Vacuuming and Toe Touching

Today was a big day for Ian! It was the first time I have been able to vacuum in the same room (or even in the room next to him) without him screaming in terror. He just kind of looked at me and the vacuum when I turned it on. I made sure to make plenty of happy faces at him while I was vacuuming and it seemed to work. It is sooooooo nice to be able to vacuum now when it is just me and him. Before I had to wait until someone else could be there to take him outside while I vacuumed.

Another big deal - Ian seems to have discovered his toes today! He was wearing socks, so I guess it was really his feet that he found. We have brought his feet up to his hands and mouth before, but he hasn't really shown much interest. However, every time I changed him today, he grabbed his little tootsies and wouldn't let go! It was really cute to watch, even though it made it harder to change his diaper.


P.S. I know the socks don't match that outfit, but this child spits up on almost everything he wears, so his socks always match his first outfit of the day but not necessarily the last one.

Proud of Hubby!

James recently got a promotion at Target and is now a signing specialist. That means he is in charge of all the signs in the store and their proper placement, etc. It has been great for him to be able to show the management there what he is capable of. Within the last two weeks (he started Sept 14), he has been recognized by the management three separate times for doing such an outstanding job. One of those times was at a little award ceremony (he didn't go, but they saved the certificate for him). Kudos to you, Daddy! We're very proud of you and all the hard work you are doing.

The Other Side of My World

Most of my posts are about Ian. I love being a momma, but more than that, I love having Ian in our lives! He is such a blessing.

Just a heads up - this may not be the most encouraging post ever. I just want to share so that when we look back on this year, we can see all the things we have gotten through and overcome. I have so many positive things going on in my world right now, but don't want to overlook the importance of getting through the more stressful things.

With great blessing can come great responsibility (to tweak a phrase). I am a task oriented person - I often have "To Do" lists and get a lot of satisfaction in completing the tasks, even if I don't particularly enjoy the tasks themselves. Right now, I have a "To Do" list that is about three miles long and it is a bit overwhelming, mostly because I could get it done this week by myself but I think it will take a month to get everything done while taking care of a baby. I'm totally serious about that time frame too!

I was praying about it tonight and realized I just need to list everything and get it out of my head onto paper (or in this case, into a blog). So without further ado, here's my "To Do" list:

Update finance spreadsheets on the computer * Sort through three large bags of pre-pregnancy clothes to see what fits and what doesn't and what I want to get rid of * Hang Ian's name letters on his bedroom wall (they finally arrived in the mail this week) * Hang the bulletin board above my desk * Hang Aunt Lissie's art work she made for us * Clean the desk (tons of mail, receipts, etc.) * Write and mail long overdue birthday and anniversary cards that have been sitting on my dining room table for a month * Repost the drum case my hubby is selling on Craigslist * Take the recycle bin to my Mom's (she has city recycling service at her house) * Borrow her Rainbow vacuum while I am there (water based - works better for a deep clean) * (More to come - I don't have my written list with me here at work.)

I'm going to be busy for a while, huh? :-)

The other major thing I am dealing with is an extremely strong fear of getting pregnant again. We had no idea I would be so sick the first time, and we just kind of had to put our heads to the wind and keep on trudging along. I didn't really process a lot of emotions regarding the hyperemesis during the pregnancy - I was too busy trying to function on even a minimal level.

I have been kind of surprised at how strong some of the emotions have surfaced post-pregnancy. Getting through it was such an ordeal and we were so excited to have finally have our baby on this side of the belly and be back on our own two feet that I guess I expected just to move on. Apparently my subconscious has other plans for me. Little things will trigger extremely strong emotions. For example, James had a fruit drink the other night that put his colon into overdrive. I felt bad for him and did what I could, but didn't think too much of it. Later that night though, it really hit me. That little bit of misery he went through was 24/7 for me for a lot of the pregnancy.

The other night I was sleeping with a little blanket lovey for Ian so that it would smell like me and hopefully help him fall asleep on his own for nap time. I turned over in bed, taking the blankie with me. Just that little action reminded me of having to sleep with that pump, moving it every time I rolled over and gingerly adjusting my legs so all the sore spots weren't too sore.

Previously, we had thought we might look to have another kiddo when Ian was two or so. He'd be a bit older and able to do more on his own and be about preschool age if I did get that sick again. Now I'm thinking he might have to be five! Haha - we'll see what happens. I'm trusting God to help me work through the emotions. I know it is just a season right now.

More Family Time!

Today we got a call from Grandaddy that he was in town and staying with Aunt Julie. They were planning on going to the drag races the next day. James had to go to work early tonight (at 9pm instead of 1am), so we ended up only getting to see them for a little bit. We headed to Aunt Julie's for dinner. She made a yummy enchilada casserole and had a molten chocolate cake all ready for dessert! Yum - go Pampered Chef!

Ian had fun playing horsie with Grandaddy. Grandaddy and cousin Hannah helped feed him dinner too. We are really glad we got to see them!

Aunt Julie making dinner while Ian poses with Grandaddy.

Yum! It's dinner time for Ian too.

Nice and messy - the best way to have dinner.

Cousin Hannah feeding Ian.

We love Aunt Julie!

Gramma K's Visit

Gramma K came for a visit today! Ian always loves to see family. They had a good time playing with the new rattle that Gramma K brought him while Mommy finished up dinner. (Our garbage disposal went out and the maintenance guy was in the kitchen for an hour replacing it, so I was a bit behind on dinner.)

Gramma K also brought Ian this cool new outfit. It's been kind of warm lately, so we are looking forward to when the weather turns a bit cooler and we can wear it!

After dinner, we went on a nice long walk. Gramma K pushed Ian so Mommy and Daddy could actually hold hands on the walk. Can't remember how long it has been since that happened (probably about four months...lol!).

We got back from the walk and put Ian in his jumperoo for a bit. It usually tires him out, so it is a great activity before bed. He was jumping away - it was hilarious to watch how much fun he was having!

He started to fuss after a while, which is not uncommon for him. He's very good about letting us know when he is done with an activity. So, we lifted him out of the jumperoo, only to find he had been happily jumping in a very dirty diaper! The mess had been squished out of his diaper every which way and gotten all over his legs and jumperoo seat. So, we put him tummy down on the changing table to clean him up. He doesn't particularly like tummy time and started fussing. Daddy decided it would be easier to put him in the tub and whisked him off for a bath.

He was fussy during his bath and while getting dressed, which was too bad. He usually has a lot of fun in the bath and Gramma K didn't get to see that. Oh well - as soon as Daddy dressed him and gave him to Mommy to eat, he was fine. Crisis over!

Ladybug Shower

Shilpa, a friend of mine from TAMS, who has gone on to become a doctor, is pregnant with her first baby - a girl! She and her hubby are eagerly awaiting their little girl's arrival. They have just about a month left. So, Marianna, another friend from TAMS, and I threw her a shower. Incidentally, Marianna is pregnant with her second boy! So it was definitely a fun time to celebrate. The theme for the shower was ladybugs and we had a lot of fun with it. I am thinking when (if) we have a girl, I want to do ladybugs for her room. There is at on of cute ladybug stuff out there! I really had no idea until we started looking for ladybug baby and party supplies.

(Pix coming soon.)

Solid(ish) Foods!

Well, we got the go ahead from the pediatrician yesterday to start on solid foods. It's kind of an oxymoron as baby's first solid foods are actually very soupy. It's usually about 4-5 TBS of breastmilk/formula mixed with 1 TBS of rice cereal. Anyways, I was pretty excited yesterday, so after Ian's dr's appt, he and I stopped by Babies-R-Us on the way home and stocked up on rubber tipped spoons and baby cereal. I bought the organic brown rice cereal there, but ended up getting regular rice cereal from Wal-Mart too because I wasn't sure if the brown rice cereal would be harder for him to digest. He started with the regular rice cereal for a couple of days, and then we accidentally left that box at my Mom's, so we switched to the brown rice. So far, I haven't been able to notice a difference between the two with him.

James and I both have three days off in a row, so we figured it would be the perfect time to start the cereal with him! Here are some fun pix of his first time.

He loves to help hold our hands or hold the spoon himself if he can!

Trying to lick the cereal that spilled off his bib! He's a smart cookie! We have no idea how he knew that cereal was on there...he certainly couldn't see it and the bib was waterproof so he couldn't feel it soaking through.

Daddy takes a turn!

So yummy!

Wait! I didn't know there was clean up involved!

It's funny - sometimes he laughs when we clean his face and hands and other times he gets grumpy.

Four Month Check-Up

Ian had his four month check up today. Unfortunately, that means he gets shots. Being a bit more experienced with this type of thing now, I gave him some tylenol BEFORE his shots this. He did better today than he did at his two month appointment. I distracted him with his little cow while the nurse quickly and efficiently gave him both shots in one leg. That was nice it was only in one leg - one less place to be ouchy! (Last time he had a shot in each leg.) They gave him a nice Bugs Bunny band-aid too. Unfortunately, I only had my phone with me, so all my pix are on my phone. I will have to go find the cord to upload those.

He weighed in at 16lb 12oz and measured 26 inches long! He's our big baby! He is now wearing six month clothes and I'm not sure how long he will last in them. I am expecting him to be in 12 months by the end of winter, so I am trying to buy accordingly (at least in shirts, which he can wear a bit big).

Fun With Mommy and Daddy

We are still getting used to James' new work schedule. At the moment, neither of us are too fond of it. However, today (even though it is Wednesday) is our Friday!!! I can't even begin to describe how thrilled we are with that. We are both pretty worn out and so excited to have a three day weekend (totally a God thing for James - I normally have three day weekends, he's lucky to even get two days off in a row).

Anyways...on to the good stuff! I was changing Ian this afternoon after he had spit up all over both of us. He was laying on his changing pad and stuck his hand out towards my face. That usually means he wants to play "Nose, Mouth". So, I took his hand and kissed it. Instead of saying "mouth" like I usually do though, I said, "Ewww! Spit up! Yuck!" (His hand still smelled like spit up.) For some reason, he thought this was the funniest thing ever. It cracked him up! I got full blown laughs out of this. It wasn't just a little "hah" type of giggle...he was laughing away. It was pretty funny. We did this for about five minutes before he wore himself out laughing so hard. James was still sleeping, so I didn't get a good video of it. Here is the clip I got though.

Later on tonight, James was holding Ian as I was getting ready for work. Ian had already spit up on James - initiating him as parent on duty! So, James had a cloth diaper burp rag on his shoulder so Ian could drool/spit on that. Ian looked over at me and I said, "Hi!" He flashed me a huge grin and then turned and burrowed his face in the burp cloth on James' shoulder. Then he looked up at me again, so of course I said "Hi!" He gave me another huge grin and then buried his face in James' shoulder again, rubbing his nose back and forth on the burp cloth. It was hilarious! We had never seen him do anything like this before. We repeated the same sequence a few times. It was so cute! I told my mom about it on the way to work tonight, and she said he was playing peek-a-boo! I'm sure she's right. It is so great to see the ways Ian reinvents our little games!

Four months old!

I can hardly believe our little 8lb 7oz baby is now four months old!! How time flies with a little one. There are so many new skills Ian has gained in the last four months. One of the biggest new developments is how well he can hold his head up. We rarely, if ever, support his head anymore. He has such good head control now, especially when we lay him down. He will pull his little tummy muscles in as he is being laid down and keep his head up for as long as he can. It's quite cute to watch. He can sit up on his own - he just needs help balancing as he is still pretty wobbly side to side.

Our poor little baby is also cutting teeth. He drools enough to end every drought this country has seen! We change several bibs and outfits a day that get soaked with drool. He likes to use his own fingers as a teething toy - it amazes us that he hasn't hurt himself yet! It's not uncommon for him to stick all four fingers in his mouth and gum away on them. He often talks to us with his fingers in his mouth - it's pretty cute to see. And right now, it doesn't even affect his speech or make him hard to understand!

Thursday, we go to the doctor for his four month check-up and to get his shots. I have to say I am not really looking forward to that dr visit. James got a promotion (yay!) and is now working nights, so he will have to be sleeping while I take Ian to the dr by myself. Sigh. I'm not expecting it to be a pleasant day. Poor little baby. Oh well...God is good and I know He will give us the grace to handle it.

Ian's 180

I am a bit behind on posting Ian's big news. My best friend, Lissa, has been in town visiting for the past few days and we played hard. So, of course, I wasn't spending much time online.

Lissa and Ian

Saturday after she left, I was catching up on laundry and other cleaning chores. Ian was playing on his Rainforest jungle gym watching Veggie Tales. I was going in and out of the living room, picking things up. One of my trips through the living room, I noticed Ian had turned himself 90 degrees. This isn't too uncommon. He lifts his little legs straight up in the air and then lets them fall and uses that momentum to turn on his side. Every time he lets them fall, he turns a little as he lands on his side. So, if he repeats this process often enough, he ends up turning himself 90 degrees.

Coming back through the living room a few minutes later, I noticed our little man had turned himself another 90 for a full 180!! I couldn't believe it! This was the first time he had managed to turn himself that far. Crawling, here we come! (Okay, maybe not just yet, but his newfound range of motion is sure making us think about baby-proofing the house and moving things out of his reach.)

He started with his head on the burp cloth and ended up in this position:




P.S. I have to add that I originally had 45 degrees written for all the 90 degree angles. Haha...must have been tired when I wrote this! My sister nicely pointed out that 45 and 45 is 90, not 180. Too funny!

Playground Fun and Sweet Stories

Daddy was off yesterday, so we took a family walk to a nearby playground.


Going down the short slide first.




Whee!

Now the big curly one!

So tall!


Didn't want to let go of Daddy's hand when he put me back in the stroller!





For some reason, Ian woke up several times last night. He has been nursing more frequently the last two days - a growth spurt or something. In any case, when I was putting him back to bed after he got up for the second time that night at 3:30am, he started softly talking to me. He seemed wide awake, but I wasn't about to put him down to play. And since he seemed like he was talking to me rather than talking himself to sleep, I took that as a request for a bedtime story. So, being a bit tired myself, I started on the first story I could think of: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I got all the way through to Goldilocks eating Baby Bear's porridge when Ian chimed in. Talking softly too, he proceeded to "tell" me the rest of the story. It went something like this:

Ian: Um uh ooo, ummmmmmmmmmm ah ga oo.
Mommy: That's right. Goldilocks did go sit in Papa Bear's chair and it was too hard.

Ian: Oo ahh umo aaa uh uh uh.
Mommy: Yes, Mama Bear's chair was much too soft.

Ian: Eee oo um ooh ooh aw umga.
Mommy: True. Baby Bear's chair was just right.

Ian: Aaoo mmm agg ooo uh.
Mommy: Yes, Goldilocks sat in her friend's chair for quite some time. (In our version, Goldilocks thought she was visiting her best friend's house, which is why she went in and made herself at home even though no one was there.)

At this point, Ian started nodding off to sleep. It was such a precious time with him, even though it was in the middle of the night! (We did end up finishing the story at naptime the next day.)


(He loves to sleep with one hand tucked under his chin - it's his favorite position and incredibly sweet!)

Giggles and Smiles

Today Ian and I were playing "Giddyap Horsie", which is a game Aunt Katie taught us. It involves bouncing the baby while saying, "Giddyap, horsie! Go to town. Giddyap, horsie! Don't fall doooooooowwwwn!" On the "down" part, you lean the baby back. Ian had just eaten not too long ago (but long enough so the bouncing wouldn't upset his tummy) and was in a particularly good mood. He loved playing this game today! Normally he'll flash us some cute toothless grins, but today he actually started laughing. Then he started doing the shrieking type of laughing little kids do. That was the first time I ever heard him laugh like that. Unforunately, I was the only one home, so I didn't get to video it. It was such fun baby bonding time!

Bye-Bye Drum Set

The drum set we bought for James to practice on for the Navy audition last fall went to a better home today. James played on it for a couple of months, but then it sat in storage until we moved into our NRH (North Richland Hills) apt. It then found a new home in our pantry. We had been planning on selling it. Drum set isn't really James' forte. He is much more focused on the tenors/snare than on drum set.

It was kind of cool how quickly it sold too. We posted it online on craigslist at 1:30 am this morning and by 9:30 am we had someone calling saying they wanted to buy it. I ended up driving about 25 minutes to meet them halfway, but they had cash and were willing to pay what we asked, so it was worth it.

Here are a few pix of Daddy and Ian jamming on the set one last time. Ian is wearing an outfit Gramma K gave him that says "Drummer Wanted" and has a picture of a drumset.

And one with Mommy too.