21 Months and 29 Weeks

At 21 months, Lincoln has lots of things he loves. He loves Mommy and Daddy, sometimes one more than the other! He loves Elmo (and his gang) and Mickey (and his gang), sometimes one more than the other! He loves Cinnamon cake and wapples, chicken strips and french fries, carrots and peas, yogurt and strawberries, milk and water, granola bars and m&ms, hot dogs and rice, and bananas and apples. He loves to PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!!! He's not getting much bigger, but he's learning new things and saying new things each day. There's no way I can count the words he says right now. He's definitely had a language explosion. Sometimes he tells me whole sentences. The other day, he said: Momma, noman cup pill water blanket and Linky. That meant the snowman cup spilled water on the blanket and on him. I investigated this incident, and it was in fact true. Each time we get out of the car, he says: new gaaaaage go up and down and Daddy go up and down. This means our new garage door goes up and down and Daddy goes up and down (the attic ladder). So Smart!!!! Secrets and bad words are no longer safe now that he's such a talker.

Linc still loves his books! Ally gave him this Mickey book, and it's become a favorite. He keeps his favorites out on the table in the playroom, but keeps the other (million or so) books nearby in bins.

He really enjoys trucks, especially Chuck the Truck that Aunt Marte gave him for Christmas. It talks and drives around so he can chase it!

It's hard to wait on it to drive itself, so sometimes Lincoln gets impatient. He often pushes it along until it speeds off on it's own!
He's really such a helper . . . and by that I mean in the middle of everything we do!!!! Laundry - helping load the washer. Organizing - unpacking everything just put away. Fixing the vacuum - hammering away! On the plus side, he'll put almost anything away, carry anything for you, and follow most clean up instructions.

Bathtime is still a favorite! Each night when we brush his teeth, he grabs the baby fingernail clippers and asks me to cut his fingernails. I know, weird!!! I do one or two each night to satisfy him and keep them short. I never thought this task would turn out to be the easy one!!!! We like to play and sing in the tub, and he wants to give himself the bath. We often fight over the washcloth these days. I'm slowly letting him soap himself up, but I like to assist! After months of screaming on Daddy's bedtime nights, he's come to love Daddy's nights. Now he'll pick Daddy over Mommy any night. I like to listen to them on the monitor saying "love you" to each family member . . . they go on and on to extended family members even!

While being totally cute, sweet, smart and helpful, Lincoln is also very determined. He was determined to help Daddy organize the boxes in the attic today. Not such a toddler thing to do, but he just knew he needed to be on the ladder. We tried to compromise with a step stool, but it just wasn't the same. Here he is trying to convince Daddy to let him up . . .

Linc's a totally fun kid, and I can't wait for the things he'll come up with in the next month. I know he'll have so many things to teach Baby Beau! Speaking of Baby Beau, he's growing right along. I read that he's over 15 inches long and weighs over three pounds. He's been getting on my nerves lately . . . literally! I've been having some back and leg pain from him sitting on a nerve, but I can usually work it out. I'm feeling ok, though I get tired and lots of pains because I can't slow down. I know I'm not supposed to haul boxes around, shop all day, or cook all day, but I hate not being able to do things! My back is killing me most nights, sleep is elusive at this point, and I have that crazy restless leg syndrome right now. These complaints are all worth it because we'll get to meet Beau in just over 70 days!!!

Christmas Festivities

Merry Christmas! We've had a busy, fun-filled, action-packed Holiday. We started the festivities on Christmas Eve with the Kuhlman family. There was tons of food, singing, Wii (even Linc tried to play), and visiting. Lincoln, Ava and Mason (cousins) are all about the same age and had lots of fun playing together. I think they ran every inch of the hotel! Linc and Ava shared a hug. (Yes, I'm hugely pregnant in the background!)

The windows at Solana are always a hit! This was the best place for Peek The Boo, as Lincoln says it.

The kids really had much fun together, and Lincoln was beat! (He ended up in bed with Mommy at 3:00 am after waking up in a strange place. It's only his second time in the bed with us, and it didn't go well. Good thing we could squeeze in a nap later!)

Taking a break with Pops, and giving a trademark "look"!

After opening Santa presents and having a family nap, Mommy and Daddy prepared Christmas Dinner for Minnie, Bubbles, Ally, Nana and Pops. We were so glad everyone could join us for the feast! I didn't take a picture of the desserts, but we had oreo cheesecake and pecan pie cups. Yummy!

We opened lots of presents as the night went on and found lots of cool things to play with! Present-opening is pretty slow with Linc because he doesn't like to tear the paper. I'm always telling him not to tear paper (like pages in a book), so he wasn't sure why it suddenly was ok to do it! Also, he wanted to play with each thing right away. You know how crazy hard it is to get toys out of their packaging, right? Somethings he just had to play with in the box while we worked on getting other things out! In the case of one present, he needed to wear it right away! He put on his new Elmo shirt right over the shirt he was wearing at the time! I must admit I wore a new gift or two right away myself!

In case you're in need of a demolition man . . . Linc is prepared! Hard hat - check! Safety goggles - check! Hammer - check! Super cute smile - check!

Taking a present break to look at a new book from Ally!

Ally and I did a bit of experimenting and made oreo balls, and I definitely recommend them! We all took turns cooking and tasting over the last few days.

We had a wonderful holiday and are ready to relax and enjoy the next few days. We've got tons of new toys to play with, books to read, outfits to model, and gadgets to try. Kevin is quite excited about his new stand mixer and drill. He had them both completely examined, plugged in, charged and tested within minutes of opening them! Baby Beau wasn't left out of the festivities. He received several cute things and responded with lots of kicks and squirms. Pardon me, but sometimes I think his little foot is about to come right out of me! I don't know how he can kick in the places he does, but he's pretty amazing. I'm sure he enjoyed all of the food and laughs. We were blessed with so many wonderful memories and fun times this holiday season. The Freemans left today, and we're working on getting back into the routine of things. I'm afraid Mommy and Daddy are pretty boring compared to the past few days!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Here's Linc's new theme song: I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feels so bad . . .

No clothes, milk, cinnamon roll, and Mickey Mouse on TV! What could be better!!!

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a big weekend full of visitors, but we were missing one important guy! Daddy went to Miami on Thursday for work, and it was the longest four days (for all of us)!!!! Ally flew in to keep us company, and Linc loved playing with her. We did a bit of shopping and cooking, but mostly just hung out. She loves to play ball, read books, eat waffles, and watch Elmo/Mickey . . . all of Lincoln's favorite things, too! Nana and Pops came over to play on Friday, and Minnie and Bubbles came to visit on Saturday. It was nice to have lots going on so we forgot to miss Daddy too much. We did text lots of pictures! Lincoln had to show Minnie and Bubbles the awesome new (well, sort of new) front loading washing machine. He loves it! I put the towels in, and he said, "Hit" (that means sit) to Minnie and Bubbles while pointing at the ground. They all watched the towels, soap and water spin for the first cycle.

We were glad Daddy could come home on Sunday afternoon. We missed him, though Lincoln is really saying "Momma do it" for everything. He's readjusting to having Daddy do things. I'm hoping this little phase ends soon . . . we had a complete meltdown when Daddy brought the water cup instead of Mommy tonight. Lincoln went and put it right back where it was and said (of course) "Momma do it." I'm sure that won't be the last time I hear that!

Card Fun

Lincoln is lovin the Christmas cards we've received. I stick them on a wrapped piece of foam board each day, and he loves to see his "friends" over and over. He loves to recognize someone's face and get the name right. Currently his favorites are the doggie (on Chanda's card) and the baby (Emily on the Brosnahan's card). Keep the cards coming!

PS - Linc even made the board . . . he's in my parents card with Ally! He likes that one a lot too!

A Day in the Life . . .

What a fun day just hanging out! I decided to capture the moments of a day in the life of Lincoln.

Eating our third cinnamon roll (in a row!) on the counter . . . no, we don't usually eat on the counter. He was just eating them so quickly, I plopped him between the container of cinnamon rolls and the microwave for efficiency purposes! We also sang our favorite Christmas Carols and practiced counting to six (big boy, right?) while we ate.

Recess was next: we played on the slide and the swing and helped Mommy wash the table. Someone wasn't paying attention while holding the hose and got his jeans all wet! It was a beautiful 70 degree December day.

More singing. Elmo has a book that plays Christmas Carols and Linc likes to see if I can keep up. Luckily the words are printed because I didn't know "Here We Come A-Caroling." Don't worry, I do now! Linc's favorite right now is "Jolly Old St Nicholas" but maybe that's because the button that plays this one has Ernie's face on it. We like Ernie!

After a nap and a trip to Tom Thumb and Home Depot, we just chilled. The empty wrapping paper tube is always a hit . . .

Another recess . . . more running wild!

Dinner was next, a viewing of Elmo's Christmas Countdown of course, then more playing. We finished up the evening with a snack on Daddy's lap.

It was a totally fun day! There were a few toddler meltdowns here and there (like when I suggested he wear pants - the horrors!), but we recovered quickly. I'm quite proud that he has on the same outfit through all the pictures. That's a rarity, as we usually find a few messes to get into. We kept an eye on the garage door man and tried to stay out of the housekeepers way . . . it was a busy day! I loved every second of hanging out with my little man!

Feeling Fine!

I'm happy to report that we've continued the healing at our house! Lincoln is responding great to his new medicine . . . actually he loves it and asks for "medimi" all the time. It must taste like a yummy strawberry. His appetite is back, and he's making up for lost time. Check out the evidence: tonight's plate after dinner!

He had a chicken strip, carrots, sweet potato fries and cheesy rice (even though he doesn't really like cheesy rice!). Notice the spoon is still nicely placed next to the plate where I put it. He's only into the fork I guess! After dinner, he went to the pantry and yelled "M M M" so I gave him a few peanut butter M&Ms. After that, he ate a cinnamon roll and a peanut butter cookie! Seriously, we're gonna gain this weight back in no time. I'm so glad he's feeling better!

Oh, how I miss his little personality when he's sick. It's nice to have a cuddly kid for a bit, but he's so funny and animated when he's feeling good. We're so blessed that he's not sick very often.

For some reason, we're on a cookie kick. Tonight I made these peanut butter Hershey Kiss cookies - the recipe from the bag of Hershey Kisses. Kevin is quite obsessed right now. Lincoln requested "cookie no chocolate" so I left a few without Kisses. I may start giving these away because I definitely don't need to keep eating them!
We'll see what trouble we can find tomorrow . . . it's a Mommy and Linc Day! Cross your fingers for a late wake up call!

Being Sick is the Pits

We've had a little run with feeling bad lately . . . and we're ready for it to be over! A couple of weeks ago Lincoln had a stomach bug. Mommy was the vomit-magnet and received several showers of the yucky stuff. Sigh. This past weekend we found a little ear infection and a touch of sinusitis. Doc gave us a strong prescription to clear it up, but it messed with Linc's stomach too much. He hadn't eaten in days, so I called to get a gentler medicine. I'm used to his picky and finicky eating, but this was getting serious. He hadn't had more than a pancake or yogurt for three days! Here is a picture of one yogurt attempt: Daddy juggled the balls while Mommy shoveled the yogurt!I think we're finally on the right track because tonight he actually ate dinner and shoveled his own yogurt! On the plus side, I discovered something new that Lincoln likes: cinnamon rolls!!! They're not something I ever eat or make, but when my boss told me her son (who's Linc's age) loves them we gave it a try. He ate a whole roll with a quickness! So we've lost a pound, but we're on the mend. I am definitely ready for Lincoln to be well for a while.

Christmas-y Friday

We had a super Christmas-y Day on Friday! It was lots of fun - maybe with a few tears too. Lincoln helped me make Christmas cookies. By "helped" I mean he stacked and played with the ingredients.

He had to sample one to make sure they were good. I wouldn't want to give anyone a bad cookie, right? He added sprinkles to a few but left the heavy decorating to Mommy.
We also paid a trip to Santa's Workshop (via the Galleria) to see the Big Guy. We practiced saying Ho Ho Ho, and Hi Santa, but it was not happening! Lincoln was not having any of Santa's lap!!!!! (He cried last year too. I wonder what age they start actually liking Santa?!) Santa suggested I hold him, but it didn't get any better. As soon as we stood up, he said "bye-bye, Santa". No more tears!!! We ran into Santa at the toy store a short time later and he waved and said hello like they were buddies! Seriously!!!!
Lincoln is enjoying the holiday season more and more, and I enjoy watching him learn about it. We got out the nativity again, and he especially loves Baby Jesus . . . loves to throw Baby Jesus, I mean. I am trying to put a stop to that! Stay tuned for more holiday fun, like Lincoln wrapping presents, a family card picture, and maybe even a carol or two!

Juggling Tricks

Daddy revealed a hidden talent to Lincoln . . . he can juggle!!!! Where's this entertainment been for the last 20 months? There was plenty of giggling as Lincoln (and Elmo) set up the chairs to watch Daddy's show. I laughed just watching them have so much fun. Linc's got a bit of a cough, but that didn't stop him from enjoying Daddy's new trick. It's so easy to forget those crazy toddler tantrums when I hear him giggle like this. Maybe Lincoln should ask for a few new juggling sets from Santa. Hmmmm . . .

Yard Worker

Even though it turned cold this afternoon, we needed to get outside for a bit of fresh air. Linc grabbed the rake to practice his yard work skills. There was a crew next door cleaning up the trees, and he was fascinated. He would rake then watch the guys then rake again. Each time a gust of wind blew by, he said "cold winny" (windy). We didn't stay out for long . . .

20 Months and 25 Weeks

Lincoln is 20 months old! If I had one word to describe Lincoln, it would be "opinionated." He has an opinion about everything!!!!! Seriously, he has an opinion about which socks to wear, who sits next to him in the chair, which lid goes with which cup, and on and on. If I had one more word to describe him, it would be "bossy." He is too bossy these days!!!!! He loves to tell people no-no, move and get up. He loves to tell who's turn it is to throw the ball or which song to sing. He loves to boss, period! If I had one just more word to describe him, it would be "perfect." He's just the best, smartest, cutest, most perfect kid around. Of course, I'm his Mom so I'm allowed to say such things! Here are the details about Lincoln at 20 months.

Weight - 24 1/2 pounds - we'll never get past 24 pounds!!! He goes on eating sprees then boycotts food for a few days. He's become pretty picky, and I hear Kevin and I were both like that at his age. I can usually count on ham (if I buy the right brand at the deli), rotisserie chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and graham crackers. New likes this month: homemade waffles (#1 Mom!!!) and apples

Height - 33 inches - He's getting taller bit by bit. I think his height goes with his weight, and he looks pretty proportionate.

New Words - There are a million! He repeats EVERYTHING we say and sometimes uses the words correctly later. I describe everything, and he really soaks it all up. My favorites right now are stuck, momma cooking, and help Lincoln.

Smart Stuff - He can identify the colors red, yellow, blue and green. He can count to four. He can get to D in the alphabet. He can describe the ornaments on his tree (Elmo snowboard, Big Bird presents, etc). He helps out with the words to Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle, Row Row Row Your Boat, Hokey Pokey, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, the alphabet, Jingle Bells, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, C is for Cookie, People in Your Neighborhood, Five Little Ducks, and so many more. We sing A LOT!!! He comes home from school singing and doing all kinds of hand motions and dances, and I often ask his teacher for translations. Surprisingly, he's usually pretty close!

Lately Lincoln has decided he's a pretty funny kid and is always doing silly things. He loves to make us laugh. He likes to hide then come out and yell while you're "looking" for him. Thanks to Bubbles, the shelves are bolted to the wall. No tumbling over!

The nut crackers have been renamed nut cookies by Lincoln. He really likes to talk with them and check out all of their decorations.
I guess he thought Daddy's magazine was boring and it would be more fun on his head! Seriously, it never ends!!! Thanks for keeping us entertained, Linc.

I will be 25 weeks into this pregnancy in a day or two, and all is going well. My latest doctors appointment was uneventful. All they do right now is measure, which I could totally do at home. It would save us all an hour! The little one is doing lots of kicking right now, and I'm glad for that. We talk about the baby to Lincoln all the time, though I'm sure he has no idea what's going on. We're down to just a couple of names and hope to decide soon. If I could get over the fact that I'm allergic to being pregnant this time, I'd be enjoying this one a lot more. Every couple of weeks I get a serious round of allergies, but that's really my only complaint. I can't wait to meet the little guy and see if he's anything like his brother. I'm not sure what I'll do with two opinionated, bossy, yet perfect little boys . . . but we'll soon find out!

Sunday Girlfriends

Lincoln has been loving all the girlfriend time lately! He gets to play on the playground at church each Sunday after the service . . . he starts asking to "play" right when we get there, and can't wait to meet up with his ladies! Elise, Alexis and Emily are really fun to play with. Well, Emily is really too little to play, but he loves the big girls. He chases them all over, but usually takes a break to climb a bit. He's quite the climber! (Luckily he hasn't followed them to the sandbox yet!!!)

Happy Thanksgiving

This is Lincoln saying "Cold"!!! Wednesday it was 80 degrees - Thursday it was 38 degrees.

There are so many things to be thankful for . . . our health, safety, families, friends and many more blessings. I'd also like to mention how thankful I am for a few not so obvious things.

Frozen Sweet Potato Fries - I've mentioned often that Linc loves these, and I'm so thankful that they come already cut and flash cooked. All I have to do is bake them for 15 minutes! So much better than cutting a real sweet potato and baking for an hour!

Sesame Street - Elmo and the gang provide lots of entertainment, education and elation. Linc loves each character and tells us their color and what their sayings are. Some of them have nicknames, his favorites change by the day, and they've helped him learn his colors, sounds, body parts.

The Magic Bullet Blender - I don't use this one as much as I used to, but nothing beats a super fast healthy smoothie. A banana, a cup of Yoplait peach yogurt and a splash of OJ is a quick fix. Kevin thinks I should add ice cream each morning . . . I think that goes against the healthy part!

Allen Wrench - We put together the entire Ikea playroom with just one Allen wrench . . . seriously, what a tool!

Old Navy's Thanksgiving Day Sale - Yep, we went to the mall on Thanksgiving Day. We had been cooped up and busy all morning, so we headed to the Galleria after Linc's nap to hit up Old Navy. I couldn't believe they were open on Thanksgiving Day. We left with three big bags full and a little lighter wallets.

Palmer's Stretch Mark Cream - This stuff worked it's magic when I was pregnant with Lincoln . . . I'm hoping it still works miracles.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope your day was full of good food, rest, and fun with family. We had an abundance of all this year.

Such a Smartie!!

Breakout the IQ test . . . we've got a genius on our hands! Lincoln loves to count and can go up to four. The best part about getting to four is that you get to throw the ball. I'm not sure why four is the magic number, but whatever! Enjoy!

A Real Playroom . . . Finally!

Our house came with this awesome playroom, but we've never fully utilized it. Our cats were living in it for a while, but they've since found happier homes. Lincoln's toys were all piled in it for a while, but the clutter was driving me nuts. Ikea to the rescue!!!!! We made a family trip to Ikea on Sunday afternoon and hit the jackpot. I'm sorry (or maybe glad) that I don't have real "before" pics, but I'm sure it's been noticeably messy in the background of many pictures.

Kevin worked hard getting everything set up - and only bled once! The good thing about Ikea is that they have cool, inexpensive stuff. The bad thing about Idea is that you have to put everything together. I had thought this looked like a Thanksgiving project for Bubbles, but Kevin stepped up and shared my enthusiasm. I did the chairs and occupied Linc, and he did the rest! Lincoln needed to help a little! He totally knew what to do with the screwdriver. Perhaps he'll be more handy than his Mom and Dad.

View #1 - All the storage a kid could need! I have most of the bins filled with books, legos, trucks, and the like. Cute stuff!

View #2 - A full toy box of bigger stuff and a perfectly sized table. I'm sure he'll be scribbling all over it soon . . . looks clean now, though!!!

I'm so proud of Linc's new and improved playroom. It finally looks real! There's much more room to actually play, and the clean up seems easy. At this point, he really enjoys putting things away. I hope that habit continues!

Dallas World Aquarium Outing

We all found ourselves at home on Friday with not much to do, so we headed downtown to the Dallas World Aquarium. Turns out it was Field Trip Friday for all suburban Dallas second grade classes, so we had lots of company at the Aquarium. Lincoln was amazed at all the kids! The Aquarium itself was pretty cool, too. We were surrounded by sharks at one point . . . yikes!

On the lower floor, the sharks were swimming above our heads in a see through tank! Linc stared up at them curiously. "Look, Mom!"
There were exhibits for different parts of the world, and we saw really cool fish! This one kept giving us a grumpy glare.

Believe it or not, this is a fish. It has adapted to look like the plants in the water to avoid being eaten! It was really cool.

Of course, we loved the turtles. I still haven't figured out what to tell Lincoln that a turtle says. I've been thinking on this one since our trip to the zoo, but I haven't come up with anything. I guess their not big on talking.

More turtles along with a few fish.

The second graders we were hanging with loved this iguana. Kind of creepy if you ask me!
Lincoln was so good to stay in his stroller, and most of the animals could be seen and examined from his vantage point. He did wave up at the owls though.

Surprisingly, there were more than just fish and water animals. There were lots of other animals like birds, flamingos, and even a tiger.

We had a great time at the Aquarium and decided to stroll through the West End for a bit afterwards. It was lunchtime, so we picked Hoffbrau. Lincoln was getting kind of antsy, so I pulled up a Cookie Monster video on my phone. Whew - Sesame Street to the rescue!

I would definitely recommend the Dallas World Aquarium as a family outing. It was a bit pricey, but we enjoyed ourselves. The million other kids didn't get in our way, and they kept Lincoln entertained. All in all, it was a fun Friday!