Lincoln: Eleven Months

Eleven Months
October 2015

Little Buddy,

You're almost one.

And I think maybe you held off all your growing while in Colorado and decided to hit a million milestones once we returned to Texas. In the last month you sprouted not only your first tooth, but your first four! It seemed relatively painless, no crazy fevers or crying, but I'll hold out for the next 16 teeth.

 

After months of "is he crawling?" Lincoln boy, you are crawling! Once we go home and you got adjusted you started crawling and took off! I took a video of you 'scooting' like every proud mom and you cried through half of it as I teased/ begged you to crawl to me. Then just a few days later you were crawling away from my faster than I could catch you. Later in life when they ask you at your most important job interview, at least you can say you crawled 'right before 11 months.'

Walking> Nah, no walking. That's for those other kids.

Someday you'll walk, I have no doubts. But today the crawling is adorable and I'm so proud of you for that.

Once you figured out how to crawl you instantly became more curious. You're getting into everything and you've become my little explorer. Quickly we are installing all the locks and baby-proofing all the things but I still love watching the joy on your face when you find something new. Like George the dog, you squealed when you first saw him at my parents house. And then of course, you turned and looked at me to make sure you were safe and to covey the 'look momma! it's a dog!' face that I adore so much. Now you LOVE dogs so much that you stare at the dog magnet on our refrigerator. Keep discovering little man.

You're still hanging right around the 20 pound mark although you're growing longer and thinning out every day. You're getting stronger and you eat pretty much everything we give you now, which of course, makes your dietitian momma quite happy.

Someday you'll also sleep all the way through the night. We're so close, but I still like our times together in the early morning.

All the things that make you a baby are still so dear to me. I'm in no hurry for you to grow up and turn one and then 18 and then 45 with grown up kids of your own, calling me and telling me I'm gonna be a great grandmother or something like that.

But I guess then there would be more babies to snuggle.

Someday you'll be a man. I'll embarrass you I'm sure. But until then you're my baby and you still shriek with joy when I attack your neck with kisses and tickle your fat rolls.

I love you Little Buddy. Don't grow up too fast.
Mom

P.S. - Yes, someday you'll start to notice Grandpa's grass, that green stuff in the picture. You'll notice it's better than ours. You'll notice that you could drop and uncooked egg on it without the egg cracking. And that moment when you ask 'Mom, why does our grass not look like Grandpa's grass' I'll cut my eyes over at you and have you take over all the lawn care duties. I'm trying Little Buddy, but Grandpa's grass is kind of a legend...

Lincoln: Ten Months

Note: Yes, today IS Lincoln's birthday. My baby turns ONE! Here on the blog we'll finish the monthly countdown in the next few days. Today I'll be celebrating my little man and as soon as I can in the next few posts I'll be sharing the birthday madness!

Ten Months
September 2015

Ten Months

Lincoln,

Welcome back to Texas my sweet little boy. This summer while we were in Colorado I tried to tell you about our Texas home, but the cool air and the mountains and the aspen trees won you over. So I waited until the last few days of mountain air and I started to remind you about our Texas home and our family and our friends and all the people that love you here 'down south.'

But it was sad to leave your Colorado family. It hurt my heart to see your face when you were searching the dining hall for all your 'camp friends' when the tables were all empty. Later when other guests arrived you searched their faces, holding close to your momma and looking at me as if you really were asking who these new people were and where your friends had gone. The part that hurts the most is that I know it will happen every summer. You'll fall in love with our camp staff and then every year we'll leave. My prayer is that your heart will know the love that waits for you in our communities 'down south' and that you'll enjoy the two lives we have for you.

But today we're in Texas.

I'm sorry you are sweating.

All. The. Time.

It's hot here. I know. Last year you were in my belly so we were even hotter!

Now that we're back we went to the doc who says you are growing just fine. Technically you were a little under on your height and weight but the doc said that breastfed babies tend to do that at your age. Your head is still measuring a whopping 95th percentile. Maybe your brain is just ginormous or maybe you take after your daddy, either way we have to buy extra large hats for you already.

You've been eating like a champ and are most willing to try new things. You've tried almost every fruit and vegetable but your favorites right now are frozen green beans and fresh whole peaches. You just tried meat for the very first time when we were in Louisiana for Labor Day: Grandpa's steak. I think it was a fine first meat choice. You can put away some yogurt, but your ultimate favorite is cheese. Doesn't matter what kind, you sir, go for the cheese first every. single. time.

Labor Day weekend was also your first time in the swimming pool and although you screamed at first, you loved it second. Grandma and Grandpa were snapping pictures and tying umbrellas to the pool railing making a big fuss over you. I can tell already that they love you more than you'll ever realize. Let's just say that Grandpa was singing as he carried you into church.

Milestones are passing quickly and you almost have your first tooth. It's right there ready to come in any day now. I check it every ten seconds so that I'll know the very moment that it's here. You don't crawl yet, although everyone asks, and I'm not worried one bit. I didn't exactly put you on the rocks in Colorado to see if you'd crawl so you haven't gotten much practice. Everywhere we go people want to hold you, so maybe someday you'll crawl. Until then I'm trying to 'baby proof' the house as fast as I can.

You sleep now. Finally about 9 to 10 hours a night and you go down for naps without a fuss. It's been a long road in the sleep department Buddy so thanks for that.

Most of all, we love you. Life has been an adventure with you. You are filled with a great joy and you spread that joy so easily. I'll catch you waving and smiling and giving a flirty head tilt to almost anyone we see. Especially strangers, especially strangers who work at checkout registers actually. I'm not sure why that is. People stop to smile at you almost everywhere we go. My prayer is that you will someday spread the joy of the Lord and that it is the passion of your heart.

We love you sweet boy. Happy 10 Months.

Mom

Lincoln: Nine Months



 

 

Nine Months

August 2015

 

Little Buddy,

 

You're nine months old and it's almost time for our summer in Colorado to come to an end.

 

Still I don't know how much you weigh or how tall you are, still no well-visits here in the middle of nowhere. But we do have our fair share of mountains and rivers and lakes. And friends and adventures.

 

 

In this season we get to simply enjoy life around us. Yes, there are times when Mom checks the cleaning supply inventory and requests POs, but mostly it's just me and you, and Dad, and 45 other staff members, and 11 families, and 50 plus teenagers, and at times a few backpackers. And while that seems like a lot of people, it's not. Here in Colorado you've got a tiny little family.

 

 

You've got shirts to match Dad for almost every day. And I take pictures of you doing almost everything. You have a camp staff name tag that you wear up here because really you put in a lot of 'camp hours' even though you're snoozing before the fun's over. Camp life and baby life seem to go very well together.

 

 

We wake up and get to snuggle with Dad. Sometimes I've got my act together enough that we all walk out of the door at the same time and head to the morning meeting. You come along and sit at the meeting pretending to listen, but mostly shaking your head no at all that is discussed. I'm pretty sure you don't disagree with everything, you just like the way you get attention when you say 'no.' Let me tell ya, I don't think that's a quality I'll love one day...

 

After the meeting it's usually time for your nap if you've woken early or time for breakfast if you've woken late. We put you in your little chair and you smile and laugh at 'your friends' who pass by and make the sweetest remarks. I will say that you have chosen favorites and the same few people sit at 'the Lincoln table' each meal and keep you entertained.

 

After breakfast we head to the Chapel where you lightly brush your finger over the stain glass windows or play on the ground in the colorful light that shines through them. I love when I get to bring you to worship with me. There something really special about that.

 



After Chapel camp gets moving and it's play time for us. Sometimes it's nap time, sometimes we head down to the river, sometimes it's just a walk around the cabins to see who's winning the current Nuke'Em game. Mostly it's just me and you time. I love it.

 

 

There's lunch and then more napping and more playing and then it's porch time. Right when the camp store opens up we go to see Jackie, your best friend that runs the store. She can make you smile more than anyone else on camp (except of course me and Daddy) and you love her a whole lot. If you're lucky she'll give you a little bit of snow cone ice and you'll bang on her counter top laughing so very pleased with yourself. And then just about that time Dad walks in and it's family time. So we head out to the porch and you and me and Dad get a little time together. Well, us and whoever else occupies the porch that afternoon. It's a sweet way to spend time.

 

 

Far too soon it's dinner time and then off to bed for you. There are many night events that happen after you fall asleep. You don't know what you're missing, but one day you'll run around the campfire and we'll teach you to two-step and you'll get to camp out under the stars with the 'big kids.'

 

 

But until then, you're still my baby. My nine month old little baby. Who loves food, who is quickly passing up purees for 'real' food and who just the other day learned how to wave goodbye. My little baby that is quickly growing out of all nine month clothing who we take on small adventures. We are excited about the day when you can go on the big adventures all the while hoping you'll stay little forever.

 

I love you sweet boy. I love our adventures. I love our people. I hope some day you love it here too.

 

All my love,

Mom