January Update

I think I am going to start trying to do a monthly update on what is happening at our house. I have started jotting doing little notes on the kids to remind myself of what they are doing and so I will hopefully post an update and now I am sitting here with 20 pieces of paper and all these random notes, some of which I don't even know what I am talking about.

So, Lincoln turned 3 months old on the 14th. Shortly after on the 17th, he started turning....literally! My tiny baby can now roll from his tummy to his back and from his back to his tummy. I thought it was pretty early for him to do it so I checked Olivia's baby book and she rolled on Jan 18, 2008...almost exactly 2 years earlier, weird! But he did figure it out sooner than she did.

He went for his shots finally after 2 delayed appointments on the 18th. He weighed in a whooping 14 lbs 15 oz and was 24.5 inches long, putting him around the 75+ percentile. Longer than his sis but around the same weight. Not surprising as the boy loves to eat. I think we are finally getting into a little better schedule with feedings and I no longer feel like my boobs are on display constantly. I think the hardest part of breastfeeding for me has been the length of time it has taken to get a routine down. With Olivia on formula, she was much quicker to get on a steady eating schedule and started sleeping "through the night" and bedtime routine at a much earlier age. Lincoln is just now settling into a pretty steady eating pattern and bedtime. Most nights he will sleep from about 8 or 8:30 until 5 then comes to bed with me, eats and goes back to sleep until his sister wakes us up. Some nights he gets up an extra time through the night but those nights are coming few and far between.

Lincoln is a little drool monster just like his big sis! It started before Christmas but has gotten out of control in the past few weeks. He easily goes through 2 or 3 bibs a day and at least 2 outfits. He is constantly chewing on his fingers and any toys he gets in his mouth, so I am on tooth watch. Olivia was just shy of 5 months when hers started popping through and I am thinking he will be roughly the same.

We started Linc on a little bit of solid food this month as well. Only one meal at supper time but it has made a world of difference with him going to sleep at night. I am finally not nursing him several times in the couple hours before bed. So far, he has only had banana and oat cereal and will probably just stick to those 2 things for the next while. I still don't think he needs to be eating 3 meals a day or veggies at this point. Just needs a bit more than milk at night time to get a good sleep.

Lincoln also loves, I think, anything that uses his muscles. He will be a "man's man" one day I am sure. He loves sitting in his Bumbo, playing in his exersaucer and hanging out in his jolly jumper. I'm starting to think we need wider doors for our wild man, as he has bounced himself into the wall a couple times know. He hates to lie down, if you put him on his back he immediately rolls to his tummy and then he whines because he hates being on his tummy. He loves to watch his sister and as he has gotten a little bigger, her interest in him has increased as well. Watching them interact is so much fun, Olivia is such a little mommy.

Lincoln also loves to laugh and be tickled. Olivia as a baby was not much of a laugher and required you to stand on your head to get even a giggle out of her. Lincoln laughs all the time! When you change his diaper or take his shirt off, he laughs. Tickling his chin or armpits are his best spots. He loves to coo and talk. I'm sure he's managed to chat with me for over 30 minutes straight. He is also a bit of a whiner. Sometimes.

Now onto Olivia...where to start....she is now 28 months, so close to 2 and a half and certainly in the midst of the "terrible two's". Somedays are better than others and with Cam gone Monday to Friday, we tend to get on each others nerves a fair bit. She really loved the little chinook we had last week and was outside everyday playing in the yard without having to be so bundled up. I'm thinking about putting her in a weekly class at the local YMCA in March to get us out of the house and her with other kids her age.

Potty training is still...ugh, frustrating. She is so good, and was instantly, about peeing in the potty. Every once in awhile she will pee her pants....mainly if she is mad at me or jealous of her brother. Pooping on the potty is another story....she has done it maybe twice. I have researched on the internet, talked to the public health nurse and tried everything I've heard. Still nothing. She still has to wear a diaper at bedtime because otherwise I think she would hold it in forever. She has even pooped her panties and it doesn't phase her at all. At this point, I am just hoping....one day, one day.

She continues to say the funniest things. Most of them surrounding her new obsession with penises. Yes, penises. With a new brother and potty training she has a new realization that her parts are different than his and his are a little more interesting in her eyes. She has also realized that Mommy and Daddy have these parts too. It is strange because up until Linc was born, she showered with Cam or I all the time and nothing was ever said. Now there are more questions and comments about big penises, little penises and "ginas". The best was when Mom and Dad where down and Olivia followed Daddy to the bathroom and when they came out she promptly went over and said to Grandpa Larry..."My Daddy gots a big penis". I don't think anyone has laughed that hard in a long time and I'm sure Cam appreciated the compliment. One day, I was putting away laundry while Lincoln was in the jumper and I asked Olivia to keep an eye on her brother while I had my back turned. Now every time he's in his jumper or crib while I am doing something, she tells me "Don't worry Mom! I keep Lincoln's eye!"

Some of things that come out that girls mouth make me laugh...others make me cringe and remind us we really need to watch what we say around her. Some of my faves have been "Linc, you're too noise....Shut UP!", "Its fricking freezing out there....It's fucking cold", and the best, which she totally picked up from her father..."Oh for fuck sakes". Its hard to explain that some words are adult words and she can't use them because she has certainly figured out the appropriate time to say them. But we are all trying to watch what we say.

Other news in our household is that Cam and I are getting married....FINALLY! November 6th. We finally decided that since we are done having kids, we should do it now or it will most likely never happen. So, now I am planning a wedding around naptime and when Olivia will sit down and watch one of her new favorites, Disney movies. It does unfortunately mean that I am going to go back to work starting in March. Nothing crazy, 2 or 3 weekends a month. Just enough to make some extra wedding money but not so much that I lose any of my EI. I'm hoping if I start back now then I am may be able to continue working part time for awhile after my maternity leave does end. So another crazy chapter will be begin in our household very soon....one day I hope to look back on this time and remember how busy we were with 2 kids, jobs and wedding planning and remember handling it all well.