Wednesday, August 28, 2013

All good things...

So a couple of weeks ago I started to write this post but decided to save it for another day because it was just making me too sad...

My summer bucket list was never really a list, but more a group of mental notes that I would have liked to have accomplished this summer.  It's probably better that I didn't write it down, because it saves me from feeling disappointed or guilty about not being able to check many of the items on the list. As I think back about the summer so far (I still have a couple weeks left) I may not have accomplished all that I set out to, but I can't really say that I'm disappointed either.

I have spent every possible minute I can with my favorite little person, Lincoln.  We snuggle, we play, we re-watched the entire series of Friends...a summer tradition of mine.  We have watched lots of movies, some too many times to count (Pitch Perfect is a bit of guilty pleasure of mine), we have napped, we've cried, we've laughed & giggled, we've laid outside, we have run errands, we've spent time with cousins and family...really we have done a whole lot of nothing...or maybe a better word is relaxing.

While I love to talk about spending all this time with him, I also don't, because I know that time will be cut down by over half in the weeks to come and it makes me very sad...I probably cry once a day just thinking about it.  I know that once we get into a new routine I'll probably feel a bit better about the whole situation, but now it really just sucks...a lot.

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So now summer has officially ended, I have been back at work for two weeks and Lincoln is almost done with his second full week of daycare as well. So how has been?  Well to be honest not as bad as I thought.  The first two work days I had, Grandma Joan came to town to watch Lincoln so it was pretty easy to leave him at my house with her those two days.

Then Monday came.  I set my alarm for bright and early and things actually went pretty well.  I took Lincoln in to say goodbye to daddy and I really had to hold back the tears as I walked out of the house to head to our sitter's house.  Once I got there I was fully prepared to be a total wreck.  Much to my surprise I had an easier time leaving him there then I did walking out of my own house.  Her oldest daughter absolutely adores Lincoln and was so excited for him to be there.  Holly is really wonderful and made the whole transition so easy for me, that even though I lingered at her house for a little while I walked out of the house tear free.

Right before I pulled him out of the car to head inside. Sorry for the not so great picture,
Holly came outside to meet me as I was taking it so it's not the best :)


As these two weeks have passed, Lincoln is all the rage at daycare being the only baby.  As I said before her oldest daughter just loves him and whenever we show up in the morning she hurries up and finishes getting ready for school so she can hold and play with Lincoln before she leaves.  On Friday she even asked her mom if she hold Lincoln Monday morning!  Her other two children also love him. He son was telling her husband all about him after the first day and he middle daughter holds his hand when I'm putting him in the car seat. All the kids say goodbye to him when I come to pick him up, so that makes me feel pretty good.

As much I hate not getting to spend as much time with him, I know that daycare will be a good thing for him and for me in the long run and so far he is doing so well there, that is makes leaving him everyday that much easier. 

Catching Up...The Iowa State Fair

So I've been a bit of a slacker the last couple weeks when it comes to blogging, but I think I have a pretty good excuse.  I had to head back to work after a summer of carefree days with my favorite little buddy.

Prior to heading back to work Todd, Lincoln and I took a little mini "vacay" to the Iowa State Fair, something I have been doing for as long as I can remember...I don't think Todd had even been there before he met me...sad.  Luckily my family had a camper up there, which makes "doing the fair" with a baby a heck of a lot easier.  You can head down for a little bit and come back up to the camper whenever you want and the best part of all...no looking for a place to hide to feed my kid.

Needless to say it was a fun couple of days.  We took in a few must have fair foods including a fried pickle dawg aka a fried pickle wrap, steak tips, and J.R. mini donuts, the most delicious little melt in your mouth delights at the fair (a big thanks to my fair junkie sister for the food suggestions). We also got to meet up with our friends Ron & Somchai to finally meet their almost one year son Simon and catch up with their other son Gavin. Todd was also chosen over Ron to go down the big slide with Gavin so that was a real treat.

For a night away from the fair we headed to downtown Des Moines to visit Zombie Burger which is right up Todd and my alley as we are kind of into zombies.  The menu consists of various zombie themed burgers of all shapes and sizes including a burger with fried mac and cheese for the BUN!


Todd & Gavin on the BIG Slide

Me & Lincoln

Relaxin in the camper

Zombie Burger

Slowly turning into a zombie baby...

Grandma time

Monday, August 5, 2013

4 Months...The Definition of Symmetrical

Lincoln is 4 months old today and it just so happened that his four month appointment was today as well.

Height: 26"
Weight: 16lbs. 1oz.
Head: 43cm

All fall into the 75th percentile and as Dr. P said...he is the definition of symmetrical!  Everything else looked perfect and I received the "Good Job Mommy" stamp of approval...he actually says that :) so that makes me feel good.



Month 4 has been a crazy month for Lincoln...here are some of the highlights...
  • Standing! (with help and a lot of wiggling & shaking...see previous post)
  • Rolling! (Belly to back roll overs and a couple back to belly rollover)
  • Props himself up on his elbows when he is on his tummy
  • Went from sitting in the Bumbo with a little success to being a total pro!
  • Grabs and plays with his feet
  • Grabs toys and of course tries to put everything in his mouth
  • Chatters and babbles like crazy (my favorite)
  • Screams and yells just because he can and likes hearing himself
  • Went to his first county fair
  • Took his first boat ride

It really is amazing to watch him change and grow, and so quickly I might add! It is definitely a bittersweet feeling to see him changing so much, but also knowing how fast he is growing up already!  I have started documenting his first year in a book using Project Life...but I'll post about that another day!



Friday, August 2, 2013

Wiggle & Shake

Todd has a habit of taking songs,especially my favorite songs, and creating his own version of the lyrics. More often than not he ends up with a slightly more inappropriate version of his own. This might not be an issue in most cases, but his versions seem to stick with me. In fact, his lyrics are so catchy that I will find myself singing his new and “improved" creation the next time I hear the song.

He has put this talent of his to good use since Lincoln was born, creating some completely original songs that he sings to Lincoln in various situations. His miss recent composition is called Wiggle & Shake. He sings this song when he's helping L stand as he tends to be quite wiggly

It does have a tune...but here's how it goes...

Wiggle and shake
Wiggle and shake
Because you ain't no fake

Sing and repeat over and over!

It really is quite cute...maybe I can sneak a video sometime :-)

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Marr Park Trail...finally

Marr Park is a little state park in Ainsworth, IA.  We spent a lot of time there as children, playing on the equipment, fishing in pond, going to parties in shelters, etc.  Over a year ago they put in a brand new walking/biking trail that I have had my eye on since it was finished.  I have been wanting to take Lincoln on a walk there all summer and we finally made that happen!  While the morning was a bit raining, it cleared off enough in the afternoon that we could take a little walk, followed by some ice cream at the Dairy Mart afterwards.

Lincoln eating his hand...
Memphis eating ice cream....
I included a picture of the park, sorry about the poorly drawn arrow. The trail goes around the lake and then winds out towards the main road.