Happy 9 Months, Lincoln

​Another month has passed and our little guy is NINE months old now. He's made a lot of advancements in the last few weeks, keeping us busier than ever. He continues to be the sweetest, most content child. Lincoln makes my job as a mother of two pretty easy (and then there's his sister...). 

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On the development front, Lincoln has learned how to pull up and now he spends most of the day standing.  He can stand by himself for about ten seconds, but has not made an attempt to walk unaided (thankfully!). Right now, he likes to walk along furniture and from one piece to the next. Of course, a pretty decent fall usually follows a standing spree. In the last couple days, however, he's mastered the slow sit, or plop, earning himself a few less bruises. Below is a video of Lincoln pulling himself up...and then falling =). 

About the same time that Lincoln learned to pull up, he discovered doors and cabinets--ugh! Luckily, we've only had a couple finger smashes thus far, but the boy likes to explore! I added a lock to our DVD cabinet, but he has access to every other drawer in the house as of now; we'll see how long that lasts. 

The beginnings of cabinet exploration

Then came crawling. He began by kind of dragging one leg bent behind him while the other moved forward, but now he's got the full on crawl down pat. He moves quick! Gone are the days when I can (safely) leave the room for a couple moments. If I leave without him in tow, it's anyone's guess where I'll find him and what he'll be doing, or more appropriately, eating. Last night I left him in the living room for a couple seconds to answer the door and when I walked back he was nowhere in sight, but I did hear a tink-tink sound. I found him behind the couch dancing on our floor lamp. Here's a clip of Lincoln's pre-perfected crawl. 

Neither of our kids have been too cuddly as older babies, desiring to be part of the action instead. However, I've had a couple sweet snuggles with Lincoln when he can't get himself to sleep (we're in the process of dropping his third nap). If he can't fall asleep, I place him on my chest to rest for a little bit. I'm so in love with the moments that he's collapsed in contentment on my chest--heaven.  He's also started to really reach if he wants to be held. I'm always so happy to see his tiny, chubby arms calling for me. I certainly don't want to encourage a need for solely mommy,  but it does feel nice to be wanted =). 

On the sibling side of things, I'm flat out exasperated! Adeline can be exceptionally kind and thoughtful, singing to Lincoln when he cries, playing peek-a-boo to entertain him, even sticking up for him when another kid tries to take a toy from him. She loves to greet him when he wakes from a nap and she likes to tickle and hug him throughout the day. I try to remind myself of the above blessings, because the remainder of the day goes a little differently.  

Now that Lincoln can actually play with toys, her toys, she is none too pleased. She yanks toys away from him and throws tantrums the second he approaches a toy. When she takes a toy unannounced, Lincoln cries hysterically. The hardest part, though, is when she deliberately pulls his hands out from under him when he' supporting himself on the couch or crawling, ending up with Lincoln falling on his face, in tears, scraped and bruised at times. My heart aches for our little, innocent boy. 

Adeline has a truly competitive nature, a double dose she's received from her father and me, that I have to learn how to guide, redirect, and curb. The last few nights I've literally prayed over her while she sleeps, asking God to break her strong will, but not her strong spirit. I pray she can learn to honor and obey her parents and that she learns to be more loving towards and understanding of Lincoln. And yet, she's only two; I have to remember this fact. I'm SO open to hearing any advice you may have on teaching a toddler to be sweet to his or her younger sibling! Send it my way!!!

Back to Lincoln, he finally had a G.I. appointment in August. The doctor and nutritionist both agree that he suffers from food allergies and that is very likely the primary cause for his chronic constipation, just like Adeline. The G.I. prescribed Lactulose to help him have consistent, soft bowel movements. Prior to the medication, Lincoln would go two weeks without pooping and then endure anal fissures when he did finally go--poor guy! After one month on the medication, his tummy issues have improved and he will continue with follow up appointments in the future. Hopefully his food allergies will resolve themselves around one year. 

As for his schedule, Lincoln wakes up in the morning around 5 or 6, nurses, and then falls back to sleep for another hour or two. He typically naps twice a day and his naps last anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. I nurse him every four hours and then he has breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the table with the rest of us. We give him a bath each evening, followed by books with Adeline, and then he's down for the night between 6:30 and 7:30. He typically sleeps through the night, but sometimes wakes once to nurse. Overall, he's doing well and is an exceptionally happy baby. We're so thankful to God for the blessing that Lincoln has brought to our family. 

Here are some more images documenting his adorable expressions at nine months.