Lincoln's Vocabulary - 18 months

Lincolns current vocabulary:
No
Go
Woof-Woof
Please (Sounds like peas)
bed (only once though)
Mom

Lincoln currently knows where his nose, tongue, eyes and belly are.

Artistic like his Father

Stephen went to help his family on the farm for 5.5 days a few weeks ago. So I decided to help make the time go a little faster to introduce something new to Lincoln. We went off to Wal-Mart and I bought a large floor pad of paper, cool pen style crayons, finger paints and sidewalk chalk! Deciding that it was too cool for the chalk and still too young for the paints I set up the paper and the crayons on the floor and watched my little Michael Angelo go to work on his first master piece! He loved it! He loved it so much he colored for over an hour! I had to tear him away when it was nap time, and oh how he cried. But as soon as he was awake he motored downstairs, laid back down on his paper and continued his creation. For over 3 hours!!! It was incredible. And once again when it was bed time he cried and cried as I literally dragged him away from his crafts.
He still loves to color, but does not do it for the same amount of time. The one amazing thing is that he holds his crayons properly, like a pencil! Its very cute! My boy is a genius! :)

Compassionate at 18 months?

My darling little sweety pie (aka the big boy Lincoln) truly shocked me yesterday. During this pregnancy I have suffered severe horrendance, don't even wish them on my worst enemy, head aches. They come about every 2 weeks. Well last night was the night to get one. As I lay on the couch trying to shut out all sound and light, my little boy wanders over too me and gives me a hug. A hug!! I ask this little boy for hugs daily and rarely do I get one! He wanders off and returns a few minutes later and give me another hug! I was so touched. But then he blew my socks off - he wandered off again, went and found his 'choo-choo' (soother) and came and offered it too me! Like he was saying "Here Mommy, I know this makes me feel better! Would you like it?" I couldn't help but smile through the pain! I couldn't believe how perceptive he was and how sensitive he was too me. He made me feel loved beyond words!
As a mother I would not even think to ask to be loved back my the person that I love beyond comprehension, my son. Loving him fills me with more joy and fullfilment that I could ever ask for. But when he shows me that he loves me equally as much of his own free will - it is the greatest thing in the whole entire world. I could never imagine what motherhood actually felt like before children - i knew it would be good. I had no idea it would be this good.

My darling little froggingman!

Yesterday we were very blessed my one of Stephen's volunteers at Building Futures to be invited out to their 'little piece of Heaven' as they so lovingly and accurately call it. They have 40acres of woodlands and grasslands about an hour north east of the city. They have developed some of it into a beautiful garden, a quaint little cabin, and a great dug out for their kids, who are now adults, used to spend their summers swimming it. The rest is all natural forest and meadows - it really is a piece of Heaven. Lincoln, of course, had one of the best days of his life as he got to run around exploring, discovering, and just being a little boy! His favorite part of being out there were all the little frogs hopping around, waiting to be caught! Stephen and I caught and few and showed him - and then after that Stephen, Rodger and Linc went hunting frogs for a long time. The funny thing is is that Lincoln doesn't have the words "gentle' or "don't squish" in his vocabulary, so needless to say some of the frogs got a little bit of hard loving from our little 16 month old! Lincoln was able to even catch some by himself - and if they were getting away he wouldn't hesitate to try and step on them!

This one frog Stephen caught for Linc by the water, and placed it on the ground in front of Lincoln - and Lincoln proudly caught it all by himself. As we tried to tell him not to poke, squish, and manhandle this little frog - it got away into the water. But couldn't get very far as it was so exhausted and shocked at being handled so brutually it simply floated on the water. Well Linc was thrilled as he caught it AGAIN! And again this poor frog was 'loved' and discovered by Linc. We finally took it away from him and set it in the water away from Lincoln. And to my horror I watched this little frog sink to the bottom! After a few short minutes it struggled to the surface and slowly made its away as far away from my son as his little body would take him.

It was really cool to start to see the little boy in Lincoln really emerge! One of our 3-5 year goals is to buy some land in the country and settle out there. I won't be surprised if once we are out there my house is filled with creepy crawly things that my little adventure brings home. In fact, I can't wait!

Lincolns little antics

Lincoln has definately been my joy these last few weeks as he seems to have had a development explosion and doing lots of cute fun new things.

Linc now sticks his tongue out - it is so cute, because he hasn't figured out how to push it out very far yet so it sits between his lips. If you look at him and stick your tongue out at him, and gets the most glorious smile on his face and in his eyes and out pops his little tongue.

Linc now says "No" regularly and clearly. Last week we were at Stephen's parents farm and there were a lot of dogs at the farm, and so a lot of "Roxy, No." Herc, No!". As I strapped Linc into his car seat for the long ride home he points at Herc, who was sitting in the Jeep and says "No,no,no,no,no." It was priceless! Now, he says No, when he means no. He says NO, when he means yes. Its very cute.

Stephen has taught Linc to play hide and go seek. Stephen will say to Lincoln, "Lincoln, should I go hide?" or "Lincoln, want to come find me?" Which is usually followed by a, "No." which means Yes in this case. So then Stephen runs into another room, at which point Linc runs after him as fast as his little legs will carry. Stephen usually only has enough time to step into a closet or hide behind the door - but Linc always manages to find him, and is so proud of himself when he does!

One of the best things I am enjoying in this stage is Linc is finally starting to show affection of his own free will. When he climbs into my lap with a book in tow I am amazed everytime how perfectly we fit together. We were truly made for each other. When i squat down and throw my arms wide and the rare times he runs into them and gives me a big hug - I never want to let him go, or want that moment to end. Motherhood has rewards and moments that are priceless and inexplainable - and I am blessed, grateful, and humbled to have the privelege of being a mother.
My heart is over flowing with love and joy for my child. And it is over flowing knowing that I am priveleged enough to be carrying our second one.

The Lord is good.

Linc's First Hair cut

Well after being asked if Linc was a boy or a girl one too many times, we decided to get his hair cut. I loved his long blonde hair, but it was getting to be too much. Linc did great - sat so well and didn't cry or make strange. The lady we went to was brilliant and really understood toddlers and just going with the flow! He looks even more like Stephen now, and definitely less like a baby :(. He is growing up so fast!

These boots were made for walkin....

Lincoln took his first steps on July 2nd and started walking on July 3rd! I wasn't there for the first steps - Stephen told me proudly that Lincoln had accomplished this small feet after I returned home from shopping while in Florida. The next day we were in the living room of the beach house and I hear Stephen say, "Lincoln took a step!" "Two steps, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!" I ran over and caught the last bunch of them - and they were AMAZING! He spent the rest of the afternoon taking a few steps, falling on his bum, standing up, falling down, standing up, taking a few more steps, falling down! It was brilliant! We were able to get the second time he walked on video - I am so glad we have that memory forever on tape, it is incredible.
Now its about 3 weeks later and he is motorin - walking every where he goes. He either toddlers, or toddlers quickly! It is darling! He is so proud of himself!