Happy First Birthday, Lincoln

​And it's here. Our guy is officially one! Since the day Lincoln graced us with his presence, he's been a happy-go-lucky child. And since he could flash that golden smile he's been quite the charmer. He can be rather "spirited" as well, but I'll let him slide since he's mostly easy-going. Lincoln is such a little cuddler and has the most contagious laugh; what a blessing he has been to our family. ​

​I love this age because he's constantly learning and it's so fun to watch him make new connections. Lincoln loves to smack his lips together to make a fish noise, and when I do it back he giggles like crazy. He's certainly mastered walking and is trying to run now. He's also drooling a ton as he's cutting his fifth tooth. And although playing with Addie means lots of screaming (from both parties as they learn to share), Lincoln loves to tumble around with her and play "chase." At twelve months, he says Mama, Dada, banana (of all things!), Wilma, book, and bear. 

As far as his routine, he still wakes up between 6 and 7 in the morning. I nurse him and then we have breakfast together. He naps around 9 and 2 and then goes down for the night between 6 and 7. I'm trying to wean him from breastfeeding, but he's not quite ready. I tried to drop his morning nursing session this past week and he went absolutely ballistic when I offered him breastmilk in a sippy cup, so I put that one back in for now. I tried to stop the afternoon feeding last week and he started biting my chest when he'd walk up to me, so I'm just trying to slowly push that one back instead. Hopefully within the next month, he'll be more ready to wean. 
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Allergic reaction after lasagna (wheat & dairy)

​The last thing we had to do once Lincoln turned one was to attend a couple doctor appointments. At his G.I. appointment, I shared this picture of him breaking out in a severe facial rash after being reintroduced to wheat. We started giving him dairy a month prior and he still reacted, but just in tiny red dots around his mouth. This rash occurred the second he began to eat. The doc and nutritionist agreed that he does have a dairy and wheat allergy, but that it's best to keep both allergens in his diet to desensitize him, since he doesn't appear to be negatively affected, other than a rash. He still needs to be on Miralax to help his constipation, but there were no real concerns. Lincoln weighs 20 pounds and is in the 43rd percentile for his weight; his height currently puts him in the 73rd percentile. 

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​Over the last year, I've been composing a video of all of Lincoln's highlights. The final film certainly shows what a joyous baby God has blessed us with. I pray he continues to be a such a luminous light to this world. I think he's off to an exceptional start in living out the life verse we chose for him: "Let you light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Without further ado, here's a look back at the first year of Lincoln James.

For his birthday party, we had our immediate family members over for pasta (his favorite), and ice cream cupcakes. He loooved the ice cream and made a nice mess of it =). 
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​The day before Lincoln's birthday I made a simple cake for him to smash so I could grab some cute one year photos. This kid must not have inherited my sweet tooth because he was NOT interested in the cake; meanwhile, I could finish a whole cake by myself. He put a finger in the cake for a moment, tasted, and then was ready to go swing. I eventually smashed my hand in the cake thinking he'd want to delve in, but not the case. We kept having to pick him up and bring him back to the cake so I could snap a picture here and there. In order to get him to sit for longer than a second, I finally sprinkled blueberries on the top--bingo. After a few moments of him eating blueberries in front of the cake, I gave up and let him explore. What kid doesn't want to eat his very own cake?!?!

Tonight, as I was reflecting on Lincoln's life and praising God for this child, I recalled the fear I felt when he was two months old and his doctor said he might have a spinal problem. Even though his ultrasound showed that everything was clear, Lincoln's doctor said we would need to monitor him around the time that he should be walking to see if he has trouble. Glory to God, Lincoln was an early walker and is even running by age one! Thank you to those who prayed for our guy's health!

We're looking forward to all the fun, growth, and smiles that Lincoln's next year brings! Thank you, God, for a healthy, happy child that truly is a light in our lives. And so begins his second year...