56 Weeks

Cure For A Sick Baby:  Mommy's Chicken Matzo Ball Soup

How old? 12 Months 27 days
Weight: 22 lbs  13oz
Sleep: It's a never ending cycle of good & then bad...
We were back on track and doing well, sleeping straight through the night waking at 7:00/7:30am.  Sweeeeet!  And then BAM!  Linc got the mac daddy of colds with a double dose of ear infection.  So yeah that pretty much threw a nice big wrench into our finely tuned sleep machine.  So back to square numero uno.  No Bueno.
Food: Fruit is what this kid is all about this week.  Bananas: check, Peaches: check, Pears: check, Oranges: check!  Good thing too, he could use the extra vitamin C, though Todd tells me that a new study came out saying vitamin C doesn't really do anything, but I refuse to believe it. Veggies have kinda taken a backseat.  He did seem to really like the homemade mashed potatoes and this oven roasted chicken (and I made the gravy/sauce too) that I made Sunday for dinner (inspired by this blog).
**New Category** Word List:  I am going to start to keep a running list of words that Lincoln says now!  Mama, Dada, Daa-dee, nana (banana), uhoh (when he drops something)

Best Moment This Week:  As you can see from last Saturday's post we had a good time at JW Tumbles.  Lincoln was fully entertained and one tired baby when we got home!  That was our one free intro class, and I think we decided that we were going to go try the 12-18mo class at Gymboree and see which one we like best and then sign up for a few weeks of classes for Lincoln.  
We got a few more of Lincoln's works of art from daycare.  He clearly has a gift. ;-)  Behold the perfection:

The Purple People Eater

Worst Moment This Week:  That would be the cold of 2011 that hit the Isaacs' household...well really just Linc & now Todd, I'm the only hold out.  Linc missed most of this week of daycare and thus I was not in the office much this week...thank goodness for telcons & the ability to check work email from home.  Todd was able to take the second shift two of the days so that I could go in to the office and work from there a few hours in the afternoons.  I am SOOOO glad it is the weekend and I'll be ready to start fresh next week!
Alex has been acting all weirdo & had some sort of episode in the kitchen last night, hip related we think, it might have locked up or something he kinda walked all weird and was leaning to the left.  Poor old dog.
What We're Looking Forward To: Tot Shabbat tomorrow morning, as long as Linc is feeling better.  Purim PJ party early Sunday evening & after Linc is in bed maybe catching some of the big game with the Alderson's.
Movement: Walking more and more...6-7 steps at a time now!  He is getting more and more confident every day.  He still really gets a kick out of when Alex & Guinness play tug of war with each other and is starting to interact with them more!  Here's the little naughty monkey "playing" with Guinness:

Milestones: Your child is watching… everything… you… do. Toddlers love to copy the behavior of the people around them, especially their parents. It's how they learn basic behaviors.
You may see your child trying to brush his hair, wiping a counter with his bib, pressing buttons on your cell phone, or trying on your sunglasses. Eventually he'll pick up on your words and speech patterns, too.
Imitation has a downside, too. Your child may watch you take vitamins or pills and later, when you're not looking, decide to do the same himself. So be vigilant about safety. Use child-resistant caps on medicines and vitamins, and store the pills out of reach. Don't let him see how you open child-resistant locks.
**This is so Lincoln.  Just in the past few weeks he have noticed him picking up our cell phones and holding them to his ear.  And he holds the Xbox controller just like Daddy.    He is very much our little shadow.

53 Weeks

Just Jammin'

How old? 12 Months 6 days
Weight: 22 lbs  12oz
Sleep: We backslid a little this week.  Lincoln had a bit of a cough in the evenings and he woke himself up once or twice.  Grammy was in town and it was too hard for her not to go in and comfort him, so he may have gotten a little too used to this.  But we are back on track and had a great night's sleep Thursday night!  
Also Lincoln has been doing really well with naptime at daycare!  I know,I know, I've already mentioned this before however, what makes this interesting is now that he is in the big kids room he sleeps on a cot not in a crib.  Apparently he is doing really well on his little cot, he stays on it and does't go roaming around the room.  Very exciting!  He is such a big boy!

Food: Well I think it is safe to say that after his taste of cupcake for his birthday, Linc is a fan!  What a mess!  
Lincoln has started eating (read trying to eat) with utensils on his own.  At daycare they give him a bowl with cereal & a spoon and let him go at it.  We at home are a little less brave mostly because I am terrified of the mess he will make, but we bit the bullet and let him do it himself the other night and it was not that bad...we lived to tell the tale anyway.  It was definitely a bath night...he was covered head to waist in ravioli and avocado - no trace of the maderine oranges though!

Best Moment This Week: Lincoln had a great 1st Birthday!  Thanks to everyone who wished him a Happy Birthday on facebook and other various ways & made his day speical!   He had a big day but did very well, he even got to hang out with his two little buddies (the Alderson boys) for just a little bit in the evening before bedtime.
Linc got a haircut from his Grammy Sparks, much needed as he was starting to look a little stragley.  It was an adventure trying to keep his attention away from what Grammy was doing to him, but we managed and now he is all freshly trimmed. 

We took Lincoln shoe shopping for his first real pair of kicks...and they are super duper cute!  As Todd likes to point out Lincoln has his Mommy's tootsies and got fitted for wide shoes.  The girl at StrideRite was really nice and helpful and got us fitted to a pair that Mommy liked pretty quickly!  Definately a thumbs up experience.

Worst Moment of the Week: So I am not sure when it happened but our sweet little boy who cuddled and soothed the littler babies at daycare has since become the boy who bosses the bigger kids around!  Aparently Linc thinks he is "big man on campus" in his new room.  They tell me everyday that he may be little but he thinks he is the oldest baby there.  If he sees an older kid playing with something he would like, he goes right over and takes it, even if they fight back so will he and he wins.  Great.  Time to work on sharing...though from what my books say it's not going to sink in until 2+yrs old, it's gonna be a long road I think. 

What We're Looking Forward To: Grandma & Grandpa Isaacs and Uncle Andy & Aunt Taryn arrive tonight! 
Sunday=Lincoln's Robo-Party!
(what I am not looking forward to: baking the robot cake I decided it would be cool to do myself for said big birthday blow out...why am I so ambitious, ugggg)
Movement:  There's been a lot of walking going on by Mr. Linc around our house lately.  He has been taking 4-5 steps and walking between people and also pieces of furniture.  He's on the move people!

Milestones: Cow's milk is probably becoming a big part of your child's diet now that she's passed the 12-month mark.
Whole milk is usually the beverage of choice at this age because toddlers need fat to fuel their growth and their considerable energy needs. (Possible exceptions: If you're overweight or obese, or have a family history of obesity, high cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease, your child's doctor may recommend starting with reduced-fat milk.)


When consumed in moderate amounts, cow's milk has many nutrients a growing toddler needs. Nutritionists recommend that 1-year-olds drink at least 16 ounces of milk a day – but not more than 24 ounces.
Some kids love their milk and the challenge for parents is not to go overboard. A child who drinks more than 24 ounces may fill up on milk and miss out on other foods that are important for a balanced diet.
At the other extreme are toddlers who turn up their nose at cow's milk, at least at first. After all, it has a different texture, taste, and even temperature than breast milk or formula. Parents of reluctant milk-drinkers can try mixing whole milk with some breast milk or formula at first (say, one part whole milk and three parts of his usual stuff). Then slowly increase the amount of milk to 100 percent.
Find out more about introducing cow's milk and what your options are if your child can't or won't drink milk, or if you'd prefer to give her other calcium-rich beverages, such as fortified soy milk.

48 Weeks



Now - 11 Months

Oh My, How We've Grown



Then - 1 Month

 How old? 11 Months 2 days

Weight: 22.4 lbs

Sleep: The past few nights have been a rocky road traveled...I'll elaborate more down below.  Let's just say it's not been the best week for sleep in this household. 

Food: Linc enjoyed trying several new things while visiting Grandma & Grandpa Isaacs this past weekend.  He had his first taste of matzo ball, which he liked very much!  Ironically he also had his first taste of honey baked ham as well - also a hit with the Lincster.

We are inching up on the time where we will be introducing whole milk to Linc and backing down on the formula - interesting times are a commin'.

Best Moment This Week: We had an awesome visit to Cleveland seeing the Isaacs family, celebrating the holiday and Andy & Taryn's engagement!  I am not sure I've had that much lox in one weekend...well, since maybe the last trip to Cleveland. ;-)

The continued celebration of Linc's first Hanukkah tops the list again.  He is so special that he gets his very own 9th night of Hanukkah...well part of that may have to do with two things, 1.  Daddy had to work late one night so Linc had to go to bed before he got home for presents & candles, and 2.  We had plenty of extra candles to use since we were out of town for a few nights!
Anyway Lincoln loves all of his gifts - Hanukkah books from Uncle Matt & Aunt Cyndi, books, a ballpit & 250 extra balls (though really I think this is just as much for Todd as Linc), Scout the Leapfrog Learning Puppy, PlaySkool Busy Gears board, a tent & play tunnel, and probably others I am forgetting from Grandma & Grandpa Isaacs.  Linc is a lucky little guy that is for sure! 

Worst Moment: If you have a weak stomach you may want to go ahead and stop reading here.  

I am going to go with the event that took place last night around 11:30pm.  Around that time Todd and I were in bed asleep (early for once) and then Linc was up crying.  Todd went down to check it out and took Linc out of his crib to calm him and decided he needed a diaper change - it was messy we'll leave it at that - and then when he was about to put him back in his crib Todd realized that Linc had gotten sick in there and before he could do anything else Linc was projectile vomiting while Todd ran with him to the bathroom.  He yelled for my help and I came right down to find them in the bathroom both covered.  I took Linc and we worked on getting them both cleaned up - along with some carpet.  So as Todd was striping his bed, I was changing Linc into new pjs, that's when round #2 hit - all over the new pjs & the changing pad & cover.  After a call to the nurse line - they assured us that according to his symptoms and lack of temperature, they thought what he had for dinner it just didn't agree with him and we should give him some water and make sure to keep him hydrated and comfortable.  So after a quick change into the third pair of pjs for the night & a couple of ounces of water it was back to bed for Lincoln. 
He was so tired this morning & just not himself, but no fever or anything that would indicate it was a bug or the flu or anything like that...but he was just so sad and pitiful.

Poor guy.
What We're Looking Forward To: Well even though I lost out this week on my guess for when the Alderson Cadets will make their appearance (Todd is still in the running) - we are super excited to welcome them into this world!  11 days & counting kids!  Linc can't wait to have playmates!
Movement: We are slightly under debate about this, but if you ask me I say Linc took steps this week...Todd is a little less convinced.
Milestones: Your baby probably enjoys looking at books and leafing through the pages, though turning those pages one by one doesn't always happen. Indulge in great picture books or stick with sturdy and inexpensive board books that can stand up to small fingers.

45 Weeks

How old? 10 Months 12 days

Weight: 21.7 lbs
Sleep: No new developments...and that is a good thing!  Linc did sleep until 8am both weekend mornings, it was FABULOUS! 
Food: Linc has been chowing down on homemade chicken and noodles, he can't get enough!  I don't think he's tried anything new this week.
Best Moment This Week: We had a great time taking Lincoln to play at Clemyjontri Park.  This park is amazing! 

Sunday I spent most of the day cooking again.  This time it was for our neighbors across the street who just had a baby girl!  I made a huge batch of chicken & noodle soup - some for us - some for them.
Monday I took over the soup & a present and met little Miss Brin, and she is the sweetest thing ever!  Lincoln was very interested in her...well until he realized that he was hungry and then the visit ended and we headed home to get him his dinner!
Worst Moment: I have become an old pro when it comes to shots - or so I had thought...  Wednesday we took Linc to his checkup at our Peds Office, met the new Dr. (who we liked very much) and found out that while his ears were doing better they were not completely 100% so to make sure we would kick this thing before out flight they gave him an injection of an antibiotic to hopefully take care of it.  Well the injection was not just one, but two, one in each leg!  POOR BABY!  And it was a thick shot too, one of the ones where you have to massage the muscle afterward to make sure it doesn't pool.  OH we both cried! 
What We're Looking Forward To: All the fun we are going to have in Chicago...don't worry you'll hear all about it plus pictures in next weeks blog (possibly sooner depending on the weeks work activities).
After that - Thanksgiving with the Aldersons - Lincoln is looking forward to his first Thanksgiving turkey that Uncle Matt will expertly preparing.
Movement: On the verge.
Milestones: Your baby may "walk" while you're gripping his hands, and even hold out an arm or leg to help you dress him. At mealtimes, he may be able to drink from a cup on his own (though some children may not do this well for months or even another year or two) and hand-feed himself.

Once your baby's able to drink from a cup by himself, you may need to start ducking, because he's just as likely to toss it when he's finished as to set it down.
**This last sentence leads well into this next picture.  Apparently Linc's new fave toy is a blue Solo cup.  Yes, a Solo cup.  I guess he is practicing for his future as an AEPi at Purdue...

44 Weeks

How old? 10 Months 4 days (OMG how is this possible?!?!?  The days & weeks go by WAY too quickly!)
Weight: 21.7 lbs
Sleep: Not too shabby this week.  Even with an ear infection the kid sleeps pretty darn good.  We are some lucky parents that's for sure. 
Food: Lincoln has started eating more school lunches off the big kids menu at daycare.  They, of course, make sure all his food is cut up into tiny finger food baby sized pieces, and he just goes to it.  He is quite the fan of turkey & cheese.  He got to try his first dino chicken nugget this week, not sure he was a fan though, I guess he has a more refined pallet than his Mommy...  
He has been enjoying more yogurt in his diet to deal with an unfortunate side effect of his antibiotic that he is on for his ear infections.  He particularly likes banana yogurt & very berry yogurt bites.
Oh and lastly not a huge fan of broccoli, which we attempted to have him try last night for dinner, but he was just not feeling it so we'll try again perhaps this weekend.
Best Moment This Week: This will be considerably less exciting than last weeks entry.
Last Saturday we got up and went to Tot Shabbat & had a great time singing and dancing with Miss Nell!  Lincoln was looking very dapper in his dress slacks from baby gap, long sleeve onesie, & paper boy cap from children's place.  The Canter even commented how adorable of a little man he was during services.
Sunday was spent cooking & cleaning to prepare for Monday...
Monday I hosted a baby shower for my bestest bestie.  And it was SO much fun!  I created the theme of

Complete with ducky decor.  We had quite the little spread going on, some of the other girls brought some yummy dips, I made real -Paula Deen- style mac & cheese, we also had spinach dip & Hawaiian bread, and an adorable ducky cake & cupcakes from Wegmans.  We played just two games, but they were quite amusing none the less.  And then opened gifts, ate cake, and had lots of mommy talk.  Very fun time if I do say so myself. 
*I would also like to take this time to mention that my wonderful husband took care of Lincoln during the shower - honorable mention goes to Uncle Matt for lending a hand & also to Brad for jumping in there too.  Though I think there were some "Three Men & A Baby" moments - I believe the "poocolypse" was the word used to describe the incident that occurred after dinner.  But I digress... 
So after everyone left it was time for some quick clean-up, a glass of wine & bed!

This week we also got Lincoln's first school pictures back.  In a word...adorable.  He is one photogenic baby.  They said that were the best in the class.

The outfit looks familiar (ie last weeks blog picture) because the Gmas took Linc to get his pictures taken a few weeks before while we were out of town & we all have good taste because we picked out the same outfit for pictures. Opps - well, they all turned out fantastic...the kid can really pull off a tie - note to self invest in a few more ties, perhaps a bow tie too. ;-)  I can't post his class photo because I don't think it is right to put up other children's photo's with out permission.  But you can take our word that it is cute too.
Worst Moment: We just cannot kick this ear infection's butt!  We are antibiotic numero tres...hopefully this one does it's thing and we are rid of it soon.  We have another follow-up next week on Wednesday to see where we are at and meet another Dr. at our Peds office - there are 11 different Dr.s in our practice.  So far we have met 3 of them & 2 of the PA-Cs and we absolutely LOVE Dr. Libby & Dr. Sadak & both PA-Cs.  I cannot say enough how much we love our Peds office!
What We're Looking Forward To: Next weekend we will be in Chicago visiting our wonderful ChiTown/Purdue friends!  Lincoln is going to finally meet Uncle Andrew, Auntie Rose & sweet little Amber and see Uncle Seth again & meet Auntie Tammy!  And he can't wait to congratulate Uncle & Auntie Acks and give them big hugs.  We are so excited!  Hopefully this next week goes by very quickly. 
Movement: Still with the furniture walking...not too much new here.  However, Lincoln came home from daycare one day this week and showed us he new skill of clapping. *See post below for video*  He is a clapping machine right now.  Loves to clap, clap, clap.  Claps during meals, claps on the changing table, claps in the bath, & claps in the carseat on the way to & from daycare...  We think he is starting to wave now too, but he won't do it all the time & it is kind of random when he does do it.  They are working on this at daycare too.
Milestones: At this age, your baby can sit confidently and may even walk while holding onto furniture, possibly letting go momentarily and standing without support. He'll take steps when held in a walking position and may attempt to scoop up a toy while he's standing, too.

Those magical first steps toward independence — and lots more exercise for you! — are just around the corner, if they haven't arrived already. Most babies take their first steps sometime around 12 months, but some start much earlier. If yours isn't walking yet, don't worry — it's still early. Some babies wait until they're 18 months old to make that move.

41 Weeks



The Kid Loves His Amoxicillin



How old? 9 Months 14 days

Weight: 20.7 lbs

Sleep: For the most part it has been going pretty well.  We did have one night this week that was pretty rocky but I'll address that further below.  He has been taking pretty consistent naps now at daycare which is great!  We have got a pretty good little daily routine going on right now.  Let's hope this keeps up!  

Baby food: Lincoln is really getting into this finger food thing.  He LOVES chicken, turkey, mixed veggies, swiss cheese, edamame, sweet potato.  He is getting super good at using his pointer finger and thumb to pinch and pick up smaller pieces.  When I was at Babies R Us with Cyndi last Saturday she pointed out some silicone bibs that I picked up to try and they are awesome!  I am not sure how we lived without it before.

Best Moment This Week: Spending Wednesday with my baby, even a sick Lincoln is a wonderful Lincoln to spend time with.  He was very snuggley and sweet.  We napped, played a little in the basement, watched some Baby Einstein, he had lunch while I made a batch of homemade vegetable soup (YUM), and then we snuggled some more and went for a walk.
Friday at Linc's daycare was Orange Day all the kids wore orange and they at orange things, sang orange songs, read orange books - the older kids made orange art projects.  Lincoln got to have pudding made with formula w/ just a little yellow & red food coloring in it.  He thought it was tasty and fun to play in as you can see in the picture to the left.  He made quite the mess splashing around in it, but he had a great time and that's what matters especially when someone else is cleaning up the mess! ;-) 

Worst Moment: Getting a call from daycare Tuesday afternoon telling me that Lincoln was not acting his normal happy baby self and was crying a lot and pulling at his ears.  He did not have a fever but they could tell he was just not feeling well.  I went and picked him up and got an appointment with our awesome pediatrician at 2pm.  Turns out poor baby has double ear infections and on the verge of some sort of eye infections too.  So they gave us a prescription for amoxicillin & some eye drops to help kick this infection's butt.  But that night was a really bad night for Lincoln.  He didn't really want to eat his dinner, but took most of his bedtime bottle, then he went to bed at 8pm, woke up at 11:30pm and was up with me until 2am.  The next morning I let him sleep until he woke up on his own and decided to keep him home from daycare to rest with Mommy.  He is doing much better and has been back to daycare since Thursday. 

What We're Looking Forward To: Doing some fun stuff this weekend, and will post some pictures possibly Sunday!

Taking our nephew Conner's Flat Stanley that he sent us for his school's class project to some really cool DC landmarks, perhaps even meeting up with a President or two...

Trick-or-treating next weekend!
Our family photo session is coming up on November 1st!

Movement: Nothing too new in this department.  Though it is funny to see Lincoln make his way over to the closed baby gate in the basement and grab a hold of the rungs and swing back and forth - Daddy likes to narrate saying "Attica, Attica"

Milestones: The torrent of words your baby has been hearing since birth is beginning to work its magic, although his understanding of words far outpaces his ability to use them. His babbling has turned to jabber and is probably starting to sound a little like real words, phrases, and sentences. Your baby thinks he's saying something, so respond as if he really is!

Your baby still comprehends more from your tone than from your actual words. He can understand when you're pleased. The more you talk to your baby — either directly or while doing other things, such as preparing dinner, driving, or getting dressed — the more he learns about communication.

**Lincoln has successfully started saying "dada" so we are really excited about that, however he says it pretty much indiscriminately.  We are working on "mama".  He is also making the "mmmm" sound but it is mostly on accident.