Crosby at 3 Months Old

I can't believe I haven't updated this blog in so long! Oh, wait.. I actually can believe it because I'm basically drowning in children.

Nevertheless, Crosby is a precious, treasured part of the Lincoln's Life and therefore he needs to be documented! What a sweet, sweet baby he is! He's typically mellow and smiles easily. He likes to observe the world around him and is very tuned into sounds specifically. He has a ticklish spot right under his chin(s) and will give belly laughs every time you kiss him there. He also LOVES to be sung to and the one he smiles the most for is "Forever Young". I can't sing it to him without tearing up. This baby boy makes me incredibly emotional.

Just some facts for me to remember later: At 3 months, he's a little over 14 pounds and has gained about 1/2 a pound per week consistently. He's really long, too - but I can't remember that number right now. He's a big kid, just like his brothers. He's getting all sorts of little rolls and is wearing 3-6 month clothing but I fear we'll be out of those in no time. He wakes up several times in the evening. 3-5 times maybe? Honestly, I've stopped looking at the clock. I just nurse him and hand him off to Ritchie who rocks him some and then puts him back in the rock and play sleeper where he currently sleeps. It's working. We're tired, but that's how this phase goes so I'm not terribly worried about it. He had his heart checked at 2 months and it was looking the same, which was good news. We'll have it checked again at 4 months. If he continues not to make any changes through the first year then we can begin monitoring him less and less. He'll eventually need to do SOMETHING about his aortic valve, but when is still a huge unknown.

What else??

Maybe some pictures? Ugh, and so sorry for the small, crummy pics. My computer is KILLING me right now and not letting me resize the files. So you get the lovely blogger resizing. Blah.

0-1 month old:

1-2 months:

2-3 months:

And right at 3 months old. These pictures kill me, they're so very him right now. Rocking the tummy time, sucking his bottom lip, looking at me like I'm weird. 

And, proof that he does, indeed smile like I said... 

He just won't do it when the camera's in his face. I have to hold it elsewhere which is why I only caught part of him. I still love it. He's the best. 

Crosby, 3 months with you and we feel like you've been here forever. You have all of our hearts. Your brothers adore you and Daddy and I marvel at you every day. You are the perfect fit in our family and in our hearts. Smooooch! 

One Week of Crosby

Our littlest Lincoln has been with us for one whole week already! We're just loving every single second of this little nugget.



He's super mellow. I totally thought he'd be feisty, but nope. Totally chill. I've always said this child would surprise us forever (from conception on!) and he's proving me right.



He sleeps in 3 hour chunks and we often even have to wake him up to nurse him at night. He's a champion eater and has already surpassed his birth weight in his first week. He still looks teeny tiny to me though, thank goodness!



We couldn't leave the hospital for awhile because he was refusing to pee and now he's peed on us more than we can count. And our sheets. And his clothes. And our couch. Basically, the kid has definitely figured out how to pee.



Maxton and Bennett have adjusted so far beautifully! They love to hold him and are always asking if Crosby will be with us. They want him to come everywhere with them! Max even asked to have Cros sleep with him so he could "snuggle him all up". These boys are my life. I adore each and every one of them.



While we've enjoyed our easy going baby to the fullest, we've also been on an emotional ride this week. In the hospital, we were told that Crosby had a heart murmur. We were told this is SUPER common and it's probably nothing and would go away on its own. Our pediatrician listened to it and said the same thing, but still wanted us to have a cardiologist listen to be sure. We saw the cardiologist on Wednesday and they thoroughly checked out his little heart just to be sure it was nothing to be concerned with. It turns out it was. Crosby has something called Aortic Valve Stenosis. I would try to explain it, but that would be ridiculous because I'm still learning all about it. Essentially, for now, his heart if functioning wonderfully. That will not always be the case. We have to keep a close eye on his heart and he will eventually need surgery to repair or replace his aortic valve. We're not sure when or how he will be affected yet. We're told that people live full, long wonderful lives with this disease. Of course, we were devastated and it's sort of flipped our little world upside down. We're trying to do minimal research so as not to get too freaked out and we're just focusing on what we need to do for Crosby right now. Which is make sure he's eating well (sometimes babies with this disease have a hard time gaining weight - so far Crosby is not) and is loved by us (duh). He'll see the cardiologist every couple of months and we should know more about his particular condition over the next 6-12 months.



Unexpected heart condition aside, we're hanging in there. I'm emotional and I'm exhausted (despite the good sleeping infant!) We've had to modify our adoption timeline significantly based on Crosby's needs, so we've been dealing a bit with the logistics of that. And I know that as each cardio appointment approaches, I'll be panicked. But, I'll figure out how to be strong for my son. I'm sure soon I'll know more about Aortic Valve Stenosis than I even need to and I'll know Crosby's mannerisms so well that I'll be able to spot a symptom a mile away.



In the meantime, we're just loving our kid. Ritchie and I agree that there's a spark to his eyes. This kid is special.



We couldn't love you more, Crosby! This past week has been one of the best in my life getting to know you! Thanks for sneaking into our lives and hearts. I'm SO glad you did.