Yogurt is Yummy!

As if I didn't know this about Lincoln already, he's demonstrating his independence and opinions lately. I've aired out our eating troubles, and I'm glad to report he's really gotten interested in food. We pretty much gave up foods that required a spoon because I wanted him to learn to feed himself. Check! Now I'm mixing in regular "pick up" foods with "spoon" foods. Of course, he thinks he needs to be in charge! Here's our attempt at yogurt . . .

"I can do it, Mom!"

"Seriously, Mom! I can do it!"

"See, I told you I've got this!"
I know what you're thinking . . . she always feeds him naked in the highchair. Why would she leave his clothes on and put him on the table for such a messy adventure?!?! I have no idea what I was thinking. Obviously I wasn't thinking. Oh, well . . . live and learn . . . and always be prepared for a bath. I should add that he's not bad at the spoon, if you don't mind a mess. It seems like he paid a lot of attention at mealtimes.

The Big Birthday Celebration!!!!

The day is finally here . . . Lincoln's first birthday party! The cake is ready, the table is decorated, the grill is on, and we're ready to party! Of course we chose a baseball theme because we've watched a lot of baseball together as a family, gone to a few baseball games in this first year, and play with numerous baseballs each day. Lincoln was definitely Rookie of the Year in our book! This is the picture on the birthday invitation:

I got really excited about our theme, and wanted EVERYTHING baseball. Stein's made a delicious cake, and I'm glad we have a little leftover . . . breakfast, lunch and dinner for me!!! Their icing is the best.

Ballpark staples made up the rest of the menu: Hebrew National Hot Dogs, Buttered Popcorn, Nachos, and Cokes! How All-American Baseball can it get! Everyone came hungry and definitely enjoyed the food.

Q:How many guys does it take to cook a hot dog?A: 4 pictured (Eric, Kevin, Jason, and Burt) and 3 not pictured (consultants: Larry, Pops, and Grumps)

Luckily, they were yummy! I think everyone had two!
Bring on the cake! Even though we practiced eating cake, the massive paparazzi flash bulbs in his face and all the pressure to perform must have gotten to Lincoln. I might also mention that his smash cake was HUGE! I should have ordered a cupcake! He stuck his fingers in the icing and wasn't pleased. I took matters into my own hands and dug in myself! He had a lick off my finger and decided it tasted ok.

He still seemed a little intrepid, so we tried another idea: we gave him a spoon! He liked that much better and dug in! He's learning to feed himself with a spoon already so he shoveled a few bites into his mouth.

After some yummy cake, the presents took spotlight. What wonderful gifts he received! Lots of cute outfits that I know he'll make look even cuter! He helped tear the paper and enjoyed looking at the cards. I guess he thought they were mini-books, and we know how he loves looking at books. Thanks for all the cute gifts and Sesame Street cards.

We had to play with a few new toys right away. Lincoln's bestie McCoy was happy to help him try out the new toys. They look at each other with such curiosity, and squeal and pant at each other. It's too funny! Thanks for helping us celebrate, buddy!

Thank you to everyone who came to our party, whether you traveled 5-6 hours or 5-6 minutes. I have TONS of pictures that I'll try to pass around. Happy Birthday to Lincoln!!!!!!

Crazy Duck

Everyone has a crazy aunt, right? Well I have a crazy great aunt Patsy . . . Lincoln's great great aunt. She's really the best! She taught all the girls in my family how to drive (she was the only one brave enough), played lemonade stand for hours upon end, told the best and longest bedtime stories, and ALWAYS gave the loudest toys. She hasn't changed! She called me last week from Arkansas and said she was in Hallmark looking at the cutest Easter duck for Lincoln. Lincoln shortly met Donald "Easter" Duck and was immediately intrigued. Donald sings a quack-y song and walks around, and he screams/quacks when you lift him by his ears. Lincoln was at first a little intimidated by this loud duck coming at him, but he quickly regained his composure. Now he goes after Donald and body slams him! He likes to pick him up to hear him scream/quack, but he usually goes for the beak! I have to remember to turn him off at night because you know those baby toys go off randomly . . . imagine how scared I'd be in the middle of the night if I heard that racket! (One of his "talking" puzzles goes off whenever there's a cell phone near?!?! Who makes these things anyway!)

Did you notice the cute hair spike? His teachers loved it, and called in all the other teachers to check out his 'do! Kevin's afraid I'm going to bust out the hair gel soon . . . don't put it past me!

Mommy Weekend

Daddy went away for the weekend to Eric's bachelor party . . . we had lots of playing to do!

Bye-Bye Daddy!

Playing in Daddy's chair . . . it looked so empty without Daddy, so Linc wanted to sit in it the whole weekend. I would hide little toys in the armrest, and he loved it!
Wondering what surprise will be hiding under the arm!

Helping in the kitchen! He so knows how to stir!

Playing ball! Look how much air that one got!

Just chatting.

We were glad to have Daddy home, and I'm pretty sure Daddy was happy to see us.

Trial Run

My mind has been crazy with all things related to Lincoln's first birthday party. Perhaps I'm taking this a bit too seriously! I had this strange thought the other night . . . what if Lincoln didn't like his birthday cake? We had never given him cake so I couldn't imagine what his reaction would be, but all I could see was him spitting it out and shuddering. (Obviously he does this with lots of new foods that I give him!) I read that it takes 7-10 tastes before a baby decides he likes a new food, so I figured I better start now! I made cupcakes for our first trial run. Here's the play-by-play of Linc's first tase of cake:

"Hmmmm . . . this is interesting. It feels nice and moist, but I'm skeptical."

"I guess I'll try a big bite to really get the feel of this thing."
"Uh-oh. This bite was bigger than I thought."
"No turning back now. Just shovel it in."
"Glad I got a new tooth to help me with this!"

Luckily he LOVES cupcakes! He ate the whole thing and would've had more! I don't think we'll have any problem with the birthday cake . . . and we may not have anymore problems with gaining weight either! I hope the weight gain only applies to Lincoln. I managed to avoid eating one, but Kevin has had several already. He thinks he's going through a growth spurt too! For now I'm leaving off the icing, but maybe I'll add that next week.

Cute stuff

We finally got a visit from Minnie this weekend. She's wasn't able to come for the longest, but we all made up for it. Minnie and Linc really did some bonding and had a great time. Of course reading books was high up on the list, as well as snacking, shopping, chasing, and WALKING?????? Lincoln took his first two unassisted steps early Sunday morning, and repeated the effort twice Sunday afternoon. I'm sure an independently mobile boy is coming soon . . . am I to be happy or terrified?!?! We're doing our best to document the effort!

I've neglected to post this because I'm afraid of being turned in to CPS, but Lincoln loves his reflection in the oven door! I promise the bottom oven isn't hot when I'm cooking in the top oven. He loves to look at himself in any mirrored surface. Vain already? I'm sure it doesn't help that all he hears is how cute he is!

New (and Old) Favorite Book

Lincoln's newest favorite book is also one his past favorite books . . . Brainy Baby 123s. I've been reading this one since the day he came home, so you think he'd be tired of it. As with everything else he goes through phases, and right now this book is IT! He still likes the other books, but he'll dig through everything to find this one.

He even has a favorite page in his favorite book! For some reason the 7-8 pages are the best. He smiles and giggles when we count the 8 dogs and 8 bones. (Perhaps it has something to do with my 8 woofs!) We always have to pause on this page longer than the rest. Proof that we aren't ignoring the rest of the library . . . this picture shows how he "asks" me to read a book. When I say he asks, I mean he shoves the book in my face for about 3 seconds then drops it (hard) on my foot/hand/head/etc. Gotta be ready, Mom!

Tales from the Kitchen

Sometimes a meal is hard work . . . at this particular meal, Lincoln ate turkey, carrots and cheese. Obviously he was worn out by the effort and fell asleep after the milk!

After a brief rest, he rallied to join Daddy for a bit of ice cream. He loved his vanilla, but was definitely interested in the chocolate chips Daddy added to his own bowl.

11 Months

Personality . . . that's what I have to say about 11 months! It seems that every moment of this month was full of Lincoln's blossoming personality. He is so sweet, so excited, so animated, and also so dramatic, so opinionated and so stubborn. We play cars, read lots of books, throw the ball, and walk (assisted) for fun. He's learning how to put the shapes into the appropriately shaped hole. (He's best at the circle and square.) He loves to crawl under the table and peek around chairs and legs. He squeals with excitement that he's figured out the concept of peekaboo! Walking is still a work in progress. If he can hold onto something, he's gone in seconds! Most of our challenges come at diaper time and meal time. He HATES to have his diaper changed, and I can't understand it. Doesn't he want to have fresh britches? I assure him that it's for his own good - wait, I'm pretty sure that saying makes every kid mad!! Meal time is still challenging, and we both end up in tears occasionally. Sometimes he's interested in eating, and other times he spits out every single thing. Even things I know he likes! Today his favorite foods are cinnamon toast, string cheese, and vanilla wafers. Tomorrow - who knows?

Weight: 19 1/2 lbs - This eating thing is really hampering his weight gain. I hope he gets hungry one day soon!

Height: 29 inches - He seems very tall to me right now, but maybe that's because he's so skinny!

Words: Mama, Dada, Dock - He likes the "ck" sound at the end.

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll have plenty of "personality" blogs in the future!

A little sunshine

We've had one really nice day in the last week or so, and we didn't want to miss out. We even busted out Linc's new sun hat for our stroll. He's really into pointing and talking when he sees something interesting. I stop and describe lots of things along our walk. The new tricycle was a little more difficult to steer, but we'll get the hang of it. Before I know it, Linc will be driving it by himself!