Summer at Home

Don't ask me why, but all of these pictures uploaded completely out of order. Oh well! It's a smattering of pictures from our summer that have finally been uploaded and gathered.

Ian loves toys! He's gotten so imaginative in his play and uses different voices for each toy, allowing them to converse. We just love listening and watching him play. Ian's animals are still a very popular toy. While we were at The Pinery last week he was gifted a bunch of matchbox cars from my family in Miami. He spends lots of time arranging them in lines and rows around our house.

 Owen's gotten stronger and stronger. Rolling over and lifting his head far about his hands. He can crane is neck in any direction necessary and often turns 360 degrees around on the blanket. Owen's quite interested and observant.

 At the very beginning of the summer we had about a week straight of grandparent visits!! It was lovely.

Fourth of July- Owen had some very appropriate leggings!

 These boys are found like this all throughout our days. They LOVED being together, babbling back and forth, and smiling at each other. It's going to be fun to watch this relationship unfold.

Ian learned how to catch a ball this summer! He loves throwing back and forth or dribbling or chasing us as we dribble around the yard.

 

If this picture is any indication, Ian definitely approves of cooling down with a cool smoothie! No matter the color ;)

 Owen's dexterity has improved greatly. It's so sweet to get purposeful caresses and watch him manipulate his toys and other objects around him.

We've read loads and loads of books. The local library had a challenge to read 20 hours over the summer. This kid easily surpasses that in very little time. He's started asking more comprehension questions while we're reading, which is really fun. Ian's also quoting the books we read a lot while he plays or walks throughout our house. It's so fun, almost like a auditory scavenger hunt, to listen to him speak and figure out which book he's quoting. We have a pirate book called, "Pirates Don't Change Diapers" and that is a common source. It's fun to hear pirate jargon (all appropriate) coming from our sweet two year old's mouth!

 Jim's parents are clearing out his childhood home and brought us six adirondack chairs. They needed to be stained and so Ian and Jim spent some time painting them together. What a pair they made!

 Owen's favorite past-time (other than rolling, nursing, sleeping, ha!) is sticking his feet in his mouth. What delectable treats his toes must be! Ian continues to be a huge fan of apples, but the tomatoes currently growing in our garden are the most recent winner! He downed a whole pint before I even noticed he'd been sneaking them off of the kitchen counter!

These two. More of the sweet, sweet same.

Papa continues to bring so much joy and love into the lives of these boys. 

 Owen's taking notes. Soon he'll be in the mix, too. It's going to wild around here!

 Each homemade dinner is brought to you by either naptime or the jumper! Thank goodness for this jumper! He loves it (most of the time)!

This HAD been a really cute moment when both boys were lying on their bellies on this blanket. Right when I grabbed the camera, Ian turned around. Oh well! I still love the way his legs are crossed.

 I told you these are crazy out of order. Here are some of Aunt Erin and Seraphina when they visited last week. We loved having them here and getting the cousins together again! Sadly we didn't get one of all three of them together. So silly!

 They enjoyed playing together a lot. Ian did a great job sharing his toys.

 More grandparents visits...

 Sweet moments between brothers.

I don't bring my big camera on many excursions, so Instragram has a lot of our outings. But I love these moments captured around our home with the boys. This is everyday life.

The Darndest Things

The best things about parenting are the front-row seats we get to the life of our child. At this age, at least, we get to experience the full-throttled joys of his accomplishments and two year-old excitements, but we also are there to soothe the heartaches of social struggles, and the bumps and bruises of a toddler who doesn't slow down. Our kisses solve every problem and our smiles show him that we are there, we saw what he engineered, and we couldn't be more proud. Our corrections hurt more than anyones, but he knows that we will always scoop him up to comfort, listen, and begin again. We have the best seats in the house. And there's no way we're giving them up.

That's why it's hard to be apart! We want to see everything and hear every word. 

But this kid handles separation like a champ, we've learned. He's secure and confident, knowing that we'll always return. Going to the hospital was no different. We'd prepared, explained, and discussed the plan daily for weeks. 

In the end, our friend Barb came over for the night and brought Ian back to her house before her husband needed to go to work. Barb said that Ian wasn't phased by her presence and knew that we were at the hospital, almost as soon as he saw her. He knew. He understood. And he was strong. We'd be back.

Mom arrived that morning and brought him straight to the hospital. When she wasn't sure where exactly to go when they pulled up to the hospital, Ian told her. He knew where to go, since he'd come with me on the tour. We'd discussed how Äma would bring him to see us. He knew. He even knew the location and what the building looked like. That boy. My heart bursts. We are so proud.

So, here's a post all about him. A post about what he's saying lately. He says the cutest and darndest things. 

He's learning our language and so there are a few phrases that he says that just make us smile... I won't remember all of them, but I'll at least get some of them written down before they evaporate out of this mom's brain.

When he's hurt or has something to show you he says, "Look, I have..." He doesn't finish the sentence, he just wants to point out that he has something. "Look, look, look... I have..."

 When you have something that he would like to have he says, "Can you please just not have that?" Haha!

 Many sentences start with "You just..." For example, "You just need a drink, Mama?" Or, "Oh, Owen's just upset!" Or, "Leif just caught the ball, Mama!"

Another phrase he says is "We probly _______." For example, "We probly go home and have some lunch." Or, "Those monkeys probly climb the tree to rest."

One morning, while eating breakfast, he was trying to tell me something and I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. After listening for a while I finally figured it out and said, "Oh, ________ is what you were saying?" He responded with, "Yes, that's what I'm talking about!!" He was so exuberant and excited in his response. To be understood & acknowledged is a lifelong desire, isn't it? I just loved the way he had his own phrase with the same meaning to match my response. It surprised me, really.

One of my favorite things he's said came this morning when he noticed that Jim has some stubble under his beard on his neck. He said something like, "Look, look, you have..." and rubbed Jim's neck.  And then he said, "You have a beard so you can play rugby, Papa?" 

Hmm, interesting logic. And oh so funny!

Another wonderful thing about parenting is having someone to share the joys, the sayings, the challenges, laughs, and tears with you. Daily we debrief the day, sharing stories in front of Ian if he's still awake when Jim gets home, or showing videos and photos long after he's gone to bed. The darndest things happen in parenting, too. We need all the support we can get from each other.

FULL of Life.

Ian's wearing the sweater Mom
made for me as a baby!!

I love it when life is full. Full of people. Full of adventure and activities. Full of quiet moments. Full of sunshine and crinkly leaves. Full of learning. That's what life's been like for us recently. And somehow I need to fit all of it into this one post before more time gets away from me. I know I won't do the past few weeks justice; there's just no way to cover the fullness. But, as ever, I will try.

It all started with sweet Ian turning one!! Phoebe and James came to visit us and celebrate the occasion, but also to bid farewell before they left for France until April! Unfortunately, Ian wasn't feeling so well on his actual birthday and cried through the video coverage of us giving him an applesauce cupcake. Oh well!

Floyd Jamboree! Phoebe with her dance partner :)

We did have fun, though. Fortunately, he really only felt lousy on his birthday. So, we filled the rest of the visit with the aquatic center, the Floyd Jamboree, the farmer's market, and time out in our yard! He loved the toys they brought him, a basketball hoop for the bath and a tractor with a few animal and farmer figures. He's still enjoying them! Thank you!

I'm notorious for being horrible at goodbyes... we'll just leave it at that. But we'll see them in April when we visit and then when they return in late April! So far their updates have been really positive and it sounds like they are surrounded by wonderful people. What more can comfort the hearts of us back here than that?

Here are a few snapshots of their visit:

Ian with his tractor gift from Aunt Phoebe & James

Those two...

The ever-obedient canine refusing to drop his ball!

You can tell he's not feeling 100% here.... 

Blacksburg Farmer's Market- Pizza from Rickshaw Pizza!!

Handsome couple. Miss you!

Sorry, Ian. I had to post this one ;)

The waterworks started when they pulled out.

Jim and I took Ian to Heritage Park and he walked and walked. Jim guesses that Ian walked about a quarter of a mile... his longest stretch yet. When we got to the creek, we stripped him and let him get in the water. He was desperate to play in the mud and get wet. We're so glad he enjoys getting dirty in the great outdoors!!!

The following weekend my mom and Willem came to visit! As soon as they arrived we walked downtown for the Food Truck Festival. Who knew that people would stand around in lines for hours just to get food from a truck? Not quite sure what the appeal is, but I am pretty sure most moms of toddlers would opt out! Ha! Good thing Mom and Willem were there with me! We walked back home to enjoy our food. It was yummy.

Out of order, here are a few pictures from their visit:

Ringing the bell- "Dinner time, everyone!"

 

Leading Äma back to the playground.

WHO IS THIS BIG BOY??

The next day we hit the road for the apple orchard! I have to admit that the only time I'd ever gone apple-picking prior to this visit was when we'd run through the orchards during cross country in high school. Our high school was across the road from an orchard. Us girls would pick and eat the apples as a snack but the guys would often have huge apple fights, returning bruised. I prefer eating them, really.

Doe Creek Farm in Pembroke, VA was really beautiful. The weather was perfect and the apples were/are delicious!! Mom, Jim, and I spent a long time sampling each variety and decided we liked the Liberty apples the best. We picked some from a few different varieties, though. Willem, on the other hand, had a whole basket full within five minutes. Ian munched on two apples, double-fisting, in the stroller before getting out and helping to organize our basket and pick a few of his own!!

Sunday, Mom, Jim and I went for a walk on the Huckleberry. It was such a beautiful, fall weekend. Thank you for coming, Mom and Willem! Thank you for the wonderful books, warm fleece sleepers, and apple cider and chutney!! Thanks for coming! We love you.

I have spent a fair amount of time harvesting apples for the first time! I have to admit that I LOVE it. The smell of cooking apples, the taste of a crisp apple.... I love it all. I've frozen many for future baking, made apple pie filling and frozen it for later, made many apple muffins, made LOADS of apple chips with a borrowed dehydrator (umm, yum) and applesauce. Ian was a good companion through it all. Fortunately, he LOVES apples too and was happy to munch on them for long, long periods of time. On one of the long drives to Richmond (coming up in post) Ian munched on the apple for hours. Thank goodness for easy entertainment!! I plan to get a new batch of apples sometime soon and make my first apple butter. Can't wait!!

Ian and I spent the following Saturday at our CSA farm with another family. It was the first, truly beautiful fall day around here. What a great place to spend the day!! We got a tour of the farm from the friendly CSA guy, Cory. He showed us the harvesting room, the rows upon rows of produce, the pigs, the pond, and then let us harvest some sunflower seeds and weed the strawberries. Ian perfectly timed his nap right as we were starting the weeding, so I was actually able to get my hands dirty and weed like crazy. It felt so good to do something with my hands and let my mind wander and talk with those who were there, without dividing my attention.

Two days later Ian and I hit the road for Richmond!! We FINALLY met sweet baby Evan, my dear friend Meredith's baby. He is so, so precious. And Meredith is the sweetest mom.

We spent a few days with them, walking, playing on the playground (only Ian... but one day Evan will join him!) and chatting our time away. One time, while Mere was changing an upset Evan, Ian walked into the nursery with a concerned face, picked up a shirt that was lying on the floor and handed it to Mere with a "Here, this might help" face. She came out of the room telling me how sweet it was. Love that kid.

At night we'd head to our med school friends' home and enjoy time with them. One night Ian and Chappie got to catch-up by playing in the bath together. So sweet. We are looking forward to living with them in December as Jim completes a pediatric rotation in Richmond! Thanks for hosting us, Lindsay, Mike, and Chappie! See you soon!

This weekend we had visits from Christine and Jim's parents, but that will have to wait until the next post, when I am able to upload a few more pictures to complete the visit.

During this time Ian also took his first swim/pool classes!! For two weeks Ian and I went twice a week to Baby Bubbles swimming lessons at the Aquatic Center. It was fun to be in the water with him and to be led through different songs and lessons. We took the class with Trisha and Jade, a mama and daughter from our birthing class. It was neat to take this with them, too. At the end of the class he got a certificate!! Cute.

Ian's Developments

New shoes! He looks like such a big boy. A dear friend, Kristin, sent us a pair she found for him at a consignment store and they fit him absolutely perfectly!! I went to a local kids thrift store and miraculously found the next two sizes for him, so we are set for a while now!! Thanks so much, Kristin! It took him a few minutes to get used to wearing anything on his feet, but he's doing well now.

I gave Ian a new haircut while he slept in his carseat a couple of weeks ago. It's taken a few more trimmings to get to where it is now. He looks so much older and more Amish, but his eyes can now see!! Haha. He had started cranking his neck up to look under his hair... a sure sign it was time for a cut.

He's walking much more steadily now and almost running! He still take the occasional tumble, but not nearly as often as before. It's so fun to watch him teeter around. He's so proud of this new mode of transportation; you can see it radiating in all of his expressions as he moves around the house, the yard, the farm, the orchard, etc.

Ian tries to mirror us when we are sitting next to him on the couch or anywhere, really. I love this photo of him sitting in the adirondack chairs with Jim. Each time Jim moved, Ian would try to sit the same way. He loves his papa.

Recently he's started to understand routines visibly. Ian understands what I mean when I say it's time for a bath. First we get his night-time diaper, then he leads me to the bathroom. He plays in the bath for a while and eventually decides it's time to get out. We then read a few books, with him choosing each one (Animalia and Bedtime Hullabaloo are almost always options he chooses for himself, even if we don't have them up on the bed. He'll get off of the bed to get them!). Then he motions that it's time to nurse and we move to his room and rock in the chair, sing, and nurse until he's done. Then we lie down together on his bed until he falls asleep, which often doesn't take long. The routine is morphing each day, but it's neat to see him understand and predict each step.

He also helps to clean his high chair tray when he's done eating. We wait until he motions that he is "all done" (which normally looks like him reaching for us) and then we hand him a rag to wipe off his chair. Depending on the meal and how messy it is, he sometimes scrubs a lot or very little before handing back the rag. He's also signing "more" when we eat and reaching for his drink, to show that's what he wants. We are working on "drink," as well.

Other little routines include putting toys away and putting down the toilet seat. Since I always put down the seat when he comes into the bathroom with me (only to keep him from throwing things into it... like an apple, which he did), I think he's realized that is something that needs to bed done. He will walk straight toward the toilet if the seat is up and put it down. He will also put things into baskets or boxes, even if it's not necessarily the place to put them. Some of his "Boudreaux's Butt Paste" was found in the Lincoln Logs bucket. Ha! This is another thing that I have not necessarily encouraged, but he must have just watched me pick up and figured out that it's something that must be done. I'll take it!

Ian has decided to go down the slide a couple of times on his own. He's gone down on my lap (of his own motivation he would crawl into my lap) a fair amount, but he has taken initiative to go down on his own, as well. I caught one time on video. He carefully turns himself around and goes down on his belly. That was of his own choosing and I'm grateful that's how he does it!!

He's getting more and more opinionated and strong-willed, which is not something we want to quench.... but we do have to put our feet down about things that aren't safe. Recently that's been not climbing up onto the table after climbing onto a chair. The table's our limit!!

Whew, and that's a wrap. Again, I love a full life. I love that Ian's getting exposed to so many different activities and places and that he's surrounded by so many people who love and care for him deeply. If you're reading this far, then you're certainly one of those people. Thank you.

Until next time...