Happy Good Fun: October 2014

Friday, October 24, 2014

Yesterday was Lincoln’s two month check up and it’s not a surprise to find out how much Lincoln really has grown. The official stats are in:

Weight: 12.6 pounds/48^th percentile

Height: 21.8 inches (4th percentile, he's a shorty like his mommy)

Head Circumference: 39/40th percentile

It’s hard to not compare, but if I were to compare the growth between Eli and Lincoln, here’s where Eli was at two months:

Weight: 11 pounds 10 ounces (49th percentile)
Height: 23" (54th percentile)
Head: 38 1/2 (20th percentile)

Lincoln did such a great job at the doctor, however shots were not this kids thing. I recall Eli just crying for a minute and then falling asleep and went out without an issue. Lincoln? Total opposite. I carried him out of the office screaming and inconsolable. I finally got him calmed down and to sleep, but when he woke up, he would scream and the single touch of the area where he was poked. Either way, I got to cuddle my little guy and hopefully make some of the pain go away.

Developmentally, we have a very social little baby boy. He enjoys babbling so much and I think he tries to avoid his naps so he can practice. He is simply a jolly baby and that gummy smile just melts my heart. He loves to talk so much, just like his mommy.

What's new with Eli? That kid never seizes to amaze me. He is so creative in his play and so incredibly loving and sensitive. He is adjusting to the existence of Lincoln so well and is a doting older brother. On the way to school the other morning, Lincoln was unhappy and Eli started to sing him a song that went something like this:

Lincoln, Lincoln it will be OK

Lincoln, Lincoln it will be alright

Lincoln, Lincoln we love you

Seriously, both of my children are AMAZING!

Happy Birthday to my Grandma Strauss (10/21)

Thursday, October 9, 2014

This past weekend, we were so fortunate to have family come visit and go to a Tiger playoff game (although, getting swept in the first round wasn't in our plan). Dustin, Aubrey and Kaelynn made the trip up from Kentucky to meet Lincoln and visit with their buddy Eli. While they were here, we sneaked in some family photo's! While all we did was hang around the house, it was so great to see Eli interact with all of them. Eli and Dustin have a bond that I will never fully understand, but warms my heart to see. From the minute they arrived, all he wanted to do was play! With the two new babies in the house, it was great to catch up with Aubrey and hear that my struggles aren't any different than hers. I think Kaelynn and Lincoln are going to be best buddies and can't wait to see how it all plays out when cousins camp comes around for them!

Sunday, we planned to take Eli to the baseball game, but at the last minute plans changed and the whole family plus Nana went! What a great time and Lincoln was a trooper who slept through the whole thing. Won't sleep in his bedroom by himself, but 42,000 loudly cheering fans? No problem! The next time he won't sleep, everyone is invited over for a very loud party! While the Tigers lost, it was still great to take both boys to the game and for Eli to snag his first ever post season baseball!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

6 Weeks Already?

I cannot believe how fast the last 6 weeks has gone by. Lincoln and Eli are growing so quickly and I need time to slow down so I can just keeps these boys little as long as possible. While Lincoln is still a "blob", here's what's new with him:

We had our first night with more than 7 hours of sleep straight this last week followed by the next night with 5 straight hours. Last night, however, really stunk. I know I cursed myself by talking about it, so.....I will never talk about sleeping babies again!
He's learning to mimic our facial expressions. He now smiles when we smile at him and let me tell you how awesome these little smiles are!
If you don't care to hear about nursing, skip to the next bullet. BUT....we have made great strides in 6 weeks. Neither boy started off as a good nurser, but after sticking with it for several weeks, we got it down. Lincoln, however, made it really tough on me. It was a lot of visits to the lactation consultant to finally determine that I needed to:

Pump for a few minutes, while giving a bottle to Lincoln at the same time to take the hunger edge off.
Use a nipple shield to mimic the bottle
Use a syringe filled with milk to shoot in his mouth to get him to latch
Finishing up with more pumping and a bottle

All of that just to feed Lincoln, every three hours, with a process that took nearly an hour and a half. All of that just because Lincoln would fall in the "lazy" bucket. Either way, I stuck with it and we've been able to take everything away except the nipple shield! So....all you mama's who struggle with nursing, I get it, it stinks and for a lot of us it isn't just natural. Stick with it!

Lincoln, like Eli, loves to be "under the sea" in the activity gym! It's fun to hear to the new little "coo's" that we are starting to get when he gets excited!
He's a tank. I have no idea how much he weighs, but I can tell you I have to carry him around in the Ergo all the time and feels more like a thousand pounds some days as opposed to the 8 or so that he might be.
Nicknames so far: Stinky Linky, Linky, Link Link. I personally can't wait for L.J. to take off:)

That's where I'll leave Lincoln and move on to Eli!

Oh Eli, my sweet little boy. He is the most amazing big brother. He loves his brother so much and I brings a tear to my eye with the more affection he shows to Lincoln. Eli is at pre-school all day 5 days a week and if I don't have Lincoln with me when I pick him up, he is sad or if I leave him in the principal's office, he runs down the hall to greet him with a kiss.

I don't want to make it out as all roses, because Lincoln is either A) not a fan of his car seat B) not a fan of the car or C) both A and B. In any event, Eli has the headphones to the built in DVD players for my car that he wears to drown out the screaming and crying. I think it's fun that Eli has resorted to making up songs to keep Lincoln from crying. In times when I want to cry, he certainly cheers me up!

What is Eli into/up to these days?

Loves any kind of counting/working with numbers. I swear I get quizzed every few days on my addition and subtraction skills.
Coloring! I have countless pieces of his art work from school
To do activities. This is the mommy/Eli time we share. Any kind of craft or baking Eli loves to participate in. Daddy is the silly guy who likes to play "burrito" in our bed before he goes to bed and hide under blankets and become blanket monsters!
Eli's vocabulary and dictation is remarkable. I'm surprised at what Eli knows, how he says it and the creativeness that comes from his mouth each day!
Favorite shows? Paw Patrol (today anyway) and old time Mickey Mouse episodes
Favorite color? Purple, or so I think.
Favorite sucker flavor? Root beer Dum Dum
Favorite books? Curious George, Meet Met at the Moon (at least I think these are favorites, we read them every night!)
Favorite toy? This super noisy little ride on toy that he never cared for until Lincoln came along!

Either way, I have two amazing little boys and am so blessed to have the most incredible husband to raise these peanuts with. But, I will say, being a mommy of two is tough. I constantly feel like I am neglecting one of the boys, but there's only one of me. I know this will get easier as Lincoln is less needy, but for now, Eli may get a tiny bit more screen time than I would like (and others might judge me for), but it's allowing me the capacity to do what I need to do!

On that note, enjoy some fun photo's!