Happy Half Birthday!

We have made it to Lincoln's six month birthday! Sometimes I felt like we would never get here but now I look at how much my little boy has grown up and I want to go back to the beginning (alright, I'm suffering from a little amnesia when it comes to Lincoln's first four months of life) I think God purposefully makes us forget about what babies are like so that we will continue to have more children (he also does this with labor and delivery). So here we are and what an eventful month we have had. Lincoln has all of a sudden grown up very fast and it seems like everyday he does new things. So here is six month old Lincoln in a nutshell:
1. Lincoln finally sleeps through the night, usually from 8:30p-7:00a, unless there is some sort of sickness or teething (and to be honest, I can't really tell the difference between the two)
2. Lincoln can also put himself to sleep (HOORAH) which means no more endless hours of rocking him until he was passed out- now it's read a book, sing a song, and off to la la land (with minimal crying)
3. Lincoln still loves every single piece of food you put into his mouth. He has yet to show any aversions to fruits or veggies and/or anything that Papa Devlin pops in his mouth when mom isn't looking.
4. Lincoln is doing a little better at entertaining himself but often gets bored after about 10 min. and wants to move on to the next thing (usually pulling mom's hair)
5. No matter how many fun and exciting toys Lincoln has in front of him, he always wants what Mom has, whether that is keys, a cell phone, or the remote. I have seriously contemplated buying him one of each of these just so he'll stop bugging me!!
6. Lincoln is almost crawling. He gets up on all fours and can scoot backwards but has yet to go forwards. Sometimes I'll put him down in one place and come back to find him across the room! He has also started doing little baby pushups, if we put him on his tummy he gets up on his hands and toes so he is in pushup position. I've tried to tell him that football tryouts aren't for another 10 years!!
7. And finally, Lincoln is such a joy to have around. We fall more and more in love with him everyday that he is in our lives. Here is to many more birthdays with our beautiful little boy!

Happy Easter

Lincoln with his easter basket and presents

Nathan dying easter eggs

Lincoln playing with his blocks from Grandma and Grandpa Bond

In an unrelated subject, Lincoln has now started getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth... next stop- CRAWLING!!

We had a great Easter, church was uplifting and our easter dinner was delicious. Lincoln got blocks from his grandparents and Nate and I bought him a caterpillar that sings. The present he loved the most? The 99cent plastic eggs! Next time I am buying him a box and letting him go wild! So as you can see, our little boy is getting very big. His 6 month birthday is on Thursday so I will fill you all in on his progress then. I hope everyone had a wonderful easter and was able to spend time reflecting on the glorious blessing of the resurrection.

Me and the Scooter

What was I thinking??

Lincoln thinking his mom is SO COOL!!

So I took the scooter for a spin today and I actually really liked it! I've gotten a little better at turning and I made it all the way around the block without crashing. We are starting to get into a good schedule here. Although, Rick has been at home this whole week for Spring Break and Nate has been off of work so Lincoln is reveling in all the attention he is receiving. I don't know what we will do when everyone goes back to work- he gets bored with me quite easily. We have successfully made it through another growth spurt (all we did for three days was eat and sleep) and the last time I weighed Lincoln he was 20lb but we go in for his 6 month checkup next week so we will see if he has grown anymore. I need him to stop growing- I only have two more pounds to go before I have buy him a new carseat. We are looking forward to a busy summer (baby blessings, trips to Chicago and Ohio) but I was saddened to find out today that we won't be able to go to my cousin Lindsey's wedding this summer (we are flying to Chicago the same day and mom has grad school). I was hoping to make it but we will just have to see the whole family another time. We are taking Lincoln's easter pictures on Monday (I know it's AFTER easter) so I will try to get those on here soon.

Boys and their Toys

Nate and his dad went yesterday and bought themselves a pair of black 150cc scooters. I have to admit I kind of pushed Nate into getting it. It will save us a TON on gas this summer and fall and Nate can drive it to school which means I get the car to run errands all day! We found a place that gave us a really good deal and even threw in free helmets! I've only driven it once so far and I'm not so sure I like it- I'm not very good at turning, I almost ran into a car this morning :) I think I need a bit more practice. It is kind of fun having a new toy...

Go Bulldogs!!

It's official- Nate got into Fresno State University's MPA program so we are in Cali for good (or at least for the next two years). I'm so proud of Nate for all his hard work and dedication, I just knew he could do it!

My Soapbox

Alright, I am blaming my good friend Mrs, Dub for my sudden need to blog about the upcoming Presidential election. She just HAD to bring it up as one of her Hot Topics which got me thinking about it all over again and since Nathan refuses to argue with me anymore about politics I will just have to vent for all my family and friends who happen to wonder onto my blog. I feel paralyzed by my choices in this year's presidential election. I have always been a card carrying republican. I believe that Americans should be given the ability to decide what they want to do within their own families and with their hard earned money. So normally, when this election process comes around, I have no trouble deciding who to vote for. I walk in that polling booth and check Republican- easy as pie! But all of a sudden I am torn about what to do. I don't like John McCain, there I have said it- good thing my father doesn't read this blog or else I would be in big trouble (I may be disavowed as a member of my family). I have tried to like him, I've tried to jump on the band wagon in order to stop another Clinton from taking office but I just can't do it. I think he is too old, too liberal, too soft on immigration, too uneducated about the economy, and too gung-ho about the war. Now, don't get me wrong, I am in favor of the war but I am starting to wonder why we are spending $11 billion a MONTH fighting a war to protect people who are charging us $4 a gallon for gas (yes, I realize there are many nuances of the oil industry that I am missing in that statement but that is how I see it, so deal). Maybe we could be spending that $11 billion on researching new energy sources, or getting out of debt, or fixing the problems with Social Security so that the money I am paying into the program right now will actually be there when I retire.
So that then brings me to the Democrat candidates- Obama or Clinton? I must say I actually spent a split second pondering if I should vote for Barack. I figured, a nice young guy- seems smart enough and his wife doesn't totally bug me. And best of all- HE ISN'T A CLINTON!! I think I would vote for Elmo if it kept Hillary Clinton from being elected- I would never want her representing our country or the female population. So I decided to do some research on Obama- needless to say, I was NOT happy with what I found. Turns out, he's just as liberal as Clinton (if not more) he just comes in prettier packaging (and without Bill). I think the day he came out in favor of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants was the day I threw my hands up in disgust and lamented my current situation!
So my new plan of attack- I AM NOT VOTING IN THIS YEAR'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
I am staying home and forsaking my I VOTED sticker. I feel like whatever decision I made, I would walk out of the booth feeling mad at myself so I am giving up and allowing all you people, who are not undergoing this great moral dilemma, to choose my next president. In turn, I promise not to complain about whomever you choose for the next four years. There, I have made my peace, I am stepping down now...
P.S.- Daddy, please don't hate me :)

Si El Puede- Yes He Can!!

Obama will have to forgive my borrowing of his new catch phrase but my excitement is too much to handle- LINCOLN SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! We aren't just talking 10p-5a, he slept from 9:00 last night until 7:00 this morning!! I didn't hear a single peep out of him all night long. After so many months of only getting 5-6 hours of highly interrupted sleep, I am actually feeling a little drunk off of sleep (does that make sense?) I feel like I have taken one too many sleeping pills and my mind is in a fog. Let's just hope he keeps this up so my body can readjust to 8 hours of sleep every night!