A step in the right direction

Lunge . . . that's what Lincoln does! He will stand by himself when he wants to, which is usually in the bathtub. (Weird, I know.) He really prefers to lean on something or someone, and he really prefers to hold on to something while he walks. When we let go, he lunges to the next person or prop!

I've tried to remember not to carry him from room to room. Instead I walk him wherever we go. He can go really fast holding on to me, and he giggles with glee! One day soon I'll chasing him instead of holding his hands.

Cutie

Just a couple of cute pictures from the last few days . . .

Skinny Pants and the Diet

Lincoln will never have a shortage of clothes! I love to buy him clothes, his Nana loves to buy him clothes, his Minnie loves to buy him clothes, his Aunt Ally loves to buy him clothes, Samantha loves to buy him clothes . . . you get the picture! Also we're part of a hand me down group, and there's lots of good stuff to choose from. We get boxes and boxes to go through, select the items that are appropriate, add our outgrown stuff and pass it to the next family. (I think Lincoln has every Gap and Gymboree outfit from the last two years from our little club!) Of course we put Razorback items on the top of the rotation, and this one is a gem! Skinny pants and a fitted tee are not the most flattering, but he sure looks cute! Perhaps I shouldn't have paid attention to the 12 month tag and brought this suit out earlier.

I haven't aired many details of Lincoln's eating difficulties lately, but there have been many meal meltdowns. Here's the thing - he loves baby food! People food is weird, and Lincoln is always skeptical. A couple of weeks ago we gave up baby food cold turkey, and it's been a wild ride! Some days are great while some days are torture. Throwing food from the tray is fun, as is spitting it out after a taste. I'm not sure I'm glad he's figured that one out! Today's lunch was especially trying. I tried turkey (usually a winner), cheese (always a favorite), rolls (go-to food), french fries (who doesn't like french fries), fish sticks (much to Kevin's dismay, Lincoln loves the fish sticks at school), ravioli (have you met a kid who doesn't like Chef Boyardee), toast (how can that be offensive), blueberries and strawberries (best fruits ever). Here's what we ended up with: Lincoln sucked peanut butter off a spoon! Yes, you read that right. I resorted to slathering a spoon with peanut butter for him to suck on - several spoons of peanut butter that is. You know . . . whatever works!!! I can also report that he ate a wonderful breakfast of bananas and pancakes and a wonderful dinner of turkey, cheese, carrots, crackers and strawberries.
Whew! He was tired after that trying lunch and needed a nap to regroup. We had a fun afternoon of shoe shopping, but this time for Mom and Dad. He enjoyed tearing the paper from the shoe boxes. Again . . . whatever works!

When Dad got home he read a few of Lincoln's favorite books. He likes the ABC book and dances at the end when you sing the alphabet song.

Mi Cocina Baby

Every Friday night you can count on one thing - we'll be at Mi Cocina! The Kuhlmans and the Hoggs started the tradition more than 10 years ago, and they have allowed us (Kevin, me, Lincoln, Jason, Shannon, Eric, Samantha, and Matty) to join them each week. Any friends or relatives coming to town are welcome, and we've had some pretty large groups. It is so much fun to catch up with everyone and chat about what's happened that week. The Hoggs have been a part of every moment as we have become a family, and we count them as our family for sure. No decisions are made regarding wedding or baby showers, rehearsal dinners, wedding plans, vacation plans, or even just weekend plans without a discussion from the group. We are all so lucky to have a special night together. When I was pregnant I developed a serious hatred of Mexican food, but I always made it to Mi Cocina to enjoy the company and suffer through the food. I'm glad that phase is over! Lincoln made his debut at Mi Cocina on Friday, April 17, 2009. He slept peacefully on that first night.

David (the GM) and the staff are so good to us and love Lincoln. He charms them all with his sweet smiles and even has a buzzer reserved for him to play with. One of our favorite waiters has a daughter almost Linc's age, so we get to compare. Now that he's eating people food, we've had a few tastes. He's eaten rice, beans, avocado and tortillas, and I know it won't be long before he's ordering his own meal. For now, a few snacks and bites from my plate are enough. Check out the stylin' little man this week.

License to Drive

I don't know if little boys (and probably little girls, too) are born knowing how to play with toy cars, but Lincoln knows exactly what to do! It's not like I gave him a lesson on putting the car on the ground and rolling it or anything. He must have some innate knowledge about toy cars. He loves his car and fire truck. They are just about the only things he doesn't turn upside down and throw. He actually plays with them as they were meant to be played with - weird!

(Please excuse his wild appearance - one sock off, one sock half on, diaper hanging out, crazy hair! He was just having fun so I didn't want to disturb!)

Favorite Treats

One of Lincoln's most favorite foods is strawberries! He'll eat them all day any day. Breakfast at school is usually something yummy like a biscuit, a pancake, cinnamon toast, or cheerios, and Lincoln always gets to add a few strawberries! We usually share a few after dinner, and this is a real treat - I might drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup for extra fun! He gobbles them up faster than I do.

The Gerber snacks are quite popular too. Puffs, Cheetos, Yogurt Melts and Wagon Wheels definitely keep him happy. You can see we're working on the cup a lot these days. He's getting better and better, but I don't think he's ready to go "all cup" yet. Luckily he likes both milk and water from the cup. One day he'll get to try juice, but I'm holding off on that for a bit. (He got a little bottle of juice from one of his school valentine's. Little Kourtni is one of Linc's girlfriends!)

Blast in the Bath

Tonight's bath may have been the most fun ever! We started out playing with our bath toys as usual - the ducky, the octopus, the crab and a basketball. Soon Lincon found a little hotel shampoo bottle in the corner and became obsessed!!!! He of course chewed on it which made him totally happy. When he figured out how fun shampoo bottles could be, he grabbed another from the corner. Seriously, how could life get any better than this?!?!

Mall Milestones!

February 13 was a BIG day for Lincoln - two firsts happened at the mall today. It was lunchtime when we arrived, and we decided to hit up Sonic at the food court. For the first time ever, I ordered Lincoln his own food! He got a grilled cheese sandwich, and he loved it! If you've never had a Sonic grilled cheese sandwich, you need to try one asap. The thick buttery Texas toast makes it so good! We brought the leftovers home for a treat with supper. This one's too good to toss out! He even shared his fries with me - so sweet!
After our yummy lunch, we decided to do a bit of shoe shopping. Yep, it's time for Linc to have his first pair of "real" shoes. Don't get me wrong, I love the shoes he's been wearing. They're just not as sturdy as he needs for the world of toddling! Of course I did my Internet research to determine what we needed. While getting his feet measured, he gave the lady a serious stare down. She returned from the back with several pairs for us to try, and we found one that was the perfect fit! He's been walking everywhere holding onto our fingers, and I know these will help him get the stability he needs. You can't tell much about the shoes in this picture, but they're pretty stylin'! I even let him wear them out of the store - can you tell how excited he is!!!!!
We did a bit more shopping but nothing as monumental: a new outfit for Linc and a Valentine present for Daddy. All in all, it was a pretty awesome day!

Little Snow Angel!

I can't believe it snowed again in Dallas - that's three times this winter!!!! Lincoln bundled up and enjoyed the snow a bit this afternoon. He liked it much better than the last time. Well, until he got snow on his face!

First Aid Fun

At the end of 2009 I drained the last of my Health Spending Account . . . don't want to waste a dime of that! We went on a shopping spree of band-aids, tums, tylenol, dayquil, nyquil, ice packs, bandages, peroxide, and the like. I put it all in the closet to go through "someday". Well, that day arrived and Lincoln was happy to help me sort through the goodies. The boxes were the perfect size for him to grab, shake and throw! He was in heaven!

If you ever need a band-aid, you know where we live. I promise we'll have the size, shape and design (Sesame Street, Sponge Bob, camo, stripes, dots, etc) you're looking for!

Morning Snapshot

Now that I'm not nursing Lincoln in the mornings, he gets a breakfast "snack" bottle - a few ounces of whole milk to tide him over until he gets to school for his real breakfast. We were cuddling in the chair after the bottle, but now he's ready to get down and play. I have to get in all my cuddle time while he's drinking, and it goes so fast. We talk about the day, who he's going to play with, how nice he's going to be to his friends, and which girlfriend he's going to flirt with, etc.

The empty bottle becomes a toy before long. It must feel good on his gums to chew like this. He does it with his bottle, his sippy cup and any water bottle he gets his hands on.

I got a shot of those gigantic two pearly whites! I'm glad to report that Tooth #3 is making an appearance. I'll try to get a picture of his vampire (incisor) tooth emerging. No explanation as to why the top front teeth are still a no show! Without their presence eating "people food" is definitely more of a challenge!

Of course he finds his way over to the toys . The train holds his attention for awhile then it's off to find Good Night, Gorilla. We read it SEVERAL times before school this morning.

Current Favorite Book

Lincoln has a new favorite book . . . Good Night, Gorilla. He wants us to read it ALL THE TIME!!!!!! I agree it's a good book, but he's totally obsessed!

"I know it's in here somewhere. I'll just keep on digging!"

"Mom I found the book, and I'm coming over. Will you read it to me now?"
"Dad, there you are. It's your turn. I'm ready to hear the story again."
Who knows what will be the favorite next week?!

Under the weather

I usually try to tell fun stuff on the blog, but I don't think I can muster up any fun today. It's been a rough week!!! Lincoln was getting over the eye infection when I caught it on Monday. I've been in glasses all week, which I hate. I'm on my third trip to the eye doctor, so I hope it's getting better. Kevin battled a head cold early in the week that I was lucky enough to catch from him yesterday. He's getting over it now while I'm full of congestion and tiredness. Kevin was also stricken with another illness this week - a stomach bug! So far Lincoln has been bug free, but yesterday I caught that from Kevin too. Lincoln was a good sport tonight. Thankfully he was happy with me reading to him. I kept taking "breaks" to rest while we were playing.

Lincoln decided he needed a"break" too! It's too funny that he kind of mocks us these days.

Manic Monday

Before my eyes, Lincoln is looking less like a baby and more like a kid! He can make the funniest faces, but they're so hard to catch on camera. We had a fun Monday night filled with lots of activity. There's so much playing to do, and Lincoln tries hard to get it all in. I got a coy smile when the camera came out.

Lincoln put on a concert - the baseball bat is a perfect drumstick for the popcorn tin. Note to present buyers: Please do NOT EVER consider buying Lincoln a drum set. This one works just fine and is plenty loud.
Of course we played ball for a while. This picture is of Lincoln getting ready for a big throw! He really gets into playing ball!
Daddy had story time with our favorite book. Look at how much they're both enjoying it. Lincoln gets excited at his favorite pages and helps turn the page when he's ready to move on.

Finally, we had a meltdown before bed. It seems that someone wanted to be held, but some people had things to do! When we invited Lincoln to help rearrange the toy closet he cheered up. Climbing in a mess of old toys and clothes will make anyone happy!