We have a crawler....

I meant to post this back on March 19... I think that's the day it happened... but,well... stuff happens! Soooo....

It's official... Lincoln is now a crawler!

For awhile he could get up on his hands and knees, rock back and forth, lift his little hiney way up in the air. But, he never moved his arms. He'd just bring his legs up underneath him and then flop down! Then there was one day or so where he'd move his hands twice and then flop. But, on Thursday (3/19) we had a play date with two friends from our birthing class. I think Lila must have inspired him... because, when we got home he started crawling!!! Here are two pictures that Emily (hosted the play date) took that day.

Here's Lincoln with Lila. She's the crawler that inspired my baby!! She was such a doll!!!!

This is Lila and Lillian. Lillian and Lincoln had the same due date... but, of course did not end up being born on the same day. I guess they decided that they didn't want to share a birthday!!!

I think Lincoln had fun. He kept smiling at Lila when we first got there... even though she kept stealing his toys!!! Which, I have to say, was pretty cute! But, we left early... Lincoln was ready for a nap and he was letting us all know it. It was so good to see the girls. And, it's fun to see what Lincoln does around other babies!!!

So, not only is he now crawling, but he also learned how to sit up from the crawling position. He's also starting to pull himself up at the couch. He gets so happy with himself... I love it!!! Here's an early video of him crawling and sitting up.



Not too efficient yet with his crawling. But, seriously, I think he'd rather stand up and start walking. He's pulling up on things constantly and then letting go!!!! He stands there, no hands, a good little bit. Can't really tell you how long because I've never actually timed it... but, you know... probably less than a minute... although it seems like forever!!!

Oh, it's crazy how fast things happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What we've been up to...

It's been awhile since my last post. So, here's what we've been up to....

Lincoln and I went to our first official play date. My friend Michelle hosted a LLL playgroup at her house. I took my camera... but, never managed to take any pictures. So, no pictures. But, it was nice to get out and meet some other moms! It was also a reminder of what it's like to be around kids... it got a little loud! I kinda had forgotten about that... not being at work and all!!

Michelle's oldest son also had a birthday party. He turned 3 and we were there to celebrate. It was Lincoln's first birthday party to attend. Here's Lincoln decorating the wrapping paper for Jadon's gift. This is his first experience with coloring. At first he just wanted to eat the paper... then he wanted to eat the crayon. Okay, so he's not quite ready for coloring!!
Here's the birthday boy.
Lincoln with his party hat... and borrowed toy!

And, taking a nap with dad.
After the party we eat at the Macaroni Grill... where Lincoln tried his hand at coloring again! We got more color on the paper... but, still trying to eat the crayon!! I tore it out of the tablecloth and put it up on the fridge at home... LOVE IT!!And, these are just miscellaneous pictures.

Lincoln with his first soccer ball!!

Playing in a box.

Helping sort beans.
And, one of his favorite things to do right now... watch the laundry go round!!
That's all for now folks!

Another Baby Post??

Brace yourself... this is... NOT another post about Lincoln!! Get a grip! I know it's hard to believe... but it's true....

So, we had some drama yesterday. Lincoln and I are spending some time at my parent's lake house while Brad is out of town. Yesterday, I was sitting in the living room nursing Lincoln. That room faces the lake. My dad was sitting outside on the back porch... which faces the lake also. To the left of the house is a creek... with no water in it because the lake is really low right now. Apparently, some guy comes running up the creek... right by the house and past my dad. My dad comes in and goes around the house locking all the doors. He said the guy never saw him.

Then, the door bell rings. The dogs go crazy. I can't answer the door because I have Lincoln. My mom was just getting out of the shower. And, my dad had gone back outside. So, the guy that rang the door bell goes around to the back of the house where my dad is and asks if we've seen a man. My dad says yes and tells him which way he went. He says to get in the house and lock all the doors. By the way, the guy that was telling us to get in the house and lock up never said who he was... he wasn't dressed like a cop... but, had a gun.

A couple of minuets later several cars and a trailer pull up to the house down the road (there's only three houses, including my parents, that are actually built right now on their street). There's a handful of men. They have horses and a pack of dogs!!!! They go off into the woods looking for this guy.

We later find out that they did find this guy... about 5 miles away. We still don't know what this guy did or where he came from. I'd like to know. I'd also like to know who the guys were that were hunting the bad guy. Why didn't they introduce themselves as police? Why weren't they dressed like police? Who were they really??

One thing I do know... you should ALWAYS keep your doors locked... no matter where you are!!!!!!!!

Solid Foods

My husband has been complaining that I don't blog often enough for him. So, this is for him. Plus, I had said that I'd blog once we started solid foods. :)

We bought this cool little contraption to fix Lincoln's baby food. It's kinda expensive... okay, real expensive. But, we had a gift card so that helped! I'm glad we have it. It's called the Beaba Babycook. It steams the food, purees/chops it and reheats the food... all in one small machine. I like that you can reheat the food without using a microwave (which depletes the food's nutritional value). It's super easy to use and travels well.We started Lincoln off with sweet potatoes. Which, at first he didn't really care for that much. He kept making faces with each bite. We never could get any of the faces on film. But, we did take video of it. Of course, I don't have that on my computer. I'll have to ask Brad about it. After sweet potatoes we had butternut squash and then pears. He seemed to like the squash and loves the pears. We tried the sweet potatoes again and he seems to like it better now. I guess, in the beginning it was just weird have some strange taste and texture in his mouth. We're going to try some peas next. Mmmmm....He really, really likes to drink water out of a cup. Check this video out... it's pretty funny!

Okay, that's all for today. Maybe if you're real lucky I'll post again tomorrow!!

Computers

The boy likes computers. Anything he sees us use he wants... tv remote, cell phone, telephone, computer... which should tell us we should be using these a little less!!! Anyways, we let him "type" on our computers. The boy took my shift key off!! And, I can't figure out how to put it back... it's weird typing without the shift key....

Happy, Happy 6 Months Lincoln!!!

Six months... SIX MONTHS!!! Lincoln turned 6 months old yesterday. My, where has the time gone?!

We had his 6 month check-up today. Everything is good. The dry skin that he has had for what seems like forever IS eczema!! So, I plan on starting the long road of trying to figure out what may be causing it. It could be something that I'm eating. We've already changed the soap we use to bathe him in and the laundry detergent. Hmmm......

So, Lincoln has been busy growing, learning, changing, and playing. We got his very first table and chair not that long ago... just in time for him to start solids!
We are going to start solids soon. We would right now... but, I want to wait for Brad to get back home. I want him to be here for this first!! Plus, I need someone to video tape it and take pictures!!! You never know what kind of great and priceless faces we might see! I plan on making all his baby food. Should be fun! There will be a post when all that happens.

Lincoln's sitting up much better now. He's been doing push-ups. And, finally has gotten up on his hands and knees. He's even "crawled" a little. I'm not sure you'd really call it crawling. He moves his legs but not his arms. So, he ends up falling forward. But hey, it's movement!! I wanted to have a video here. But, every time we get out the video camera he stops whatever he's doing and stares! I did get one little moment... but, Brad hasn't downloaded it yet. So, maybe I'll post it later. For now, here's two pictures I managed to get! And, the last one is of him after he has fallen forward... I don't think he minds it!


Whenever the weather has been nice we've gotten out to explore nature. Lincoln LOVES being outside!! Here's a few pictures from our various adventures...

This one is at the lake house.
These next few are from our stroll through the turtle creek area. Checking out ducks... Lincoln didn't mind them until they started quacking. He didn't like it too much! We kept a safe distance.

These are from our visit to White Rock Lake. He liked exploring the grass! The last one I took after daddy let him fall face first into the grass. You have to click on it to truly see how sad he is... it was cute, but sad.
So, let's see... what else? Oh, the other thing that we've tried to get on video, but can't, is the new sounds Lincoln has been making. He is now saying "ba" and "ma." And, he does it a lot! He now has two teeth on the bottom and one on the top that you can see right under the surface!

We've... I should say I, I have been sitting Lincoln on his little potty after naps and whenever I change his diaper. He pees in it almost every time!! You may be asking why in the world I'm doing that with a 6 month old baby. Well, it's called EC or elimination communication. There are many sites that you can go to read and learn more. Try here or here. Or, just google it! I'm what they call an occasional EC'er. Basically, we're pretty laid back... we don't stress about it... whatever happens happens. We still use diapers. Our goal is not to potty train him early. If babies are born with an awareness of when they are eliminating (which is what EC claims) then we want to help maintain that for Lincoln. We don't want him to lose that awareness and become used to eliminating exclusively in diapers. So, that's that!


Six months... SIX MONTHS.....

Help Save our Natural Toy Artisans!

Hi everyone,

I recently received this email from a company that sell natural, safe and non-toxic toys for children. I included the email in hopes that you will read it and take action!

I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes less than a minute of your time.

Thanks!
Shannan

Help Save our Natural Toy Artisans!

Dear Shannan,

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the pending Consumer Product Improvement Act that will deeply impact your ability to purchase natural, handmade toys.

The law, which is intended to make children's toys safer, may actually cause natural, handmade toys to no longer be available for purchase in the United States. Many American handmade toymakers and small European speciality toymakers will be forced out of business because, unlike their mass-producing counterparts, they cannot afford to conduct the intensive third-party testing the law requires (despite the fact that the toys are made from natural materials). Three Sisters Toys has already received notice that a few of our German suppliers are officially pulling out of the U.S. market in 2009.

If the law passes as it is currently written, it will be illegal for us to sell many of the toys currently on our shelves after February 9, 2009, even though they are made of natural materials and are completely safe.

We don't wish to sound like alarmists, but the law is real and will effect our business and the selection of handmade toys we, and all businesses, will be allowed to offer.

Dana Johnson, owner
Three Sisters Toys

How YOU can help save Natural, Handmade Toys:

• SIGN the online petition
• VOTE to save small business from the CPSIA
• WRITE to your Congress Person and Senator w/ this letter