Ian has now officially spent half of his life in Virginia and half of his life in Pennsylvania.
Let me just say that eight is great. Week eight was quite full and good. When we first arrived in Pennsylvania I felt like a slug, thought like a slug, and moved like a slug. Four weeks later I have been exercising with my aunt's class, going on outings without worrying about timing and getting in a nap for myself, and I feel like some of my mental functions have returned. I said "some." Haha. Certainly not all.
This week Ian experienced his first two snows! The first came and went within a day, but this mama had him out for a photo-shoot, in case it was all we got. The second snow came and has lasted a good while. As you can see, Ian currently enjoys being warm and cozy in the snow. One day I'm sure he'll be throwing snowballs and sledding up a storm.
Now our four weeks in Pennsylvania are coming to a close and we are mourning this, as are our family members here. It's been a great month full of family dinners, outings, visits with Grandma (Ian's Gigi), morning chats over breakfast with Aunt Beth, visits with Julie and her family, and even a multigenerational nap in my grandma's living room. We're sad to say goodbye, but this may be in our future if we should come here for residency. Stay tuned.
One thing I've never mentioned but don't want to forget is how Ian sighs after he sneezes. It's adorable. He'll sneeze, often twice, and then make a really sweet sigh of relief. I'd love to capture it on camera one day, but sneezes are hard to predict ;)
Last week was BIG for Ian & me and outings. I went to Gibsonia with Aunt Beth for haircuts with her sister-in-law, Laney. I wanted a change: thinner hair and shorter, since Ian had started to grab it with his fists. I know it still looks thick, but you should have seen the hair on the floor when she was done! Then we went shopping at IKEA with Laney, her daughter Michelle, and Michelle's baby, Luca. My goal was to get a wooden play yard, but they don't make them anymore! Bummer. But, you can always find something you "need" at IKEA. Eek.
Since they didn't have what I was looking for, we made our own at home. Marianne, my cousin who lives in Germany, skyped with us and gave me the idea to just use a broom handle to make my own little gym for him. So, that's what I did! It works just swell. Though he's not looking at it in this photo, he has been focusing on things hanging in front of him and occasionally hits the toy, though probably not on purpose.
Then on Saturday we went to two birthday parties outside of Pittsburgh and then to Julie & Aunt Beth's book club. What a great day that was! It was nice to spend time with the girls (& Ian) and then sit in on a great discussion in their book group. Let me just say that Ian was AWESOME both of these big outing days. He's a trooper and I am so grateful.
Look how strong he is now! Whoa baby, you aren't looking very newborn-y!
Saturday night Jim wanted to take a shift, so I could get some sleep again. We had gotten back late from the book club, so I went to bed at midnight. Jim never came for me and at 6:30 I was well-rested and desperate for my baby! It was amazing to have so many hours of sleep straight through. Thanks, Hon! I realized that 6.5 hours was definitely the longest I've been away from him since he was born. I woke up a few times in the night wanting to check on him, but talked myself out of it knowing that he was safe with Jim.
We had a family day on Sunday and FINALLY carved the pumpkins we got the first weekend here. We made a family of pumpkins and had plans to put pilgrims hats on them for Thanksgiving, but never made it around to that.
Aunt Beth directs Venango Chorus, which is a community choir through Clarion University. I finally went and sang with them on Monday night and had a blast. What a fun group of people and she's a great director. Ian fell asleep on the way there at 7 PM and did not wake up until 12:56 AM the next morning! 6 straight hours! Wild. Perhaps one day he'll time that for when Mama can sleep that whole time too. One can dream!
Here's a shot of Ian after a bath. I love the smell of a freshly cleaned baby. He's starting to enjoy baths a lot. Aunt Beth has the sprayer faucet attachment on her kitchen sink and so it's like a little baby shower. He kicks and pats the water and doesn't get upset during bath time (very often) anymore.
Smiles are much more prevalent! He loves smiling at his parents, but they are still somewhat difficult to capture on camera. He really responds to voices.
We went to The Pinery briefly and visited our neighbors, the Riggs. It was a nice visit and they gave Ian the cutest little mittens! I'm excited to introduce Ian to The Pinery and the Clarion River this summer. He'll be a bit more agile by then and it will be warm enough to dip his toes in the water! This visit we went on our first walk down River Road, a walk he'll do for years to come. Ella, a dear neighbor, made him a beautiful blue baby blanket (seen in the last picture) and a small blanket for the carseat. So sweet! Thank you, Ella!
I just love this shot. Feeling neglected, Leif? Don't worry, he still gets attention and walks.
Ian still dons red hair, though his roots are starting to be a light blondish color. We shall see!
Jim snapped this photo during the pumpkin carving. It cracks me up! Caught in the act? Not sure what you could do while strapped in the bouncer seat?
This week Ian has started making more sounds. He enjoys making a sound and hearing us imitate it back to him. Then he'll make it again. He smiles a lot when we do this. Jim was the first to really talk back and forth with him. It was a fun night!
Let me just say that eight is great. Week eight was quite full and good. When we first arrived in Pennsylvania I felt like a slug, thought like a slug, and moved like a slug. Four weeks later I have been exercising with my aunt's class, going on outings without worrying about timing and getting in a nap for myself, and I feel like some of my mental functions have returned. I said "some." Haha. Certainly not all.
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| First snow |
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| Julie & Hazel singing to Ian |
One thing I've never mentioned but don't want to forget is how Ian sighs after he sneezes. It's adorable. He'll sneeze, often twice, and then make a really sweet sigh of relief. I'd love to capture it on camera one day, but sneezes are hard to predict ;)
Last week was BIG for Ian & me and outings. I went to Gibsonia with Aunt Beth for haircuts with her sister-in-law, Laney. I wanted a change: thinner hair and shorter, since Ian had started to grab it with his fists. I know it still looks thick, but you should have seen the hair on the floor when she was done! Then we went shopping at IKEA with Laney, her daughter Michelle, and Michelle's baby, Luca. My goal was to get a wooden play yard, but they don't make them anymore! Bummer. But, you can always find something you "need" at IKEA. Eek.
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| So strong! |
Then on Saturday we went to two birthday parties outside of Pittsburgh and then to Julie & Aunt Beth's book club. What a great day that was! It was nice to spend time with the girls (& Ian) and then sit in on a great discussion in their book group. Let me just say that Ian was AWESOME both of these big outing days. He's a trooper and I am so grateful.
Look how strong he is now! Whoa baby, you aren't looking very newborn-y!
Saturday night Jim wanted to take a shift, so I could get some sleep again. We had gotten back late from the book club, so I went to bed at midnight. Jim never came for me and at 6:30 I was well-rested and desperate for my baby! It was amazing to have so many hours of sleep straight through. Thanks, Hon! I realized that 6.5 hours was definitely the longest I've been away from him since he was born. I woke up a few times in the night wanting to check on him, but talked myself out of it knowing that he was safe with Jim.
We had a family day on Sunday and FINALLY carved the pumpkins we got the first weekend here. We made a family of pumpkins and had plans to put pilgrims hats on them for Thanksgiving, but never made it around to that.
Aunt Beth directs Venango Chorus, which is a community choir through Clarion University. I finally went and sang with them on Monday night and had a blast. What a fun group of people and she's a great director. Ian fell asleep on the way there at 7 PM and did not wake up until 12:56 AM the next morning! 6 straight hours! Wild. Perhaps one day he'll time that for when Mama can sleep that whole time too. One can dream!
Smiles are much more prevalent! He loves smiling at his parents, but they are still somewhat difficult to capture on camera. He really responds to voices.
Ian still dons red hair, though his roots are starting to be a light blondish color. We shall see!
This week Ian has started making more sounds. He enjoys making a sound and hearing us imitate it back to him. Then he'll make it again. He smiles a lot when we do this. Jim was the first to really talk back and forth with him. It was a fun night!
Happy eight weeks, Ian Forrester!!!
You certainly light up our lives with those sweet blue eyes.
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