I Knew it!!!

So those of you who know me know that before kids came into our lives, I was an avid gym-goer. I loved it, especially strength training. I didn't want to get bulky and so I refrained from lifting a lot of weight (haha), sticking mostly to the 5 and 10 lbs weights. Who knew that I could have pushed for more?? Now 10 lbs is like lifting a feather for me! I've passed curling 15 lbs and even 20 lbs. I am officially now curling 22 lbs. I can't believe that in 8 months I have gone from curling 7 lbs to 22 lbs!! And the kicker is I haven't stepped foot in a gym in 8 months. So how, do you ask, is this possible??! Well, who needs a gym when you've got this handsome mass to carry around?

Lincoln had his doctor's appointment this morning and here are his stats: at 8 months old, he is 22 lbs and 30 inches long. Keziah was WALKING at this weight!! Actually, she didn't hit 22 lbs until 15 months (she was walking at 13 months)! And the thing is, if you look at his face and arms, you wouldn't think he would be 22 lbs:

He does eat well and when someone eats well and doesn't really show it, one would say "he has a hollow leg.". Yeah. Not this boy. Those legs are definitely NOT hollow! :o) This is where he is hiding at least 15 of those 22 lbs!

Since learning to crawl, this boy has discovered there is a world to explore! To get a picture of him is proving to be difficult as he comes right at me!

This is "the look" I get for moving away from him so he couldn't reach the camera:

In the last day or so he has learned to pull himself up to his knees. Here he is hanging on for dear life!!

But now what? How to get down?

"What's the matter, mom? Think I can't figure this out?"

Convincing me with his smile that all is good and he'll eventually learn to let go :o)

And it also looks like someone else is happy to have the play table back out!

I know it's a matter of time before he figures out how to stand. When he crawls to me (or someone else) he pulls to his feet right away and is quite proud of himself!

We are so enjoying him! Seeing him learn to do such simple things like wave "bye" and clap his hands gives us so much pleasure! But his smile! That is what gets me every time!!!

Having Lincoln has been such a blessing. Not only do I get to see my husband as a father (again) but I also get to watch Keziah in her role as big sister. He is so loved and cherished and we praise God every day for him!

And this girl....do you know why she is so excited?

You'll have to come back in a week or so to find out!!! :o))

Mr. Lincoln

It has been awhile again, since I've written about Lincoln. This boy keeps growing and changing overnight!!! It has been a fun few weeks as we've been watching him learn to crawl. I know a child learning to crawl is not always looked at as a big deal, but I just can't help but be amazed when I see it all coming together. It is so fun to see that after learning a new stage, the next one develops. For example, a number of weeks ago, he learned to pull his legs up and under him, which had him rocking back and forth. After a few days of that, he learned to pull his legs up and then move one leg forward at a time, which resulted in plenty of faceplants as he hadn't figured out how to move his arms. Not giving up, he would pop back up into the rocking position and then tentatively lift up his right arm, moving it 5 mm forward, and then flop down. After doing that for awhile, he has now figured out how to move his left arm and now he is everywhere!! It's so funny because he wants to move fast and get places but the harder he tries, the more "out of control" he is! And then he gets frustrated! Ahhh, lots of fun!! Life is sure to be interesting now with a 7 month old going places! Dear Keziah has no idea what's ahead for her. I do believe their relationship will go through a rough patch now that he can get into her stuff! :o) The joys of siblings!

I know, I know. Enough words already!! Let's get on with the pictures!

Someone's been watching the gymnastics during Olympics!

He will find the tag on anything and be happy for hours!

"Yes? What do you want?"

Lincoln LOVES his bed and spends many hours in it. I just love sleeping baby pictures.

Having fun in the tub! He loves water and by the time his bath is done, I've had a shower and my bathroom is clean! :o)

I could just squish this child all.day.long.

The men in my life. As you can see, Lincoln takes his role very seriously!

Having fun with mom!

"Thanks, Aunt Jenn, for my outfit! I like how it brings out the blue in my eyes." :o)

Time to dust off the play yard to keep this explorer contained somewhat.

Last week we were away camping, hence a quiet blog. Any guesses as to how many pictures I took?! Once I go through the pictures and bring the number down to a manageable one, I will post about it :o)

Nooooooo!!

This guy just doesn't clue in that he is my last baby and so he is supposed to take things slow. Nope. Here he thinks he is just the cat's meow by rocking back and forth on his hands and knees.

And this is what my foot looks like from knocking him over to keep him from crawling.

(before you call the authorities, I AM KIDDING!! I stubbed my little toe. Boy, it's amazing how much you use that little toe for balance and walking. You don't realize it until you can hardly use it!!)

Our Toughie

Ah, our dear son Lincoln. I can not believe that he has been with us for 1/2 a year already. Lincoln was born on December 30th, sneaking in on the second last day of 2011. He was a tiny, scrawny 7 lb baby. But he sure didn't stay that small for long! 6 months later and this boy weighs a whopping 19 lbs 1 oz and is 27 3/4 inches long. He is a long baby, but that I am used to. Keziah was also that long by 6 months but she was 3 pounds lighter! Makes a difference when you are lugging him around in his car seat!

And no wonder he weighs so much! He has gone from this:

To this, and it doesn't matter what I throw at him, he'll eat it. All.

And if he doesn't think I've fed him enough, there's always lint inbetween the toes! :o)

In the last few weeks or so, we've noticed that he isn't always so quick with a smile if he doesn't recognize you. It will come, but often he will stare you down, looking at you with a very unimpressed gaze. Below, there is his gaze, but this time it is directed at me. I was all happy and clapping because he was sitting by himself. He clearly thought it was no big deal.

Mr. Lincoln also popped a tooth this month! One night I was tickling him and there it was! Other than a lot of drool and stuff, I had no idea this was coming through! Not a whine from him at all!

And not only was he tough with his tooth, he also had his 6 month needles. Not a flinch with the one and only a mild complaint with the other one. Keziah was very impressed that he "didn't even cry!". I guess the more "muscle" you have on the legs, the less you feel?!

Lincoln remains to be a very easy baby. I have not had to get up with him in the night since he was 8 weeks old, and this he did himself. He sleeps a lot during the day as well, and when he isn't sleeping, he is playing or "reading"! (usually the book is in his mouth but I caught him looking at it!! :o)

He also LOVES water and so we are beating the heat in 1 inch of water!

And here are my 2 beauties. Although the last 6 months have gone so fast, I look forward to the next 6 months as this bond between Keziah and Lincoln continues to develop.

In other news......

the men in our house, meaning dad and me, both celebrated birthdays last week!

First, there's my dad. He had his birthday on Friday and he turned 38!!! I know, I know, so old! But even though he is old, he still loves to wrestle and play with Kez and me!

He LOVES to let me fly and then tip me upside down. I love it, too! I laugh a lot when he does this.

Kez and I are so thankful for our dad. He's the best dad ever. I can't tell him that with my words, but I do with my smiles.

But he's not the only one that had a birthday last week! You guessed it..so did I!!! I am now a big whopping.......5 Months Old!!!!

Oh, I was SO excited! I knew that mom made dad chocolate peanut butter pie for his birthday, so I couldn't WAIT to see what she made for me! Here I am, all eager and excited!

But wait a minute.....I don't think this is Peanut Butter and Chocolate!

What in the world is this stuff??

Let me try it again....nope. It definitely is NOT peanut butter and chocolate pie.

Seriously Mom, do I honestly have to eat it??

Oh wait a sec! I learned a new trick the other day! I learned how to spit! Yay!! That's what I'll do the next time she puts that stuff in my mouth again!

Hahahahaha!! I am so clever!! You should have seen my mom's reaction! I got it all over her!! Hahahaha!!!

Oiy. After laughing so hard, I got a cramp. Once I calmed down, wouldn't you know it, my mom kept letting me try the stuff and I actually did really enjoy it! I secretly hope that I don't have to wait till my next "birthday" of 6 months before I get to eat it again.

In the meantime, I'll just keep chilling, watching the world go by. Till next time, Linc! :o)