6 months old!

Can you believe Lincoln is 6 months old?!?!

What an amazing 6 months we've had getting to know Lincoln, watching him grow and figuring out how to be parents. I couldn't have imagined this much happiness! Lincoln is so happy and has so much fun, and we love listening to him laugh and make his silly grunts and sighs. Such sweet sounds! Here's what's going on with Lincoln at 6 months:

Weight: 16 pounds - he lost a pound during the Rotavirus and it's been slow to return

Height: 27 inches - he has had a major height growth spurt

Look how tall I am!

We read lots of books, and luckily he enjoys listening to me over and over. He gets excited each time I turn the page and kicks and grunts his happiness. After we're done reading each book, I hand it to him for a quick chew. Of course, I have favorites to read and he has favorites to chew!

His appetite was slow to return, but I think he's finally hungry again. A normal day for Lincoln: nurse in the morning, early lunch of 1/2 jar veggie, 2 tbsp oatmeal and 7 ounces milk, early afternoon and supper are both repeats of lunch, and bedtime is 9 ounces milk. So far he has enjoyed peas, squash and carrots. As the diaper-changer, I enjoy carrots the most and peas the least. Just a note . . . they come out looking like they go in!

Lincoln is still very chewy, but no teeth yet. Some new favorite things to chew on are limbs - like my arms and legs. Strange, huh? He still loves to chew on his regular toys, and he discovered Aunt Ally's fingers hit the spot too! Come back soon Ally!

Sitting is definitely the way to play at our house these days. You'd think he's been sitting up all his life, and I'm glad he's not crashing over anymore. This week he decided to go from sitting to pre-crawl/tummy. He does a lot of rocking then shoots onto his tummy. One of these days he's really going to go! The video shows his new activity, but he ended up rolling at the end. Cute!

Peas Please!

I'm glad to report that Lincoln is finally feeling better and free from the effects of the Rota-torture! Now that his tummy is settled, let's throw it back into confusion with the addition of real food! We had planned on starting peas over two weeks ago, but we're just now able to try it. I was ready to see how Lincoln would react, and I was expecting it might take him a bit to warm up to veggies . . . boy, was I wrong! He eagerly opened up for the first bite and loved it! He ate 1/4 jar of peas along with his favorite oatmeal cereal and 6 ounces of milk for supper last night! I'm glad his appetite is back, and I'm really glad he was impressed with the peas. He's enjoyed them at 3 meals today, too. What a good little eater! Below is the evidence: before, during and after.

Happy Birthday Daddy

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday, dear Daddy

Happy Birthday to you

Kevin's birthday was last week, but it got a bit overshadowed by the Rota-monster! Thankfully, Kevin was feeling ok by his birthday, but we still had lots of messy diapers and a sickly Lincoln. He got lots of germy hugs! Kevin got his favorite dessert - an ice cream cake that we've been eating on for a week. According to the CDC, he also got the gift of a real-life immunization for the Rotavirus. I understand that if we're ever exposed again, we won't get as sick. Hooray!

Under House Arrest

The Rotavirus has forced Lincoln under house arrest for over a week. He's been pretty cuddly and sweet, but he gets tired and cranky more quickly. We've done just about everything to keep him entertained.

He enjoyed doing the laundry! He helped me carry the items to and from the laundry room. Here's a tidbit for you: Rota-poop is much more difficult to get out than regular poop, and it gets on everything . . . clothes, sheets, towels, covers, etc.

It has rained almost every minute of our Rota-week, so we pretended to go out for a drive. Nana brought us this cool car just in time! We've driven over every inch of the house at least one million times. Today is the first day it didn't rain, so we drove down the sidewalk twice!
Even though he was sick, Lincoln supported the Cowboys in their season opener. He made it through the first quarter then retired for a nap. He rallied just in time to see the win!
Note the drool on his shirt: we've been cheering every time we see drool or smell tee tee this week. Our main Rota-concern was dehydration, and thankfully Lincoln didn't dry up too much.

Long Absence

Why has Keeping up with the Kuhlmans been abandoned this week, you ask. I'll tell you why . . . we've been struck by The Rotavirus! Oh, what a long week. It all began on Friday night around midnight when I was stricken ill. We all worried that Lincoln would be next, and sure enough he began Saturday morning in the same condition. Kevin, Nana and Pops kept him clean and entertained on Saturday and nursed me back to health. Sunday afternoon would be Kevin's turn to fight the virus, followed by Nana and Pops on Monday. Lincoln didn't have the worst case, but he definitely had the longest! After a visit to the doctor, we learned it was The Rotavirus instead of a regular stomach virus. Poor Lincoln! He hasn't been too interested in eating and has lost 1 pound, but he's kept his sweet smile. We've all been taking good care of him and hope he's on the road to recovery. As soon as we're feeling better, I'll post new pictures of Lincoln. He's managed to do a few cute things over the last week!

5 Months Old

(I'll first apologize that this post is a little late - sorry!)

Weight: 16 pounds! He's definitely filled out, but I don't think he's too big. Just the right amount of chubby on his cheeks and legs.

Height: 26 inches! He seems so tall to me, and I hope he gets that from Kevin.

Menu: He eats 5 times a day with three of those consisting of cereal along with milk. We've been through rice and oatmeal, and we're almost done with wheat. Up next . . . veggies!!

Sleeping: I'm happy to report that we haven't had any hiccups with sleeping through the night (knock on wood!). Bedtime is at 8:30 and breakfast is served at 7:00, and this schedule works well for all of us. Naptime has gotten much better now that we tried tummy naps. He seems to sleep more soundly at naptime now, and that has been a struggle. I didn't like the 30 minute nap phase! (Don't worry, he sleeps on his back at night!)

What he's up to: We are at such a fun age right now, and I hear it just gets better! Lincoln is a happy, excited kid who loves to do new things and see the world around him. He's quite adventurous, and sometimes thinks he's a little more grown up than he actually is! When he stands up holding on to the ottoman, he likes to let go and grab something with both hands . . . he doesn't think about falling, so I'm always there to catch him!

He's sitting on his own pretty well, although he crashes to one side after a minute or two. We started practicing this on the bed to take advantage of the cushion, but we're on the floor now. Gotta toughen him up, right?!

He's very tech-savvy! We Skype with my parents often, and Lincoln is intrigued by it. He definitely responds to their voices, but he can't find where it's coming from. He stares at the computer, but he doesn't make much of their faces on the screen. They talk to him, and he talks and goos and squeals back.

We're still lovin' the Jeep. He would stay in it forever if I'd let him. He spins the rearview mirror, chews on the keys, and toots the horn. He often tries to chew on the horn, so sometimes when I look over to congratulate him on pushing the button it's actually his head banging into the steering wheel. Oh, well! If it makes him happy . . .
He loves to laugh! Eric really had him going this weekend, and we finally got it on tape. Enjoy this happy sound . . . and laugh along with Lincoln!

What's New?

Things are rockin' along just great at the Kuhlman house, and we're have lots of fun. Lincoln and I have been enjoying runs lately. Sometimes he is totally entertained by all the sights and sounds as we run, but other times it's the perfect time for a snooze. It's definitely harder to run while pushing a stroller, and sometimes I embellish a little when telling Kevin about our work out. I swear the wind direction changed and I had to run both ways into the wind and a surprise rain fell at our farthest distance from the house! It might have been crosswinds and a sprinkle or two, but whatever!!!

I didn't plan for Kevin and Lincoln to wear matching Polos, but it was too cute. I'm sure you can guess what they're doing in this photo . . . watching the Rangers!!! We're working on introducing Lincoln to football this weekend. So far, he's enjoying it. I'm sure he'll get LOTS of practice!

Each time we walk into a restaurant we're asked if we need a high chair, and each time we say, "No, we're not quite sitting yet - but soon!" Well, I decided today was the day! I happily carried the chair cover into breakfast and plopped Lincoln right down. Of course I brought a stick-on place mat (seriously, have you met Kevin?!) and a couple of toys. Success! Lincoln seemed to really like the independence and stayed in the high chair the whole time just looking around and playing. It was weird that we both got to eat our meal with two hands at the same time! I don't know what made me think he was ready, but I'm sure glad we gave it a shot. Then again, I sometimes wonder what happened to my little baby.

Happy Reading

I'm trying to instill a love of reading early, so Lincoln plays with books often. Mostly he chews on them, but he also wads them up, squeezes them and occasionally looks at the pictures. It seems to work better when I "help" him look at the book, but he does enjoy his independence!

New Video!

You've all heard us say how much Lincoln loves to stand up, right? Well, he's graduated from me holding him up to (sometimes) standing with the help of the friendly ottoman. He gets interested in the toy basket while standing and usually reaches for a toy. Of course the toy has to go straight to his mouth, so he's standing with just one hand to support him! What happened to my little baby?!

Here's the proof:

Arkansas Visit - Part 2

What visit to Arkansas would be complete without a stop in Dumas? There was lots to do and so many people to see, so let's get started . . .

Grumps and Lincoln laughing! He can get Lincoln to laugh like no one else, and it's the sweetest sound in the world!

What a cute grin while playing with Auntie! No doubt Grumps was on the sidelines making him laugh! Auntie was so impressed by how big and smart Lincoln is. He's such a big boy!
We went to the Mud Mill and had Lincoln's handprint done. He was pretty curious but was a real champ! After all, he's done handprints and footprints before . . . but this time it was with a professional, not Mommy! It will be the cutest plate when they're done painting and firing it. Can't wait to see it!

We enjoyed spending time with Patsy and Julia Ann. They're such fun Great-Great Aunts!

Memama and Poppa were charmed by Lincoln, too! He did lots of smiling and giggling for them, as well as showing off his "sitting up" skills!

Our last stop was church with my grandparents. Everyone there knew all about Lincoln and loved meeting him. Doesn't he look like a little man?

We had such a good trip, and we can't wait to go back. See you all soon!

Note: I realized that I didn't get any pictures of Lincoln with Allyson! What's that about?! She was the best aunt ever this weekend. She was so proud to show him off at school, she made him laugh, she enjoyed changing his clothes . . . but I couldn't convince her to change a diaper. Next time!