Lincoln at 3 months

Lincoln turned 3 months on the 29th (yes I am a day late but I think I will always be a day late on doing this!)

Here are a few things I want to remember about Linc at 3 months:

• Lincoln did not have a pediatrician appointment this month but when he had a scope done Monday (Dec. 28) they weighed him with clothes and diaper on and he was 11 lbs, 2 oz! He is getting to be a chunky boy! Not sure about his length or head.
• He is wearing size 1 diapers but will soon be out of those. His clothes are 3 month but he can still fit into newborn pants but not onesies.
• He is still eating like a champ. His milk is still thickened to nectar and a half but you would never know. He eats about 5 1/2 to 6 oz each feeding every 3 to 4 hours. At some feedings (especially his first of the day) he eats like he has never eaten before and is unsure when he will eat again. He have to take the bottle out to slow him down a bit. He hates it when you take the bottle to burp him during his meal.
• He sleeps from 10 pm-6 am. Sometimes he will longer if he feed him at 9 pm or he has slept in a few times until 7 am. His naps during the day vary. Some days he will nap great and do 1 hour to an hour and a half between each feedings, yet some days I am lucky to get one nap out of him. Not sure why that is but it is getting better. We are following the BabyWise method of eat, play, and sleep so his nap time change but he is getting better at eating then staying awake for an hour then sleeping an hour.
• Over Christmas, my sister swaddled Lincoln really good (really Jordan is the master swaddler, if you think your baby can't be, let her try...you will be AMAZED!) He loved it. He slept the most those days or he was just trying to avoid the craziness of Christmas, who knows?! I practiced swaddling and it has helped with his nap length but I will never be as good as Jordan (seriously, she needs to go to the hospital and teach the new moms!)
• Lincoln is a pretty content baby....most the time. We have our days when he just fusses and wants to be held but for the most part, he eats, sleeps, and falls asleep with little trouble.
• Lincoln is smiling more and more. He is getting closer to laughing but we have not heard one yet but I know it is coming.
• Lincoln had his first sickness over Christmas. He come down with a cold Friday night (Christmas night). He pretty much had a very snotty nose, congested breathing, and wanted to be cuddled with for about 2 days. He slept GREAT those 3 days he was ill. I am hoping that is a good sign to come with his future illnesses!
• Lincoln experienced his first snow (but he slept through it and never saw it), got to meet Eli and Phoebe (he was very loved over Christmas), and had his first Christmas. Santa brought him a lot and he received some great gifts for the months to come!

Lincoln is a blessing to us and I can't wait to this month holds for us!

Lincoln was not too happy when I tried to get his picture taken so these are not great.

"Hey monkey, what is she doing to us?!"

3 months and growing!

A Jolly Christmas

This week has been a great week full of cousin lovin', baby snuggling, Phoebe's giggles, Eli's funny stories, and wonderful family time. Lincoln got to meet his cousins for the first time and it was great to see Eli and Phoebe love on Wincon all week. I am so thankful for my family and the special memories we make each time we are together. This pictures only show part of the fun we had!

Nena and her grandbabies all in one place!
Lincoln got lots of attention from his two favorite aunties this week. I am blessed to have a sister and SIL who love Lincoln as much as they do.

Christmas cookie decorating on Christmas Eve....no shirt required!

Ready for bed for Santa to come

Waiting on the stairs to see what Santa brought...can you tell they were done having their pictures made?! I think Phoebe's face and morning hair say it all!

After all the gifts had been open

The Jolly crew....yes there are 11 of us!

Sweet kiddos!

It was a great Christmas and I am thankful for the great time I get to spend with my family. Lincoln and I came down with colds on Friday and we are getting better with a little rest this weekend. Next up is Nimz Christmas in KS at New Year's!

Search for the Perfect Santa

This Christmas we will spending the holiday with my family (we switch every other year and it works pretty well for us) so Lincoln will get to spend his first Christmas with 2 very loving cousins. I will post later with some cute pictures of Phoebe and Eli lovin' on "Wincin" for the first time but for now here is our adventure of looking for the perfect Santa picture.

My sister and I wanted to get the three cousins picture taken with Santa this year when she came to town. We decided to venture to Northpark Mall (aka most crowded mall EVER) to experience Storytime with Santa, pictures with Santa and the trains. We succeeded with 2 out of the 3. Storytime with started at 10:30 so we decided to shop for a bit since we got there at 9:30 and no one was waiting on Santa. When we walked back to Santa's house at 10:00 there were oodles of kids and parents already sitting and waiting.....really it was a ton! So I sat with Eli and Phoebe to wait (cookies and iPhones made the waiting possible) while my mom and sister kept Lincoln in the back. Let's just say Storytime with Santa was not that great. Too many kids, too many parents who feel their kids do not have to follow etiquette rules (like sitting on their bottoms in the front and letting their kids "cut" from the back to the front, really the teacher in me was about to come out!), and Santa's story was not that entertaining. So after the first story we were outta there onto the trains. Meanwhile my mom heard that you needed to get a ticket to see Santa, she was number 206 at 10:00am! Apparently these North Dallas moms get up at 5:00am to get a number less than 100, who knew?! So on we went to the trains to wait for our number to be called to visit Santa. The trains were neat and the kiddos loved it (Lincoln just looked overwhelmed!) and yes it was crowded but it was manageable and much less stress than the story time. After the trains about 12:00 (Santa had been visiting for almost a hour by this time) we checked to see what ticket number they were at......14!!! Seriously 1 hour with only 14 kids, it did not look promising to us. So we decided to ditch Northpark Santa and head to good ole Vista Ridge (with a lunch stop first at La Madeline). We waited a mere 20 minutes for Santa to come back from lunch and we were out of there with a cute picture and the kids to Santa. Perfect in my book! So advice for next year to anyone who feels the need to meet the NP Santa, bring your sleeping bag and camp out the night before to get a good number or just go to Vista Ridge and be done with it!

Our Santa picture! Precious kids....and a great looking Santa!

First professional photo shoot

I took Lincoln to get his holiday/3 month pictures taken. I had a great coupon to JCPenny and I chose the Stonebriar mall, I felt they would have better photographer since it is a nicer mall in the area. I did all the things I could to make this a great photo session with big smiles like we get at home. Lincoln slept all the way to the mall, he had his scheduled 9 am bottle, then I changed his wet pants just minutes before walking in. We waited a very short time so I felt like this would result in precious photos of Lincoln.

Well Lincoln had another opinion about the situation. He did not cry or get cranky at all during the pictures, instead he looked clueless. Since the day Lincoln was born, he has had a serious, concerned look on his face. We believe it came from his fear of when/ where the next poke, pinch, or needle was coming from during his NICU stay, like he always had his guard up. Sometimes you can see little worry lines on his forehead, I don't blame him for being worried in the beginning. My mom says you see less and less of the whites of his eyes because he is losing his "deer in the headlights" look the older he gets. Yet today, it was like he had never seen a camera before. Nothing I did or the photographer did would make that big. silly smile come out. Lincoln's face read "Who the heck are you?!" or "Get back long-haired dude!" So the pictures are not those I envisioned and I know that my days are coming of when Lincoln will refuse to take a somewhat decent picture for me so for now these are great! I will be going back to JCP (you can find GREAT coupons in Parents Magazines) and hopefully Lincoln will be less worried the next time.

He is pretty stinkin' cute if he is worried.

My favorite with a glimpse of a smile.

But I shouldn't expect too much from picture taking since he is Shane's son...if you know Shane then you know what I mean!

School Christmas Party Eve

This is my last week on maternity leave (insert tears!) I was supposed to go back after Thanksgiving Break but with Lincoln in the NICU for the first half of my maternity leave I chose to take an additional 3 weeks to keep my out until after Christmas Break. I am very thankful that I chose to take the few extra weeks but I have missed a few things from being out so long. One thing I have majorly missed has been my 3rd grade team. These third ladies have made a great impact on my teaching careers, not sure I could have made it this far without them. We are not just a group of teachers that got randomly selected to teach together but we are friends. We share our exciting news from home and grieve when one of us is hurting. These ladies have let me "forget" about my kiddos (really you never forget about your students when you are a teacher that is whole other stories) and let me focus on Lincoln. They have "fought" off parents, encouraged my kiddos, disciplined my kiddos (many of them needed this), helped teach my lesson plans that I put together when I was 9 months pregnant and losing my mind, and pretty much keep the fire going at school when I was learning to be a new mom. I could not have made it the last few months without these ladies and their continuing words of encouragement, tears of sadness in the beginning, and cheers of joy when I brought my boy home. I miss my daily hall chats, venting at lunch, and working together to get "that one kid" to get it. I have made some wonderful friends at FBE that I have truly missed.
That being said, I am not real happy about returning to work but I will save that sob post for later. But I will be missing out on one "fun" day tomorrow....Holiday Party!
If you are not a teacher or never stepped foot in a classroom on a party day since you were 8, then you will never understand the sigh of relief that is heard after the final bell rings on the last day of school. Class parties are fun but they are exhausting for the teacher. 18 kids high on sugar and excitement contained in a small classroom filled with cupcakes, cookies, cokes, and candy with one tired adult is not a party in my book. But teachers put on a happy face and dream of 3:10 (our final bell time) and dance in the hallway in all the kids have rushed out of school. So if you are a parent of an elementary child, be kind to the teacher and maybe get a Starbucks card on the way to pick up your kid tomorrow and PLEASE be on time!

Back to my wonderful team at FBE, we held our own potluck Christmas party last weekend. We had a wonderful meal of Italian food and played washers while the children scurried about. It was a great time to spend with my teacher friends.

Best picture of the whole night....pretty exciting game of washers!
The 3rd grade team

And with our "add on".....since 3rd grade seems to be the place where all the pregnant ladies seem to teach we have an extra, Ms. Phillips who is our long-term sub and has been dealing with my class. I am thankful that she keeps coming back!

So for all you teachers out there, I will praying for your sanity tomorrow. You can make it ONE more day!

Shane is the BIG 28!

Our weekend was filled with festivities, Christmas party and birthday celebrations! I will start with Shane's birthday. Shane could care less about his birthday (and pretty much everyone's) but he married me and I love all types of parties, especially birthdays. (I always tell him it is better to celebrate your birthday because if you aren't having birthdays then you are no longer with us on Earth....I would be much happier to celebrate!)

So for Shane's birthday, he got presents, had cherry cobbler, ate his favorite meals, and got lots of lovin' from his baby boy! It has been a great day for him!

My two boys before Shane left for work (I think your birthday should be a paid holiday from work). Lincoln got Shane a mug that says "My Dad Rocks!"....he loves it! (Can't you tell the excitement on his face!)

I realized I haven't posted in awhile about Lincoln's progress so I thought I would update any readers. Lincoln is an eating machine! His last swallow test (the week before Thanksgiving) shows that he could start drinking nectar and a half rather than honey in a half. This is a big improvement and Lincoln has done great with it so far. He is eating 4 1/2 to 5 oz each feeding (and I think would take more at some). He has been to the development specialist once and she thinks he is doing great but still a little small and a little weak with his neck muscles. Lincoln now weighs 9 lbs and 15 oz (probably 10 lbs now!) and the pediatrician is happy with his weight gain. Lincoln is still going to Vitalstim 3 times a week and will continue until end of January. Since he had a great result from his last swallow test, the doctors believe that the Vitalstim is helping him improve so we are doing another 6 weeks of it. It gets a little tiring going back 3 times a week to the hospital for therapy but if it is working then it is worth it. In all other aspects Lincoln is a happy boy. He is sleeping great at night and better during the day. He is still having reflux issues but we are trying out different doses of 2 medications so hopefully we can find something that works. So that is where we stand with Lincoln.

Sweet smiling boy!
Yet another Christmas outfit. Lincoln has not worn any non-holiday outfit since the day after Thanksgiving. (His socks have reindeers on them with a red ball for the nose....pretty stinkin' cute!)

Anniversary celebration

Our 1 year anniversary was not I envisioned when we got married. I wanted a romantic get-away weekend somewhere not in Dallas but our little surprise baby gave us different plans (in so many ways!)
Saturday we went to Canton with my mom, my dad graciously kept Lincoln (I think my dad is thankful to have an excuse to not go to Canton anymore!) Canton was cold but I have been there when it was colder so it was not as busy as it usually is. I got a couple Christmas charms to wear, a pair of shoes for Lincoln, and 2 Christmas outfits for Lincoln (one for this year and one for next). It was a fun day!
Saturday night my parents kept Lincoln overnight (yes new moms, it can be done!) and Shane and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian restaurant that Shane loves and I get excited about the desserts. After dinner, we stayed at The Renaissance hotel in Dallas. It was great to sleep in and not have to get up at 4am to check on a cranky boy!
Sunday morning/ afternoon was spent Christmas shopping for Lincoln since he had nothing under the tree. But really what does a 9 week old boy need.....I didn't think Simply Thick and formula was an exciting gift! Most of his presents are for a little down the road in a few months. So that was our anniversary weekend, relaxing and spent together! We are already planning our 5th anniversary....New York!

One year later and still smiling
Trying out the wedding cake that was frozen for a year...it actually wasn't that bad

Plus we got to celebrate with this little dude!

The Littlest Elf

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

The sights of Christmas can be seen from our house (or as my mom has been known to say, "Christmas has thrown-up in the house", sounds more like it would come from my dad!)

If you know me AT ALL, then you know that I am in heaven this time of year. I love everything about the season, even the "crowdiness" (sp?). Lincoln seems to be enjoying it as well, he loves to look at all the lights on the tree. Here is proof that we are enjoying Christmas at the Nimz household.

The weather has changed to winter....I am not sure if Lincoln is a fan of this part of the season.
The stockings are not hung with care yet, Lincoln's is still getting made by Nena but will be ready soon!

The tree has been trimmed (with some presents wrapped!)

A close-up of a new ornament I got this year, mostly all my ornaments are red, silver and white. I am still searching for the perfect ornament for Lincoln this year.

And best of all.....my little elf! Lincoln has many Christmas outfits that he is ready to show off so be checking back for more photos!

Hope you are enjoying this season!

One year ago....

One year ago today, I was......



spending the last few hours with my fiance and our family and friends.

getting pedicures with my closest girls (best pedicure ever because Phoebe was having her first pedicure and was in awe of the whole situation!)

getting ready for the best day of my life. (Probably my all-time favorite picture of Phoebe in all her "bed head" hair!)

practicing how the best day of my life would look!

The last few days leading up to our wedding was filled with fun with my family and friends.

Stay tuned tomorrow for walking down memory lane of the wedding!

December 6, 2008

This time last year I was having the wedding I always dreamed of. I wanted a wedding that involved my family and friends with fun to be had by all and memories to be made. I think I had all I wanted in that day. Here a few pictures to remember from our day...there are so many more pictures I wanted to post but it would take too much time!

Shane-

This year has a journey for us. We have had ups and downs on this road and I can't think of anyone else I would have rather taken this journey with. Thank you for supporting, making me laugh, encouraging, and most of all loving me the way you do. I can't wait to see where live takes us next!

Love ya-

Your wifey! XOXO

Blood work results

We heard back from the doctor (he called himself, I was impressed!) and everything looked normal. His blood cell counts were normal and he is not anemic. The doctor thinks it might be a swollen lymph node but since Lincoln has little fat on his body then it is pretty noticeable. We need to watch the one on his neck to make sure it is not growing and check his body for any more that develop. If they seem to be getting larger or develop more then we will be sent to a specialist to have a biopsy.

Thanks for all the prayers and encouraging words. Lincoln is still pretty cranky today and just wants to sleep so I am hoping he is back to his normal self again tomorrow! But who can blame him for wanting to sleep on this cold, rainy day!

2 months old

I can't believe 2 months have already gone by (actually it was 2 months yesterday but we were busy unpacking). We went to his 2 month checkup today. Lincoln weighs 9 lbs 8 oz (15th percentile) and he is 22 1/2 inches (25th percentile). Lincoln's developmental specialist was worried about his weight since he is pretty small but the pediatrician is not too worried but we are going to start fortifying his formula to "beef" him up a bit. I think Lincoln is just always going to be small, his cousins Eli and Phoebe were the same way with their weight so we just have small babies apparently.
Over Thanksgiving, my MIL pointed out a knot on his Lincoln's neck that I had not noticed before so I asked my pedi about it. He looked at it and said it was a swollen lymph node and found a few more in his groin area. He decided to do blood work so any major infections could be ruled out. We will have the results sometime tomorrow. I am a little freaked out by it but I am trying my hardest not to think of the worst, even though I made the doctor tell me all the outcomes (bad and worst) that the blood work could tell. Hopefully it is some minor infection that he caught along the way and be cured with antibiotics. So with blood taken and 3 shots for immunizations, Lincoln has had a ROUGH afternoon. All he does when he is awake is cry this pitiful cry, so he is only awake long enough to take Tylenol and eat then back to bed!

Here are some 2 month pictures I took before his appointment today.

"Seriously Mom, what is that thing that keeps flashing at me?!"

Stuff I want to remember about Lincoln at this age:

• Lincoln is sleeping from 10-6 at night without waking up but we are hoping it gets better soon. He doesn't take a long nap usually during the day (short 30-45 naps) so we are working on getting a better schedule. His acid reflux could be part of this also, which we are working on as well.
• Lincoln is eating like a champ. He is on nectar and a half and can finish a bottle in 15-30 minutes. If Lincoln wakes up and his bottle is not ready when he is, then he is a little drama queen and lets you know that he is hungry!
• Lincoln is very curious about what is going on around him. He is pretty much always looking around and is losing the concerned look each day.
• Lincoln LOVES to look at ceiling fans. He can spot one in a room and will stare at it for the longest time. He will also smile and "talk" to the fan....a little strange.
• Lincoln is smiling more and more. I can usually get a smile if I sing or if he just woke up before he is hungry.
• Lincoln is focusing very well on faces and follows you around the room.
• Lincoln is getting more and more vocal. He will moan and groan if he is not happy with something and will "coo" at his toys hanging from his playmat. He still loves to look at his mirror. He tolerates tummy time much better now but is still not a fan of it.
• Lincoln had first road trip this November. He did great driving to KS.

Overall Lincoln is a pretty easy baby. He is figuring out the crying thing but once his needs are met then he is content.

Can't wait for all the firsts he will have this month....first time to meet his cousins, Eli and Phoebe and first Xmas!

Thanksgiving Kansas-style

This year we had Nimz Thanksgiving (my family switches the holidays every year which is a great plan because we always know where we are going!) This was Lincoln's first road trip and he did great for the 7 hour car ride. He slept most of the way except to eat once in Gunthrie, OK but once we got to Sandy and Kevin's (at 3 am) he was wide AWAKE all night. Oh well, Shane and I got to sleep the next night.



Lincoln got loads of attention with lots of cuddling. I think he is going through withdrawals now that we are back at home and not holding him 24/7!



Miss Em got to hold Lincoln first thing in the morning....check out her morning hair, very cute!

Great Grandma Bostick meets her newest grandson

Aunt Shannon and Uncle Dustin got in their time with him

Another of Em and Lincoln....holding Lincoln was a bride we used to get her to shower or take her medicine...seemed to work!

The Nimz men

We had a mini photo shoot with the family by the pond. I had wanted to take Shane and I's Christmas card picture but I am not too pleased with what I got. We also took a few whole family pictures, which I think turned out better.

The whole crew at Thanksgiving

Grandma Bostick with a few of her grandchildren

My little turkey

Happy Boy!

We played Chickenfoot one night and Lincoln was talking and laughing with Aunt Pam....it was pretty cute!

On Friday, we ventured out to Wakeneey, KS to visit the other set of great grandparents (Kevin's parents). Grandma Nimz was pretty smitten by Lincoln and I think he felt the same way about her.

4 generations of Nimz....Lincoln can get a glimpse to what he will look like in the years to come!

On our way home, we stopped in Wichita to see Dustin and Shannon's new house and got to visit with Todd (one of Shane's college buddies) and his wife Kim. (Sorry Kim no pictures with you...guess you guys will need to come to TX!)

Well that was our Thanksgiving, pretty relaxing with lots of family. Lincoln did great with the change and now we are getting back to "normal".