12 months: Lincoln

Holy moly where did that year go!

Oh my was it a wonderful year. And I can only imagine the next to go by just as quickly, and prove just as fun.

On his birthday, I asked the family what has been the best part of this last year with Lincoln.

Sidney commented "meeting him for the first time", but also says she likes it when he "talks" in the car and at that moment, he seemed to say "yea" in response to one of my questions and made us all fall over laughing.

Regan promptly said "seeing his poopy diaper for the first time. I just didn't think so much could come out of such a little baby!".

We all agreed that seeing him for the first time was pure delight, along with hearing his first laughs and watching all of his other 'firsts'.

Tidbits that we just don't want to ever forget. At one year:
* Lincoln crosses his feet whenever able; sitting on the floor, sitting on our lap, nursing, relaxing in the bath tub, you name it, he crosses them.
* He sleeps with his arm under his back. At all times (provided he's on his back). He will shift his body around until that arm is just perfect, resting under his back.
* He learned to climb stairs and pull to a stand all within 1 day of his birthday. Let the fun begin.
* He smiles. A lot. And laughs too. Just one happy little boy. Little things make him do both, such as walking into a room, reciting his favorite book (even when the book isn't actually in front of us), telling him we can go outside, seeing his sisters after school, and watching trucks or buses drive past.
* His belly laughs are THE best sound there is.
* When he wakes up and I change his diaper, he will stretch those chubby legs as I tickle them from thigh to toes and he laughs a deep-belly-laugh. Every. Single. Time. And it never gets old! I will take the extra minute to do this just to hear him laugh.
* Words in his vocabulary include mama, dada and 'is (meaning sis). I love it when he hollers "DAAA" trying to get Ryan's attention. We can be outside swinging while Ryan is in the house, and he'll scream "DAAAA". He just wants us to all be together :)
* He's laid back, easy going. And as long as I am nearby, he's happy. Take him out of my arms or make me walk away, and he'll lose it. Ryan recently told someone a story, and it went like this: Ryan came home from work as I was busy in the kitchen, with Lincoln on my hip. Excited to see him, Ryan took him from me. Lincoln willingly went, gave him a hug, and then instantly cried to come back to my arms. Stinker. But the boy loves his mama!
* He loves loves loves to play. In the kitchen he gets into our tupperware and empties the entire cupboard in 30 seconds flat. In the living room he will play with books, toys and empty off the photo bookself quickly if we don't stop him. In the toy room he prefers to find the girls American Girl trinkets and shove them into his mouth. Baby-proofing needs to start----yesterday!
* He stands (safely) at the top of our stairs, holding onto the banisters and twerks. Yes, I said that. But that's because it's what it looks like! He bounces up and down, shakes forward and backward and screams in delight with himself.
* The boy can throw. Be it a ball, a small toy, his pacifier (if he's mad enough), or any other object he's holding. He throws and does it well. All with his left hand.
* Each morning, after I feed him, he lays his head on my shoulder to snuggle. Sometimes for a minute, other times for five. It forces me to hurry through the rest of my morning routine and often race out the door late but I just can't resist. He won't do this forever, so I'm soaking it up.
* He will still fall asleep in our arms. And to us, is pure joy! The night before his birthday, he was getting cranky at 6pm. I couldn't lay him down as both girls needed to get to activities in separate directions. I changed his diaper and scooped him up in my arms where he fell asleep in a matter of seconds. This is just pure joy. A sleeping baby in my arms.
* At nap and bedtime, he uses a pacifier and burp rag to fall asleep, often taking the burp rag to snuggle or cover his eyes with.
* He is wearing size 3 Pampers Cruisers, and into mostly 18 month (though still some 12 mo) clothes.
* Weight is roughly 25 lbs and height is roughly 30 (or 31) inches. Official stats coming Friday.

He is a joy in our lives!

Happy 12 months buddy!

3rd Grade music and art program

Regan had her 3rd grade music program and art show on Lincoln's birthday. She was so excited to be able to tell her friends and teachers that her big program was on his big day!

She signed up for a solo again. And was given it. Only 3 solos in the entire program, and she scored one. To say she was proud is an understatement.

 

But then the big day arrived and she was nervous. Like biting her fingernails nervous.

We could see by the look on her face up on stage that she was frightened.

Thankfully she had one of her BFF's behind her during her solo to help keep her calm. And I'm even more thankful that this was just the second song into the program, so she could relax!

She did great. Nailed it!

I cried.

of course I did!

But so did 3 out of 4 of her grandparents.
Saps. 

After the music program, we were able to walk the hallways and see some artwork.
Meet Gorge.

A one eyed monster with scaly legs and fly wings.

I wish I would've taken a picture of the description she wrote...it's just as silly as the picture! 

Congratulations on a wonderful music program/art show Regan!
We are so darn proud of you!

Birthday fun day-Lincoln turns ONE!

October 28th is a big deal around here. It's our little man's birthday. And this year, his FIRST!

What a year it has been. From the moment we met him, we each fell in love all over again.

He's just the sweetest thing around. Really.

One must meet him to truly understand.

 

I laughed as I said to him in the morning "today is all about you!" because let's face it, everyday is all about him! He has 2 awesome big sisters that simply adore him, but more and more, we see him light up when they come around. His face lights up, his legs start to kick and if you're lucky, he'll give a holler to "is" (sis). And so, we know that he adores them just as much.

 

His first birthday celebration started out with a little "Happy Birthday" rendition as we all piled into the king bed and loved him up. He just looked at us like we were crazy, nestled his head into my shoulder and gave a little babble of "ah ah ah" as he bounced his mouth off my shoulder. But I think he liked the singing :)

Once downstairs, he was greeted to a roomful of balloons and several presents, we'd open the rest later after school.

Regan was eager to open his presents for him, but instead, she taught him how to rip off the paper from the box and he followed suit. Carefully he pulled sections of paper and tossed them to her before going back for more paper. He really enjoyed this process!

 

Ryan had to leave for work (sniff sniff) so the girls and I got ready for a little more singing with a candle-decorated-piece of rhubarb bread and a side of pear.

Boy did he want to touch that candle! It took all his power to listen to the warning of "hot!".

Not to fret, I somehow managed to keep it a safe distance from him while taking a picture at the same time.

 

After the girls hurried off to school, it was just me and him. In true Lincoln fashion, he took a 2 hour morning nap and then was ready for a lot of playtime! I discovered a bunch of toys in the attic that he had received throughout the last year (that really were more for this year) and so assembled them during his nap and he was in love with all the exciting toys.

Ninety percent of our main level has hardwood floors, and so cruising around on this thing is awesome! He can't really touch the ground while sitting on the car, so it's back breaking for the one pushing him around, but his giggles and smiles are enough to keep a person going. I plopped him on for the first time, he put his feet up, and was ready to roll!

 

We played with balloons too (yes I realize they are choking hazards, but come on, it's his BIRTHDAY!).

He was so silly, grabbing them and trying to hold on, belly laughing when one would bounce off his head and land on his toes.

 

 

Ryan joined us for lunch and we couldn't resist, it was time to let him dig into a mini cupcake. We knew we'd have to do another one at dinner to let the girls see, but we were going to be rushed (more on that later) and I really wanted to see what he would do.

He's never been much of a sweets fan, disliking ice cream, cookies, etc.

But this?, this must have been just the right flavor. Because I'm telling you, once I showed him that he could pick it up and eat it (he was just staring at it waiting for me to do something for him....spoiled boy), he was all over that thing!

At first, just tiny little licks of the frosting. And then a bite of the frosting and a smile quickly followed with bigger bites, until the whole thing was gone!

He loved it!

The real deal will be this weekend when he gets an entire cake to himself at his party :)

He spent the afternoon napping away like a champ: 2 1/2 hours.

Must have been all that racing around on his Lightening McQueen car!

 

Then it was off to take Regan to Angelica practice and home for one of his favorite meals: pizza.

Let's face it, I needed to be quick (we were already skipping basketball pictures and ice skating lessons, just to be able to make it to what we needed to do). He ate yet another mini cupcake and we sang to him again. There were a few more presents to open too.

Regan had her music program (one during school) and another at night. He sat patiently on my lap and listened to the songs, never making a peep. I think he thought they were singing to him....because remember, I told him today was all about him :)

 

We were joined by all of the grandparents throughout the afternoon/evening and took the opportunity to take a quick family picture.

I didn't care that he had the lens cover in his mouth, or that Ryan was holding his burp rag, or that my bra is showing and Sidney's hair could use a quick brushing. We were standing together, all looking at the camera. Perfection in my book!

 Ryan, with the help of my friend Brenda, captured his attention long enough to get a mother/son picture on his birthday too. THANK YOU!

We ended the evening with a trip to DQ where he took a few nibbles of my sundae. This sweet stuff is growing on him.....although he still seems to prefer the healthy stuff (so far!).



 Last week, he and I did a little picture taking in the back yard for his upcoming day. I made up a cute little sign all about him. It was a labor of love. And then he just kept wanting to knock it over mid-picture. The out-takes are hilarious and much more plentiful.



Let's take a closer look at that labor of love: 

Happy Birthday sweet Lincoln! We love you so very much. Hope you had an AMAZING first birthday!

Birthday eve....the big ONE!

Tomorrow he turns one.

One year old.

How in the world did that year go past so quickly?

I did everything I could to soak in every moment. Snuggled him endlessly, let him nap in my arms, watched as he laid looking at his swing mobile and listened as he cooed and babbled. Tried to ingrain his sounds into my memory, all of those sighs during his exhale and his infant baby squeaks. 

We celebrate every milestone: from words to teeth and sitting to crawling.

And tomorrow, he goes from our baby to our one year old.

 From this:

  

To this:

 He is downright the sweetest baby I have ever met. He hugs and snuggles and gives slobbery kisses. He's much more quiet than the girls ever were (isn't that just men in general?), but has really started babbling and we all love listening to him talk. He says mom and dad and just recently we've heard an "is" out of him, which we all strongly believe means "sis" (the girls say sissy a lot in reference to themselves).

 The last year has taught us patience and love and just really what it means to live in the moment. I'm not hurrying him along in growing up, nor trying to slow him down. We're just reveling in the moment. Smelling the roses so to speak.

When we were preparing for our induction for his birth one year ago, we took in a hearty meal and soaked up one last night with only Regan and Sidney. We took pictures and giggled at just how round my belly had become. Despite not wanting to come on his own, he was ready in every sense of the word....our 9+ lb baby!

Oh sweet baby boy, we love you so much and are ready to celebrate your first birthday!

Pumpkin carving 2014

While Lincoln napped on this Sunday afternoon, the rest of us got busy carving pumpkins. 

The girls are always eager to dig their hands into the "guts" and come out with slime, string and seeds. They love it! 

And once the big little guy woke up, we got busy sticking him inside a pumpkin for a photo shoot. 

He wasn't hating it, but I wouldn't say he was loving it either. I have plenty of "out-takes" with unhappy written all over his face :) 

Happy Early Halloween! 

Fall sunsets

While out at my aunt/uncles house this weekend for (an early) Christmas gathering, I took the kids onto the lawn to burn off some energy. The girls needed to run after 2 hours in the truck, and Lincoln just needed fresh air. I quickly realized that the sun was about to set and giving us the most amazing light for a few pictures. 

And so, I snapped away. 

I didn't really even have to ask them to stop for a quick picture. They saw my camera and were quick to oblige. 

It seemed that I couldn't take enough pictures. I just kept snapping away with whoever was in front of the camera.  

And as they ran (and fell), I took more pictures of them. 

Regan tried her hand with my camera too. She's learning, still a little wobbly, and so the picture isn't crystal clear. But she's getting the hang of it and I'm excited for her. 

Two of the most adorable girls around! 

One year prep

We're prepping for someone's first birthday around here. 

And in doing so, I've been swearing at Pinterest for all of their cute ideas for his special day. As I work on some projects, I needed a more accurate weight (than the 'hold him while stepping on the scale' method). So I busted out the infant scale today and this little man was all excited to plop down for a weight. (if you're wondering, he's roughly 25 lbs)

And when that project was finished, we headed outside for a little photo shoot of our own using said Pinterest projects. The final outcome will be posted later this week. 

Can you tell what I used to gather his attention?....you guessed it, a ball. 

His absolute favorite!

Endless creativity

Regan loves art. It's her "thing". She has a cabinet with supplies looking like the shelves of an art store. Her school offers enrichment classes periodically after school and she's always eager to sign up. And when she brings home clay work like this, I'm eager  to sign her up!

She was elated to learn how to draw daddy's favorite breed of dogs too. Now I'm just trying to find creative ways to display all of her art.

And let's not forget the little sister following in her footsteps. She whipped up this lion on the fly one afternoon. Quite impressive kiddos!

One year ago

Just about one year ago, we were painting my belly to look like a pumpkin, in the spirit of Halloween. Preparing the girls for the arrival of their new sibling.

Boy, how he has changed each of our lives. I am so thankful to have each of our kids. And I'm soaking up every "first", and every transition that Lincoln goes through, knowing he won't stay little too long...the girls have taught us that. 

Shockingly, it also means I'm savouring even the middle of the night cries for a pacifier or the 4am "pick me up I miss you" pleas....and yes, we oblige. Because we know, that this too, shall pass.  

51 weeks old

One week left until our baby turns one. In the blink of an eye, that year flew by us. I know we say that he never really was that little, but 9 lbs is still pretty little.

His cheeks maybe got a little rounder over the past year :) but he's still the sweetest, most loving, easy-going baby there is out there. And always seems to carry a smile. 

It's amazing how much he has grown! We are so in love with our little-big guy!

A boy and a puppy

Lincoln loves dogs. 

Like hugs and kisses in love with them. 

So I took a sequence of pictures on Saturday night while we were at a friends. Their dearest Golden Lab, Brody, is one patient dog. He let Lincoln "pet" him, crawl around him, and in the end....use him as a pillow.  Enjoy! 

(You can tell he's about to fall backwards) 

Here he's actually laying on Brody's belly

And then he slid off but was rather content with his spot

Even as Dave approached to ensure all was well, both Lincoln and Brody just laid there like "what do you want?"

Thanks Brody! 

Biking with the crew

Over the MEA break, we decided that Lincoln was close enough to the recommended age of 12 months for a bike ride (we're only 2 weeks away!). I had fun chatting with Regan as we rode up the street.

And I loved feeling the tug of Lincoln kicking his legs inside the carrier. I could tell he was in his glory, even if Sidney was squishing him, and we were making him late for his nap. He giggled and kicked for the duration of the ride.

And once again, this Minnesota fall is forcing me to take hundreds of pictures with the gorgeous trees in the background. I just can't help myself!