{ Hehehe }

So I have tons to post about and will eventually get caught up but in the meantime here's a little gem I found in my inbox tonight from my fabulous sister in law!

This video is sure to fill your heart with holiday cheer and make you laugh out loud :-)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/TTvXMIy2mx7xUtSM?cmpid=ey_url

{ Phew! }

I had a lot of catching up to do on the blog and I finally got it done!  Scroll down to see pictures, videos, and read all about Lincoln at five months, Lincoln at four months, the Melanders' wedding, Halloween with our little dragon, and pumpkin patch pictures (say that ten times fast).

Enjoy!

{ Five Months. Really! }

(Click here for last months picture)

Wow, it's so hard to believe our baby boy is already 5 months old! I know I say this every month but man oh man does the time just fly by. This time last year we were still wrapping our heads around the idea that we were pregnant and now we have a living breathing adorable baby boy who somehow manages to wriggle deeper and deeper into our hearts every day.

Lincoln is so full of personality.  Since he was little I've said that you never walk into the room and wonder if he is in there.  If he's happy he's laughing and cooing and babbling and if he's not happy he's definitely vocal about that too!  He's a very social little guy and happy to meet new people and faces.  He knows his name now and will (usually) turn toward you when you say it.

Lincoln is also a little giggler.  If you catch him in the right mood and do something funny you are rewarded with adorable little baby giggles.  It's pretty great :-)

He's started reaching for you when he wants you to pick him up.  When he looks at you with those big blue eyes and stretches his arms up there's no choice but to scoop him up.  His cuteness and charisma are just overwhelming and leaving him there just isn't an option.

Link has had a few bites of food.  We're waiting until he's closer to six months to really start solids so that his gut is more mature but he's charmed a few bites out of us here and there.  He just seems SO interested in eating.  Hopefully that means he'll be a good, non-picky lil eater. 

Breastfeeding is still going great; I just love nursing Lincoln.  It is our time to just relax and be close and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  He is getting more and more distracted when eating though and when he gets distracted he tends to bite.  With his two little teeth that has been, um, interesting.  I'm getting better at recognizing when he's not paying attention or losing interest though so it's improving.  Nursing in public had been going great since he was just a few weeks old but recently Lincoln has been on a hooter hider strike.  I think he hates being covered up where he can't see what's going on in the room.  I'm all about breastfeeding in public (I even nursed him as we walked through the corn maze!) but even I won't do it without covering up so we have nursed in the car a lot as well as giving him pumped milk in a bottle.  As long as he eats I'm happy, but it will be a sad day when he stops nursing.

My favorite time to nurse him is in the middle of the night.  It feels like there is no one else in the world while we rock and nurse.  He usually reaches up and strokes my face while he eats.  I like to think he's saying "You're my mom.  I love you and your face." 

He has a new favorite toy - Curious George.  My friend Emily sent it to Lincoln when he was first born and recently Lincoln has developed a certain affinity for him.  I think he likes George's little hands and feet - they are the perfect size and shape for chewing on.  I don't know how long Lincoln will continue to favor George but I can definitely see this being a long-term relationship.

Link is pretty amused by the simple things in life.  He loves boxes, coffee sleeves, drawstrings, leaves, wax paper, and envelopes.  I love watching him explore these everyday items, usually by chewing on them.  Though it can be a challenge to try to keep him from actually eating them.

We've been reading to Lincoln since he was just a few weeks old.  As best I can tell, he loves it.  He can be
a busy busy boy rolling all over and playing but when we lay down to read with him he seems to mellow out and just focus on the book and our voices.  I have always loved to read and I hope that by starting early we are fostering a love of books in him that will stick around for the rest of his life.

Although young, our son has developed musical tastes already.  Since he was just a few weeks old he has absolutely loved "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele.  I had her CD in my car shortly after he was born and we realized that whenever he was upset if we played this song he would immediately stop crying and be happy.  I don't know if it's her voice, the beat, the music, the extra noise, or perhaps some combination but something about that song just resonates with him and he calms right down.  It's just ridiculous how quickly it works.  Within about 15-20 seconds he can go from a full on tantrum to just chilling in his carseat.  That same CD is still in my car and while I actually really like Adele's music I am SO SICK of that song.  But hey, if I have to listen to one song over and over and over and over and over and over and over again at least it's one I used to and may again someday like.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Lincoln has started driving.  Boy this kid is growing up fast!  Seems like just a few months ago that we brought him home from the hospital.

Lincoln is just so much fun and such a joy to be around.  Overall he is a pretty easy going kiddo and we are so blessed by him each day.  We love our little buddy more than words can say!

{ Mr. Four Month Old }

(Click here for last month's picture)



Wowza the last few months have flown by.  Lincoln is already 5 months old and I'm just now writing his 4 month post!  I think the last few months have gone by so quickly because I went back to work when Lincoln was three months old.

That first day back was torture but it's been getting better since then.  I still don't like leaving him all day (or night, depending on my rotation) but I know it's good for both of us.  He gets to socialize with other babies, interact with different adults, and enjoy a different environment.  I get to interact with adults, feel like I'm making a difference in the world and keep up my nursing skills.  I'm hoping to be able to cut back to part time some day but for now I'm trying to focus on the positives.  At least I have a job, a job I really like, and that I get to stay home 4 days a week with Lincoln while still working full time.



Clearly Lincoln seems to be coping okay!

At his four month check up back in September he:
weighed 16 lbs 0 oz (60th percentile)
was 25 7/8 inches tall (82nd percentile)
had a head circumference of 42.75 cm (82nd percentile).

He continues to be our big little guy :-)

By four months old Lincoln...

...had two teeth!  He got his first at 14 weeks, 2 days old and his second two days later.  My baby had teeth at three and a half months - crazy!

...was a little rolling machine.  He had already mastered back to front and front to back but he started putting it all together to get where he wanted to go.  He could move at least 3 to 4 feet just by rolling.  Such a little mover and shaker!

...was in love with water.  He was always splashing away in the bath tub and had a ball whenever we took
him to the pool.  He'll probably be swimming on his own by next summer!

...was still madly in love with and fascinated by his hands and feet.

...was VERY interested in whatever other people around him were doing.  If you were reading, he'd want to have your book to chew on.  If you were eating, he'd want to eat.  If you were cooking, he'd want to cook with you (or at least grab each ingredient you pick up).  He's so interested in the world around him and is so fun to watch him explore.

...starting getting defiant.  By four months - I know!  Whenever he didn't want to get into his carseat or swing he would arch his little back like a cat being forced into the bathtub.  It was annoying and highly effective.  He's not doing it as often anymore but when he does it it's actually quite a challenge to wrestle him into his carseat.

...had an adorable Who-'do (as in Dr. Seuss's Whos).  He has this one hair on top of his head that is about two inches longer than all the rest.  I LOVE it and will be so sad when I look for it one morning and it is gone.

...continued getting more and more verbal.  I love this video of him making his new favorite sound. His constant babbling, squeals, and coos are just adorable.  I can't wait to hear his little voice once he starts talking.

...had really mastered picking up his toys and refined his hand-eye coordination.  He could easily pick up a toy that looked fun and most of the time could easily get it to his mouth or his other hand for further exploring.

...had gone through his first illness.  He caught some sort of GI virus (gotta love daycare!) and was throwing up and had diarrhea for over a week.  I just felt so bad for our lil buddy.  There's nothing worse than seeing your child sick and not being able to do anything about it except love on and snuggle him ;-(   He was a trooper, though, and even though he felt crummy he was pretty much his usually happy self.

I'm sure there are more things he started doing in his fourth month but that's all I can think of for now.  Month by month he is getting more and more interactive and fun.  I love watching him grow and learn but at the same time he is doing it all too quickly!  I'm sad that he's growing up so fast and that before I know it he'll be my little boy instead of my little baby.  So I am trying to make the most of each day and soak in all his adorable baby-ness while I can.  Because he is just the best. thing. ever.

{ Happily Ever After }

We had the honor and pleasure of attending the wedding reception of our good friends Nick and Trish in Salt Lake City last month.  What a joyous day to celebrate such a great couple after being together for 10 years!  It was wonderful to be a part of their big day.  We love you Nick & Trish!

{ Happy Halloween! }

Lincoln insisted on being a dragon for Halloween this year so we happily indulged him and bought an adorable little costume.  He had a great time trick-or-treating around town to family and friends!



Having fun with Grandma Pat





Scary dragon toes!




Hanging out with Grant Sessie and Gruncle Stevie




I guess the camera really does add ten pounds!




Trick-or-treat Grandma Giesler!




Showing off his treat



Lincoln thought Olive would be a tasty snack for a little dragon.



Checking out his treat from Grape Grandma




Chillin' with Lillian




Hanging out with Shaw and Jodi and some creepy guy on the TV

 


All tuckered out after a long night of fun



Happy Halloween!

{ Fall Photo Fun }

I thought it would be fun to take Lincoln to the pumpkin patch to take some festive fall pictures last week.  I got him all dressed, called Grape Grandma to accompany us on this adventure, and we headed out to the Berry Ranch.  Lincoln was smiling and adorable when my grandma got to our house, but fell asleep on the drive out there and when we woke him up he was NOT in the mood to smile for pictures.  We got a few cute ones but most of them are of a half asleep sullen little guy.  It was fun anyway :-)



This one is my favorite :-)