Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My parents came down from Amarillo, and my grandparents came in from Oklahoma. The meal was great thanks to help from my mom and Tiffany (thankfully the turkey turned out fine; I was a little nervous!) Since Barrett and Tiffany live in Houston now, everyone got to be together. My grandparents had a wonderful time holding Lincoln. He is their first great-grandson; they already have two great-granddaughters. My parents watched Linc for us one day while Andrew and I went to a football game. It was nice to have them baby-sit...and fun for them to get some "alone time" with him. My mom bought Lincoln his first sweater - which is adorable - and he now has a few pairs of Christmas pajamas, courtesy of both grandmothers. The kid is stylin' (if I say so myself :) and is more interactive and alert every day. He's starting to show some interest in toys - but lights are still his favorite thing. He can stare at them, or the ceiling fan, for hours :) It is hard to believe he is 2 1/2 months old already. He is a joy!

Smiles!

Link has now learned to smile. It is adorable!

Go Blue!

Unlce Brandon came in town this weekend, with Grandma Cope and cousins Michael and Karri, to meet Lincoln. It was also (conveniently) the Michigan v. Ohio State game. Brandon brought Link a U of M onesie (it said "The Big House, 107,501 1/2" - very cute) and U of M pacifier. Link was all decked out to watch Michigan lose, but he sure looked cute! Lincoln now weighs 10.14 pounds and is 24 inches long. The kid definitely likes to eat. Grandma had lots of fun holding her sixth great-grandchild (with 3 more on the way, due next spring.)

Happy Halloween!

Lincoln was 6 weeks old on Halloween. He was dressed up as a bear (in my biased opinion, he was the cutest little bear EVER) and we went to the Fall Festival at church. (He wasn't all that wild about his costume; he kept trying to push his hood off of his head and cried for most of the evening...) He took pictures with all of his little pals ... us parents were, of course, much more into this activity than the kids. He also had several Halloween "accessories" that he had been given at various showers. So, we had fun dressing him up in his little pumpkin shoes, pants, hat and Halloween bib. (Poor kid :) He will hate that picture someday. My parents were in town before leaving for a cruise out of Galveston. They had a great time with Link; it seems like he gets more interactive every day.

Lincoln has been introduced to college football already - he likes to watch Game Day with Daddy on Saturday mornings and hang out with Andrew's friends - and our youthgroup guys - to watch the games. Even though we don't let him face the TV (we do read parenting books on newborn neurological development - no worries!) I think he's already becoming a Wolverine fan...his head turns toward the TV when the fight song plays. :) Too bad he's still too skinny to wear his Michigan onesie...maybe next season.

Hanging out with friends

Today Link hung out with three of his "friends" - Harper, Brice, and Petyon. Although Link wasn't completely into it, it will be fun to show these pictures to the kids when they get older. (And while the kids didn't think the photo op was that fun, the moms had fun trying to get all 4 of them to look at the camera and not squish each other...or roll over onto Lincoln. Brice kept trying to "play" with Lincoln this afternoon, while Peyton graciously tried to share her toys with him - by stacking them on him while he was in his bouncer. He and Brice are lucky boys to have two adorable girls around them! :)

Five weeks old...

It's so hard to believe that Lincoln is five weeks old now! Every day he gets more interactive, and is still a very sweet, laid-back baby. He is already growing so quickly! He's had a lot of comlpany lately. Over the past month he's met both sets of grandparents, his aunt Tiffany and Uncle Barrett and his aunt Shawna. Next month he is set to meet his uncle Brandon, cousins Michael and Karri, GG (great grandma Cope), and Nonny and Papa (his other set of great grandparents). What a lucky kid! Here are some photos of the recent visits.

Lincoln's first week home

Lincoln had a great first week at home. He's still trying to figure out his days versus nights, and is a bit fussy during the evenings, but is so much fun! We sit and stare at him all the time, just amazed at this little, precious person! Andrew and I are having a great time figuring out "parenthood."

We've had a lot of help, though. My mom and dad were here for his birth, and then my mom stayed a week and was a huge help around the house, and with him. We, and Link, enjoyed time w/ her! Tiffany and Barrett have gotten to spend some time with him, and Andrew's parents and sister are coming in next week. Also, thanks to all of our friends who have brought dinner - that has been a blessing!

Lincoln has arrived

What a week! Erin's due date was September 26th, but she was put on bedrest unexpectedly on the 12th. A few days later she had contractions 5 minutes apart for a few hours and we went to the hospital, hoping it was time...but no such luck. Although the contractions stayed regular and close for 4 DAYS the baby was not in the correct position to make labor progress. So, on doctor's orders, Erin and her mom walked...and walked...and walked...and walked. (Only the dog enjoyed it, however.) Even with all the walking, labor didn't progress. Then, after a regular doctor's appointment, we were sent to the hospital when Erin's blood pressure was elevated. Due to headaches and other symptoms of pre-eclampsia, Erin was induced on Wednesday the 19th.

Unfortunately, only the contractions progressed-nothing else. By Thursday morning, Erin was in full transition-labor contractions, but had no other progression. Andrew stepped out with Erin's dad to grab breakfast in the hospital cafeteria about 8:00, as the anesthesiologist was contemplating whether to go ahead and administer an epidural. (It looked like it could be a VERY long day...) until things drastically changed.

The baby's umbilical cord became wrapped around his neck and his heart rate suddenly plummeted. Alarms started going off, and within seconds there were multiple nurses and doctors in Erin's room. Although they tried all sorts of things, the baby's heart rate dropped consistently for six minutes and eventually was undetectable. At that point, they (literally) raced Erin to the OR. (You can ask Erin the details, but let's just say it was an ... interesting... ride down to the OR) Although they planned to put her under general anesthesia, once in the OR they were able to get a heart rate on the baby. That gave them time to give Erin an epidural (and get ahold of Andrew so that he was in the OR when the C-section began). 10 minutes later Lincoln came out crying! Erin and Andrew got to hold him for a few minutes in the OR and Erin's parents and his Uncle Barrett got to see him immediately afterwards. Lincoln was born officially at 8:47 a.m, weighing 7 lbs 6 ounces, and was 20 1/2 inches long.

We would like to thank everyone for their prayers. So far, Lincoln is healthy and perfect, showing no effects of cord compression. And, after his rather chaotic arrival he is (at least so far) a very laid-back baby! We just sit and stare at him, amazed by God's goodness. He's beautiful, with the cutest little face, a full head of sandy blonde hair...and big feet!! What a miracle.