6 months old

Well Lincoln is going to be turning 6 months old in a few days and he has grown up so much.What has Lincoln been up to...? Well here is the list:

-Eating Oatmeal Banana cereal like a champ

-Eating veggie mixes

-Sucking on Apple slices (mama holds them tight, but it feels good on his gums)

-He is pulling himself up all the time. Anytime he get a hold on something he trys to sit or stand up.

-He is actually rolling now every time he is on his tummy.

-His bottom two teeth cut through the skin today!!! Both teeth at one time, poor guy.

-He is a laughing machine and loves to play with daddy who can always get a giggle out of him.

-He hates it when mom leaves the room.

-Stops crying the second I start walking toward him. haha

-He still wakes a couple times in the middle of the night to spend time with mom. He misses me ;)

All around Lincoln is doing really well. He is growing like a weed and changing so much every day. I can't believe its been 6 whole months. They have been some of the very best months of my life. I melt at every smile and hug from my little guy. Every cry, lost hour of sleep, every stretch mark and extra pound is totally worth it. Lincoln is the best thing that has ever happened to us. We are so blessed to have such a miracle in our lives.

Lincoln mommy and daddy love you more than anything. Thanks for being our little man. <3

New Beginnings...

Blog gap once again, so sorry.

Update on Lincoln's nose:
We went back to the doctor on Monday the 15th and Dr. Mary sent us over to a Plastic surgeon to look at Lincolns nose. Dr. Wennen said that he needed to stitch it up and since there was no way to hold Lincoln still enough for the procedure they would need to put him under anesthesia to do it. So we stayed the night in town that night and early the next morning went over to the hospital for Lincoln to get his nose fixed. He couldn't eat anything for 4 hours before the surgery and usually eats every 2 hrs so he was pretty grump. They put a thing on his toe, we put him in the hospital gown and then they took him from me. :( The anesthesiologist said they probably wouldn't need an IV for the meds because it would be really quick but it took longer than they thought so they used an IV in his foot. Dr. Wennen cut off the edge of the nose that was hanging off to smooth it out and reattached it to his nose with 4 stitches. From the time they took him from me to when I got him back was about an hour. He woke up from the meds super super mad. I could here him coming a long ways away. (they said all kids wake up mad because their brains aren't developed enough to understand what is going on and why they are feeling so weird.) Anyways so as soon as they gave him to me I fed him and he ate a lot (thank goodness my boobs were about to explode). He threw up once , like they said he probably would from the meds, and once we left the hospital and he was in the car he slept the rest of the day.
He had to wear these arms deals so he couldn't touch his nose and injure it while it was healing. That was a long 2 1/2 weeks.
So now his nose is pretty much healed. it still pink and you can see where the stitches were and it has kinda puckered up in some spots but his its way better how it is now so we are happy with it.

More new, Brian and I have move to Anchorage! Brian started attending University of Alaska Anchorage on Monday Aug. 29th in the Aviation Program to become a Professional Pilot. We are so excited! He absolutely loves to fly and now he will be pursuing the dream of becoming a Professional Pilot. We are still moving into our place but we love it. We have running water we can drink and a bath tub to bathe Lincoln in and its just awesome. Its a 1200sq 2 bedroom apartment in a four plex. It has bran-new carpet too!!! I am so loving that! Anyways I will post pictures soon of the place.

Lincoln update:
He turned 5 months old yesterday on Aug. 31st. We picked up the high chair Brian's grandparents gave us for our Baby Shower ages ago and Lincoln had his first experience with Rice Cereal and he loved it! He was grabbing my hand to shove the food in his mouth! I am so excited for him and so happy I didn't have to fight him on it one bit. :)

Ashley's News:
I have lost all my baby weight plus 12lbs and I just bought a pair of pants 2 sizes smaller than the size I have been for the last 8 years! I don't really know how I am doing it. My whole life I was super active and was never able to lose weight. Now that I am not active I try and watch what I eat as far as portion sizes and I try to cut out some sugar and fatty foods like breads. Yes, I Ashley have been cutting out some breads. Mostly just white bread and I figure if its wheat I can eat however much I want. :) So the only thing I think is really helping me is my little man. He is a big eater so my body has to turn all the food I eat into food for him. I am not complaining at all. Its using energy and the food I eat so my body is doing me a double service. Thank you little man. ;)

First Fall at 4 months

Well on Monday August 8th Lincoln took hi first fall :(

I was cleaning and he was hungry and tired but I was almost done so I put him down in the middle of the bed for one or two minutes. I was right next to the bed the whole time and I was about to go pick him up and right then I heard a thud.

He rolled off the bed.

I ran over to him and picked him up and found his mouth full of blood from a cut of his lip and from part chunk of his nose cut open. It wasn't good. I just kept saying "Mommy's sorry, Mommy's sorry, I'm so sorry." and yes I cried. In that moment all I could think about is how I wished there was a way I could go back in time and make the decision to stop the cleaning and take care of my baby boy who is way more important then having a vacuumed floor. It was awful to say the least.

So today, august 11th Daddy and Mommy flew little Lincoln in to the doctors for his 4 month check up and so they culd look at his nose. Right away Doctor Mary said it didn't look good and probably had a staff infection. (I tried keeping it clean with neosporin on it but little man likes to shove toys in his face and rub his face against his blanket when going to sleep so its quit hard.) So Dr. Mary cleaned it up good and took a culture of it and sent us home with two prescriptions for it. Other than meds there isn't much we can do. She said he will definitely have a scar but hopefully it will heal quickly.


I feel so so bad. Lincoln hardly ever if at all rolls so I wasn't worried about putting him in the middle of the bed for just a min. or two. Guess I was wrong. From now on he only gets left on the floor or in his crib. ** Note, when I put Lincoln on his tummy on the floor he still doesn't love it and hardly ever rolls over (hence why I thought it was ok to leave him in the center of the bed for a min). He likes to play with his toys for a little bit but then get frustrated and just starts chewing on his hands. Hopefully tummy time will become more enjoyable soon :)

Lincoln is doing pretty good though. At his 4 month check up today his stats were:

Weight: 15lbs 15oz 65%

Height: 25 1/4 " 70%

Head: 30%

He's is a growing boy. He drools like crazy, loves to blow bubbles and loves to put anything and everything in his mouth. He has kinda learned to jump. It's so cute. One of my very favorite things he has started doing since he turned 4 months is rubbing his eyes. It's so adorable to see him rub his eyes when he is tired. I just love it!

I love watching him learn and discover new things all the time. He is doing so good and is just the light of my life.

Lincoln, Mommy and Daddy love you so much! You are such a blessing in our life and we are so happy to know we get to be with you for all eternity! Thanks for being our little boy.

Mommy's favorite things...

Things mommy loves about Lincoln at 4 months old.

I love how you smile and stick your tongue out at the same time

I love how your dimple on your right cheek is so much deeper than the one on your left.

I love that you're starting to laugh....like really laugh.

I love that you know your mom and dad and when you see your dad walk by you just start smiling.

You love mirrors and its fun to watch you laugh at yourself.

I love that when I pick you up from your crib when you wake up your butt is all pushed out with your back arched from stretching.

I love that when you're done eating you will just look up at me and start talking to me.

I love that you love your diaper being changed and usually start laughing when I take your diaper off. The other night you were laughing really hard while I was wiping your bum. Mom and dad were laugh at you.

I love the shy smiles you get some times.

I love your little snake tongue.

I love how expressive your eyes and eyebrows are.

I love that you have huge hands, feet and ears (just so you know little man all those qualities come from your fathers side of the family so you can blame him when you are older)

I think its funny and frustrating how picky of an eater you are already at this age.

I love how when you're eating and there is a noise you will stop and raise your eyebrows and look around for what was going on.

You're not great at rolling over yet but you can do it. I just think you forget how to because you get mad when you're on your tummy for too long.

I love that you love to stand up. Ever since you were 2 months old that is all you want to do. You have gotten better at being ok when you sit and lay down though.

You are obsessed with eating your hands. I am pretty sure you think they will make everything better even though they haven't given you any food yet.

You really love to grab at faces now. Every time you are close to any ones face you put both hands out and lean toward them trying to grab at any part you can get your hands on.

Today you were sitting with Aunt Megan and she was sitting a little in front of mom and you kept turning around just to stare at me. It was so fun to watch you smile and stare at me and that you took so much effort to turn around just to do so.

I think its funny how much time you spend under the table in the kitchen. You love your exersaucer and we put you in it to play but there isn't much room so most of the time you are half way under the table, but you can still see us so you are ok.

You hate bath time. You have screamed during every bath except three or so since you were born. Hopefully some day you will like them.

I love your many cute smiles and laughs. Dad and I are pretty sure you are the cutest little man that has ever been born.

Your dad loves to rub your head. He loves that you are bald and thinks that you should stay that way forever. Mom tries to stop him from rubbing any existing hair that you might have off so you aren't completely bald.

Mommy and Daddy love you so much. You have changed their life forever but you have changed it for the better. You are our whole world and we are so blessed to have you.

Catching Up

OK I am so far behind so here is a quick update and some things I want to make sure I don't forget.
***When I sat down to write this I really did mean for it to be a quick update but I guess considering how much has happened it is a brief update of our lives over the past few months.***

-Around father's day after Lincoln had turned 2 months old he rolled over! Doesn't do it often but is capable of it.

-The day Lincoln turned three months old he got two cuts on his fingers. (Mom has no clue how it happened. She picked you up and handed you to your Uncle and then walked away and saw blood on her arm. I looked at your fingers and saw you were bleeding on your middle finger and your thumb. You didn't care at all. I guess it didn't hurt :))

- Shortly after Lincoln turned three months old he was too big for his baby bath so he got his first bath in the kitchen sink. He stood up the whole time. They kids doesn't love to sit down at all really. He also screams the whole time during most baths.

-When Lincoln was three and a half months old we took our first family vacation to Idaho/Utah for a Harry family reunion.

-The first flight Lincoln was ok. Not great but ok. He screamed a couple different times because he was grumpy and didn't want to eat but was hungry and tiered. (not a good combination) The second flight (the short flight might I add) Lincoln slept the whole way! Thank you Lincoln.

-The trip to Idaho to see family was amazing to say the least. Lincoln was able to see his grandparents again and met a lot of new people. Lots of Aunts and Uncles that were dying to meet him and cousins too. It was so fun to be there with all the kids. The first night we were there Dallon wanted me to play with the chalk with him, He laid on the floor and watched me paint my toe nails, and he was just so fun to be with. I can't wait for Lincoln to be that age so we can play. :)

-I also got to see my best friend Robin and my second mom Anna while I was home. It was amazing! I love those too so much. Every time I see them it makes me so happy and remember so many good times growing up together. I can't wait to see them again.

-I also got to see my friend Rachel! Man that was nice. I haven't seen her in so long. We were always missing each other when we were able to be home because we were both so busy and then I went and moved to Alaska so it really made seeing each other hard. But it was really good to see her and chat and catch up with what's going on in our lives.

-After a few days in my hometown (which I love despite husbands dislike for it's "Ghettoness"), we drove to Bear Lake and went camping with Laura, Payden, Jake, Heather, all their kids, and my parents for a night before the actual reunion started. That was so much fun! I haven't been camping in a long time (even though I debate weather my everyday life is an extended camping trip) it was still fun. I just loved seeing my sis and her little kiddos and my bro and his kids. What fun it is to have so many little smiling faces around. I am so glad our family is growing and we get to enjoy all the wonderful things kids bring to life. Brian, Lincoln and I slept with Laura, Payden, Braylie and Treatyn in their camp trailer that night. It was fun all of us being together.

-The next day the family reunion started and I got to see my sister Kim for the first time in a year and a half! That is a long time people! The last time I saw her was a month after I was married. From being married to then having a child it was a long time in between seeing each other and we were so happy to be together. I really just loved being with all my family. It was a total blast.

-We celebrated my grandmas birthday while the whole family was together and I just have to say that she is the sweetest lady in this whole world. I love my grandma so much. I wish I was closer to her so I could spend more time with her so she could share her wisdom of life with me.

-My grandma started crying a couple times when she was expressing her love for he family and I couldn't help but cry. I can't see he cry and not cry. It also made me stop and think about how in a few short years I will be in her place with Lincoln and all my other kids all grown up with kids and grand kids of their own. I can't believe it but I know that when I get there I will be so grateful, just as my grandmother is, for my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and for all the joy and love they will bring in my life. It is truly a miracle and a blessing that Heavenly Father has given to all of us to be blessed with family.

-**Side Note** I have been thinking a lot lately about family and being a mother. It is really amazing. I am so blessed that I was able to carry my child for 9 months and during that time he was able to progress from being a little speck of an organism into being a little human being completely functional and absolutely perfect. That alone is a miracle. Then after that I get to raise this sweet angle Heavenly Father has blessed me with. I get to see him discover new things, and learn and grow and change with each new day. It is amazing and I thank Heavenly Father every day that he has blessed me with this most precious gift.


-Ok so after the reunion we came back to AK. WOW was that a journey. We left Utah at 1pm to drive to Boise get on our flight at 9pm. We got to AK at 2:30 am. Slept in the car til 5am. Then flew to camp and got here at 7am. Then my amazing husband went straight to work and worked till 9pm that day! He amazes me, really. Lincoln screamed for about 15 min straight (it felt so much longer) on the first plane while we were just sitting in the plane waiting to take off. FINALLY I got him to go to sleep right before take off and he slept that whole plane ride. He didn't even wake up when we landed. He woke up for about an hour while we were getting food in Seattle and then when we got on the next plane and I put his jammies on he fell asleep and only woke up to eat the rest of the trip (Like all the way to camp...that's a long time people! he did great)

So as far as whats been going on since we have been back from vacation.....

-Lincoln is now 4 months old!!! So crazy! month 3 flew by really fast.

-Lincoln is sick :( He started with just being congested but now he is congested and has a cough. His dad is also sick and between the two of them blowing their noses (ok I suck the boogies out of Lincolns nose but you get the point. There are lots of boogies everywhere!) and coughing up stuff, I am so surprised I haven't gotten it. Lets hope it stays that way and the boys get better soon. Lincoln's Doc wants to see him in a couple days but I'm not sure we will be able to get into town. We'll see.

-Don't know if I have mentioned this yet but we are being filmed for a tv show that is coming out in December about Alaska gold Mining and so it has made things interesting this season. It was totally weird at first but now we have gotten use to having extra people around and a camera showing up in your face at a moment notice. They said they want to interview me in the next couple days...not looking forward to it. I mean I have been video taped doing things around camp and taking the lunches out to the guys but I really don't need them to just point the camera at me and ask me lots of questions. No thank you. But it will be happening anyway, unless they forget...lets hope they forget.

-We found a place to live! Oh man am I excited! It is a nice 2 bedroom 1 bath place that has been remodeled. I am so excited. I am really looking forward to moving in somewhere and knowing we will be there for a while. We have only ever stayed at a place for 2 months so thinking we will stay at this place at least for a year if not 4 years is amazing! I am so happy I will be able to unpack everything and know I wont be needing the boxes back right away.

-I am so happy for my hub to be starting school! He has always wanted to further his education but we never knew when that day would come. We have thought really hard about it and change our plans many time (ask my family) but we are very excited that he will be starting his schooling this month to become a Professional Pilot and get his Bachelor degree in Aviation Management. The boy loves the sky so that's where he'll be for a long time :) I am so happy to see him happy and excited to take on this new adventure :)

Ok so that it for now. No photos because of the internet problems we have here but at least I have internet right?!

2 Months Strong

Ok so I wrote this blog post about a month and a half ago so forgive me for not posting it. Since we are living in the bush right now I can't upload pictures to blogger so I haven't been motivated to blog much. It has been so long though that I figured I mine as well post something with out pictures so here you go. :)

Lincoln just had his 2 month check up and along with that he had his shots. He did pretty well I thought. Of course he screamed during them and was upset but right after it was all done he just went to sleep. What a good baby considering he spent that whole day and night in his car seat. (Thank you Lincoln for loving your car seat. If you didn't it would be a miserable time for you and mom.)

Anyways the stats from his doctor appointment are:
Weight: 12lbs 15oz, 75%
Hieght: 23.5in 60%
Head: 30%

The doctor said he is doing very well developmentally wise and is probably a little above average!!! YAY for you Lincoln!!
Also we discussed his poor eating habits and throwing up constantly with the doctor and she said that since he is gaining weight well that it wasn't too much of a concern but to continue to keep him propped up and don't lay him down flat plus give him gas drops 4 times a day. It seems to be helping and I hope he grows out of this fast because I go through a lot of burp cloths in a place where its not always easy to do laundry.
Over all though she said he is doing great! He is a healthy happy boy :)


We flew into town for Lincoln's doctor appointment and it was his first flight. He did great, slept the whole way.

Lincoln's One month Check up

We had Lincoln's one month check up last week and the doctor said that Lincoln is doing really good. He weighed 9lbs 12oz and 22 inches long! He is in the 25 percentile now for his height and weight. His head is 14 3/4 inches around. I was so proud of him. Since having to supplement him with formula because his jaundice was bad and then finding out he had a little lactose intolerance it was a struggle for him to gain weight but a week and a half before the month check up I stopped giving him formula or his lactose pills and he still gained lots of weight!
Lincoln is doing really well and putting on the baby fat by the day it seems. We are working on him sleeping at night on his back instead or in his boppy pillow. Its going ok, not great but ok. Lincoln also is starting to smile more often and smiled at me for quite a while for such a little guy last night. It was so fun to see him express happiness. I can't wait for him to start smiling and giggling all the time.
Motherhood is the best thing ever!

Parent's Came to Visit

So April 15th my parents were able to come and visit for Lincoln's blessing (which was on Easter) and they stayed for 10 days or so. While they were here we mostly just sat on the couch at my house and talked (fun I know). But really my dad wasn't able to take time off work and neither was Brian so my Mom and I did a lot of chatting and working on a project/present for Laura....its a secret so I can't say what it is but it was a lot of fun. Besides just laying around my house we did manage to break the boys away from work for a little while and did a few fun things.

Grandparents seeing their grandson for the first time ;)

One day my parents went up for a short flight with Brian and I am so proud of my mom for going up even when she was scared and she didn't have her motion sickness patch on. Good job Mom!!!

After that Brian took my dad out to the mine to see it and Brian let him fly once they got off the ground and he really loved the whole thing.

The other fun thing we did was going to the natural hot springs that is an hour outside of town. It was really fun. I had always heard of how awesome this place was from all the locals and Brian had been there once so we just had to go. Unfortunately I didn't have a suit here in Fairbanks cuz we left our summer stuff in Wasilla. So I was just going to go in a tank and short but when we got there they said they rent suits for free....totally gross right. Well they looked and smelt really clean so I figured that would be better than long baggy basketball shorts and a gross work out tank from when I was 16. So I rented one and looked like an old lady instead.

Brian playing with Lincoln at the hot springs.

Anyways....The day before my Parents left it was Easter Sunday and we were able to bless Lincoln. I was totally late to church because I was trying to get Lincoln ready and I wanted to feed him enough so he would sleep through the blessing. Then on the way to church my dress strap broke when I was getting in the car. Thank goodness my mom had a safety pin holding her shirt together that she took out and fixed my strap. Thanks mom for giving up your outfit problem to fix mine. love you! So as soon as we finally got to church I sat down and took Lincoln out of his car seat and right then they announced that Lincoln would now be blessed. So I handed Lincoln over to Brian and then he received a wonderful blessing from his father. I think he will be a very good leader with a strong testimony in the gospel. :)

The men that blessed little Lincoln

Grandma and Grandpa Baker

Grandma and Grandpa Harry

The new Bakers

We really enjoyed having my parents here and can't wait till we see them again!

Lincoln Douglas Baker

Lincoln is 3 1/2 weeks old now and I figured its about time I write down his birth story somewhere before I forget what happened. WARNING: This is a long post and contains labor details.

So my due date came and went and we still didn't have our little boy. That was a Monday and on Wednesday we had a doctors appointment. She said I still hadn't progressed past a one and was still 80% effaced. So she asked me if I was ready to have him and if I wanted to be induced. I said yes I was done and ready to have him here so she called the hospital and they were completely full with 3 women on a waiting list to come in and be induced when they had an open room. My doctor said it could be a few days and I was totally bummed. I told my doctor though that I was a little worried Lincoln wasn't moving much. (I knew he was still moving but I was worried it wasn't enough) so she sent me over to the hospital to have them monitor his movements for a little while.

When I was at the hospital they said that since I already was in the room and a few people were being discharged I could stay and be induced!! YAY!! I was so excited I didn't have to go home again with out my baby. So they started me on some medicine to help soften my cervix and when they checked me it hadn't done anything then I got on this other thing and it didn't do anything either. Then they started me on Pitocin. My contractions were coming every 3 minutes as I was walking around the halls with my IV stand. Finally around the middle of the night I started to dilate. I was in pains so I asked when I could get the epidural. The nurse checked me and said I was barely a 3 and said they like to wait till I get to a 3 1/2 or a 4 but I could have some other pain meds till I get there. I said I didn't need any meds I would just wait till I am far enough along. About 20 minutes late the nurse comes in with the anesthesiologist and said since she was here right now and she wanted to go home that they would give me the epidural now. I was pretty excited. It went really well and I didn't think it was painful or a big deal at all. It was so nice to not be in pain and just got to sleep for a while. Well when my nurse midwife came in that morning she checked me and said I was only at a 2!!!! Are you serious?!?! Apparently the nurse was wrong in the middle of the night and that means that I got my epidural way too early. So for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon I didn't progress at all. My doc (midwife I call her my doc) said that this wasn't normal and that there were a couple options....I could go home and wait there for something to happen....they could increase the amount of pitocin to see what happened but that had to be monitored closely to make sure Lincoln would handle it ok....or we could do a balloon thing.They wanted me to get far enough along to break my water but once that happened there is no turning back and if nothing worked to dilate me and increase my labor then there would be a chance or a c-section. Well I wasn't about to go home so I said lets increase the pitocin and hopefully get far enough to break my water. About an hour later I was to a 4 so the doctor on call came and broke my water (my doc had tried when I was at a 2 but couldn't break it yet). So once my water broke that afternoon things finally got going.

When I was at a 7 I told Brian if he wanted to eat he better go now and get food and hurry back. He wasn't too worried cuz it had taken me so long to get to where I was. I called him once and told him I was feeling a lot of pressure and he asked if He needed to come back I said no it was fine. Then the doc came in and checked me and said I was a 9 and that I would start pushing in the next hour. I called Brian and told him to get back as soon as he could. I started pushing about a half hour after Brian got back. I pushed for about and hour and forty minutes. Toward the end Lincoln's heart rate was going down so my midwife stepped in (there was a medical student helping out) and told me to push really hard we needed him to get out so she helped grab him and pull Lincoln out a little. It was such a relief to have him out and on my stomach. Brian cut his cord and then they cleaned him up a little and finished taking care of his cord and gave him back to me so I could have him on my chest skin to skin. It was amazing!

While I was holding Lincoln and the doc was taking care of me I started to bleed more then was expected so then gave me a second IV in my other arm a shot in both of my sides and pills under my tongue to help stop the bleeding. Because of the shots I got sick and threw up twice. The first time I was rocking Lincoln to get him to stop crying and throwing up at the same time haha.
After everything was under control I was totally out of it. I couldn't make full sentences or keep my eyes open. I really didn't know what was going on around me. I just remember calling Laura and not knowing what I was saying to her or what she was talking about. Then Brian got back from getting me food at Wendy's (I really wanted a burger fries and a frosty after he was born) and I only ate some of the food half awake before I finally fell asleep.

The next morning we went to the nursery for Lincoln to see his doctor. While she was checking him out I was standing there and I got really hot and light headed and dizzy so the doc said I need to get back to my room. While we were walking (staggering) down the hall holding on to the wall the nurse came behind me with a wheel chair. I felt so much better once I had sat down. Later that day I got two units of blood. After the transfusion I felt so much better. I felt like I had a clear head and some energy. It was so much better! So I finally got released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon.

Lincoln's Doctor said he had jaundice so on Sunday morning we went back to the Hospital to have his blood drawn to get tested. His levels were too high so we got a belliblanket for him to wear at home for light treatment for his jaundice. He was on that for a week and had his blood checked everyday while on the belliblanket and got to the point he would just sleep while the pricked his heel and took his blood.

The next week Lincoln started losing weight so he was checked and found out that he is a little lactose intolerant. So I have been giving him a lactose pill every day.
Currently Lincoln has gained almost 1 pound (after losing half a pound) so he is doing really well and is really happy. :)
Lincoln is a good baby. He cries only when something is wrong. I change his diaper and feed him and he is all happy again. Oh and he also is now taking baths without screaming! Brian and I are proud parents and think our little guy is the best little boy ever.

Here are some pictures of the labor and delivery and time at home. Enjoy!

Walking around the halls.

Lincoln and Me. I was so happy he was FINALLY here after 31 hours of labor.

Brian is such a proud daddy.

8 pounds 21 inches long

Cute boy!

Going home from the hospital.

Lincoln's first bath at home.

Lincoln with his belliblanket.

Being a little cutie.

Lincoln giving mommy kisses.

He really is his daddy's little boy.

Our little family.

<3 We love you Lincoln!! <3

Little Mans FALSE Labor story

Thursday March 17th I was super busy going to the laundry mat and shopping. When I got home I folded all the laundry put all the groceries away and started to make homemade pizza. From 1pm to 7pm I didn't stop at all and around 6 I noticed I started to have contractions 10 minutes apart. They didn't hurt at all I just felt the pressure of my stomach getting hard. So I kept making the pizza, called my mom and Laura to see what they thought. (Meanwhile Brian was gone flying his dad out to the camp site) They said that it sounded like the beginning of labor. Well I kinda started freaking out (cried to my mom that Brian wasn't here even though I knew he would be home with in the hour) and I started to pack my hospital bag and clean out the car and double check I had the things I needed for the hospital. Well Brian finally got home and the contractions continued.
The next day I went into my doctor to get checked to see how far a long I was and if I needed to go to the hospital. Sadly enough I was only effaced 50% and dilated to a 1. Not much was happening. So my Doctor told me to go walk around for an hour and come back to get checked again. I was excited that this might help and was walking as fast as I could. When she checked me again nothing had changed but she said that I would probably have him sometime that weekend. Well this was not so. My contractions slowly died down that Friday and then were only happening sporadically the next couple days.
Monday I had a doctor appointment and got checked again and she said I was now at 80% effaced but still only dilated to a one.
Tuesday we decided to try drinking Castor Oil. Gross! I mixed it with some orange juice and drank it really fast. It didn't do anything to help labor progress but it got the bowels moving so I guess it did it filled its job requirement.
So since the Castor oil we haven't been doing much to make him come out cuz I just don't think he wants to. He is teaching mommy and daddy a lot of patience. We really would love to have him here sooner rather than later though because we would love to go to Brian's sisters wedding April 9th in Idaho and I would appreciate as much time to recover before we go.

So Lincoln....Mommy knows you are all comfortable and warm inside my belly but lots of people are waiting for you to come out so they can meet and you. I promise when you get here mommy and daddy will take really good care of you and wrap you up warm so you're happy so please please please come out!

38 Weeks

39 Weeks

Hey all!
A little update on the babe on the way... he dropped!!
Ok I know its not that big of a deal but I am really excited about it because it means we are that much closer to having him here. Still have no clue when he will actually be here but I am glad he is out of my ribs for the most part. I think he is going to be really long though because now that he is on my bladder 24/7 and making me almost pee my pants several times a day I can still feel him kicking my ribs. Like really Lincoln can I not get a break!? I just think it should be time to get you out of the small and cramped place and then you can stretch as much as you want and I promise I won't complain.

1 week and 5 days till his due date!!

Moved to Fairbanks

So it has been a really long time again since I have posted a blog about what we are up to and since then a lot has changed....or I guess one thing has changed but it's a big thing so it feels like a lot has changed.

We have moved to Fairbanks! We have been thinking about it on and off for a while now but we always decided to stay in Wasilla because we liked it there so much and his family was there and it is a better town by far. But with all that considered, it kept Brian and I away from each other more often then we liked so last Thursday we decided to move. Friday Brian had us all packed up and we drove to Fairbanks. Saturday we looked for placed to live and found one and moved in. Ya it all happened that fast!! It was crazy!!

It was a very emotional move on me because I was leaving Wasilla, his family (my support when Brian was gone), and our wonderful ward that had just thrown me an amazing baby shower two days before we decided to move. Lets just say the pregnancy hormones were definitely in full effect for these few days and there were lots of tears shed, but my wonderful husband made it so much easier on me then it could have been at 36 weeks pregnant.

Brian completely packed us up in one day and once we got to our new place he unpacked us in one day. He even got all the furniture in the house and set up all by himself! He was so amazing and didn't make me do anything. I did as much as I could though but it wasn't much and he did lots while I was still sleeping in the morning or fell asleep early at night. I can't explain how wonderful he was through the whole thing and now I am very grateful we have moved. Brian has been home every night but one since the move and if we were in Wasilla he would have been gone for the past 5 nights. It has really made me that much happier we are closer to his work and closer together.

So here are the before and after pictures of our house. Sorry if theres a lot, I know my family wants to see it all :)

Our Bedroom (two closets. Brian's is the front one and mine is the walk in :))

The Second Bedroom (Lincoln's Room and Brian's office)

The Bathroom

Stairs

Kitchen table (currently a mess with my sewing project)

Living Room

I couldn't get the last mask hung by myself.

Our wonderful baby swing that Brian's Mom got us (I LOVE IT)

Living Room/Dinning Room (kinda a small space for the table)

Lincoln's half of the room mostly put together (Brian's office half is a mess so I am not showing it)

Lincoln's closet kind of a mess with stuff. I haven't really organized this yet. But he's got everything he needs :)

Bathroom

Our Room with my parents old dresser we brought all the way from Idaho :)

So that is our new little place. :D


OK BABY UPDATE!

Our little Lincoln is still growing and making his
mama bigger and more uncomfortable each day.

So two doctor appointments ago I was measuring good and Lincolns heart rate was good around 150. They said my blood pressure was climbing a little but nothing to be worried about. During the appointment the doctor told me I was having a contraction when she was listening to Lincoln's heart. I thought it was pretty funny cuz I didn't have a clue I was having one (thank goodness).
At the last doctors appointment (in Fairbanks now with a nurse midwife that I just love!) said everything was going good. I got "checked" and she said that I had thinned out a little and seemed to be dilated a little too but that it didn't mean much because I wasn't having any contractions or any other signs of anything happening. But she did tell me that Lincoln's head was in the downward position! That was happy news and now that she told me that I have been having fun playing with him and knowing more surely what body part is sticking out. :)

So these are the updated pictures....

33 weeks

34 weeks

37 weeks

Everything is going good though and I am looking forward to him getting here at any time. I really hope its only one more week or so but I guess we will find out if he agrees with me or not.