a year of Lincoln

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So many questions swirled in my mind as this day quickly approached:

  • How did 365 days go by so incredibly fast?
  • How did he go from sleeping most of the day, to 2 naps a day, to giggling, to smiling, to crawling, to eating, to playing, to swinging, to walking all within a year?
  • How can I sit and just enjoy watching him play more?
  • How do we teach him all that he should know to be the little boy and man we hope he will grow into?

I have no answers to the questions in my mind, so I am going to just continue to enjoy each day, hour by hour.

For his birthday, we decided to keep the BIG ONE small and intimate with mostly family and a close friend. It was special to have 2 sets of grandparents, traveling from Kansas and Florida, along with a great grandmother from Kansas City.

I had big dreams of a larger party, more decor and then I faced reality that a mid July party for the 1st Birthday would be better suited at home and with a small family group. However I still wanted to have a little fun with simple decorations built on a color/dot graphic theme. I found the dollar aisle of Target, large helium balloons, photo banners, and accessories from Lincoln’s room all go together for fun party decor.

PBP_1074 So excited about the lil smash cake that I worked with the owner Meghan of the amazing local bakery The Hospitality Sweet to make specifically for Lincoln – egg free due to an early diagnosed allergy! I also am now a big fan of the personalized cake toppers that I found online and will be ordering more fun things from these talented sisters again soon.PBP_1087

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Lincoln took an extremely long nap as he was not feeling himself. Not only was his mollers coming in but he was fighting an ear infection which I didn’t know until a week later. So while everyone was waiting for presents and a little smash cake, Lincoln had to get a little lunch!

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Now ….. little man was fed and ready for the party!

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Look at me — I am O N E!!!

We took a quick family photo before the cake smash started. Thankful for a family photo with Lincoln’s grandparents and great grandma who all traveled for the lil party! Of course we were missing alot of family since they all live in different states but the invitation is open for visitors anytime!

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We quickly stripped Lincoln down so we could clean him up quickly after as we thought he would really dig into the SMASH CAKE.

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I am ready … lets do this!

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The big moment of the cake hitting his highchair. This guy has a big personality and we were sad he didn’t feel 100% to show his true personality.

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What am I supposed to do with this?

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Really guys … this is not fun!

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That is it, I am done with this. Please ….. paparazzi, no more! And that friends + family, was the quickest, cleanest SMASH cake / birthday celebration we could have ever imagined. We were anticipating a bath after, but of course that was not necessary. So we did a quick wipe so we could get dressed and get to the presents!

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Present 1 … now we are getting a few more smiles back!

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Thanks Aunt Lil for my cool cars. This was definitely a favorite gift. Toys with wheels are certainly a big hit with this little guy.

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Trains and Cars … this is going to be fun for many hours, days and years to come!

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Thanks everyone for helping me celebrate my BIG ONE! And thanks to our sweet photographer friend Megan from ParkBench Photography for catching the details so MOM would not miss all the fun live while holding a camera as I usually do. This was well worth the money and the wonderful photo memories we will always have! 

After the cake smash outside, I relocated the balloons to the mantle and we enjoyed looking at them for another 2 weeks! This was taken on Lincoln’s actual Birthday when he had a few laughs! Ah…the fun we will have during the next 365 days of the year.

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maternity time with lincoln

“On the night you were born,
the moon smiled with such wonder
that the stars peeked in to see you
and the night wind whispered,”

“Life will never be the same,” as Nancy Tillman writes in one of her treasured books. They always bring happy tears to my eyes as I read them. And boy are those words ever so true.

Each day I wake up and pinch myself, as I feel so lucky that God chose me to be his mom. Ever since we first met at 2:17a.m. on July 19, we knew everything was about to change forever.

“Heaven blew every trumpet
and played every horn
on the wonderful, marvelous
night you were born.”

It was from that minute on that I have been blessed to have spent the last 14 weeks at home with Lincoln. This is a quick reflection on those months highlighting some of my favorite moments and photos that I was excited to capture each day.

The first month was a complete blur as we had multiple visitors including a few weeks of family (our parents) and then a few days hosting my best friend from college (expert with 3 kids). Between those visits, we were constantly learning something new each day and trying to be the best new parents we could be. The month was filled with so many emotions — we were constantly excited to see and stare at our son each day, we were tired from the minimal hours of sleep, and completely drained of energy from the repetitive schedule of sleep, eat, poop, repeat! But that didn’t stop the excitement we continued to feel.

In the beginning I felt a bit selfish and was a bit bummed each time I was awakened by the crying, a.k.a. “i am hungry” alert in the middle of the night. I would pick him up and stumble to the nursery chair. I was tired, but knew it was what had to be done. Then I quickly shifted my mindset. I realized how special those times were in the middle of the night because it was our private, quiet time together. It was a necessity for him to get his food and it was the time I sat there smiling and praying for him in the darkness. What I love the most is each time I arrive at the crib, there is Lincoln who instantly stops crying and looks at me with a smile. A smile that gets wider each month and always melts my heart and makes the loss of sleep and the crying episodes seem so minor.

After the 1st month, we became wiser, more educated and continued to carry on the routine that he had quickly set on his own and our life revolved around his 3 hour feeding increments. We didn’t let that keep us locked up at home though, as it was such a relief and fun to get out as a family or with friends. We would feed him at home, try to get out the door so we could have a long stretch before the next feeding. But even then, we would take a bottle just incase. He was nothing short of an allstar trooper. He instantly loved his carseat, stroller and would nap the entire time we were out shopping, strolling, neighborhood walks, eating out, etc. And for that we feel blessed as he made it easy for us to get out to explore.
I felt relieved knowing I had 2 more months and then quickly the time started to fly by faster than I ever imagined. How can a day go by so fast when you are caring for a little one that just sleeps, eats, poops, plays, repeat? It seems like there would be time to be productive with laundry, cleaning, reading, etc. As time went along I realized on most weekdays, that wasn’t the case. Then I finally told myself, it wasn’t about being productive and multitasking as I was always accustomed to. This time was about Lincoln and enjoying every minute with him. Rather it was the constant care or the time of playing and looking at books. It has been incredible to watch him grow and explore things on his own.

The next few months included several more weekend visitors flying in to meet Lincoln and friends stopping by. Lincoln has loved seeing all the people and we again feel blessed for all the love we have received from our family and friends. It means alot and has been very much appreciated. To those that may be reading this that have sent gifts, please excuse my delay in getting you a much deserved thank you. I know who you are and you will get them in the mail soon! Please forgive me but most of the time, I don’t have a free hand as often as I had thought I would.

I feel like we are finally in a good groove with a nice routine that works and BOOM…the months at home have come to an end. I am saddened knowing I won’t get to be with you each day like I have been since you came home from the hospital.

While we are apart during the day,
I will miss your contagious smile that I am lucky to see a 100 times a day,
I will miss our routine,
I will miss playing and reading,
I will miss listening to your hiccuppy cry,
I will miss your soft snore,
I will miss your snuggles,
I will miss singing and dancing,
I will miss giving you a 100 kisses,
I will miss you!

I still ask myself, how could one little person change me into what I think is a better person. A person that has a bigger heart than I did 14 weeks ago and even a year ago when we first found out that we were pregnant.

We knew this day would come, so we have to let go and watch you explore. We are excited to see all you learn and do at your preschool. We know you will grow quickly, so the time we are together at home will be ever so cherished.

And I hope you will one day know:

“I wanted you more
than you ever will know,
so I sent love to follow
wherever you go.”

“And if someday you’re lonely,
or someday you’re sad,
or you strike out at baseball or think you’ve been bad…
just lift up your face, feel the wind in your hair.
That’s me, my sweet baby, my love is right there.”

“My love is so high,
and so wide and so deep,
it’s always right there,
even when you’re asleep.”

 

a few favorite products for a new mom

After 2 months at home and experiencing the life of a NEW MOM, I have come up with my personal list of favorite products. These are products that are used daily, regularly and have made different parts of the day so much better for me!

I know every MOM has their favorites, so these are just a few that I have come to love.

1. All in one bra

This bra is amazing. You can pump and feed at the same time and it is comfortable to wear all day/all night if needed. The only disadvantage I have seen is since it is designed with a layered system, it isn’t the smoothest under a tight shirt (that is if you are wearing tight shirts!) I am typically wearing a looser tee so it has worked fine for me.

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2. Basic book on Infants 0-6months

A friend recommended the “Mom on Call” book as an easy and helpful read. It has alot of great information. I also received the remainder of the books in the stack from family members, along with a few others that are not shown. I will have to admit that it can be a bit overwhelming to read several books as some information may be the same but other information differs so it can become confusing on who said what, when to do that, etc. But our goal is to take the basic information and morph it into what works for us, otherwise you could drive yourself crazy.

3. Favorite Apps

These are 4 apps that I either use several times daily or weekly.

The Wonder Weeks – easy to use app that shows the various development stages of your baby according to their birthday. So far it has been extremely accurate on what is going on and what is to come in days/weeks ahead. $1.99 in the app store.

The Baby Nursing – I use this several times throughout the day to log various feedings, diaper changes, etc. It has been a lifesaver as I think it is pretty easy to forget what time you fed, which side you fed on, how much you pumped when, etc.

Blue Apron – a friend gave us a coupon for a free week and we are so glad she did. Gardner loves to cook and this has been perfect for our new lifestyle and schedule. We receive a refrigeratored box filled with ingredients at our door once a week. The box is filled with enough food for 3 meals for the 2 of us (another option is food for 4). The ingredients have all been extremely fresh and we have been able to expand our recipes without spending hours at the grocery store which we simply don’t have right now. The app is great because you can get helpful tips, see all the recipes and take photos to remember for the future. I will have more information on the experience with Blue Apron that I will post in the future.

Amazon Prime – Before being pregnant, I had probably made 2 purchases on Amazon and they were books and shopping family’s wishlists over the holidays. Once BabyVass was on the way, I began seeing that Amazon had the best deals for alot of things we were going to be purchasing so signing up for Prime to get free shipping was paid off in no time. The app makes it so easy to shop and order. Then all I do is open the door a few days later to retrieve my package.

 

4. Glider

We wanted a modern chair for the nursery so this company was our perfect solution. They have both gliders and recliners. At first we were going to go with another model that was a recliner which would have been nice however this model seemed to be a bit more comfortable with more seat width. I sit in it several times a day for feedings and for cuddling. We don’t always glide back and forth but the cushiness of the pillows are extremely comfortable for relaxing with babe in my arms or even just relaxing and watching babe sleep nearby. Our goal in searching chairs was to find a chair that could work in another room in the house when we decide to move it out of the nursery.

There was an option to get the matching ottoman but as designers, we knew we could find something else that worked without being matchy along with being more affordable. Thanks to CB2, we found a circular red ottoman which brings color to the room and a different shape which pairs perfectly with this straightlined design of the chair. The ottoman can be seen in the nursery photos from an earlier post.

5. Venti Latte

Yes please! Thankfully we have 1 coffee shop nearby in the neighborhood and it is Starbucks. The best part about this location is it has a drive through. Boy does this work well for Mommy’s that are in still unshowered in their PJ pants, hair up with no makeup and sunglasses. Lincoln and I get in the car and we cruise over and back in about 5 minutes. The bonus is it gives Lincoln some car time which he loves and it provides Mommy with some caffeine. He may be the only person in Dallas that enjoys the bumpy roads and potholes!

I am sure I am forgetting a few other products that I love. However it is definitely trial and error on what would work for each individual but my motivation is to lend help to others if I can.

Leave me a comment below on your favorites or if you have questions. I am always here to help and guide as much as I can. As a “First Time Mommy” I obviously don’t have all the answers but we are learning and finding them week by week and enjoying each step of the journey.

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