Oh the Things you can Do!

We've been so busy! What a ridiculous couple of weeks it's been. And so much going on!

   

Remember this? Old deck on its way out. 

 New deck on it's way in!! See how much bigger?! 

Anthony has finished the deck! There is a beautiful brown tin roof, a very lovely staircase leading to the backyard right beside Anthony's Japanese maple tree. It's about 300 square feet in all. I can't WAIT to get some furniture up there to finish it off! Ant wants to make a table out of wood and then top it with ceramic tile. We have some good friends who have a table like this and he just loves it. I think it will be very nice! We'll need to find some chairs..and I want something soft and "loungey" out there too so I can read a book outside while Lincoln plays. What a great place that will be this summer! We have grand plans to put up pretty lights of some kind, and maybe a fan to move the air. The next thing, and most important thing, that needs to happen is the gate at the top of the stairs. Gotta keep that beautiful boy safe!!

Speaking of the boy...he's officially 11 months old! RIDICULOUS! Last week he weighed 22 lbs., 12 ozs. He seems to have leveled off with the weight. I think it's a combination of getting taller and moving so much. He's still nursing at least twice a day with one bottle at Denise's. Sometimes he nurses three times a day, but not always. I think we're coming to the end of nursing. We've started to take milk in a sippy cup. He's not drinking much from the bottles that I send with him during the day. He's eating so much more table food. He loves potato soup, and almost all noodles. He's still not a big fan of meats. We've tried chicken, turkey, hamburger, bacon...none of it with much success. He really likes fruit and can eat a whole fruit cup by himself! Pears, peaches, and applesauce seem to be among his favorites. He likes baby food bananas, but doesn't like real bananas. Go figure. All our other baby friends eat whole bananas by themselves, so maybe we just need more practice. 

Lincoln took his first steps last week! He's not walking, really. He took a few steps from Anthony to me. And what a precious moment it was! He looked so proud of himself. Of course we made a big to-do over it and he thought that was hilarious. He's not interested in walking much, he crawls very fast! I've decided not to rush it, he's into everything as it is. I'm sure walking will bring with it a whole new level of sneakiness! I'm not sure we're ready for that....

All our baby friends are turning one!! I can't believe it. I met so many of these girls in lamaze when we were only 32-33 weeks pregnant. All those babies still inside our tummies and now they're growing up so fast! 

Left to Right:

Back row: Casey & Liam, Me & Lincoln, Shannon & Sarah, Ellee & Samantha, Jennifer (JennJenn) & Carter

Front row: Natalie & Madeline, Lynette & Kyra, Elizabeth & Harrison, Teresa & Layla

We were in lamaze with Teresa, Ellee, and Shannon. These other girls and their fabulous babies became our friends through the bf support group and baby massage. It's such a wonderful thing the hospital is doing with these classes. There were quite a few times when I didn't know what I would've done without this group of wonderful mommies to go to. Our lactation consultants reallllly got us through so much, and these girls are available to me any time day or night. They're like our extended family now! I call Samantha Lincoln's girlfriend. They're only 2 days apart! Who knows what could happen! *wink* This picture was taken at Sarah's 1st birthday play date in January 2011. 

Out of our group our now (gasp) one year old babies are: Carter, Sarah, and Madeline. Liam & Kyra share a St. Patty's Day birthday and then I think It goes Lincoln, Samantha, Layla, then Harrison. Some of our other baby friends are not pictured here.

On April 16 we will host a Birthday Play Date X 6!! We will be celebrating the April birthdays together. It just doesn't make any sense to have a party every weekend. Not that I'm complaining about birthday parties and cake, Anthony is getting tired of losing me for several hours every Saturday for partying! :)

So together we will celebrate Lincoln, Samantha, Layla, Harrison, Rudy, and Alan. We're going to do a Spring/Easter theme that will be boy and girl friendly. We're going to use chicks and bunnies and sweet springy colors. Ellee is taking a cake decorating class and she's going to make and decorate cupcakes for us! How fun! Anna (Alan's mom) is trying to channel her inner crafter and she's in charge of decorations. There will be food, for babies and adults, punch, cupcakes, and games. What a grand time to be had by all! I really love these girls and their babies. We've been through so much together and I truly hope we continue to be good friends. My boy will need lots of play dates as he gets older, too. He LOVES to spend time with these guys. You should just see them all together. Lincoln notices every baby he sees. It's so great to see them all playing together and having fun. Pictures will follow all parties!!! :)

Here are just a few pics of what we've been up to...

Lincoln's first Valentine's Day gift...a squishy cup to pour in the bathtub, a fun star that squirts water and spins with lights for the bathtub and some super cute new giraffe shoes!

Mommy-baby love after bathtime.

I took some pictures on his 11 month birthday. These are some of my favorites, along with the big one at the top of the blog!

The first flower of spring.

10 Months....and DISNEY!!

Wow! Lincoln is 10 months old today! I can't believe it! I know it sounds cliche, but it really does seem like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital! He's just delightful! Here are some things he enjoys doing at 10 months...

1. He LOVES music! He just dances, wiggles, and bounces whenever he hears it! (Wonder where he gets that from?!)

2. He crawls SOOO fast! I mean, you just turn around and he's down the hall. It's so cute..like a little crab. I love it when he carries a toy in his hand and you can hear it clunking as he goes!

3. He has mastered the art of taking off his shoes. No matter what kind of shoe it is, he can take it off. He loves the velcro sound...guess I'm doomed for later in life. We'll probably have a barefoot baby.

4. He loves to bang two toys together to make noise. Well really, he just loves to make noise. Screaming, beating a drum, banging things on the table...things that shake or rattle.

5. He's cruising...He can walk all the way around the coffee table, or from the couch to the chair while holding on. It's so cute. He will walk when you hold his hands, and he can stand by himself for a few seconds at a time. When he realizes he's by himself he sits down really fast.

6. He sleeps through the night, most of the time. This week has been really  nice...but a few weeks ago we were struggling again. I think it was probably his teeth again. 

7. He has 6 teeth. Four on top, two on bottom.

8. He weighs just over 21 pounds...we weighed just last Friday at support group.

9. He's eating lots of table food. Mac & cheese is one of his favorites, he likes green beans, he loves beans at the Mexican place. He also enjoys carrots, pears, and eggs. Oh yeah..and pancakes! And tonight he enjoyed some Hamburger Helper!

10. He babbles all the time. His favorite sound is dadadadada. He doesn't really say "dada" but it's a large string of sounds. He also says doidoidoidoi and bababababa. There's also alot of shrieking that goes on! 

11. One of his favorite things is the fridge magnets that Aunt Sheila got him for Christmas. They're the Leap Frog Fridge Phonics...you put the letter in and it sings the sound of the letter. He's figuring out how to put the letters in himself. He can take them out already. He'll push the button and just sit in the floor and bounce. 

He's still hanging out during the day with Denise. They just absolutely love each other. And especially her kids. When he sees Kristen, Sara, and Will he just laughs and smiles. He points at them and they make funny faces. It's just like they're all one big family. 

I also can't believe he's almost a year old! It's time to plan a party...wow! All of his baby friends are starting to turn one also...we're gearing up for lots of baby parties! Although...I think we should be having mommy parties! We're the ones who did all the work. I always thought it was funny that the person gets to celebrate the birthday, but the Mommy is the one who carried that baby for 9 months, had all that pushing and labor, and stayed up all night for them. Why can't I celebrate Lincoln's birthday?! :)

Lincoln has also experienced a lot of firsts with the new year. First time on an airplane, first time in Florida, first time at Disney World, first time to ring in a New Year...it was an awesome experience.

I know he's little and he won't remember but the pictures are soooo sweet! We had such a great time. We landed in Florida on New Year's Eve and headed to Hollywood Studios. We wanted to go to Magic Kingdom but it was closed: filled to capacity! WOW! So we played at Hollywood Studios. We listened to music, rode the Toy Story ride, met Handy Manny, and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live on stage! Lincoln was so good! He rode in his stroller or we carried him in the Ergo and he was wonderful. He napped when he was supposed to, ate Mickey Mouse ice cream, played, giggled, and just generally enjoyed his time.

On Saturday, New Year's Day, we went to Magic Kingdom. We rode Dumbo, watched Mickey's Philharmagic, ate pretzels, ice cream, rode Space Mountain using child swap, rode Pirates of the Caribbean, met Ariel, and just generally enjoyed ourselves. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. I think that has alot to do with how wonderful Lincoln is. He's just go with the flow, take it as it comes...and it's wonderful. I packed entirely too much (of course) but we managed. Lincoln was wonderful on the plane...he nursed on take-off and landing both times and he slept through almost the whole flight. On the way home he slept for the first 45 minutes or so, then woke up and played for the last 30 minutes. He of course had all the neighbors wrapped around his fingers. They all just loved him.

 Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to.....

 New Year's Eve at Hollywood Studios.

 Meeting Handy Manny....he had to touch him!

 Lincoln and Anthony watching a parade.

 New Year's Day at the Magic Kingdom! Hello Cinderella's Castle!

 Meeting Ariel...and yes, he had to touch her, too!!

 My very own Mickey ears!! They even have my name on the back!

 Lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.

 His favorite place in the whole house! Inside the fridge...

 Learning my letters.

 Loving on Ma-maw.

 Mmmmm...spaghetti. For the very first time. 

 See the tower....

 Watch it fall!!

Enjoying a good book...and a good drool!!

Christmas Fun

Oh my...where to start?! What an eventful Christmas season is has been! And oh how blessed with are...with family, with friends, with love. It's such a beautiful time of year. Lincoln has been such an incredible baby. It's hard to believe he wasn't around at Christmas time last year....in utero doesn't count! He's just a joy. I know that sounds cliche, but he is just magical...like our Christmas cards said. 

My family made an adjustment to Christmas plans this year because we knew the boys would want to play with their toys, and not just open them and then have to leave. So instead of opening presents with my parents and Kaleb, Leslie, and Zane on Christmas morning we moved it to Christmas Eve morning. Mom cooked a yummy breakfast and we enjoyed our time together where we didn't have to rush and the boys played and napped (Lincoln did, anyway!) and we didn't have to rush away or drive anywhere. It was VERY nice. I'm going to like this new tradition. 

We still had Christmas Eve at Moppy & Poppy's house also...then Anthony's parents after that. Needless to say it was a very busy day! We even squeezed in a visit to the Snack Bar to see Anthony's aunt Aleta from Kentucky before she drove back home (picture to follow). 

Christmas Day was pretty relaxed. We got up when Lincoln did to open presents and just enjoyed being together with nowhere to go. We had planned on going to Ma-maw's to see Aunt Sheila and Uncle Terry but the snow put a kink in the plans. I haven't seen that much snow in a long time! I think by the time it was all said and done we were sitting on 6 or 7 inches! It was breathtaking. A lovely, white Christmas. So instead of heading up to Canton, Anthony's parents and aunt and uncle came over for "brunch". Toni cooked breakfast and we visited a little. His grandmother is in a nursing home this year so we didn't have  a big Christmas lunch at her house like we usually do. 

Lincoln enjoyed the people and the busy-ness of the holidays. He didn't really open his presents, but he did like to eat the wrapping paper and play with the tissue paper. His favorite toy by far was the cute little ride-on tricycle we got him. It starts out as a kind of stroller while he's little then it rearranges itself to become a very nice tricycle when he's ready for that. He napped well and was very happy most of the holiday season. 

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas celebrations. They are in no particular order...in fact, they're out of order and I can't help it!

Enjoy...

And so it begins....our first Christmas Eve spent building presents for the baby. I'm sure it's only the first of many! And just think...all these parts turned into this:

A super-cool Tricycle for Lincoln! Right now he can sit in it and we push him....he LOVES it! Later some of the pieces come off and he can pedal for himself. It's very, very cute.

Our Christmas spread before the presents were opened. (That big red snowflake one was mine!!!)

This was Lincoln's first glimpse of his new bike...he couldn't take his eyes off of it. While Anthony and I opened presents he pushed it around, spun the pedals and wheels, and pulled up to stand by it. So sweet! We ended up having to push him around the house for a while because he wanted to ride!

Daddy and baby enjoying Daddy's Christmas present from Mommy...a new electric guitar and amp!

Our Christmas spoils!! Lincoln was enjoying his tricycle, Anthony was enjoying his guitar and yes....that's my BEAUTIFUL full-sized keyboard with weighted keys! I LOVE it! And was totally surprised. Anthony hadn't given me any hints (I wouldn't let him) so I was in the dark about what he was so excited that he got me. He promised me it was nothing off my wishlist and it sure wasn't! I stopped asking for it a long time ago. Anthony said we needed it....Lincoln loves music and literally dances every time he hears a song. Ant said it was important that he grow up surrounded by music so I needed the keyboard! Ok by me!

This was around 9:00 on Christmas Morning....note that the ground is not covered, but it is certainly snowing. 

This is by far the best picture of Christmas! You can just see his excitement on his face! We took him outside to push him around in his trike and to let him play in the snow. He had a blast!! He giggled and grinned and laughed! So precious! This was around 6:00 pm on Christmas evening. See the ground covered in snow!

Anthony pushing the baby with Lile leading the way! 

"Really, Mom?"

"I'm not so sure about this stuff! It's cold and wet!"

One of Lincoln's first Christmas ornaments. Grammy Toni had it made for him. 

My mom's beautiful house covered in snow. I think this was taken on Monday, 12-27...there's still tons of snow around. It melts more slowly at her house because of all the trees and shade. 

Christmas Eve with Nana and Papaw. Such proud grandparents!

Family Christmas picture!! 

He was so excited by everything he just fell asleep. Poor little guy!

Zane and Lincoln sharing a private moment. They played very well together. Zane is learning to take turns and be easy. It's awfully hard to share your brand new toys with someone so little who doesn't know what he's doing. They had a very good time!

Sweet boys in matching pjs! Thanks, Aunt Leslie!

This is the best one I got of the two of my babies together! Lile was NOT happy!

Anthony's aunt Aleta with Lincoln before driving back to Kentucky.

Papaw Vance got Lincoln his very own piggy bank! It's a large blue pig with his name and 2010 engraved into the side. It's already got some change jingling inside.

Christmas Eve at Moppy's. Zane said Lincoln was a special delivery so he made Kaleb carry him around the house in my Thirty-One bag for my presents! They both were in there at one point! And Zane carried it around his neck with all his toys in it saying he had deliveries...precious.

What a beautiful, beautiful time it was. And a very sweet First Christmas for my baby Lincoln.