The day Lincoln Donald Johnson entered the world started out like any other day.  I had an ultrasound appointment to check on “baby’s” size.  Since Ava was born almost 2 weeks late and only weighed 6 pounds, there was enough concern to check out this baby too.  Josiah was able to come and we were excited to get a glimpse of our unborn baby once again.  The ultrasound went great and she even turned on the 3-D at the end which was a first for us.  So cool!  The doctor came in and said “Baby” looked good but was measuring small and the fluid level was a little low, so would we like to have a baby today?  We were a little shocked but anxious to make sure our baby was OK.  We had to run home and finish packing and make arrangements for Ava which gave us some time to get used to the idea that we were having a baby!  We drove to the hospital, checked in, and the waiting began.  7 hours later I was dilated to only a 6 and in hard labor…20 minutes later I was dilated to a 10 and less than 10 minutes later we heard… “It’s a boy!”.  He cried immediately and it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever heard.  There was no rushing him away and no resuscitation needed, he was laid right on my chest and he looked up at me and stopped crying for a moment.  He was absolutely the most beautiful thing I had ever seen…gunk and all.  They took him over to the bassinet to clean him up and check him out, I kept asking questions from my bed “is he breathing OK?” “What’s his apgar score” “is he all right?”.  When Ava was born I didn’t even know what an “apgar score” was, I naively thought that she would just be OK, there would never be anything wrong with my baby.  I was not naive when Lincoln.  But I didn’t need to worry this time, he was perfect and beautiful, all 6 pounds and 11 ounces of him.  When they put him back into my arms…oh what bliss! My heart felt full and my arms did to.  Such an amazing, indescribable feeling.  It is a moment I will never forget and I will always be thankful for.

The rest of the night was filled with getting settled, spreading the news, and cuddling with our new son. Lincoln seemed like such a big name for such a little guy so Josiah and I started calling him “Mr. Lincoln” just to make it seem more rediculous I guess.  It suited him. The next couple days in the hospital were so relaxing and full.  There was no rushing around, no NICU visit, no big worries…just being new parents of a newborn.

Lincoln was so strong from the beginning.  He held up his head immediately, and within the first week he knew how to use his skinny little legs to jump.  He also made sure we knew he did not like to be alone and that he knew when it was time to eat.  He was a little jaundice at the beginning but nothing bad enough to do anything about.  He was pretty fussy and not a good sleeper (he just started sleeping through the night this week).  Josiah and I definitely had to be a team with him because he stretched us both to the limit many times.  But he also smiled very early and we call him our “love bug” because he is VERY affectionate.  He is quick to laugh and LOVES to be silly.  He adores his sister and wants to be just like her and she has loved him so much from the beginning. We couldn’t imagine life without our sweet, active, naughty, cute, loud, “melt you heart” blue eyed, all-boy, Lincoln.

We LOVE you sweet boy!  Happy Birthday!