A Busy May

May has been quite a busy month! We've made several trips back to Modesto to meet all the new arrivals. Three of my four bridesmaids were due just weeks from each other. Once they all announced thier news I had to ask the fourth bridesmaid if she also had news - but she is enjoying her fistborn, the adorable Violet.

Leslie and Aaron welcomed Eden to the world on April 28, Robyn and Jim welcomed little Malachi on May 4, and (my sister) Emily and Matt welcomed Carleigh on May 18. We are so excited for all of you and can't believe timing worked out so great that we all have little babies at the same time! Can't wait until they can play together and enjoy eachother as much as we do :-)

Lincoln has also been quite busy changing and growing. The home nurse came last Wednesday and Linc weighed in at 13 lbs. 8 oz. and measured 23 1/4 inches. He is still in the 50th percentile for his weight - and has followed the growth chart exactly... what a good student!

Lincoln continues to love playing with toys, grabbing them and putting them in his mouth. It is so fun to watch him discover and investigate. He is at a really fun stage where he interacts with us, laughs, squeals, and loves to make noise. The other day he even said "Mama"... we aren't sure if we'll count this as his first word. Chances are it didn't really mean mama... though my heart is sure it did! The first time he said Mama he was in his crib and wanted me to come feed him, and the second time Jeremy even heard it when I was out of the room. He almost said it again this morning - each time he has wanted my attention, but he really is a bit young to be talking. We'll just listen for it to see if it was real.

Lincoln has also rolled over! He has been a very wild sleeper and woken up in odd places (as our last post showed), but we had no idea he was also rolling over. The other day he fell asleep during his floor time. I watched as he rolled from his back to his belly and back again several times. Clearly it wasn't his first time rolling, but it was his first witnessed time. Lincoln is such a laid back baby that he rarely finds a need to roll over, he is usually content to stay where we put him. In fact he really only rolls over when he is going to sleep and trying to suck his thumb... apparently he forgets the thumb can come to him!

We've gotten some great pictures of him this month, and there were just too many to choose from so I put my favorites. Sorry for the long post, but when your kid is this cute what else can you do! :-)

Our First Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day was wonderful! We went to church and then spent the day relaxing. Lincoln and I took a nap together and snuggled for a long time. It was great to have a day to do nothing... which doesn't happen much around here. We just ignored the "to-do list" and enjoyed being a family. It was such a beautiful day so we decided to take advantage of it and go on a family walk (with Belle of course). I took Lincoln in the Baby Bjorn and turned him around (facing out) for the first time. He loved it and was taking it all in. He loved looking at the trees and was mesmerized by the world around him.

Lincoln had daddy go out and buy a couple gifts, including a picture frame, a Willow Tree figurine of a mom holding her baby, and my favorite Ben and Jerry's ice cream. But Lincoln gave me the one gift only he could give... a full night sleep!!! Yes, Lincoln slept through the whole night three nights in a row!!! Last night broke the pattern, but I'm hoping he'll continue to sleep through the night from time to time... well really I'm hoping for every night, but I'm trying to be realistic.

Lincoln has been cracking us up lately with his sleeping "activities." He is turning out to be a lot like his mommy... a very active sleeper. One morning I woke up and saw Lincoln's arm and leg completely hanging out of his cradle. And of course my first reaction, like any good parent, was to laugh and grab the camera before rescuing him. Another morning he had both legs sticking out. And then this morning his head was at the foot of the bed... he did a 180 while still wrapped up tight! Now that takes talent!

Lincoln is definitely living up to the meaning of his middle name - Isaac = he will bring laughter. He brings laughter and joy into our lives!

Happy Cinco de Montho!

Happy Cinco de Montho... ok I'm cheesy... just a little play on words since Lincoln turned 5 months old on Cinco de Mayo. We can't believe he is 5 months old!

To update you on Lincoln's latest tricks... he has discovered that he can touch things and he is enjoying exploring new textures. We just started giving him toys to play with on his own. As you can see he has already advanced to reading. Seriously we did not stage this picture! I put the book in his lap (open to that page) and he held it in both hands and starred intently at the pictures. This book kept him entertained for half an hour! And of course kept me (April) entertained as well as I watched him discover.

Also, Lincoln had previously only been saying vowel sounds, but just stepped it up and combined vowel and consonant sounds (as in "agaa"). Thinking of this brings something to mind that several people have said recently. Yes, I know most parents don't really track these sorts of things. We celebrate even the smallest accomplishments in Lincoln's development. And on a day like today, his five month mark, I am reminded why. Lincoln has come so far from those first days in the hospital. It amazes us to see the drastic change from that itty bitty little baby laying in an isolette to a happy, healthy, growing boy. And I know we will be amazed when he walks for the first time, goes to school, and graduates. He is right on track in his size and development (according to his due date)... and he has never been behind.

We don't celebrate the small things because we didn't think he could do it - we celebrate the small things because we are amazed at God's creation and His plan for growth and development. How incredible is it to discover you have hands! To touch and feel something for the first time... to hear a sound you actually made... to realize that when you do something it has an affect.

Having Lincoln in the NICU for 8 weeks changed our outlook on life. Why not celebrate the small things as if they are an accomplishment worth our notice? Getting excited about the little things today makes life more joyful... and why not share that joy with all of you! I'm glad you get to come on this journey with us and hope that you, too, will be amazed and excited at this moment in your life, not the one that was or the one that will be soon. And maybe in some ways all that we have been through and are going through will rub off on you too.

So today find a small accomplishment and celebrate it... compliment someone on a good job they have done, or pat yourself on the back for marking a couple things off your task list, or treat yourself to icecream for making it through another day... after all you lived for 86,400 seconds today and that seems pretty great to me!