Four Months

Lincoln got his 4 month shots today ... and made it through like a champ. He looks so surprised when it hurts! I'm not looking forward to taking the bandaid off because he didn't like that last time either. He is about 75th percentile for height and weight. I always think he is going to bigger than he is because of his size relative to Naomi. But he isn't out of range or anything.

Here are some of our 4 month pictures.


And here is one of Lncoln and Naomi playing while Jess and I made Christmas cookies.

Not sure why that one went sideways? Sorry.

Halloween

And I realized I didn't post any pictures from Halloween! Lincoln and I actually went trick-or-treating with Jess and Naomi in the dorms at Waynesburg. It was fun because Jess was so into it!


I also had a pumpkin costume Aunt Lori bought way back in November last year. We have used it at Waynesburg sporting events because it is orange, but it came in handy since Halloween this year lasted all weekend!

3 Months

Some of my favorites from our 3 month photo shoot. Kinda wish I'd been patient enough to wait for a sunny day. The lighting ended up being weird. But still some fun shots!



P.S. The outfit was Tanner's idea ... good thinking, Dad!

Still Got It!

I got to climb for real today! Tanner offered to set up some easier climbs for me. That was very nice of him, but I didn't end up needing any easier climbs. He he! What an ego boost! Lincoln cooperated very nicely, and I got some cute pictures of him entertaining himself in the woods with us.

Antarctica Shirt

We were trying on clothes today to see which ones fit Lincoln now. And his Antarctica onesie fits! Not too many babies can say that they have clothes from Antarctica. Thanks Aunt Lori!

And Tanner got in on the action. Lincoln's head control is so fun right now!

I start work next week, so I'm making no promises about how often I'll be able to post here. Hopefully it will be no big deal and I'll still get something up every week!

Michelle's Visit

One of my closest friends from college got to come visit from Lancaster. It was fun to hang out with her and catch up. Friends like that it doesn't matter when the last time you saw them was ... you just pick up where you left off. We do talk on the phone a lot, but it was really good to see her in person. And I got to show off Lincoln. She got some cute pictures:

Two Months

Lincoln is now 2 months old. I just the other day realized that most of the time when he is crying, he isn't hungry, he is tired! I figured if he was tired, he would just fall asleep, not cry. Now things are going much more smoothly and I'm not feeding him every hour and a half. Both of us are happier!

The Dr. said he is right about 50th percentile for everything, so he isn't as huge as I thought he was. He is 12 pounds, 6 ounces and 24 inches long. He has started figuring out his hands and sticking out his tongue. It's about time to explore the world through his mouth!

He is constantly moving. I am in trouble when he actually gets mobile! For now, he has managed to roll halfway from his back. It won't be long.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our latest photo shoot.

I am a sucker for adorable clothes!

Always moving!

His serious look.

This whole "mom" thing is getting more fun every day!

SMILE

OK, so every post from here until who knows when is going to feature Lincoln. Sorry, he really is my whole world right now. We finally got some good pictures of him smiling!

And, I am very proud of myself. After having a woman tell me how much she loved her sling when her baby was young, I thought it might give one a try. However, the price tag of the ones I could find was crazy considering it is not much more than a big piece of fabric. So I found instructions online, modified them just a bit because the fabric I chose didn't seem super strong, and I made my own from about $8 worth of fabric (gotta love JoAnn's coupons!). Tanner doesn't think there is any way Lincoln can be comfortable in it, and I haven't had super success with it so far, but here is a picture we took one day that really was a success!

I guess I'm just going to keep trying. A lot of the websites I have looked at say that it takes a bit of practice until both Lincoln and I will be really be comfortable with it. Oh, and did I mention how easy it was to make? I really don't get how people can get away with selling them for $50!

Tummy Time

Lincoln was given his own hat at the wrestling team's annual picnic. This year was a Rastafarian (spelling?) theme. He even got to pose for the team picture!

He is not a fan of tummy time, so I thought I would see if the hat put him in a better mood. It didn't.

Ohiopyle with Jess and Naomi

Lincoln and I have been getting outdoors a little bit more now that the weather has cooled and I am feeling more mobile. By the way, I completely underestimated how long it takes to recover physically from giving birth ... but I think I'm over the hump. Not ready to run another marathon yet (or even walk very far really) .. but definitely feeling much better.

So we accompanied Tanner last week while he and some buddies went rock climbing, but I forgot to take my camera, so no pictures of that. But I can say it felt really good to be out and about and enjoying the outdoors again.

Today we went with my friend Jess and her 2 month old daughter to Ohiopyle. It is so nice to have a friend to laugh about how much stuff we have to carry now, and how long it takes to do things like pack for a day trip, and other stuff us new moms like to laugh about. Here are some pictures we took.



It is hysterical how floppy Lincoln looks in his little carrier. And they were so cute side-by-side in the back seat of the car!

Oh, and I almost forgot ... that waterfall behind me in the one picture ... we watched a whole bunch of people in kayaks go over those falls today. It was amazing! I had heard stories of people doing that, but I didn't really think anyone actually did it until today. Crazy!

Photo Shoot

I staged a little photo shoot last week. Here are some of the best ones:



I know I am biased, but isn't he cute!?

Introducing .....

Lincoln Tanner Kolb!! He arrived a week ago on August 2nd. About 2 hours before his due date and about 2 hours after arriving at the hospital. He didn't waste any time once he decided he wanted to meet us. By the time I knew what was going on, my contractions were 2 minutes apart. It's a good thing I had be hoping to do the delivery drug-free, because when you arrive at the hospital 8cm dilated, it is too late for drugs to do you any good!

We are both doing very well. He has so far been a pretty good baby. We had one night in the hospital where he decided the only way he would sleep was if I was holding him. That was a long night. And one night here at home where he decided to be hungry about 20 minutes after he finished feeding ... 4 times in a row. That was not a good night either! But for the most part, even when he is awake he is just kinda checking out the surroundings. Mostly, he sleeps. Ultimately, a pretty calm little guy!

Here are some of my favorite pictures:



OK, so they posted in reverse order, but that is fine. And I know he is wet in the first picture. I know diapers help, but he leaks through almost every single one! Just ignore the wet onesie, because other than that, it is an adorable picture!

Bedroom Cleanup

Tanner says I'm nesting ... I just say I have found new energy now that we have air conditioning and I don't have to lay around all day just to keep from overheating. I know the pictures aren't all that impressive, but if you knew just how disgusting the room was prior to this weekend, you would be impressed!


And it isn't done yet. The guy at the paint store convinced me to not paint until after the baby isn't sleeping in the room with us anymore. Then I will be able to hang stuff on the walls and finish decorating. And I think I'm going to fashion something around the shelves to hide Tanner's stuff. But I am trying to be content for now just knowing that it is clean and relatively organized!

Electrician

No pictures because we did absolutely nothing this weekend. It was wonderful. Anyhow, funny story. So the reason a good portion of our house has not had electricity for a few months is my fault. ... wait let me change that. The reason it has been a few months to get it fixed is not my fault, but the reason it went out in the first place is. I had decided I didn't like the bug infested light on the front porch and didn't want to wait for Tanner to install it, so I did it myself. Apparently, I forgot some caps or something which caused a short not too long after my installation. I guess I need to let Tanner be the electrician from now on!

Makes Ya Think

One of the coaches Tanner works with died last week. He was almost 25 years old, a great athlete in great shape who left behind a lot of people who's lives he touched. You can see the news reel here. At the funeral home yesterday we waited in line for a long time to give our sympathies to his mom and sister. His sister is due to have a baby a week or so after I am. We are feeling his loss and will miss him ... but I really can't imagine what they are going through. I know God works through situations like this. I can't help but think for me it has made me even more acutely aware that I cannot protect this baby from everything in this world. It is my job to do my best, and let God handle the rest. But it also makes me want to cherish every moment (I know, easy to say now before the sleepless nights and endless diapers), because who knows when God will want Lincoln to be home with him. Watching our wrestling coach leave from the funeral home yesterday was heart-wrenching. He has a son about the same age as Mike. And I had a hard time concentrating on the road driving when the Stephen Curtis Chapman song "Cinderella" came on the radio. Makes ya think.

4th of July

As a rather last-minute decision, Tanner and I headed up to Northern Michigan for the 4th of July weekend. We met the new renters and got things squared away there, which was nice. They seem very nice so we have high hopes that things will go smoothly there. We also got to see a lot of our friends and meet some of thier new babies. And we saw lots of fireworks! Bay Harbor had a show on the 3rd, and then Petoskey and Harbor Springs had thiers on the 4th. I got my Murdick's Gaslight Grasshopper Petoskey Stone ice cream, and we got to go boating in Crooked Lake. All in all it was a great trip!

Maternity Pictures

Our friend Dominique is a professional photographer. So we got to have fun taking maternity pictures when she stopped through Pittsburgh the other weekend. Here are some of my favorites from the collection:

Father's Day

Tanner had a conference the weekend of Father's Day, so that freed me up to spend some time with my dad. We decided to try kayaking. However, since I didn't really want to be in charge of lugging Jon's kayaks everywhere, we decided to do the easy thing and pay someone else to do it. Long story short, we ended up going for a Ducky ride down the Middle Yough. It was the perfect day for a river trip, and I did get a little sun burnt, but not too bad. Class 1 and 2 rapids were just about right for me as well. Enough excitement, but nothing to make me too nervous at 8 months pregnant. Dad did fall in twice and lost a hat, but never did loose his pipe!

Here is Dad floating along.

And here he is taking a break (after loosing the hat!)

Maybe next Father's Day we will do a movie!

Debra's Shower

This weekend Debra threw me a shower. Other than the gifts (really, I am not going to deny how incredibly wonderful it is to not really have to spend any money preparing for our baby becuase of all the wonderful gifts), the best part of each of the showers is knowing that I am not alone in this. There were women there whom I have never met be before who care enough about me and our baby to spend thier Sunday afternoon watching me open presents. Knowing that so many people are praying for me is just unreal.

So here are some of the better pictures:
Yes, the Health Coach eats cake!

Grandma's and Great-Aunts

We have been so blessed!

Lots Going On!

We have had a bunch going on in the past few weeks. Unfortunately, still no camera cord, so no pictures. Hopefully soon!

Tanner and I took a long weekend mini-vacation to Morgantown, WV. I know, we go there on a regular basis, but this time we stayed at a little resort and hung out by the pool and got massages, and made it a vacation. Very nice!

Then I flew to Florida for a conference for work. It was fun to finally meet everyone that I work with. Plus, having a beachfront hotel wasn't too bad either!

And this weekend our friends from Michigan came to visit. They are great photographers, so I'm sure I'll have pictures from them soon for you. Tanner and I got to play tour guide. That is always fun here in Pittsburgh!

And, while they were here Dominique did a pregnancy photo shoot for me. She is going to be continuing her vacation for the next two weeks, so I have to be patient, but I am so excited to see those pictures. She is amazing!!

Baby Shower #1

Julie, Lori, and Mom threw a shower for me last night. I'm not a real sentimental person, and I don't think it really struck me during the shower, so I don't think I showed the appreciation I should have. But it really is amazing to me how many people are supporting me and Tanner when it comes to this baby. I know I could call on any of those women who were there last night ... many whom I havn't seen since my wedding ... or maybe since my Grandpa's funeral ... and they would be more than happy to give me advice or anything else I could use from them. That is really something.

And, the amount of work Julie, Mom, and Lori put into the shower was touching. It seems to go by in a flash considering how much prep they did to make it perfect.

OK, pictures to come soon!

Ohiopyle

We got to go camping this weekend. Tanner's roommate from college used to always be the one to organize our trips in college, and it seems we can't organize anything without him! So, thank goodness, he had time to meet us at Ohiopyle this weekend. We got to go hiking, rock climbing, biking, and campfire-food making with Dan, his wife, and 2 daughters. They brought thier little dog and we brought Drake, which made things even that much more fun!

Sorry, no pictures yet. We need to get the cord that connects the camera to the computer from a friend we let borrow it.

So, maybe this little trip will give Tanner and I the ability to start planning things ourselves!

The Porch

Although I realize that it will never make a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, I like my porch. The swing is really just for show. I don't think more than one person can sit on it at a time, and that one person can't be Tanner! And the furniture certainly isn't the most comfortable out there. But the rug has been a nice touch, and the dogs occasionally actually use the dog bed ... although mostly they like the rug and sunning themselves in the grass.
Tanner says sitting out there makes him feel old. Well, playing video games makes me feel juvenile, so we are even! There is not much that is more relaxing to me than sitting out there talking on the phone, reading a magazine, playing my guitar, or just listening to the birds. And I love that the neighbors always stop to say hi when they see me sitting out there. Country folk are very friendly!
So next time you are passing through Waynesburg, PA ... take a little detour and stop by the place. Just don't sit on the swing!

Pittsburgh Half Marathon

Well, we did it! Mom kept thinking I was going to drop out (which I would have if I had any concerns about the baby) ... I thought Mom was going to drop out based on the weather ... but we all finished the Pittsburgh Half Marathon walk on Sunday.

Honestly, I don't think I will walk another race again. I was rather irritated when they didn't keep the road open for us. It kinda makes you feel like an afterthought. Plus, all of the spectators and bands and stuff are gone by the time you come through. And the racers themselves are few and far between. It is much more fun to run and be in the middle of all the action.

But, I can say that I walked 13.1 miles in 3 hours 48 minutes during the third trimester of my pregnancy. Not bad!