Lincoln - 9 Months

Lincoln is 9 months old and quite the handful. He is speed-crawling, pulling up on everything and and 'cruise' around the coffee table and couches! He can even crawl up the stairs now, of course with Mom or Dad following along. He is a barrel on energy that doesn't stop. He is resisting naps in all forms- not sure what we're going to do about this, the plan is next weekend to see if we create a routine that is exactly like his bedtime routine if he'll rest. Otherwise he only took two, half hour long naps per day this weekend. That just doesn't seem right to me. He goes to bed around 830-9 and i get him up at about 745 to have a bottle and get in the car to head to daycare.

Lincoln can wave hello and byebye and claps to show he's proud of himself.  He babbles all the time. He says HI, Buh-Bye, Da-da, and Ma-ma, but only if he is sad!

Two Stories

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.



This guy's walkin' down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, "Hey you! Can you help me out?" The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole, and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, "Father, I'm down in this hole; can you help me out?" The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a friend walks by. "Hey, Joe, it's me. Can ya help me out?" And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, "Are ya stupid? Now we're both down here." The friend says, "Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.

Lincoln - 8 months

Lincoln is AWESOME. He is really just staying the awesome baby he has been all along. He claps and says YAY! Its very cute. He is eating good and about to move into 12 month pajamas b/c his feet are stretching the 9 mo. ones!!! CRAZY big boy! He is almost crawling, and does a version of the army crawl and rolling to get around and has free reign of the living room. He is just great. I can honestly say I HATE that you are so far away. I think if he were a fussy baby I would wish you were close for help, but he is such a joy I wish you could just hug him more. He is loved and still pretty cuddly, even beginning to sit still long enough to give a hug, but then he's on the move again. He really doesnt sit still. I tried out a babysitter last night; a girl who is 13 that I watched when I was her age. I think she'll be a good help to me if I need to run to Target or the grocery store on nights when David's at school or so we can get out to see a movie now and then. Its good experience for her and she is really looking forward to it. Can't believe he'll already be 8 months on Sunday!

I really can't tell you in words how much of a blast Lincoln is. I've never been around a baby who is so happy, busy, curious and loving. He is great. He sleeps until almost 9 on the weekends!!!!!!!!! I love him even more for that! And talking to you about him makes me miss him... ready to go home now.

Lincoln -7 Months Old

Lincoln is 7 months old and really fun. He has ALOT of energy and personality. He mostly speaks in vowels, no consonants yet, so no "mama, dada, baba" yet. He is sitting up, and rocking on his hands and knees, so its just a matter of when he'll take off and begin crawling. He sleeps from about 930pm-730am or so, but Saturday surprised us and slept until 9am!! It was amazing! He doesn't nap well at daycare, so he usually takes a 45-60 minute nap in the evening between 6 and 7. Lincoln is a blast and he is starting to be a lot of fun, but in the evenings he is pretty high maintenance. Tired, maybe teeth coming in finally, fussy and does not want to be put down. I am really hoping most of it can be blamed on teeth. Looks like a bottom one might be close. He has the best laugh, and giggles a lot when you startle him, or say BOO loud- very cute. I really wish you could hang with Lincoln! He is such a sweet baby. He likes to give kisses and will reach out and hold your face and plant a wet, open mouthed kiss on you! its adorable! He loves to jump and does constantly on your lap while holding him or in his exersaucer and 'johnny jump-up' - if he's been jumping and you pick him up, he'll continue to jump on your hip while being carried around! He is beginning to eat stage 2 foods and in the next month or so, we'll be able to let him try cherrios and other 'finger foods'.

Lincoln -6 Months Old

Lincoln you are 6 months old and the light of our lives. You are almost 20 lb. and 28 inches long and the pediatrician says you are meeting and beating all of your developmental milestones! Still no teeth, but you love to eat. You have oatmeal cereal for breakfast and rice cereal, a vegetable and a fruit for dinner. There is nothing we have found that you don’t like. You chew on every toy, blanket, burp cloth and piece of clothing that comes near you (including mom and dads). You also chew your fingers, hands, wrists, arms and feet when you can wrestle them into your mouth. We have taken to calling you “baby bulimic” because you will stick your fingers and hands into your mouth until you gag. Your nicknames so far are Linc, Linky, Winky and Squishy. Your Uncle Matthew (age 2) says “Bye Winky” when we leave his house.

You have more personality than I imagined could be bundled into such a little body! You like to give kisses and be kissed and recently have begun holding our faces and kissing us! You smile all the time and laugh whenever we tickle you. You are ticklish on you feet, legs, belly, sides and under your chin. You hardly cry, but when you do it gets your point across quickly. It is usually because you are not being held, are on the floor by yourself or are hungry, tired or dirty- you never cry without a reason. You do not like to be left in a room alone while playing. You like to ride in the car and talk up a storm on the way to and from daycare everyday.

You are becoming increasingly mobile, rolling over and pivoting to get to toys or whatever you want. We can not just leave you on the floor anymore because you find your way to a wall or into the coffee table. When you get the coffee table you kick it and make the candles inside rattle so we know you’re there. You like your exersaucer and jumper, but not for very long.

You are a great traveler and have been to Colorado and Massachusetts already! You sleep a lot on plane rides and usually no one knows you’re there! You are very good natured and flexible, until you’re late getting a meal and that’s a deal breaker for you. You like all people and have yet to meet a stranger; you even kissed your 2nd cousin Sierra on the mouth the moment you met her! You were good in Colorado, but seemed to have some trouble adjusting to the time change, dry air or altitude or all of them. We blamed it on you being jet lagged and by half way through the second day you were back to yourself. In Massachusetts you were totally were yourself for the whole trip, so maybe staying in the same time and climate zone helps.

You usually sleep from 10-7 in you crib and still take 2-4 naps daily; more on the weekends since its quieter at home than at daycare. You have been sleeping through the night for the last month! When you sleep in your crib you move around a lot and when we go in to get you in the morning you are never in the same spot or laying in the same direction as when we laid you down. When napping at home, mom still holds you and the only way you sleep is in the infant hold you’ve always loved. You still put your hand inside mom’s shirt and hold her shoulder until you fall asleep. Before you fall sleep you use your free hand to push mom’s face around, looking at you and looking away and back again. You also put your fingers in our mouths and laugh if we pretend to chew on them. You like to rub your hair on your head while you drink a bottle and will pet mommy’s but you don’t ever pull.

Can't believe Lincoln going to be 6 months old at the end of the month!!! CRAZY! He is holding his bottle, scooting some (though, I try to discourage this, as I don't really want him crawling and walking this soon!!!), eating oatment, fruits and veggies (and LOVES them all), and says AH to every single bite!!! He is sleeping through the night some and is still a very happy baby.

Edited to add (Taken from emailed to my mother-in-law):
Lincoln was up 4 or 5 times last night. We are considering putting him in a box and sending him to you or selling him on the black market. I bet a cute baby boy gets a good price! Not really, I guess we'll keep him, but I wish I knew why it is he didnt want to sleep. We had a streak of 7 days in a row sleeping through the night... until this week!!! He's such a punk! Gotta get some work done. If you get a package on your porch with holes in it, you might wanna open it!

I am glad the email made you laugh. THat was actually the point. We let him cry for more that a half hour at different points through the night while going to check on him and give him his paci last night. I think for now he's just more stubborn than I would;ve thought and we're going to have to keep doing what we're doing. I am ok for letting him cry, I just want all of us to get a good nights sleep. Hopefully this is all related to a growth spurt or those bottom teeth moving in some, i dunno. Thanks for the support and advice. I'll send you a tracking number if I put him in the mail!

ABCs of Me

A - Age? 25
B - Bed Size? Queen
C - Chore You Hate? Cleaning a toilet
D - Dogs Name? No dogs, as people say about me, "Erin is not a dog person."
E - Essential Start Your Day Item? a smile from Lincoln
F - Favorite Color? blue and summer green
G - Gold Or Silver? silver and white gold
H - Height? 5 ft 3 and a half!
I - Instruments You Play? played violin and toy with the piano. but i'd rather sing
J - Job Title? receptionist. Lincoln's mom. David's wife.
K - Kid(s)? Lincoln Oliver 11.26.08
L - Living Arrangements? Townhome with my hubby and son.
M - Mom's Name? Lori Christine
N - Nicknames? Erin, Ewin, E, Worm (when I was little cause i wiggle)
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth? galbladder in Feb '09- 4 nights in there :(
P - Pet Peeve? chewing in my ear, talking louder than needed, getting something for one's self without checking with others around you, people who are competitive about stuff that doesnt matter... hmm, i think i have lots of pet peeves.
Q - Quote From A Movie? "Nobody puts baby in a corner." Johnny Castle/Patrick Swazey in Dirty Dancing
R - Right Or Left Handed? Right
S - Siblings? 3 Brothers, Nathan, Zack and lil Matthew! Sister and brother in law
T - Time You Wake Up? whenever Lincoln gets up
U - Underwear? never go with out it!
V - Vegetable You Dislike? i have lots that i refuse to try b/c i hear they're gross- spinach, brussel sprouts, i know i dont like sweet potatoes.
W - Ways You Run Late? cause i'd rather sleep. cause i forget how long it takes to get out the door w/ Lincoln (diaper bag, bottles, etc.)
X - X-Rays You've Had? arms, elbows, legs/kness, stomach, chest,... i am accident prone- prob. everything!
Y - Yummy Food You Make? Everything! j/k I love to bake all kinds of cookies, brownies, cakes. My friends would reccomend brownie thingys i'd think! davis is the cook and i am the baker.
Z - Zoo Favorites? Elephants. i once feel running to the elephant exibit... accident prone

Lincoln -4 Months

Lincoln is now 4 months old. At his check-up on March 20th he was 15 lbs. 5 oz. and 26 inches. He is in the 75th or 80th percentile- definitely long for his age! He has begun eating cereal in the evenings and LOVES it. We'll be trying out veggies beginning on Saturday! He is a very wiggly dude, loves to see whatever you're doing, is rolling over (sometimes) and has graduated from the infant car seat to a rear-facing convertible seat. CRAZY how fast that's all happening!

David and I are good. Just working and hanging with Lincoln, looking forward to getting out a lot more now that the weather is warmer around here. David's apprenticeship classes wrap up this month and he'll be taking the Journeyman's test soon.

In March we flew to Colorado to visit family out there. Lincoln was a great traveler on the plane, but the time change and dry air/altitude made him a bit of a grump when we got there.

Registering for Your Baby

We registered for just our bedding at JCPenney and everything else at Babies R Us. We got most of our necessities.

I didn't register for any clothes, blankets or bibs- You will get so many. I didn't register for bottles b/c sometimes babies have preferences, but we've used the Evenflo Purely Comfi and never had any problems. (David washes bottles and if cost were no object i think we'd use playtex drop-ins so there wasn't so much washing going on) I registered for one set of towels and wash clothes and got plenty others. If you don't get enough of these you should get some gift cards. I will say that his most used blankets are one that are MY favorites and i got them on sale usually.
Water-proof crib mattress pad.
Lap pads(We change him on these, we don't have a changing table)
Gerber Cloth Diapers (for burp cloths)
Extra sheets for crib and/or pack n play
Graco iMonitor Vibe- LOVE IT
Fisher Price Bouncer- Love it, He sits in it while i shower and plays with the toys and coos.
Boppy floor mat- he is beginning to really like this.
Gas drops- we've used these since he was 1 week old. They do make a difference.

I got our second carseat base from craigslist and our travel swing for a consignment store.
If there are things you don't receive like that, in my experience 2nd hand has been just fine! We've also found that Target brands are = to anything else, so when we're out of the stuff people bought us we'll get target soaps and lotions. We're already strictly using Target formula. And target makes baby tylenol too.

Oh, and put diapers on your registry so people know what you'll be using. I only got one package of diapers pre-Lincoln. I did start buying diapers early tho and that has helped alot. And i watch for diaper/wipe sales and coupons. Diaper coupons usually come out the 1st Sunday of the month. If you do pre-buy diapers, only get a couple Newborns, 4-5 of each size going up- they grow fast! The big boxes are a good buy, especially if you have a coupon (BRU has $5 off this week). Oh and you can get huge boxes of wipes at BJs/Sams club and they're a good buy too. We go through a package of diapers & refill of wipes per week.

Oh, babies get baby acne- i've been able to keep lincoln from getting it by putting vasaline lip stuff on it. keeping milk from sitting of his face makes a difference too.

Mama Survey

1. WAS YOUR FIRST EVER PREGNANCY PLANNED? Kinda, when faced w/ chemo and the possibility of never having a child we tried and got pregnant on the first try! holy crap! (side note, cancer is gone!)

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes, for like 9 months.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? overwhelmed, excited, happy!

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? took a pregnancy test after a missed period

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? David (the hubby), my mom and david's family, work, Michelle, Nats & Em

7. HOW DID YOU TELL PEOPLE? well I usually communicate by speaking. in person or over the phone

8.DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? we thought that there were enough unknowns last year. no surprises

9. DUE DATE? December 1, 2008

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes! Until almost 16 weeks and I lost 15 lbs!

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? slurpees, grape juice, Life cereal, fruit, Subway sandwiches,

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? waiting, worrying about David's stuff and our money...

13. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD'S SEX? He's a boy!

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? We have 5 nephews and thought it might be cool to have a girl; but couldn't be happier w/ our boy!

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 11

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes.. one in Massachusetts and one here in Virginia! Both were amazing! Our family and friends were incredible generous!

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? The MA one was supposed to be a suprise, but was blow as soon as we arrived in MA. I knew about the VA one, but Nancy kept alot of specifics a surprise

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? low weight gain for me, but that never affected the baby

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Virginia Beach General Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 25 Hours

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? David

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? David

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? C-Section

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? The epidural was the best thing ever, but I never could move my lower half after I got it! I really appreciated the pain meds.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7lbs 9oz

28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? Novemeber 26, 2008 at 9:40p.m. Next year his bday will be one Thanksgiving!

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Lincoln Oliver Lucier 31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 11 weeks today