The Kohlmans

Sarah suggested I take pictures of Lincoln with his teddy bear, Abraham, every month, to track his growth visually. My original thought was to just do this comparing him to the little animals on his quilt, but since Hannah and Jason made Abe, who Lincoln loves, I'm adding him to the monthly photo shoot. Here are Lincoln and Abraham at one month. 

Today Lincoln is one month old! I can't believe he's been here a whole month, but I also don't remember what life was like before him. It's funny how that works. It's hard to write about his habits, likes, or dislikes since he seems so new and because he spent a fourth of his life so far in the NICU. But here goes anyway! Lincoln is not a big fan of tummy time. Often he doesn't try to move his head much; during those times he lasts a lot longer than when he does try to hold up his head. During tummy time he really wants to move and sometimes ends up scooting around in circles or a little ways across the blanket when he can get good enough traction with his feet. He does love to hold his head up and look around when he's held upright (on a shoulder). Lincoln is usually a happy little boy. He smiles and laughs at mommy, daddy, and especially Grandma Valerie. He loves singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" with the actions, as well as ...

This is the second story of Lincoln's short life that, had I been able to choose, would not be written in this way. Unfortunately, I don't get a choice other than to deal with it. And as I saw on Pinterest the other day (excuse the language)... "Shit could be worse."It made me smile. On Wednesday, Lincoln had a normal feeding at 2:00 p.m. After that he napped for a while. When he woke up around :00I tried to feed him but he wasn't really interested. He started to cry - not his normal cry, but a weak, whiny cry. As long as I cuddled him on my chest, he was fine. But, any time I tried to change his position or set him down, he would cry again. His body, arms, and legs were very limp. He is always kicking his legs and never lets his arms hang at his sides; even when he is swaddled he fights to free them. We thought he was probably just extra tired and snuggled him for a couple of hours. About 6:00, I tried to feed him again. He's never gone more than four hour...

Morning update... Lincoln's blood work showed that his CRP is down to 1.6. He has been taken off the antiviral meds and is only on an antibiotic. The doctor came in today to let us know that the blood cultures were negative for a bacterial infection; we may never actually know what it is that was making our little man so sick. Even though he looks and acts great, Lincoln does need to complete an entire round of antibiotics (21 doses), so we will be in the hospital through Wednesday - probably dismissed Thursday as long as things continue to go well. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially as Brad has to go back to work on Monday.

Lincoln's acting like his normal self. He is eating fairly well and sleeping quite a bit. When he's awake, he is wide-eyed and squirmy like usual. Now the medical information... His CRP level is the lab result of concern right now - the only concerning lab he has. When we were admitted, it was 1.5. Normal levels should be less than 1, so this shows that he definitely has an infection of some sort. Yesterday afternoon it was 7. This morning's lab showed that it is now down to 4, which means his body and the antivirals he is on are fighting the infection - great news! We are still waiting on some cultures to grow to tell us whether or not Lincoln has a bacterial or viral infection. This will then determine what meds we need to do and how long our stay will be. Brad and I appreciate all your prayers and messages of support.

Last night Lincoln was very lethargic, refusing to eat, whimpering, and had a fever so we took him to the ER. Because of the fever, he was admitted to the NICU at St. Joe's (standard procedure with babies under 2 months old). They have run lots of tests, but nothing of major concern has showed up. They will repeat the labs this afternoon. We are also waiting on some cultures to grow to determine whether he has an infection, so we will definitely be here until Saturday. If there is an infection, we will stay for a total of 10 days. Lincoln is looking much, much better. He was put on IV fluids and a couple of antibiotics late last night. He has nursed three times this morning and is now off the fluids. He's moving around, not whimpering anymore, basically acting more like his normal self - at least as normal as he can be hooked up to all the machines. We are feeling much better now that he is starting to act like Lincoln again. I will update again soon-ish. Thanks...

3:45 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 12:45 a.m., 3 a.m., 6 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. These are the times I fed my son in the last 24 hours. Typically, he nurses on both sides, so we are in the glider for about 40-50 minutes for each feeding. And, yes, he cluster nurses in the evenings, so about an hour after the previous feeding starts , he is ready to go again... Despite the fact that I sometimes feel like I spend my entire day doing it, I really love breastfeeding. (Maybe another day I'll post my thoughts/feelings on that.) So I sit and enjoy the view. For some reason, I thought I would post more after Lincoln was born. I know, it was a silly thought. Regardless, here's what we've been up to lately. We went on a walk, all four of us - just a few blocks, but it was so nice to get out. Now it's raining ice. Lincoln loves to stare at his teddy bear, Abraham, that Aunt Hannah and Uncle Jason made him. He was very popular at ...

In the past two weeks, I have come to realize that one of the very best things about becoming a parent is watching your partner become a parent. Since day one, Brad has been completely involved in everything. He changes diapers, helps me with feedings as much as he can, gives baths, plays, cuddles, talks to Lincoln... there are days when I have to ask if I want to hold the little guy outside of feedings! Brad has also taken on more than his fair share of things around the house, since I've been recovering from the c-section. He does laundry, cleans, cooks... It's really amazing. I'm incredibly blessed to have him as my partner. I don't know how moms do it when dads go back to work right away - and luckily I don't have to find out. Brad loves our little man so, so much. Cuddling Listening to (and learning all about) the Royals Nap time!

On Easter Sunday we went to the farm to have dinner with my mom's side of the family and Grandpa Melvin. Once again, Lincoln was the most popular person around. Great Grandpa Melvin Family picture  Genet  Klaassen family How big is Lincoln? Sooo big!  Great Grandma Lu and cousin Mia My new favorite picture! Great Grandpa Varden (Jesse) Loganbill cousins with our grandparents My grandparents with their kids The entire Loganbill family

We had a busy weekend. Lincoln got to meet all of his aunts and one last uncle, plus some great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and one side of mommy's cousins. It started Friday night when we took his first trip to the farm to watch the KU game with my family. Sarah, Hannah, Jamie, and Jason all got to come down for the Easter weekend. Hannah and Jason made this teddy bear, Abraham, for Lincoln. And apparently Sarah is really excited about sneaking into the background of this picture with her snack.   On Saturday, Aunt Leah got to see Lincoln for the first time. Saturday afternoon my mom and siblings came over and spent hours working - getting garden beds ready and planting some veggies and herbs, cleaning, hauling recycling and compost away, installing our new microwave... It was absolutely amazing to have their help. Of course they also took a little time to help Lincoln learn about twin power... ...and proper napping form. We're...