Surprises

Those baby blues. The porcelain skin. That smile. The strawberry blonde hair.

I can't get enough of this little 20 week old!

This week Ian's started to really notice and care if I leave the room. His eyes follow my every move. I heard that babies consider their moms to be part of their body for much of their first year of life. Not sure how we know that, but it seems to be somewhat true for Ian. He's also very fascinated by his papa. When Jim's in the room, he often watches him and waits for him to turn around and smile at him. Jim loves to come up and get as many smiles as he can. It's pretty sweet.

He's really craning his body to observe and reach for things. Sometimes he'll pivot his body, by walking his hands on the floor, in order to turn toward our voices. It's the beginning steps of a crawl, minus the help of his feet.

Rolling is getting faster and faster! He'll often add a soft grunt to the final thrust of his roll. He has not attempted to roll from his stomach to his back yet. He gets tired of being on his stomach and starts to whine sometimes and I wait to see if he'll try to roll, but eventually assist him in rolling over when he gets too frustrated. He'll figure it out one day.

It's so nice to have the option of putting him in this bouncer while we're in the kitchen. He loves to bounce and turn. Leif often comes through this doorway and Ian enjoys watching him come and go.

We went on a five mile hike last Saturday on Sulfur Ridge and Price Mountain Trails. Though it was a cold day, Ian was a champ. He was all bundled up and cozy while riding with Papa in the Beco. He was awake for the beginning but soon fell asleep for the entire hike. We've gone on a few short hikes (Falls Ridge, Cascades, Paris View, & walks around Heritage Park) since Ian was born, but this was my first somewhat strenuous hike.

This week Ian has been waking up much earlier and so I've been waking up in the dark. 5:30, 6:00, 6:30... in that range. Fortunately there are some beautiful sunrises just outside our door.

We've both had colds this week, so perhaps that has something to do with his getting up earlier. This cold has not been nearly as pitiful as the one he had when he was two weeks old. Oi! That one was so hard because he really couldn't breathe when trying to nurse. I had to constantly use the bulb syringe in order for him to eat and function. Not now! He's taking it in stride and I've only used it a couple times during the hardest days.

I have to admit that I LOVE cloth diapering. I once read that it takes disposable diapers 400 years to break down. Umm. Yikes! Every time I put a disposable diaper on him I cringe inside, but that is what I do during the night. He only needs one through the night, whereas I think he'd needs a few changes with a cloth diaper. And the disposable keeps the moisture away from his bum. But I really don't mind the laundry and the extra folding. Somehow I feel more connected to him. Weird. I know. A BIG thank you to Julie for her hand-me-down stash and to Cathleen, Adrienne, Rena, Joi, & Marianne for also supporting us in this endeavor!

Who can mind washing this guy's cloth diapers?! He's just too sweet.

Thanks Gramee & Grandpa for the outfits in this picture
and the one above!

Ian's starting to really enjoy little surprises! He's fascinated by the different voices Jim uses for reading each night, by the clicking of our tongues, the melodies we sing, and little games of peek-a-boo. This game consists of one of us hiding behind something and coming out with a big smile. We normally get a face that looks like this! He also enjoys "Trot, trot to Boston. Trot, trot to Lynne." Lately I've played this where he sits on my stomach while I'm lying down and then he falls down between my legs. He's getting so strong that we no longer worry about lowering him by holding his arms.

Here's an example of the pivot!

Ian LOVES reaching for our faces. He seems to quickly get a good grip on his papa's beard and on my hair. I have been struggling with my TMJ lately and yesterday he managed to grab and yank my bottom jaw while my mouth was open. Ouch!!!

This week we learned that it's time to install the breathable bumper on the side of his crib. One day I went into the nursery to work on a few things right after he woke up from a nap. I left him in the crib, since he was content but soon had to rescue a very upset boy because his feet were stuck through the sides. He continues to grow and change, every day there's something new to consider. That's parenthood, I'm learning!

Here are a few more snapshots from our week, since I can't pick and choose very well!

This one looks almost exactly like my baby pictures! Once again he's off the mat. It's normal these days. Thanks for the football, Carla! He loves it.

This mama was thrilled to learn of the "Bag Sale" at Once Upon a Child. I got to peruse racks of clothing, stuff a bag full, and only pay $10!!!! I had just been telling Jim that I'd need to go shopping for Ian, since we don't have many of the next size up. And voila! My friend (Thanks Nicky!) told me of the sale. My favorite item of all was this cute bear sweater from Baby Gap. The elbows even have corduroy elbow pads!!! I mean c'mon... too cute.


Ian's chariot while Mama played fetch with Leif. What a content little boy.

A snuggle session for boys only. Ian is totally fascinated by Leif. At the moment Leif could care less, but one day they'll be best buds. Ian gets a huge smile when he sees Leif. In this picture he looks like he's caught red-handed. Haha! (Look closely and you'll see the elbow pad!)

He's started grabbing his feet A LOT. His feet are rarely out of socks or booties, but it doesn't seem to matter.

He does spend time off of this blanket and mat, I promise. It's just such a nice central location in the house and therefore it's often where I remember to take his picture!

This is a common sight. Ian is surrounded by toys and moving and looking to observe everything!



He's devouring every book he can! This one's a particularly good choice. This book actually got me my first teaching job in Louisiana. Thanks, Mom, for a great, classic collection of little board books. We read them often, when we aren't eating them.

You can see that his hand coordination is getting better. He's grasping and holding everything he can.

He looks like such a little boy in this picture! I swear he's only four months old. Goodness!

This "Little Explorer" vest was another GREAT find! It won't be long until he's exploring the woods and hiking with us!

Here's a picture of Kristy, our current upstairs neighbor for a few months. Ian and I are getting a fair amount of time with her, which is really nice. We often joke that he could be her child, since they have matching strawberry-blonde hair. We'll be spending lots of time upstairs watching the Olympics! Don't worry, I'll be the one watching and trying to keep Ian facing away from the tube!

Jim surprised me by planning an early Valentine's Day date to Chateau Morrisette, a winery on the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Floyd. We had a wine tasting and then a luxurious dinner at their restaurant.  With a clutch last-minute change, our friends (Thanks Mike & Lindsay!!!) took Ian for five hours. We were very grateful. It was a nice chance to be together and then we were ready to return to our little boy.

Happy 20 weeks, Ian!!!

Oh, Ian Forrester... you're growing up so fast! I cannot believe my little 4.75 month old is starting to wear 12 month clothes! If you're like your papa, you'll be wearing 2T by the time you're one.

We love you so much.

___________________________________________

P.S. Today is Match Day! Today's the day we learn where we'll be living for Jim to complete residency during the next three years! It's amazing that four years or medical school is coming to a close. Another new beginning's on it's way.

Busy Boy!

This week Ian has been perfecting the roll. He's getting faster, his arm stronger with the final lift, and his abs thrusting him all of the way over. Then, once he's rolled, he likes to start moving his trunk from side to side. One time he rolled over and his feet were facing me. Before I knew it he had scooted himself with his hands so he could look at me. He has also started to kick his legs way up in the air and bring his arms up, too. My parents used to refer to this as the airplane when I was his age, so I've adopted the term. He does the "airplane" often!

All too often he's rolled all of the way off of his mat. He's on the move, I tell you! And by the mischievous look of his face in the picture below, he may be up to no good. My brother joked that Leif and Ian will soon be allying against me. Leif will open the door (because he can... crazy, I know) and Ian will be out the door before I know it.

This week I finally got pictures printed and put into a little play photo album that my cousin Julie handed down to us. Now he can look at pictures of his grandparents and aunts and uncles any time. Each one is a picture of them with him. One day, I'm sure he'll enjoy pointing to each of them and telling us who they are. For now, it's an extra thing to suck on and manipulate with his hands, but it's nice to have them "around."

Thank you to my host parents, Meg & Mark, in Germany
for the adorable Adidas gear!! Check out that cute tiger!

Ian has his four month appointment tomorrow and I am looking forward to learning just how much he weighs these days! I definitely get my arm workouts day in and day out. Best workout ever.

It continues to be blast bantering back and forth with him. The more I read the more I hear that it's important to imitate his sounds. Supposedly it gives him confidence to continue trying to verbalize and enjoy making different sounds. If I ever repeat what you say, it's just turning into a habit to regurgitate what I hear. Haha... just kidding.

At the moment, the toy in the picture above seems to be his favorite. He enjoys chewing on it with his gums and grabbing it. The stuffed cotton hands, feet, and head, must feel really nice. Thank you, Julie!

He has just started to really hit and grab the hanging toys in his play-yard consistently.

The nights have been pretty long this week. Sometimes he gets up three, four, or five times. He seems to really like to get up at 4, then in the 5 o'clock hour, and then again in the 6 o'clock hour before getting up to start his day, or to go back down until seven or eight. This means I've been exhausted!

This boy is always busy, only cuddling when he's very tired, nursing, or has just gotten up from a nap.

Ian playing in his rocker while Leif and I play fetch.

Jim's been working with an otolaryngologist (ENT) and has had some long hours. One day he texted me around 6 o'clock and asked if we could swing by the hospital between surgeries, so he could get some time with Ian that day. Ian & I hopped in the car and had about 45 minutes with Papa. Here's the sweet picture of the men in blue...

He seems to be finding his thumb a lot these days. We'll see if it sticks!

Happy 18 weeks, Ian Forrester!!!

He's on a ROLL!

Whew! During these two weeks, Ian's hit some pretty major milestones.

We went to the Floyd Jamboree at the Floyd Country Store, which is a well-known place to go to watch flat-footers and listen to bluegrass music. The people there are incredibly friendly and encourage newcomers to get up and dance, too. We wanted to see Ian's response, since he seems to really love music, and he certainly did not disappoint us! As soon as we arrived, he was entranced by the dancing and the music. He even started doing a little flat-footing of his own on our laps. We didn't take the camera with us, so you'll just have to imagine the adorable little man with wide-eyed excitement!

It wasn't long before three grandmotherly figures were watching him and then talking and laughing with him. One of them even had the gumption to take him out of my arms, invite us to her table, and then proceed to hold him while I ate my ice cream! That's the first and last stranger who will ever do that, I promise! He was fine and smiled at me from the opposite side of the table.

He has started to grab things, hold them, and bring them to himself. There were a few times when I knew that the toy had been beside him and then all of a sudden it was in his hand and mouth! So quick, that boy. Holding him in my lap during meals, when he's not content to be somewhere else, has also gotten pretty exciting. If I'm not careful, he has ahold of the plate or bowl and is pulling it to the end of the table. Whoa baby... times are changing!

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

All week he had been so close to rolling!! He'd roll onto his side and then return to his back. Then he started rolling his hips all of the way over, but was stuck lying on one of his arms. On Friday we had dinner with some friends and he was lying on the floor next to the table. Two times he was on his back and when I looked again he had managed to roll onto his stomach. I missed it both times! If a baby rolls over and his mama doesn't see it, did he really roll over? This weekend he rolled over and I DID see it. He only did it a few times, so it's not something he's doing often yet.

Oh, and he is really, really SQUEALING! I'm talking ear-splitting, excited, joyful squealing! Yeesh! But it is oh-so-adorable. Sometimes he starts squealing due to happiness and then switches to being upset in the middle, but you can hardly tell unless you watch his facial expressions.

Joy!

Happiness for Ian is making his mouth as HUGE as he can get it. This happens when he's playing or rough-housing with his Papa, sees his mama, or is playing in the jumperoo or the new, behemoth, bouncy contraption that Diana lent us.

We now have some sort of a play area for Ian in each room of the house, which gives him lots of variety throughout the day, when he's not in my arms or in a carrier.

He's also doing a lot of "talking" and ooooing, still. It's quite fun to banter back and forth with him.

For Christmas my mom, his Äma, gave him this adorable pair of overalls and Christine, Jim's sister, gave Jim this awesome log pillow. I may have had a little fun doing a photo shoot. Is he Jim's child or what? The man who is content with a pile of logs and an ax during his free time. I think Ian's well on his way to enjoying the same thing! All he needs is a flannel shirt, like Papa always wears. So, I present to you Ian Forrester the Lumberjack! He looks like such a little boy in this picture!

I had just a little fun with this photo shoot. There is a picture of me as a baby with the same expression as the one Ian has in this goofy picture below.

We have decided to have a family reading time right before Ian needs to go to bed. Jim reads, while I hold Ian and listen. It's been really sweet so far.

When the whole country was swept with the frigid cold spell, we decided not to take Ian out on our normal walks. Instead, we went to IKEA for a family expedition. The closest one is in Charlotte, NC, so we drove all of the way there and back in one day while Ian slept and we got to talk a lot about our coming year. We tried to do our best to get only the things we needed from IKEA and I think we did a pretty good job. I was THRILLED to find the play-yard I was looking for when I went to IKEA in Pittsburgh. They had it in Charlotte! Ian loves it.

On Monday Papa headed back to rotations, so it's just been Ian and Mama. I'm trying to figure out a good, flexible routine. Smoothie & coffee in the morning, baby & mama yoga, nap, walk Leif. That's our morning right now. We'll see what else falls into place. I'm attempting to start working out with Jim in the evenings... wish me luck!

Happy Boy

Happy 16 & 17 weeks, little lumberjack!