Look who came to visit!

On Saturday we hosted a reunion with our Bradly class. Not only were our classmates able to come (Tanya, Mario, and Amari; and Tricia, Jason, and Jonas), but our instructors, Summer and Casey (with their sons Tevon and Luna) were also on hand for some food, and fun. The photo at left is of our little ones - Amari, Jonas, and Lincoln. We learned that is sometimes difficult to get three crawling, active kiddos to sit still long enough to snap some photos.

Lincoln was very polite and shared all of his toys. Here Amari is picking out her favorite while Jonas gives her the advice that "the best toys are at the very bottom of the basket!" Lincoln has already chosen his toy.


Here's all three kids hanging out. Looks like Amari is still picking out what toy she wants...I think Lincoln really liked having other kids to play with, and I really enjoyed chatting with the other parents. It's hard to believe, but we started our Bradley classes over a year ago. It won't be long before all of the kids are up and running around!

Guess what's coming to visit!

No pictures (yet), but Lincoln is definitely finally getting a tooth! You can feel it just below the surface, and it is sharp!! Scott is convinced that there are two, but I can't tell. I think it hurts Lincoln a bit, as he's been a little grumpy the past few days and drooling up a storm. I don't blame him - I would be grumpy too if I had a little spear stabbing through my gums!! So send good wishes his way that his little friend(s) will make an appearance soon!

Quality Control

Everyone knows that this blog is a group effort, and I would like to take a moment to thank my "QC" (Quality Control) team. Here you can see them watching Lincoln's crawling video to make sure it's up to blog standards.

Thanks for all of the great comments on the "choose your own caption". If you haven't read through them all, take a look!

Write you own caption...

This photo was taken during the last big snow in Kansas City. Lincoln loves to stand in our picture window and lick the glass (I think he likes the cold). Lest you think I'm a terrible mother, I would like to point out that I am only holding him beneath the arms so that he can balance - he is pressing his own face against the glass. Soooo...what caption would you put with this photo?

Here's Your Prize!

You all win!! Here's your prize - I "lured" Lincoln across the rug using Mr. Snail's hynoptic music. He can definitely get wherever he wants to go using a combination of rolling and scooting.

A Winner!!

Actually, there are many winners! The correct answer is sweet potatoes. More specifically, sweet potatoes mixed with oatmeal - this substance is not only healthy, but it creates a concrete-like orange substance that adheres to skin and clothing.

I'll post the video soon - I'll need assistance from my Senior Control Officer for Technnical Talent (S.C.O.T.T.) to help me get it uploaded. Please be patient (and don't ask how long it took me to think up that acronym!).

A Contest!!

I've decided to have a contest, and everybody can be a winner! The photo below was taken after Lincoln's lunch today. As many of you know, he's not been liking most solids. So today when he actually decided to eat something I was thrilled and didn't worry too much about the mess. So here's the contest: post a comment telling me what you think Lincoln had for lunch today. If anyone posts the correct answer, I'll reward you all with a video of Lincoln doing his new snake/scoot crawl technique. Good luck!!

Secret Pal is revealed!

You may be wondering who has been sending me all of the great knitting stuff (and so have I!), and this week my secret pal has revealed herself and sent one final awesome package. She is (drumroll)... Anne, and she has some pet ferrets, which explains why Dr. Zaius has *loved* all of her packages.

So, here are the goodies she sent me this month:




First, a wonderful book called "Kids: A Knitter's Dozen" - I've already picket out a sweater I'll make for Lincoln! She also sent two patterns: A lovely wrap with a star design from Knitpicks (which is on my list of "must-knit soon", and a pattern for a cardigan that uses every color of Knitpicks Palette they make! This one may have to be put aside for a while as I work up the nerve to try it! She also included a color card for Palette so I can see the colors in real life. Finally, she sent me a lovely simmer pot with tea lights and three different scents - cool water, sandlewood (my favorite!) and mulled wine. YUMMY!!

THANK YOU ANNE! She has been a wonderful secret pal and I will be reading her blog regularly to see what she's been knitting!

Lincoln really enjoys reading time with Mommy and Daddy, but since he's very independant he also enjoys doing some light reading on his own. To help him out, I've provided him with some old magazines to "explore":










Here he is reading an old Shape magazine. The article is about trimming your belly, but Lincoln seems to have misunderstood the directions - even though I told him that eating the magazine will *not* help reduce his belly.

Snow...

It snowed last night, so today was Lincoln's first encounter with the white stuff. His reaction was mixed. He wasn't thrilled, but he wasn't upset (remember the leaf incident from the Fall).

Do the Locomotion...

Since it's Friday, I thought I'd have a post about the different ways Lincoln gets around the house. He is a master of rolling from side to side, and can move very quickly by simply rolling. He has also developed a bit of forward movement. I won't call it crawling because that would require him to be on his hands and knees. Instead, he uses his feet to "shove" his upper body and head along the floor. He has to stop every couple of inches to lift his head off the ground to see how far he's moved. He's pretty good at it, too - I just watched him "shove" across the entire length of the living room! I think crawling is just around the corner...
I don't have video yet of Lincoln's shove maneuver, so here's a photo from a couple of weeks ago showing one of Lincoln's other favorite forms of locomotion - having mom and dad push him in a stroller!

Separation Anxiety...

Lincoln is spending his first day at "Miss Lucy's" today - and mommy is feeling a bit of separation anxiety! He'll be at daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I can prepare for class and (finally!) finish my dissertation. Don't worry - I'm on my lunch break right now and will be back to writing shortly.

I've been watching this video a lot today to get my Lincoln fix. He's sitting up all by himself!

Lincoln gets his own car

It took a while, but Lincoln finally got his own car. As you can see, he's reached a new milestone - sitting up all by himself! In this photo, we're using the boppy to help support him. We've also learned the importance of surrounding him with pillows so when he tips (and he does tip a lot, no matter how close we are or how close we're watching) he doesn't fall very far. We're so proud of our little man!

A Visit from Jen!

Jen was visiting from Boston this weekend, so Jayne had us over for dinner. The food was *fabulous* (hard-boiled eggs in lasagne, who knew it could be so good?), and Lincoln enjoyed meeting some of my college buddies. Here's a photo of Jen and Lincoln discussing the Red Sox, and of Lincoln and Baxter. Baxter is Jayne's cat, and as you can see he's approximately twice the size of Lincoln.

We went to Lincoln's 6-month appointment on Friday, and Lincoln weighed in at just under 13 pounds. Not bad, considering he wasn't eating very much when he was sick. He'll never be a sumo wrestler, but we still love him!

A wild beast

While at my parents for Christmas, we captured this wild creature roaming around their house. I know it closely resembles Lincoln, but those antlers make it's exact species very hard to determine.

Lincoln Wrestles a Sneetch

Lincoln wanted everyone to see this video of him wrestling with his Sneetch toy. In this video you can hear his hoarse voice and raspy breathing that's he's had for the past few days. Obviously it hasn't hurt his fighting form. Go Lincoln!

Lincoln: Then and Now

For your viewing enjoyment, here is a look back at how far Lincoln has come. The photo at left was taken when he was just a couple of weeks old, and the photo at right is from last week. Not only does he look a lot bigger, but a lot happier, too (maybe it's because he no longer has baby pattern baldness?)



Our little family has been fighting a cold for the past few days. It's a bit uncomfortable for me to be stuffed up, but it's much worse for poor Lincoln, who can't sleep since he needs to breathe through his nose. We've had several nights of very little sleep, so we're hoping that he clears up soon.

6 Months!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. We'll have some Christmas photos soon, but for now I'd like to point out that today is Lincoln's 6-month birthday! It's been a crazy and wonderful 6 months, and Lincoln has gone from a small 7-pound newborn to a little man that can play with toys, smile and laugh with mom and dad, and is awfully close to sitting up all by himself! I can't wait for the next 6 months (and the 6 months after that, and the 6 months after that....)

Fabulous Surprises!

Just in time for Christmas, my Secret Pal sent me another fabulous package! Where to begin...instead of one pattern, I recieved two patterns - a fair isle (mult-colored) sock pattern and a felted entrelac tote pattern. There was also yarn to complete the socks - two skeins of brown and two multi-colored. I'll use both skeins of brown and one of the multi for the fair isle socks - which one would you pick? The "tropical" colors would make some cool retro socks, and the "bright" skein would be a bit more traditional. I also got a tool bag and a set of needle sizers (so I don't forget what size needle I'm using if I put a project aside for a while). There was also a set of "kitchener stitch" stitch markers. Kitchener stitch is used in socks (and sometimes sweater shoulders) in lieu of a seam. It's a bit fussy to do, and these markers provide a quick reminder of what to do....Awesome.

There was also non-knitting spoiling going on...a set of gingerbread cookie cutters, a "hand spa set", and some recipes for teething biscuits for Lincoln (and a treat for me!). Am I spoiled or what??

His Father's Eyes...

Well, the wait is over...I haven't been able to get a good picture, but Lincoln's eyes are definitely brown now. They're almost exactly the same shade as Scott's. I had been thinking for a while that they'd still turn out green like mine, but there's no doubt now. I have a brown-eyed baby!

Mmmm

Says Lincoln: "There's nothing better than a delicious bowl of unflavored tepid rice mush, except...

tepid rice mush I get to feed myself!" As you can see, Lincoln's been eating some "solids". He does about a tablespoon of rice cereal twice a day. After Christmas, he may get to try something new!


Edited to add: As I was making this posting, Lincoln was quietly playing in his jumparoo. I realized that he was playing a bit *too* quietly, and when I looked over he was fast asleep, his head leaning against the yellow tray. Keep in mind this is the same boy that *hates* taking naps. You'll be happy to know that he is now safely in his normal nap bed in the bedroom. Sleep tight, little man!

Jumparoo!!

Check out Lincoln's new toy - it's a Jumparoo. Lincoln can bounce and "hang out" in any doorway. So far, he mostly enjoys playing with the tags, although I'm sure he'll eventually learn to "bounce".

Frankenhorace

I love knitting things for Lincoln, but I've started to realize that I am not very skilled at toy knitting. Case in point - I have finished "Horace", the lovely pattern given to me by my secret pal. My "Horace" looks decidedly mouse-like, however, and has a stuffing malfunction. Lincoln doesn't seem to mind Horace's weaknesses, however...

On the other hand, I can at least do a decent Christmas stocking (here modelled by Dr. Zaius). This is a Knitpicks pattern, but I subbed the yarn, using Cascade 220 for the body and a combo of Cascade 220 and Caron Bliss for the cuff. I can't wait to fill it for candy for mysel...um, I mean Lincoln.

Sorry for not posting for a while...I was a bit under the weather last week.

One more Thanksgiving photo...

Here's a nice photo of Austyn, Lincoln's cousin. Isn't she cute? In this photo, she's hanging out with me, Lincoln, and (great!) aunt Angela.


After visiting the Kings, we went to the Hauner's where Lincoln showed off the New York onesie Mary and Randy bought in (where else?) New York. It's a little small, but I think that adds to the charm. So would you call these pants capris, culottes, clamdiggers, or something else? Whatever you call them, Lincoln always appreciates the ease and comfort of cotton pjs.

The blog post karma just didn't work...

I guess the karma generated from me making a Huskers post before the Big 12 Championship wasn't enough for Nebraska. We did our part...Lincoln was dressed head-to-toe in Husker red. Now we'll have to put that outfit in storage until January 1st.