and pushing buttons. He really does love the kitchen as much as the girls did at this age. He also has a love for cars, coloring (with a big sis nearby) and helping me to clean. We swear that the play-swiffer is by far, his favorite toy. It almost got tossed in the truck on our most recent Wisconsin Dells trip; he loves it that much!

We are soaking in the summer sun, his curly blonde locks and stinky sweaty feet as we enjoy all that 20 months has to offer! We love you Lincoln! 

If I had to guess, I would say he weighs close to 30 lbs, and he has grown in height so much that I'll have to measure him against his ruler. He's in size 4 diapers and 18-24 month clothes. He's becoming interested in the toilet and I'm getting nervous about training him but I know the time is coming soon :) He loves his family, his books and toys and being outside.
Happy 20  months buddy!