Hush Little Lincoln...

One of my favorite times is singing to Lincoln before lying him down. Old worship songs, corny commercial jingles and anything by Ray Lamontagne are the usual. I find myself venturing out to lullabies lately, however. Particularly, ‘Hush Little Baby’. I remember mom always singing it to us and each night the words would be completely different. That’s what I love, it never has to be the same.

I’d like to share with you tonight’s version:

Hush Little Lincoln
Don’t say a word
Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird
and if that mockingbird don’t sing
Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring
and if that diamond turns to brass
Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass
and if that looking glass should break
Mama’s gonna buy you a T-bone steak
and if that steak has too much bone
Mama’s gonna buy you the Thunderdome
and when that arena gets boring and old
Mama’s gonna buy you a grill of gold
and if that grill makes your breath stinky
Mama’s gonna buy you a rainbow slinky

Occasionally, my husband joins in and we alternate verses. A few things “Daddy’s gonna buy”? A set of golf clubs and a Can-O-Farts. 

Gee....How had I never thought of Can-o-farts before??

Five Months

Guess who is behind on her blog? Yep, that'd be me. Here is a little update on Linc. :)

Five new somethings about our little guy:

1  Lincoln has been making many new friends. We are so blessed to have found such an amazing woman to watch him while we work. She often sends us updates or pictures during the week to let us know how he’s doing.

2 At his last appointment he weighed 12lbs 10oz and 25 inches. Long & lean! We had been going in for weight checks every week for about a month. Our doctor would have a goal weight each week and always Lincoln would fall short….At one point our goal was simply to get Lincoln back on the growth chart. It was decided if by his four month check-up he wasn’t gaining more they would need to do blood work. By that appointment (16 days later) he had gained 13oz! We are now on the growth chart people….barely, but we’re on there!

3. We have now introduced baby guacamole (avocado+formula)! He loves it!! The rice cereal was a challenge and while he was getting the hang of eating, you could tell he didn't necessarily care for the taste. I wish you could see this boy when he notices the glob of green mush in front of him….he almost nose dives out of his chair for the spoon!

4. He has a few new favorite things. He recently found his feet which instantly became two more things to try and eat....and he also has a new play mat that speaks with an English accent….Heck, I think I enjoy it as much as he does!

5. He sure seems to be thinking about crawling and is on the verge of sitting up! Ok, he only sits for about 10-15 seconds before toppling over and from his belly he’ll find his way to his hands and knees, from there he will rock back and forth a few times and flop back to his belly….we truly find it thoroughly entertaining.

Five somethings that haven’t changed:

1. We are still wearing 0-3 months in anything that doesn’t have feet. He’s gaining weight, but we’re still waiting on his “chubby baby” phase.

2. He’s still Billy Blanks in a white baby boy body. I swear it’s why he doesn’t gain quickly….the boy looks like he is working out all day long….kicking his feet, rolling all over the place, mini pushups….He must think he’s starring in his own baby workout DVD.

3. He still looks just like his daddy. Occasionally, I get a pity “I think he looks like you”, but 95% of the time that boy is  a mirror image of Cameron when he was a baby...and, no worries, I accept that J

4. We’re still up at least once a night. He eats and is back to sleep in about 20 minutes...usually.  A few nights we find ourselves with a smiling, cooing little boy at 2am. And, of course, every now and then we have those nights he wakes to eat twice or just doesn’t want to be left alone until he’s completely asleep. Those nights are crazy tough, but we’ve decided against the ‘cry-it-out stuff’ for now. I've already had another mom tells me it’s spoiling him….’to each their own’ right?

5. Those bright blue eyes and that big toothless grin still light up our world. It’s hard to even remember what life was like before him. Ok, I take that back…..those were the days of sleeping until noon on Saturdays and having extra in the bank, but how boring was that? ;) This little guy has us on our toes on a daily basis. I love sleep, but I sure love waking up to this face way more.

Rice Cereal, Anyone?

A few weeks ago we decided to finally introduce our little man to something other than boring old formula. What more exciting than rice cereal?! Bland, runny, smelly rice cereal. Yeah, Lincoln wasn't too excited either. After all the tummy trouble he'd been having we were more than a little hesitant to try anything other than formula, but when our pediatrician gave us the 'green light' we were all for it....Especially after he mentioned it might help him sleep through the night ;)
It definitely didn't go as we imagined. I knew it'd be messy, but I don't think the boy swallowed a drop! More cereal ended up on Lincoln's face and in my hair than in his mouth. I thought maybe he didn't like the flavor....I mean, have ya smelled that stuff?? So I bought the apple flavor during my next visit to the store. Nope, didn't help. That stuff came running down his chin as quickly as we put it in. It's been an incredibly messy couple of weeks, but pretty darn funny....especially when Linc accidently smacks the spoon right out of Cameron's hand and cereal flies (ok, maybe I'm the only one laughing at the moment hehe).

Stay tuned....Peas & Bananas are soon to follow!

Mommy Brain

Can't find your keys? Forgot about the birthday lunch last Saturday? Wearing your underwear inside out, again? If you have kids or are pregnant you probably use the 'Mommy Brain' excuse all the time. According to this article, even though you feel like you're losing your mind, you've actually become smarter. Mind blowing, right? I know I didn't actually become dumb during my pregnancy or lose half my brain cells since I've had Lincoln, but I sure do feel....well, downright stupid at times....and I won't lie thoug, blaming 'Mommy Brain' sure is easy!

Here are a few incidents I'd like to thank Mommy Brain for:

-I can't ever remember where my phone is. I have found it in my refrigerator, my sock drawer and medicine cabinet. About two weeks ago I needed both hands to carry a giant basket of laundry; I had no pockets so I simply put my phone on top of the pile and headed to the laundry room. Fifteen minutes I found it at the bottom of the wash....sparkling clean and totally destroyed. So maybe I've had this problem since I received my first cell phone, but it's a perfect example of something I can forever blame this 'mommy brain' thing on. :)

-The day after losing my phone I was headed out the door to work, went to lock the door, no keys. Not in the car, not in my purse, nowhere. Oh yeah! I put them in the diaper bag this morning when packing it for Cameron....Too bad that diaper bag was now sitting at daycare and I was at home with no phone! I had to facebook and e-mail frantically to try and find a ride....wow. What a way to start off a morning.

-A few months ago I was trying to build a good milk supply by pumping in between feedings. I probably would've had a freezer full had I put all the bags in the freezer, instead some days I suppose I just felt like putting them in the pantry. It also might have helped had I always remembered to attach a bottle to the breast pump...breast milk in your lap? no bueno.

-This month alone I have made it all the way to the bank twice where I open the tube and have left my deposit at home or at work. The tellers must think I'm just hoping the person in front of me left their money. Embarrassing? Yes.

-And I can't tell you how many times I've actually gotten Lincoln's bottle to my mouth before realizing what I was doing. Or gotten into the shower still half dressed. Or sang a ridiculous commercial jingle as a lullabye because I can't think of anything else (Only Braums gives you more, Only Braums gives you so much more)...Man, I really worry myself sometimes!

Like I said, it's not that I've actually gotten dumber since being pregnant or giving birth. I'm sure it's just I have so many new things going on in this brain that putting on two different earrings or only applying eye shadow to one eye....it's just going to happen sometimes!

Oh well, Lincoln doesn't seem to mind! 

Four Months & A Happy Tummy

 Ok, so I'm a little behind on my blog....Lincoln officially was four months on the 14th and I believe my last post was sometime around his 3 month mark...oops! I'll try my best to catch you up :)

We were able to find an in-home daycare with a friend of mine's mom and we LOVE it! Man, was I happy to get her message the day she found out she would have an opening! Leaving him with someone I had only met a few times just might have been too difficult. It gave me such a peace to know that Lincoln would be with someone I knew......a woman who prayed over me at night when I was little. Plus, she sends him home with these cute little notes: 

He currently loves to wiggle and roll! We have quite the little mover! Every night we lay him down on his back at the top of the crib and when he wakes up he's clear on the other end on his belly. Are sleep habits hereditary?? 

Tummy time is so much fun right now. He mini-push-ups and rolls himself all across the blanket....always a trail of spit-up to show how far he made it! Trust me, it's a pretty incredible five to ten minutes in baby world. I love the very last part when he pushes up on his hands and gives us a big grin.

He loves peek-a-boo and will gum to death anything in reach of his tiny hands. He is talking like crazy and has really started to laugh on a more regular basis lately. I think he even said "Hola" this morning.....just kidding. ;) He has the sweetest little laugh. His whole body scrunches together and squirms. 

It's so good to see him not hurting anymore. He was having a hard time eating and sleeping for awhile. I took him to our pediatrician who decided it was not only infant re-flux, but possibly a milk allergy, as well. He suggested I quit breastfeeding and add anti-acid drops to his bottle. We immediately noticed a change in our little man. He takes a full bottle without crying and arching his back and actually keeps it down. He also sleeps much more peacefully and is working his way to sleeping through the night. Now we just gotta add some chubby to those cheeks!

Up All Night..

I'm assuming most of you have seen or at least heard of the sitcom. Cameron and I just finished the latest episode and even though we are reality TV junkies, this is probably our new favorite. And the name nails it. You may not be up every minute of every night, but you're up a whole lot more than you would like the first few months.

And even though holding this precious boy brings me more joy than anything I've ever been a part of.....being up at midnight/4AM isn't what I call fun. :)

I'd much rather it be Lincoln that were keeping me awake tonight, however. Instead, it's my mind that won't let me sleep. Remember those decisions I mentioned before? Well, this time it's a big one. We've recently had some major changes in the work department. A week before Cameron was to start his new job, I lost mine. In no way were we prepared for this financially, but still I thank God for a blessing in disguise. It not only eliminated a huge source of negativity from our lives, but it also seemed to be the answer to my prayers about being a stay at home mom.

The next day each time Lincoln was napping I was going through our bills trying to put together how we would manage. Pay off some debt with savings, cut cable, start couponing..... before I knew it I was gathering things to sell on Ebay and/or at a garage sale. No matter how I calculated though, we would still be cutting it close if I chose to stay home. Making it, but barely. I started praying and enlisted my family to help. What I really wanted to ask for was a handout, a magical money tree or to finally be chosen as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune (I rock at guessing those phrases). But, instead I asked for guidance......ok, I still prayed to be on Wheel of Fortune, a girl can dream. 

The remainder of that week it seemed I received a phone call or e-mail everyday about jobs I was qualified for. Hesitantly, I applied. Yesterday, I was called and asked to come in for an interview for a job I hadn't even applied for. Are you kidding me, God?!? I was ready for my prayers to be answered by the Prize Patrol from the Clearing House Sweepstakes!

Unfortunately, that's what's keeping me up tonight. This interview tomorrow. I want so badly to be able to stay home, but it's seems as if the answer to my prayers may be to go back to work. While it is going to be so hard to leave my little man once again, it might just be what is best for our family right now. I guess we'll find out soon enough. 

Who knows, maybe they won't offer me the job and Friday Vanna White will call....just sayin.

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart 
   and lean not on your own understanding; 
 in all your ways submit to him, 
   and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Decisions...Decisions...

  Before we had Lincoln the things we had to make decisions about were pretty simple….how we would spend holidays, would we have joint bank accounts, Blue Moon or Bud Light? Our most difficult decision, by far though, was what we would have for dinner. Seriously.
Boy, did things change on December 14^th. Dinner is whatever is easiest and as long as there is money in the bank, who cares how the accounts are set up! We now have more important decisions to make.

For example…..

  This week we’re confronted with “sleep training”. Lincoln just isn’t great at naptime right now. I lay him down just as he gets tired and as soon as I step out the door he cries. I come back in, he stops. We don’t want to spoil him by always rocking him; it’s just so hard not to do. But, we’ve decided we have to try something. There are so many different methods moms swear by: crying-it-out, patting their belly until they fall asleep, simply standing or sitting in eyesight. This part has been pretty difficult. Any advice, moms?

Speaking of naptime, I was rocking him on Tuesday and just as he had dozed off I realized I was watching some ridiculous soap opera. Definitely not my style, so I reach for the remote…which is, of course, just out of reach. Now what? Do I go for it and risk waking him, or do I wait the fifteen minutes until I know I won’t bother him? Well, I hate soaps. So, I went for it. Not the right choice, Cait. I might’ve gotten away with it had I not clumsily dropped the remote on the wood floor. Fail. Cue wide awake cranky Lincoln.

   And then there’s the pacifier.
They’re a sleep prop. 
It will cause baby’s teeth to grow outward. 
Your baby will become too dependent…. 
Wow. I had no idea it mattered so much…. So I decided we would not be using a pacifier. And we did great. For about four days. The third night home if Lincoln was not “comfort nursing”, he was crying. I’d say pretty much all night. So, thank you, MRMC for sending us home with a pacifier. We now have six. I was either going to lose my hearing or lose a nipple, possibly both. I have no idea why it helps, but it does. Plus, I’m sure his teeth will be just fine.

  

So many new decisions I just didn’t prepare for. Should I try to stay home or work? If I work, what about daycare? What kind of formula do we use? What kind of schedule should we set? Did you know babies had schedules??...Me either!  If someone gives us an OSU onsie, do we just take a picture and pretend he wore it all day?

  So. Many. Decisions.