THE BIG 1

 One year ago today we were thrust into parenthood. 7 weeks early I might add. Looking back I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by. I think of all the dirty diapers we have changed and the sleepless nights we have shared and the fact that we would have it no other way. I still get breathless when I think about my sweet boy. I can't imagine a life without him in it and I praise GOD everyday that he gave us a healthy, happy, and loving little boy to share our life with.

Thank you to all of the wonderful friends and family that came and helped us celebrate this magical kid. We are truly blessed beyond measure. 

I must say that Lincoln is my child and as my child he inherited my love of cake. He comes by it honestly and whole heartedly. We let him dig in while we opened his presents and no sooner did I turn around and the whole cake was gone. Every last bit of it. I bet he would have licked the tray clean if I would have let him. 

A quick wash off in the sink after he demolished his cake.

We ended up having a second party the next weekend and Linc was looking forward to his cake. You can see in the second picture that he was not taking his eyes off of it. 

Again thank you to all the wonderful friends and family that has completely showered us with love, and made Lincoln's birthday such a hit. I will remember these days for the rest of my life, and cherish the memories. There is a lot more to come, and I can't wait.

first time camper

Every year the week for so after July 4th we take a big family camping trip. Coleto Creek Reservoir is our home away from home for four very hot sometimes rainy days. Camping here never disappoints and we always leave wanting to come back. No matter how hot, rainy or sticky it gets, memories are always made and cherished.  It's something Jarrod and I look forward to every year. This year was very different, to say the least... It was Lincoln's first year camping and our first real vacation with a baby. I think I was more stressed out then I needed to be, and everything turned out perfect. I had a great support system. Lincoln's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins were all there to help and encourage me. I don't think I could have done it with out them. 

Sweet Lincoln was stuck to his grandma's hip. They love each other so much and are so sweet to watch. 

This little beauty is one of Linc's cousins, Addison another fellow premie.The first year she came camping she was maybe a month or two. I remember thinking how tiny and fragile she looked. I would have never guessed that I would get my own tiny fragile baby just a year and a half later. To look at her now you would have never guessed that she ever had an issue. The love just pours out of this sweet little girl.

I always find it amazing that Lincoln can sleep anywhere. To know that a baby loves and trusts you enough to fall asleep in your arms is very humbling. This is Lincoln's Great Aunt Wanda. She is by far one of the most amazing ladies I have ever met. Only nice things ever come out of her mouth. That is the sign of a pure and kind heart. 

Since he was seven, Blayne my nephew has been braving the out doors with us. I absolutely love that he even wants to spend time with us. Lincoln LOVES his cousin. I think this long weekend really solidified there bond, and they are going to be life long friends. I rue the day when Blayne is just "too cool" to go with us. Hopefully that is many many years from now.

spaghetti night was a hit

While we were there I took the opportunity to take Lincoln's 11 month pictures. With this beautiful back ground what could go wrong... right... He just about fought me the whole time and he hated the grass. So I did my best.

I should add that I am still nursing. This was not an easy task, but after awhile we got the hang of it, and I spent a lot of time just me and him. Usually with the same result me by myself and Lincoln asleep in my lap. 

Lincoln and his Uncle Grumpy making memories.

These three are going to whip Lincoln into shape. He does not stand a chance with his three beautiful cousins. I love that we get a front row seat to watching them grow up together. I hope that when they are grown they will bring their families camping and cherish the memories as much as we do. 

10 months

The minute we became parents our entire focus on the world changed. My BS meter is on overdrive.The stuff they think is news worthy just blows my mind. I get so frustrated that I almost can't watch it and when it's sad it makes me cry. Which is a post Lincoln development.  We are also thinking more about the future than we ever have. What kind of car to get (we currently have a car that is close to dead), college, retirement, our savings.... The list can really go on forever. Now that I am out of a job and we are living on one income, money is on the top of the freak out list... I wish things could be easy, but news flash everybody it's not easy. Don't let anybody fool you and tell you that you can go through life without a struggle.  This is the crap that makes you stronger.. right?? I know I write how everything is just great and things are going smoothly, but a lot of times I feel like we are crashing and burning. I know things could be much worse and I am very grateful and blessed for what I do have. It's just really hard sometimes. Sorry for the pity party, I just needed to get that off my chest...

Lincoln is now teething and it has made our lives miserable. Maybe this is why I am being so negative lately... I hate that he is in so much pain and I can't do much to help him. My neighbor informed us that babies are not totally mentally with it so the pain from teething does not make them go bat shit crazy. I totally believe it. Why can't the parents be kinda in and out so we don't go crazy trying to sooth our poor sweet babies. 

Happy first Fathers Day Jarrod. I know I am a little late on this, but I wanted to get it in there. :)

We had our first bout of an infectious decease, Hand foot and mouth. Unfortunately, I think I am the culprit that started the epidemic. The internet says that you can get it from anywhere, shopping carts, door handles, etc.. It also said that adults get it, but usually don't know they have it, and if it's on the internet it has to be true.. haha.. Keep in mind it ran through all of us and Jarrod got it the worst.  So the whole adult thing I think is iffy. We are all cured and feeling much better. Fingers crossed that we will never see it again. Only in a perfect world. 

I apologize for all the negativity. I'm over it now. When things get tough I just look at this wonderful little face and everything seems to fall into place. 

My happy place.

zoo trip

When I was a kid we made a few trips to the Houston Zoo. If I remember correctly my Grandma would take me and my cousins every year, and I must say the zoo has really come a long way. It was amazingly beautiful. Not just the animal exhibits, but the flowers and plants were exquisite. One of the employees informed us that they are trying to build it as a botanical garden as well as a zoo. I love that we live in a city that has a place for children to come to  learn about and meet some amazing animals. Even though it was a very hot summer day we had a blast. I loved sharing the experience with my son. Maybe someday he will remember all the fun things we did and smile. 

There is a new lego exhibit which was really really cool. It was my nephew Blayne's favorite part. I loved that it told you how many hours it took to complete each animal. Some took more than 40 hours to construct per species and there were multiple animals in each section all ranging in sizes and shapes. It was pretty magical. I will forever remember the way Blayne looked at all the detail and was fascinated. Of course he was kept telling us that he "could totally do that".

We did all the fun stuff you can think to do at the zoo, went to meet the animals in the petting zoo, road the train and had a picnic in the park. Over all it was a wonderful day. I am so glad that we had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, learn a few things and just be together. Because in the end that is all that matters. Memories and time.... 

I cannot wait to recreate this picture when they are all older. I love these kids more than they will ever know.

Frog Hoppin'

Sorry about the delay, we have been computer-less for a few weeks. In that time we have had many wonderful things begin to take shape. Lincoln's 9th month has been pretty amazing. He is officially  crawling!! It all started with this crazy cute frog like hop, then he quickly moved on to full on moving and grooving. I must say it is so exciting to see him go through all the learning stages. I am so blessed that I get to stay home and witness all his improvements. Even if he is driving me nuts by getting into EVERYTHING!!! Enjoy the little video below. (Please excuse the messy house, remember I said he gets into everything.)  It's the amazing frog hopping Lincoln. 

This little boy is so serious. We have to move mountains to get him to laugh. I love this picture below. I like to think he is thinking about how to fix all the worlds problems. He does seem to be really deep in thought a lot. Lincoln has absolutely been here before, you can tell by the way he looks at things. I wish I could hear inside his mind. The things we might learn. I'm sure babies have all the answers. That's God's big practical joke. It will be one of my questions for him when I finally get to meet him.  

Recently my mother got the kids a splash pad/ swimming pool to play in when we are at their house. Lincoln was not very comfortable the first time he sat in it. Rhyann and Blayne my niece and nephew, on the other hand had a blast and was splashing everywhere. It was so sweet to watch, unfortunately I did not get many pictures of the first dip, but I did get this one. It was taken a few minutes after Jarrod saved him for the rushing waters ;). He was quite content to be in his daddies arms and out of the pool. Since then he has mostly loved it. We take a few trips to the community pool a week, and he really does well. 

We are still taking naps together. I know many people frown on this, but I look at it as more time I get to spend with my sweet child. On the up side it is also a time that he is not screaming, getting into anything or begging for my food. During these naps I sometime reach down and hold his hand, and he always hold back. Yes i'm sure it is just a reaction to being touched, but I like to think he is doing it on purpose. Sometimes he gets a little startled when I let go. It really makes my heart smile and all I can do is think that he even loves me in his sleep. It is so perfect. Something I will forever remember, and hold close to my heart. 

The picture below is how he is most of the time. His tongue is forever out. Just wait until he get some teeth. I'm sure the tongue thing will end. 

In my church we do baby dedications. We are Quakers and we do not have many ceremonies. This is one of the few we do. I'm sure many churches are like ours and have similar ceremonies. This day was so special ( I could not stop crying. They were happy tears.) My family, church family and a few of my friends were there with us that day. It was our public statement that we are a Christian family and plan to raise our son in that fashion. My parents and Jarrod's parents stood up with us in front of the congregation and made the vow with us, to teach Lincoln the ways of our christian faith. After we made our vow the pastor, Robyn turned and asked the congregation the same few questions. They will be with us on this journey and help us stay true to our beliefs and help Lincoln find the way of the light. I have seen just a  few of these dedications and it was surreal that it was for me and my family. This was the first one our pastor has done, her late husband always had the privilege. She was so nervous but I think pastor Rick would have been so proud and he was absolutely there with us guiding and standing by her.

In this picture below the whole congregation is gathered around us, with the one single purpose. With one voice and one heart to reach the ears of God, together. This moment still brings me to tears, and will always be frozen in my mind. There is only a few instances that I really felt something bigger than us was present, not only did I feel the presence of the Lord, it also felt like he brought along all of our loved ones that have passed, so they could be with us at this very special occasion.