Is it a cracker?

There's a scene in the movie "Elf" where "Elf's" (Wil Farrell) dad says to him, "you really like sugar, huh?", to which "Elf" asks, "is syrup made of sugar? Then YES!". I'm starting to feel that way with Lincoln and crackers. People that know us, know that we've had a struggle with getting Lincoln to eat food. Well, it seems that we just weren't feeding him the right things. Lincoln loves anything and everything crackers - Graham Crackers, veggie crackers (which don't actually have veggies in them), Sweet Potato Puffs (once again, with no sweet potato in them), and Baby Cheetos (yes, they make baby Cheetos).

So I have this question/challenge for our readers - since I'm assuming babies can't survive on carbs alone, what other foods have a nice crunch, are easy for baby to eat, and have *any* nutrional value? Or, for those that have experience with children, what are good toddler foods that *aren't* pre-packaged by Gerber?

Just me an' Linc

This week Scott is on a business trip to Seattle, so it's just Lincoln and me until tonight. I admit, I was a bit worried about spending three days as the sole responsible adult in the house, but when Scott gets home I will have him confirm that the baby and cats are fed, the baby is clean, and the house is still in one piece!
Here is the scene from Monday morning after Scott left. Poor Lincoln, how will he get by with just Mommy to keep him company?
Of course! Joni can come over and keep him company. Joni watched Lincoln while I taught class on Monday, and lucky for Lincoln she's coming over tonight, too!
He can also keep himself happy by playing with daddy's sunglasses. Don't worry - no sunglasses were hurt in the creation of these photos.
And finally...Lincoln has kept himself happy remembering the wonderful weather last Saturday. Daddy took him outside and snapped this "sunny" photo in our yard. What a cutie!

A clean baby

I think we've posted bath videos before, but this is again proof that Lincoln has been bathed. He's starting to enjoy the bath more now that he's mastered splashing. He also really enjoys his rubber duck...as you'll see.

A Healthier Mommy

I am happy to report that Lincoln and Scott took very good care of me, and I am feeling much better today! Thanks for all of your well-wishes. It's a good thing I'm well again, since Lincoln has a new "skill":

Yes, that's him pulling himself up on our coat rack. Lest you think that I let him risk toppling the coat rack on top of himself while I took a photo, I'd like to note that Lincoln is attracted to our camera like a moth to a flame. No sooner had a snapped this photo than Lincoln had climbed down and headed straight for me.

Here's an example of the type of photo I end up with if I have the camera out too long:

No Sick Days for Mommies

On Sunday night I woke up at 2am feeling achy and awful - and Scott used our new thermometer to confirm that I had a 102 degree fever. A year ago I would have spent the next day curled up in bed watching bad tv and resting. I've discovered, though, that there's no such thing as a "sick day" for mommies. Since Lincoln can't take care of himself, I took a couple of Advil and spent the day chasing Lincoln around the house. I did get a nap during Lincoln's afternoon nap, and Scott was my hero at lunch when he brought me a big jug of gatorade.

Luckily I feel a bit better today - and Lincoln's at Miss Lucy's so I can hopefully get some work done on my dissertation from home. I want to feel better so that tomorrow Lincoln and I can get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having.

A Healthier Baby

We have good news - it appears that the antibiotic is working and Lincoln is feeling much better. If any of you have experience with kids and ear infections, though, you know that antibiotics have some...unpleasant...side effects. Since I've already grossed out everyone with my last "poo" post, I won't go into the gory details. I'll just say that Lincoln now requires a couple of clothing changes each day. The "incidents" only happen about twice a day, so I don't think he's at risk of dehydration, and he doesn't appear to be uncomfortable otherwise. Scott and I just have to remind ourselves that it's only for one more week (ONE MORE WEEK???) ugh.

Lucky for me, Lincoln's at daycare today (Lucy felt bad that Lincoln missed two days in the past two weeks), so I shouldn't have to deal with his afternoon "delivery".

Happy Easter, Sad Week

Last weekend Lincoln dressed up in a tie to celebrate Easter at Mary and Randy's house. He had lots of fun with some out-of-town visiters: Irene, Jerry, Andy and Cecilee Diamond (although Cecilee isn't officially out of town, she's just north of the river), and Carol and her two sons Chase and Austen. Unfortunately, it looks like Lincoln's cold from last week has come back with some bacterial friends. Yesterday he came home from the sitter's with a fever and was generally unhappy. We went to the doctor and it appears he has an early ear infection. Here is Dr. Giraffe displaying the Omnicef that we have to administer to Lincoln twice a day for 10 days.
And here Dr. Giraffe is showing off the digital ear thermometer I bought yesterday (Lincoln wasn't too keen on the rectal thermometer - I wonder why?). Lincoln's fever got up to 103 yesterday, but his temp is back to normal today even without Motrin (yay!). He didn't sleep very well last night, but he seems to be feeling a bit better today.

15 Pounds

Yesterday was Lincoln's 9-month checkup and he now weighs....15 pounds. Yes, that puts him at the 5th percentile for weight (which means out of 100 babies, only 5 would be smaller than him). His height is also at the 5th percentile, but his head (and brain) are 50th percentile. So we have a small, smart baby. The doctor says we need to get him to eat more. Anyone who has been around Lincoln for any length of time knows how difficult it is to make him do something he doesn't want to do.

The day before the checkup I attended a La Leche League meeting and had checked out "My Child Won't Eat" by Carlos Gonzalez. Dr. Gonzalez's premise is that babies know how much food they need, and it's futile to try to trick or scold them into eating more. I had just started feeling a bit better about Lincoln's eating habits when we were told by the doctor that we need to try to get him to eat more solids.

On the plus side, there were no new shots for Lincoln yesterday (yay!) He got his finger pricked for an iron test and he didn't cry at all at the sight of his own blood (although it was tough for mommy and daddy to watch). His iron levels are OK, and everything else is also ok.

It's running season again

Last year, Linda and I were very disciplined, got up early, and went jogging almost every morning. This year, our training has been a little less structured. Less sleep, general laziness, and chasing Lincoln around the house have all contributed.

Regardless, it is running season again, and we're starting to get our races scheduled. If you're interested, here's what we'll be doing this year. We'll keep you posted as results come in.

Trolley Run (April 29) - This year Linda is pushing Lincoln in the stroller rather than carrying him in the womb.

Lincoln 1/2 Marathon (May 6) - This is my second year for the 1/2 marathon, so we'll see what happens.

Corporate Challenge 5K (May 12) - I need to do good at this race because my times are posted at work.

Mission Fun Run (TBD) - Linda and I did this two years ago and it was fun, so we're looking forward to it.

Kansas City Marathon (TBD) - I did this last year with some co-workers and am planning to do it again.

Healthy Baby?

Scott and I were very relieved to wake to a happy Lincoln this morning. We all travelled to Loup City over the weekend (with a stopover at the Hauners) for Scott's cousin's wedding. Unfortunately, Lincoln came down with a bit of a fever Friday night and was not feeling well or sleeping well all weekend. He seems to be feeling better today, and did a bit of munching on a stuffed Easter rabbit from Grandma and Grandpa Hauner. I think the fever is gone, and he managed to get a bit more sleep last night.

Lincoln was *very* spoiled by grandparents all weekend - and even though he was under the weather he really enjoyed all of the attention. Grandma and Grandpa King gave him a fun True Value Lunch Box (so much fun to open and close!) and a chewy car and Easter bunny.