Good times

Where have I been, you ask? The answer is Facebook. Yes, I finally sold out and decided to join it despite my long boycott. I figured since we decided to move across the country again, I'd better join it to stay in touch with my lovely friends from Florida, whom I miss dearly. Since I haven't blogged in forever, I'll sum up the last few months with pictures. (That's all you really want anyway)

May 29, 2011: Elliott graduated from optometry school!! Yahoo!!! Check out his funny looking outfit and hat! He wore it with pride, though. So proud of my lil' doctor!

End of June: Made a trip up to Boise to see Annie and her family. She showed us around some cool spots in Idaho and we took her girls on a quick little hike. Elliott had the honors of carrying Ellie in the backpack, which is no small feat. That cute lil' girl has some serious chunk. On the downhill, Elliott said, "Oh man, my quads are going to be sore!" As if on cue, Ellie started LAUGHING! As in "Mu-ha-hahahahaha!" Love it!

All the kiddos in the swings with Annie doing some awesome under-dog action!
Lil' Lincoln holding on for dear life....
We also made a pit stop in Salt Lake and hung out with our good ol' buddies the Schumers. We went to Temple Square and acted like tourists. It was great fun.
For the Fourth of July, we met up with the Schumers in their hometowns of Farr West and Plain City. The Folsoms joined in on the fun, too. It was great to be with our friends again! (I think Elliott really wants to be tall like his friends, don't you?)
Mallory and Micah....love these girls!
And Lincoln got his second haircut, and this time I decided he needed to have a hairdo. He is totally rockin the faux hawk, if I do say so myself.
Lincoln will be 10 months in a couple days! Holy cow! Some of his new things:

~says "dada" and "mama", but I'm not so sure he really knows what he's saying

~says "yeah" at appropriate times, all the time, so I'm counting this as his first word

~crawls around like a mad man, but mostly still an army crawl

~climbs up to be sitting on his knees (every time I get him from his crib, he's holding onto the bars like he's in jail while on his knees...so cute!)

~loves books, especially the new touchy feely Usborne books I got him

~drinks from a straw now

~eats Puffs like a Puffamaniac

~gives kisses

~waves

~lights up anytime he sees his cousins...or his Aunt Jamie!

~plays catch

~knows that he can't get Tinkerbelle's toys, but goes for them every day

~likes to play with his cars

~loves to feed himself

I don't know his stats because we haven't been to a check up for a while. The last doctors appointment was at the end of May, and he weighed in at 17lbs 14 ounces, so I'm guessing he's like 19 pounds by now. I should do an unofficial measurement, I suppose! Anyway, he's stinking cute and I can't believe how fast he is growing up!

Lincoln's First Haircut

Our little man's hair was getting pretty shaggy around the ears and back of his head, so we decided it was time for a haircut. Plus, he had a photo shoot today, so he needed to look his best! He was so good for the haircut. Our friend Cami did it, and he was just lovin watching her do her thing. He also really liked the cute cape she had for him; he kept trying to eat it. Now he's all trimmed up and lookin' good!

Before:

During:

After:

Lincoln is 7 months

Here are the little man's 7 month stats:

Height: 26 inches (25%)

Weight: 17 lbs 4 ounces (25%)

Head circumference: 17 inches (10%)

Likes:

~prunes (who knew? I hate prunes)

~mangoes

~Squeals of delight when he sees Tinkerbelle every morning

~his new highchair

~to exercise his vocal cords with lots of playful screams

~his classic shape sorter toy

Dislikes:

~avocados

~being dunked in the pool (have to get him used to it, right?)

~playing on his own for too long (he used to love it, what happened??)

~when I try to prevent him from sucking his thumb while eating

~waiting for his food to warm up

Lincoln is all packed up and ready to move to St. George! (Our big move is coming up quick!)
Here is the aforementioned new highchair, along with the aforementioned prunes...that are all over...thanks to the thumb sucking that I try to prevent...I am obviously not so successful in my attempts...
This is Lincoln's first Easter egg. Yes, this is pretty much the only picture I have of his first Easter. Poor kid isn't going to have many pictures, and he's my first!

Lincoln is 6 months!

I just can't believe how fast the last 6 months have flown by! I know every mom says that, but seriously! Lincoln is just growing like a little weed. He is in such a cute stage right now - he is excited to see anything new, he laughs all the time, and is discovering food. I just love him to pieces! Here are his stats and some pictures to enjoy! Oh, and he had the CT scan on his head, and everything is just fine...he'll just have a small head like me.

Height: 25.5 inches (25%)

Weight: 16 lbs 4 ounces (50%)

Head circumference: 16.25 inches (<10%)

Likes:

~Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, and MORE SWEET POTATOES

~Rice in his milk at night (we call it his horchata)

~Bouncing on your knee

~Swimming

~Singing songs

~Walks

~Sippy cup

~Naps (not so happy at all without them or with too short of one)

Dislikes:

~Bananas

~Pears

~Apples

~Staying at home all day (he must get out, or else...)

"Mmm...mom, I love me some sweet potatoes! I don't want anything else, ok? Just sweet potatoes."
"Mom, I don't take a paci because I prefer my thumb, but it is a fun toy to hold!"
"Mom, you dress me so cool." :)
"I love the beach. It makes me smile. Let's go to the beach all the time, ok? But, can I PLEASE get a towel without flowers? I'm a boy, mom!"
I was trying to catch his cute smile, but it is much harder to do than you'd think! I promise he smiles all the time. I just can't seem to get it on camera much.
So, Lincoln is one of the MESSIEST eaters I have ever seen. He thinks he needs to suck his thumb to get the food down. So after every bite, he sticks in his thumb and sucks it down. But of course, some pops out his mouth every time and it goes everywhere. I am trying to teach him "hands down" and he'll put them down long enough for me to get a bite in, but then it just starts all over again.
I can't resist those baby blue eyes! So adorable!

The Boys

Three of my friends also had baby boys around the same time Lincoln was born. It has been fun getting together with them and seeing how each one has grown differently. First came Benson, then two weeks later Lincoln came, one week later came Bradley, and then 4 weeks later came Reese.

This is when Lincoln was just over two months:

(Benson, Lincoln, Bradley, Reese)

Now Lincoln is just over 5 months:

(Lincoln, Bradley, Benson, Reese)

(Lincoln decided it was a good place to try to nap)

And just because he is so stinkin cute, here is one more of my little one:

Lincoln is 5 months!

I can't believe my little guy is already 5 months old! Where does the time go? Here are his 5 month stats:

Height: 24.5 inches (20th percentile)

Weight: 15 lbs 4 ounces (50th percentile)

Head circumference: 15.5 inches (less than 10th percentile)

They are worried about his head because it didn't grow in a month and a half. He needs to get a CT scan to make sure that his skull bones aren't fusing yet. The neurologist didn't seem too worried, so I am feeling better about it. He isn't showing any of the typical other signs that something is wrong; he just has a small head. I have a small head too, though, so hopefully it isn't anything. I am trying to not freak out.

Likes:

~stuffed animals (especially Tigger)

~being naked (he thinks it is hilarious)

~rice in his bottle (sucks it down like no other)

~being outside (he loved the beach)

~his play mat (has loved it since he got it months ago)

~the bath

~being tickled

~Tinkerbelle

~chewing on fabrics

Dislikes:

~having a dirty diaper for more than 2 seconds

~when I take away the boob or bottle too soon

~the vacuum

~being hot

~going a minute past feeding time

Here are some pics of the little man!

(First pool day...not too happy at first)

(First attempt at rice cereal on a spoon. The second time was much better)
(Livin a Bumbo life)
(So happy to be blessed!)
(Lovin the beach!)

Lincoln William Snyder

Better late than never, right? Lincoln arrived on September 29, 2010 at 12:15 p.m. via emergency C-section. It was a wild ride, let me tell you. I went in for a normal, routine check up at 36 weeks. My urine test the week before had been abnormal, but I wasn't showing any of the signs of a bladder infection, so my doctor didn't think much of it. This time my urine test was again abnormal, and again I wasn't having any bladder infection symptoms. So that was odd. Then my blood pressure was elevated, and it has never been elevated. My doctor decided to have me walk over to the hospital labor and delivery department for testing. They took my blood and several urine samples. They monitored me for contractions and took my blood pressure every 10 minutes. No one was telling me much, and my doctor hadn't seemed too worried...he just wanted some tests, right? Then they had me do an ultrasound and Lincoln was doing great, but he was in the breech position. (Not a good thing for someone planning a totally natural, drug-free delivery). After the ultrasound, I thought they'd let me leave (I didn't have Elliott come at this point because I was just going to do tests). That was not the case though. I soon found out that I would not be leaving that night because my liver enzymes were elevated and my blood platelet levels were dropping. They wanted to keep me overnight for yet more TESTS. Then early in the morning on the 29th, my doctor called me to tell me I had Hellp Syndrome and that he had to deliver the baby as soon as possible for both my own health and for the baby's health. Hellp Syndrome would eventually cause liver failure for me and would prevent me from being able to coagulate blood. With my rapidly decreasing platelet levels, Lincoln would have lost blood supply to the placenta. I was in a state of shock, needless to say. I wasn't expecting to have a baby for another month and we had nothing at the hospital since I thought was there for TESTS. By 11:00, I was being prepped for surgery and was taken to the operating room. I was not prepared mentally for that experience! I was planning a very natural childbirth and really didn't want an epidural. Three tries later, the epidural was in (ouch!) and my reaction: violently shaking on the table. I was crying when Elliott was finally let in. The worst part was hearing my doctor ask for the scalpel! After much tugging and pulling, they said "Ok dad, time to get the camera!" Uh...what camera?...we didn't even have that because who needs a camera for TESTS? Then I heard the most beautiful scream I have ever heard from my little baby. My tears quickly turned to tears of joy and I couldn't wait to see him. I got to see him for like one minute while they tried to nurse him and then he & Elliott were taken away to the nursery and I was sent to recovery. I was in recovery for like 5 hours and I was finally insisting that I go see my baby (he needed to eat!). I finally got to go to my room and Elliott and baby Lincoln were there waiting for me. I was a mom. Finally. Oh what joy! It is the greatest feeling in the world and we are so happy to have him!