DEAR LINCOLN // THREE MONTHS

(As of January 11, 2019) THREE. MONTHS. OLD. It's going by way too fast little bear. You are smiling all the time and get so excited when you see people. Your little legs and body go crazy, it's the cutest thing! We celebrated your first Christmas this year and you got some pretty great things! You are absolutely in love with your play mat. You grab the little dangling toys and hang on and kick your feet on the piano. You've also started a little bit of teething. You are drooling quite a bit and found that your fists are pretty great to chew on. And, the occasional finger of mine.

DEAR LINCOLN // TWO MONTHS

(As of December 11, 2018) You are two months old! You are starting to smile now and coo a lot. It's the sweetest little sound ever! I looked at the date today and seriously couldn't believe that two months had already gone by. You are still such an amazing sleeper and only wake up once a night. It's been such a difference this time around. I feel so lucky to get as much sleep as I do. I don't mind waking up with you at all, sometimes I'm even the one waking YOU up to feed you and hold you. I just feel so blessed that you're here. I know a lot of women would do anything to have a child wake them up in the middle of the night, but aren't able to. So I cherish every second of night time feedings with you. It's one of my favorite parts of my day. 

You like to be held a lot which makes some things hard to do. The moby wrap has been a life saver. We use it to go grocery shopping, to cook, do dishes, vacuum, you name it. The second you're in there and close to me, you're content with life. 

DEAR LINCOLN // ONE MONTH

(As of November 11, 2018) One month already? Time really does fly. You have such a good older brother. I can't wait to watch the bond you two will have as time goes on. You are really such a good baby. You sleep almost all night long only waking up once or twice to eat and going right back to sleep. You sleep so well in your bassinet, although in the early mornings I will lay you next to me because I just love to be close to you like I did your brother. I just love you both so much, I didn't know it was possible. 

You absolutely L-O-V-E your hair being washed and baths in general. I had to stop breastfeeding much much earlier than I wanted to. My incision got infected and they put me on three different antibiotics which aren't safe in combination to take while I'm nursing. I was pumping and dumping but my supply dropped so dramatically it was just too difficult to build back up. I regret not trying harder for you. But, you are truly thriving on formula, so I guess that's okay. 

HUNTER TURNS FOUR

My baby turned four on January 13 and I can't believe the time that has gone by. I'm in awe at the person you are. You surprise me everyday and make us laugh all the time. Your heart is one of a kind and made of gold. I am so lucky to be able to call you my son. You have taught me patience, understanding, and unconditional love. Because of you, I'm a better person. I love the way you look at life and the way you can turn anything into something creative. Your imagination is such a beautiful thing to see.

I love the way you love. You still are the same cuddly kid you've always been and 100% a mommy's boy. You give the best of hugs. Honestly, I've never had better. They honestly make me melt. You've grown up so much this past year. When you put your mind to something, you do it. It literally took you one day to be potty trained, we were beyond proud. Your smile, and one little dimple, lights up an entire room. The sense of humor you have is unbeatable. You make everyone laugh with your little comments. And, you take sassy to a whole new level and give us a run for our money. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

LINCOLN'S LABOR AND DELIVERY

The last 8 or so weeks of my pregnancy I dealt with high blood pressure. We had to do lots of monitoring to make sure baby boy wasn't stressed. Besides this, I had a pretty ideal pregnancy. I never had any morning sickness, didn't have a ton of heartburn, and I didn't hurt that much. I felt so lucky to be pregnant that even if I had these, I wouldn't have complained much. I just really enjoyed my pregnancy and would have stayed pregnant for months after if I needed to. Once week 39 rolled around my doctor's advised I be induced because of the high blood pressure. 

I was nervous to give birth here in Nevada. We live in a small town and our hospital is over priced and doesn't have the greatest reviews. I really liked my doctors (husband and wife team), but they were going to be out of town for my induction and a doctor from Texas was going to be the doctor for my delivery. At the same time though, I was so at peace when the time rolled around. I honestly felt like God was just telling me to relax, everything was going to be okay. So I did, and let me tell you, I had an amazing experience. All of my nurses and the doctor were absolutely wonderful. I had a better labor and delivery experience here than I did in Boise. But, let's rewind a little bit.

BLOOMING - IN 2019

Wow, has it been a crazy year. My last post here was sharing my miscarriage. Not long after that we found out I was pregnant again. My pregnancy was a breeze and I loved every second of it. I had such a wonderful experience and welcomed Lincoln Edward Hampton into the world October 11, 2018. That's right, exactly one year to the day that we found out we were miscarrying. It's funny how the world works, isn't it? Well, I've missed my little nook on the internet, and I've felt a little bit of regret for not giving month updates like I did with Hunter. So, I'm back! I want to document my little family. The next four posts will be my labor and delivery story and then Lincoln's one, two, and three month updates.

My word of the year? Bloom. I hope to bloom this year into a better person. I'm going to be putting my mental and physical health as a priority since I for so long put myself on the back burner. I've learned recently that I can't be the best mom and wife if I'm not taking care of me too. I am so in love with my little family, and I can't wait to share them and all of our experiences here.