The End and The Beginning

Just a few days ago I posted a picture of Lincoln meeting Kevin's Grandma. She passed away unexpectedly soon after our trip to Oklahoma. I'm so glad we made that visit and she got to meet the next generation of Kuhlmans. I know Lincoln will make his Kuhlman grandparents proud that he's carrying on their name. Kevin has so many memories of Esther . . . most notably the Shawnee pancakes! It is amazing what she and other women could accomplish without our modern luxuries: she milked the cows for the morning milk, ran a household of 6 kids, and managed to raise them to be exceptional adults. Her death seemed even more tragic since we'd just seen her, but what a relief that we were able to go that day. The whole family came together in Norman on Thursday and Friday, and Lincoln was a bright spot for everyone. He was sweet to let anyone hold him. I just warned them to face him outward, as he loves to look around. Hold him tight against your shoulder and you'll have a fussy Lincoln! He sang along with us at the funeral and stayed quiet when he needed to. He wore a precious outfit that Auntie made, although Kevin kept calling it a dress. I thought he looked like an angel.

We got to show Lincoln the cows on the dairy farm. I tell him often that cows say "moo" when I sing Old MacDonald, but I'm not sure he made the connection. Mostly he sat there looking cute. Kevin spent lots of time visiting the farm when he was growing up. I'm glad we got to walk around a bit even though we weren't dressed for farming.

Since we're such experienced parents now, we're qualified to offer our advice and opinion on all things baby-related. Kevin took Julie's husband, Jon, aside to give him some guidance on the baby shower gifts they recieved last weekend. Kevin was especially insistent on the benefits of the Boppy Bouncer. Here they are going through the gifts.