Happy Summer!

Tennessee summer is officially here! We've enjoyed time at the lake and pool to cool off.

 

wrapping his head around the wonder of the water!

Dennis and I were so surprised to see Lincoln standing up in his crib when he woke up from his nap one afternoon back in June! In a few weeks time he learned to stand up and walk around while holding on to someone's hands, the couch, table etc. He still loves his walker, keyboard toys and balls. He plays with a toy set of golf clubs and balls  -be careful when he has the clubs though, he swings without looking where he may strike and has had a few accidental swings at us :) He really likes to throw balls that light up when they bounce around the house. Lincoln will crawl up to a book and push it around or grab it when he wants story time. We've memorized the book "Baby Loves to Rock" - seems to be his favorite! It's so cute when he kisses the animals on the pages. He's the sweetest little man, always giving kisses to his stuffed animals too. We celebrated our 3 nieces' birthdays last weekend and the bigger kids chased him around. Ever since he has the best time if we crawl around behind him saying "I'm going to get that baby!" His giggles are priceless! We all had a great 4th of July despite the downpour that overtook Middle TN for most of the week.

Sweet Lincoln has some rhythm! He moves back and forth when he gets a tasty bite of food, when he hears Dennis making sounds, he dances to the music from his toys too! His subtle dancing is always a crowd pleaser! He's in size 3 diapers, size 9-12 month clothes, has 4 teeth (2 on top and 2 on the bottom) and he weighs a little over 19 lbs. Oh and he now feeds himself bites of food! This helps keep him entertained when we are trying to eat at the same time :) Can't believe he's almost 11 months old.. then 1 year! My oh my :) We love him to pieces!!

TGIF - have a wonderful weekend!!

D, D and Lincoln

A Month of Firsts

MAY 2013 brought on a few firsts for our family:

• Lincoln hit a couple milestones: A biggie is he started crawling May 31st! He had been mobile but not full-on crawling and then with the bribery of a laughing baby on the computer he was up and going for an up close look at the baby on the screen!
• The very next morning he started pulling himself up to sit on his knees. He does the yoga pose "downward facing dog" as he is really trying to stand up. Pretty funny to watch!
• He had his first taste of table food - pinto beans! He showed us he isn't a picky eater at this stage. He has successfully eaten beans, salmon, tuna salad, pimento cheese, assorted veggies and fruits, spaghetti, greek yogurt, ground turkey/beef and even shredded chicken. It's a lot of fun (and easier) feeding him off our plate. Surprisingly he likes steamed carrots despite not liking them pureed.



First Spaghetti - yummy!

• Lincoln's top teeth are coming in. One poked out this morning and the other is right under the gum. We've had some long nights and a lot of extra hugs and cuddles to help him cope with the discomfort the past week.
• May was my first month of being a full-time mom. I had so many mixed emotions making the decision to become a stay-at-home-mom and through a lot of conversations and prayer, Dennis and I decided it is what would be best for our family at this time. We are all very happy with the change and very thankful for being able to do it.
• We celebrated my 1st Mother's Day:

Best buds

Mommy and her #1 boy

• Lincoln got to see his daddy at work! This week is CMA Fest here in Nashville. We joined Dennis during their sound check at LP Field today. He seemed to like the big tractor and a guy moving big cords around more than actually watching the rehearsal - go figure :)

At the stadium

First golf cart ride!

I can't believe he is already 9 months old!!! His doctor's check up went well. No shots this time :) He measured 29 1/2 inches long and weighed 18.8 pounds. He's still in size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes. His favorite toys/activities are the music table, his small keyboard, walker, and a treasure chest with plastic coins that lights up. He REALLY loves one giraffe with big eyes we named Georgey the Giraffe. He gives it kisses and talks to it. Once we realized how much he liked that particular animal we brought out a few other stuffed animals to play. He seems to light up and love on them too! It's really sweet and makes us laugh. He is a chatty little man with so much to say. Mostly ba-ba's, da-da's and ma-ma's with a few ga-ga's every now and then. Check out his 9 month photos with Keri - these are by far our favorite set. He is SUCH a little ham!! Her blog recap made our hearts melt seeing his personality captured. He really is a great baby, always happy (unless he's tired, then his bottom lip pout takes over). Thank you again Keri for your wonderful work and talent! I can't believe next time we see you will be for his 1 year session... where has the time gone?!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

The Edwards

Lincoln's 1st Easter

We took Lincoln to meet the Easter Bunny last weekend. We weren't sure how he would react to sitting in the big bunny's lap especially after waiting in line outside, but he did great!

Lincoln serenading everyone in line

He showed ZERO reaction to meeting the Easter Bunny! Thanks to Great Grandma Darlene and Cousin Beth for making him his sweater and hat.

The Easter Bunny gave us a sneak peek at Lincoln's basket.

 I decorated his bucket using my new Cricut (love it!) and the Easter Bunny got him some Easter books, a holiday bib and bunny hat, toy car keys and a swim suit with matching hat and sunglasses.

Lincoln got to try his new sunglasses on right away, after all he won't remember seeing his basket early anyway :)

7 Month Stats

Sleep: He is really making us proud in the sleep department. We are starting to have a routine for nights and mornings which makes it a lot easier. Sasha can sometimes be found sleeping under Lincoln's crib or in a basket of blankets in his room - it really is the sweetest thing! Check her out in this month's onsie pic and she snuck in the sunglasses photo too!

Diet: Pureed veggies and now fruits. He tried mangos and peaches and LOVES bananas!! This comes as no surprise considering how often I craved and ate this banana pudding while pregnant.

Milestones: He is rolling around everywhere to get where he wants to be. We laid him down to snap a photo on his blanket and he kept flipping over. Took a few tries to get a matching one on his back:

His squeals have turned into a lower sound... he sounds like he is trying to sing sometimes and we have caught him babbling to a few toys that have faces on them. He's sitting up pretty good and took his first ride at Target without his car seat Saturday morning:

Favorite Things: Lincoln is always happy to jump in his jumparoo and now he likes to play in his walker. He loves to be read to especially at night. He usually pets the pages if there is an animal ;) He can sit and play at his keyboard toy for a long time too!

Rain rain go away...

When I first decided to start this blog I had a few reasons in mind: 1) to track my pregnancy and growing bump, 2) I like the idea of having a record of what's happening with our family 3) sharing photos and happenings with family and friends who we don't get to see a lot. One aspect I like now that we've had it going awhile that I didn't think about ahead of time is 4) reflecting back and seeing where we have come. For example, last year on Easter Sunday I was 21 weeks pregnant and Lincoln was the size of a banana (funny because this is by far his favorite food right now!). It's hard to believe he was ever that small-crazy really! I also like tracking Lincoln's growth and development so I can easily access his "baby book" (We are adding to a tangible and traditional baby book too. I plan on printing his 1st year updates and attaching them to the book to have as a keepsake). Even as we prepped for our new addition we didn't really know what to expect (and we still don't). We just try to take it one day at a time. Of all the time that has passed and new challenges we face, one thing has remained the same. As we all celebrate Easter this weekend it's important to remember and reflect that Jesus died for our sins and God's grace is what gives us the chance to begin new each and every day.  

Happy Easter!!

Dennis, Denisse and Lincoln

My first Easter

Happy Valentine's Day!

A quick post to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Dennis and I loved celebrating Lincoln's first V-day today. He got a little basket of goodies and has been wearing red the past couple days leading up to this love-filled holiday.

Great Grandma Darlene made this beautiful sweater. We thought it was perfect for our lil' cupid:

All you need is love!

XOXO-Sasha and Lincoln

Hello 2013!

I hope everyone is having a happy new year! Where did January go??? I think it goes without saying 2012 was a great year for the Edwards household. Below are a few photos from Lincoln's first Christmas (better late than never, right?) 

Our first Christmas as a family of 3

The boys getting ready for Santa on their first Christmas Eve

BoBo getting giggles 

Lincoln loves his Great Granny

Christmas morning with Gran and BoBo 

Christmas afternoon with Grandma, Grandpa and all 4 of their grandchildren

Lincoln's Great Grandma Darlene sent him this bench made by his late Great Grandpa Elwood, such a special gift!

I made these cookies for a friend who LOVES Milkduds. We kept a few for Lincoln to set out for Santa:

Check out the recipe I found on Pinterest. I left out the optional pecans and split the recipe in half and they turned out to be delicious!

Five Month Update:
Lincoln is growing FAST (he hit 17 lbs last week!) and his personality is showing through more and more every day. He loves hearing his own voice, especially after a long nap and first thing every morning. Bath time is still a big hit and the best way to end every day. 

water baby

Happy as can be!

He's sleeping anywhere from 8-10 hours at night with *usually* only 1 middle of the night feeding. We will be introducing "real food" sometime in the next few weeks. Lincoln and Sasha are getting to be quite fond of one another. I love that!!

(not the best photos but you get the idea)

Little Lincoln, my how the last month has flown by! You are such a ham (your daddy made up this nickname for you). One of my favorite things is seeing the loving relationship shared between you and your daddy grow. You two have bonded in such a special way. I know it is 1,000 times harder on him when he travels for work now that you are here. Luckily we are able to share photos and videos while he's gone. What a joy you are! Thank you for adding loads of extra fun and love to our family.

love these little toes...

and this face!

Happy 5 months sweet boy!

What a treat!

Happy Halloween from our little pumpkin