Lincoln at 13 Months

1. He LOVES Daddy. He much prefers Dave over me when we are both home and he has the choice. I think that because daddy is often not home, he is a novelty and they have so much fun together. It is great for me because I get to have a break and there is no fussing etc. when Dave takes over. I love it!
(Not to mention it is the cutest thing alive to watch them play, and he giggle so much he almost wets his pants... Lincoln that is:)

2. He has learned how to do knuckles, and gets so excited when he does it and gets our VERY enthusiastic reaction!

 3. He makes this precious big boy face all the time, and kind of grunts with satisfaction when he does something we coax him to do. It is like he is realizing how cool he is and just how fun it is to be a mime. 

4. He likes to feed himself these days, and by so doing he barely gets anything in his mouth, but he sure has fun making the mess! He likes bites of cheese, baby puffs, crackers, vanilla greek yogurt, and turkey deli meat. He will eat tiny pieces of fruit and has started trying the baby carrot pieces, he is not so sure about those, but he is doing so well trying and at least eating a few bites of what I give him. We just need to eat more of this stuff and eventually that tube will go away. (By the way, he hardly ever has to be tube fed anymore. Just a couple of ounces at night when he doesn't drink enough in the day. :):)

 

5. He is starting to play so nicely in his room by himself for at least 15 minute intervals, which means he gets to explore and play with every toy in his room and I get to get something done!

6. His new leg is a hit! He likes to stand on it and play on some toys. He gets tired pretty fast, it is surprisingly heavy and I can imagine that it must feel so funny for him, but he likes it. He has even initiated a few steps on his own while we hold his hands. They are few and far between, but when he is in the mood, he does it.

Look at this proud big boy face!

7. He loves to be outside and there is no whining when we are out and about. It has been really difficult the last month to do anything outdoors because the heat has been outrageous. Severe heat warnings and the news advising to not go outside if you don't have to is for the birds. We are ready for some cool Reno weather. 

 To escape the heat the last few Sunday afternoons we have been heading to Mt. Charleston where it is 85 degrees and we have been taking hikes. L is in love with it. He loves the trees and the bouncing in the front pack as we hike in the mountains. He came to the right family. We love the outdoors!

At the end of our rather strenuous hike he looked like this. He couldn't keep his eyes open. Hey, all he had to do was sit and relax and take in the scenery, but it completely tuckered him out.

 8. This new fire engine he got for his B-day is his favorite thing right now. He looks like such a big boy "driving" it around our tiny apartment as daddy pushes him and they yell, "Watch out Mama, coming through." He smiles so energetically every time.

 

What a year it has been, and how thankful we are we have come this far. L has made HUGE strides and we couldn't be more proud of him, and more thankful to a loving Heavenly Father that has spared his life and blessed ours with his amazingly BEAUTIFUL spirit.  He makes our home even better than it was before he came along and we adore him so much.

Skull surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14 at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Please pray for a successful, uncomplicated surgery. 

We love you all!