Where has it gone?

The past month has FLOWN by, but I feel like we have come so far in such short time.

In the past 30 days:

Scott and I have grown comfortable with transferring Lincoln back and forth to one another, as well as to family. With our work schedules though, sometimes it seems like that's all we do, but at least Lincoln gets to be with one of us all the time :)

Lincoln found his hands. They are in his mouth most of the time, so much that his fingers get pruney!

nom nom nom

I made it through my busiest time at work. with Lincoln. (and with the help of Scott and my mom!) Lincoln does so well with being around other people he is unfamiliar with, and is a joy to have in the office. People stop by just to see HIM!

I turned 29.And  I've made it another month breastfeeding. Yea me!

Lincoln made his first stage appearance at Common Ground on the Hill Traditions Weeks.

He still is not sleeping through the night every night, but surprises us with a sleep-full night every once in a while.

Lincoln still loves his swing and also really has started to like looking around and taking in his environment.

He loves listening to Scott talk and talks back to him a lot.

Lincoln is very close to rolling over from his back to his stomach. He also holds his head up so well and can sit up when given some support.

Lincoln turned 3 months old!

 

2 months old

Lincoln,

You are two months old now and only getting cuter and cuter by the HOUR! You are 13.3 lbs (80th percentile) and 24 inches long (90th percentile).

You have grown a lot in the past month and I can only imagine where you will be in another month.

Bath time is a favorite time for you (dont mind me putting words in your mouth ;) You upgraded from sink baths to the 'big boy' bathtub. I think you really enjoy sitting in the water and we enjoy the time with you!

You have started smiling a lot and we love trying to get you to show us your adorable grin. You also have begun making cooing noises and other sounds that make us gasp and smile in adortation of you. The other noises you make have not ceased, you still grunt and snore all day long, along with plenty of other loud bodily noises that I will not go into detail about ;)

You are eating VERY well and growing so fast (and big!). Your brain is growing (according to babycenter.com) and will grow 5 cm by then end of your third month. You are following objects with your eyes better and also able to hold your head up without looking like a bobblehead (as much).

I returned to work this month and I am lucky enough to be able to bring you with me! I am so blessed to have an employer that is supportive and allows me to do this. Not many other mothers are as lucky as I am so be able to have their baby at work with them!

We took our first 'road trip' to Salisbury and you got to meet your cousins Noah and Alli and Scott's grandfather and his wife, Grampy Gil and June. You did so well in the car. It was also our first time co-sleeping and you did great :) You continue to love your swing and sometimes will stay awake for quite a while, just swinging and taking in your surroundings, mainly the picture frames on the wall which you will stare at for hours!

 Daddy also celebrated his first Father's Day this month. He is so thankful that you gave him this day :) We love you so much!!!! xoxo

 

Lincoln has brought a lot of changes to our lives, some of them obvious; diapers and baby spit-up are not so unfamiliar to us anymore. I remember how scared we (I) were the first time he threw up, I didn't want to go to sleep but just watch him sleep instead to make sure he was OK. Now it's no big deal. I don't feel like so much of a zombie doing night feedings anymore; night walking and half alseep, I'm getting to be quite a pro at changing diapers in the dark, except the wipe container gets left open a lot :/ I've traded in my purse for a diaper bag and I cannot get dressed without first evaluating how easy it will be to breastfeed in my outfit/top. Getting a close parking space at the grocery store is no concern of mine- I am on the look-out for the space closest to the cart rack! When he comes along, grocery trips are limited to items that can fit in around his carseat or in the front basket/bottom of the cart. I have come to not mind running errands/shopping- just so long as I am somewhere with a dressing room as they make for a quick and easy nursing area! Scott never expected to feel so much excitment in coming home and getting to see his family, and never realized how handy his kindle would come in hand, reading in the dark as he rocks Lincoln to sleep (you can't do that with a regular book, ya know!?). We created new life and he gave us awesome, new lives :)

Here are some other photos from the past month:

 

One month old

Lincoln,

I can't believe that you are 1 month old already! In such a short time, you have given us so much joy.

As your mom, and a new mom, I know that I have had it much easier than some, maybe even most. However, it has not been all smooth sailing. Breastfeeding is hard. Really hard. People make it seem like a  something that comes naturally and easily. Even though I love having that special time with you, it is not as easy as some make it seem, and it is something I have spent many days and nights struggling with, especially at first. It is all-consuming. My nipples bled and got chapped at first (TMI?). I have leaked through many shirts, luckily not in public (yet). There are days when I feel like a milk cow- when I am not feeding you (just about every 2 hours!), I am pumping so that your daddy can feed you some nights and on the weekend. Sometimes you get into a feeding frenzy and throw your hands around, grasping at whatever you can get your little hands on. I have to struggle with you just to get you settled. Most times, along with your grasping hands, you also make growling and grunting noises. During these moments we call you a gremlin because you sound just a little monster! Through the struggles, I simply adore looking down at you, seeing your little chubby cheeks moving with each suck and swallow. You look so peaceful and it is amazing to know that I grew you inside of my body and now am able to nourish you with it too. It is a learning process for both you and I, and we continue to learn every day.

You love me, and I know it. But boy, do you love your daddy. Some nights it takes me forever to get you to sleep and to lay down, and just when I get you to sleep, you are ready to eat again. Just after I lay you in your crib you are so quick to cry and scream until I pick you up (we are working on this!). With him you fall into deep sleep so easily. He must have a very calming affect on you, just like he does with me :) He also sings to you a lot. He makes up silly songs about your pacifiers, or the clothes you are wearing that day or anything else that comes to mind. You love to look and listen to us talk to you, watching so intently, and in turn we love to talk to you and watch you watch us. We could watch you, touch your soft skin and kiss your chubby cheeks all day long. Kisses flow freely in our home every single day.

You are steadily gaining weight and are healthy and generally a happy baby, unless you are hungry or suffering from a bought of gas. Your dark hair is thinning out on just the top of your head, but it seems obvious that you will have dark brown hair. Your grey-blue eyes are also turning into what seems to be brown. Your neck is so strong and you are constantly lifting your head and flailing your arms and hands around. You also like to sleep with one arm up by your face.

You love your swing, getting lotion massaged on your feet and are starting to enjoy baths as well. And boy, do you love your pacifiers, one in particular that your daddy sings to you about- he calls it your green-apple tootie. The cats are slowly, but surely getting used to you but George does not like it when you cry. We have ventured out a few times, to buy daddy's new car (you threw up all over yourself and the carseat at the dealership, of course), we went out to eat with you for our first time together in downtown Frederick (Daddy was nervous you would wake up and start crying at any moment) and we went to the MD Sheep and Wool Festival, which you found extremely boring, as well as visiting a few people's homes and stores. I am getting more comfortable having you out and about, changing and feeding you outside of the comfort of our own home :)

 

You do not like the sun, as we discovered. Once the sun hits your face or your eyes, you get very stiff and stick your arms straight out like a zombie or a mummy. It is hilarious! Your cousin, Camden, LOVES to touch your soft skin and to hold you- she isn't even phased by your crying. Cordelia is a little more aprehensive and will only touch you briefly with one finger, more like a poke.

Our sunshine and the sunshine video

This month we celebrated my very first Mother's Day. I feel so special and blessed to have you as a son and to have a reason as sweet as you to give me cause to celebrate.

 

The evening of Mother's Day you rolled over! You were a few days shy of one month old and you  rolled from your tummy to your back while we were having tummy time. And...you did it again the very next day!

Our first month with you has flown by so fast and we have already made so many memories. We look forward to making so many more with you, our special boy.

 

 

Our visit from the stork

Our precious angel is finally here and in our arms. Monday April 15, 2013 at 5:22 pm, Lincoln Jay LaCoss arrived, checking in at a birth weight of 8 lb 10 oz. My labor was mostly uneventful except for the fact that I pushed for 2.5 hours. No one can ever, ever prepare you for the birthing experience. I have been present for all of my sister's deliveries and never could have been prepared to endure my own. It's scary, exciting and painful and unless you have gone through it before it is a completely new experience that you could never begin to understand until it is happening. Scott was there by my side, speaking encouraging words the entire time, and my yoga breathing practices definitely came in to play. It is a surreal experience to say the least- that moment when they placed him on my chest, and he reached up and touched my face, my heart was his. 

Our first several days we have faced a few challenges, aside from the normal adjusting to little sleep and the many feedings that our days and nights have come to revolve around. Lincoln had jaundice and we had to take him to get blood work done on Friday and Saturday the first week he was home. Luckily enough we were able to get it under control and bring his bilirubin numbers down by supplementing his feedings with formula and we were able to avoid the hospital lights. Lincoln went back to the doctors this week because of some congestion. Nothing serious, but he sounds pitiful breathing though his stuffy nose. It's enough to break your heart! Otherwise, Lincoln is a pretty content baby and Scott and I find ourselves just staring at him and caressing his soft skin. It's pretty amazing to think that we created him and that he is ours forever and ever.

Lincoln loves to move his arms and has already found his thumb a few times and also uses the back of his hand to hold his pacifier in his mouth. He has passed his birth weight, checking in at 9 lb at his most recent Dr. appointment. He is already a fan of Scott's silly, made-up songs and loves to listen to us talk.

I do not miss my belly at all like I thought I might. In place of feeling his little hiccups in my belly, I get to hear them, and cuddle him until they pass. Instead of feeling his hand work its way across my stomach, I get to touch each one of his tiny toes and tiny fingers. One amazing thing has been replaced by another even more amazing thing. As much as I was looking forward to sleeping on my stomach, no one informed me that this would not be happening; that my boobs would grow so much, that they would be sore and that I would have no desire to sleep on my stomach, placing pressure on my new body and possibly forcing milk to leak out onto my clothes and sheets. The fun things that no one tells you about!

Every day we learn a little bit more and every moment Lincoln gives us the opportunity to realize that we are his parents and that this is a learning game for everyone; that every diaper change will get a little quicker and with every cry we are one step closer to decipher one cry from another and what they all mean. Sometimes I get nervous because I feel as though I have no clue what I am doing. Then I find myself being able to soothe him and every little voice in my mind, making me question myself, goes away.

Here are just a few of the many, many photos from Lincoln's first several days with us :)

Our new family

Lincoln and his delivering Dr

Lincoln, mommy and Bip

Going home!

At home with Dad

3 Generation of LaCoss'

Checking out his new world

<3

Our final days

Lincoln has still not made his arrival, but he will be here before we know it. Since he hasn't come yet, the Dr. is pretty sure that he will come this weekend. However, if he doesn't, I am scheduled for induction bright and early Monday morning.

I am a ball of emotions! Anxious, excited, nervous and I am in awe and wonder about meeting our little one at last. We have been waiting to meet him for about 7 months now, and he has been growing inside of me for 9. It is amazing to think about the incredible feat that we have performed. Scott and I have created a human being that has grown from a clump of cells into a little baby, with a brain and a beating heart.

I will miss feeling him move inside of me but I cannot even imagine how it will feel to see his face, feel his skin and to fall in love.

Our lives will never again be the same. Our days will be filled with dirty diapers, crying, and lots of bottles, but they will also be filled with joy and pride. We will get to feel the excitement when he first rolls over, takes his first steps, says his first word. Our eyes may burn from the lack of sleep from times to time, but our cheeks will hurt from smiling and laughing. We will learn what we are really made of and grow to love each other in a brand new way.

Lincoln, we can't wait to meet you. We love you so much already.

 

12 Weeks

 

39 Weeks

Week X

How far along? Who knows anymore! My count is 37, the Dr. is saying that I am at the end of 38 weeks. All that really matters at this point is that we are close to the end and the beginning :)

Baby is the size of a: real baby 

Total weight gain/loss: 39. Must be Lincoln ;)

The Bump: is getting some of it's very own stretch marks, just when I thought I was in the clear! Could be way worse. And, is it not totally worth it!?

Symptoms: restlessness, heartburn, general discomfort, lots of practice contractions, some mild swelling in my feet

Food Cravings: Rita's mango ice still.

Anything Making Me Queasy or Sick: nope

Sleep: Thinking about calling Mr. Sandman

What I miss: A few things, but I have been thinking a lot how I will miss my bump once Lincoln comes :( At least I'll have someone super cute to keep my mind off of that, and as my sister emphasized to me- it's not like my belly is going away immediately ;)

Weddings Rings On or Off: Off.

Movement: A little less frequent due to his lack of wiggle room, but it is still my most favorite things in the world to feel him move!

Best Moment of the Week: Hearing from the Dr. that things are progressing a bit! I am now more dilated and 75% effaced (had to look that one up once we got home). He is fairly confident that we won't make it to next Thursday. Let the betting begin! 

What I’m excited about/looking forward to: having him in our arms, touching him and smelling his baby skin (bath first, please), seeing the cats reaction to him, everything! 

Mom this week: Researchers have found that brain cell volume of pregnant women in their third trimester actually decreases. In other words, hormones actually shrink your brain at this stage in pregnancy, and your brain doesn't plump back up until a few months after delivery. Choline is a good fix for this hormonal change, which is usually in most pre-natal vitamins.

Baby this week: Sitting pretty low and definitely hitting some sensitive nerves from time to time! There is actually a term for this- "Lightning Crotch". I laughed out loud when I read this, but it describes it perfectly!  He is shedding his vernix (that white layer of protection) but will probably still have some when born, as well as shedding his baby fur, or lanugo. Lincoln is producing more surfactant, which keeps his lung sacs from sticking together as he starts to breath and is continuing to add fat. His head is now the same circumference as his abdomen. All of his organs are ready for life outside of the womb!