Fall Fun

If I don't start writing this post, then I'll never remember everything I need to include (it ended up taking weeks to post this). There's just no way. Ian doesn't slow down for anyone and I love that about him. 

You know what else doesn't slow down? Fall. The leaves changed, they fell, and never made it onto this post before they turned crispy and brown and dry. So, how about a sweet dose of fall before we start?

Whew. I'm feeling better already.

Okay, onward...

Before I get into Ian's developments, I want to thank Kim and John for watching Ian for us (a month ago now) when we went out on our first date in forEVER (five months). Thank you, thank you! It was lovely!

Jim had the idea to do a traveling dinner, so we went to a different place for drinks and appetizers, the main meal, and then dessert. Between each course we went for a walk, spreading our meal out over about six hours. It was really nice.

Without further ado... here's what Ian's been up to:

Let's start with my favorite thing. He has started tucking his arms under ours and his own body when we hold him. He doesn't want his arms to be out and loose, but inside and tight against us and his own body. His favorite position has always been to place his head up on our shoulder, looking out at the world or into our necks, depending on the situation. But the arm position is new and entirely too sweet.

At the beach, he was like one of the birds that runs down as the tide goes out to get all of the critters and runs back up the beach when the waves come in. Now that he's walking so steadily and speedily, he can actually out-run some of the waves. Now and then he would get caught in one and immediately sit down to stabilize himself. I think I need to post a series of pictures on this. We just could watch him for hours.

Ian loves to climb up on table chairs and is quite adept at getting back down, when he wants/needs to.  This worries some people, and it worried us in the beginning, but he's gotten much more able to handle it on his own over the last three weeks or so.

He likes to pivot in circles sometimes. And, at some point in the day, normally walks in circles around me a few times. Normally he hums or makes noises as he goes.

One day about two weeks ago I was sitting on the couch and he came and started whining and handing me one of the throw pillows on the couch. I wasn't sure what he wanted and he kept whining harder each time I put the pillow in my lap or back on the couch. Well, I finally realized that he was asking me to nurse him!! When I sit on the couch to nurse him, we normally get situated with a pillow placed under my elbow and his head. He put that together into a request. Smart boy.

Thanks for the book, Äma!! Love this cozy outfit, Sherri!

Ian's started wanting to read books as soon as he wakes up in the morning. Our bedside tables (crates) are full of books to read to him, since our bed is where we read to him at night. He often starts chiming, "boo, boo," and grabs a book for us to read together. When it's a song book I often cringe because my voice is never ready to sing quite that early... but he doesn't care!

The time change didn't really affect him, thank goodness. I think it affected me more than it affected him. He used to wake up close to 8 AM and so the change has only moved him up to 7:15ish. He's been going down by about 8 PM each night, with 7 PM being one of his earliest nights this week. Jim had to work late that night, which is probably why he went down so early. The fact that Jim comes home right about bed time (bath, reading, wind-down time) makes it difficult for Ian to go to sleep early, but it's also important time for the two of them to have each day. We take what we can get!

Just lounging...

He is still taking two naps some days and only one on other days. On the days when he only takes one nap, he normally hits the hay about an hour earlier than normal. He's a sucker for car naps. If we are in the car anytime around a naptime he sacks right out. Fortunately, he'll sleep about as long as he would in his bed even if he falls asleep in the car.

He has started to enjoy resting in random places. Here he is on the yoga ball we keep in the yard for playing. He also leans back on the couch or on his bed. My favorite is when he leans into one of us, which happens a lot.

Ian has started opening doors with handles that pull down, which means that he can open every door in our house except for the knobbed ones leading outside! So, you may want to actually lock the door to the bathroom, if you ever come over. He understands that those door knobs need to turn, he just hasn't quite figured out how to do that yet.

For a while he rediscovered how fun it is to play with your tongue. He'd make all sorts of sounds and move his tongue back and forth in his mouth. He obviously wanted us to join in with his game and as soon as we would, he'd want to try to hold and touch our tongues.

He enjoys playing with toys for their purpose. He seems to have figured some of them out on his own. He likes to zoom cars around the floor, place blocks on his trains (Thank you, Jenny!!!) and attempts to put them on top of each other, and moves the beads through this little gym.

Ian has started enjoying watching trucks outside of the window. We are set back at the end of a road, so not many people or trucks drive by. We do have the trash truck that comes every Tuesday and then the daily mail truck. When they do come by, I try to tell Ian. I love to watch him run over to the curtains, figure out how to move them out of his way and onto his back, and then point and talk to the trucks as they stay in front of our house for a few moments.

Within the last month Ian has developed perseverance to look for things he wants or needs. The main thing that comes to mind is his water cup. If he wants a drink and the cup is nowhere to be found, he will point at our drinks, look for his cup on all of the surfaces around him, or point to where it is.

He's not a fan of diaper changes. They normally start off on his changing table and end with me putting his diaper on as he stands somewhere else in the house. He's understanding more and more about how each item of clothing is put on. He is willing to put his head into a shirt and then will help to get his arms into the sleeves after he realizes that his sleeves are flopping everywhere. Pants and socks, in his opinion, are not necessary, but he'll eventually sit in my lap so that I can get them on him.

Ian really loves being naked. If he's wearing a cloth diaper with velcro bindings, then he will ultimately pull it off (whether or not a onesie is overtop of it). He enjoys running around the house without anything on. So far he hasn't had an accident (knock on wood!).

His favorite thing to put on are his shoes. I know this may not always last, but I am grateful for it right now. It almost seems like he feels "grown up" when he gets to put his shoes on. When I say, "Let's put your shoes on," he walks toward me and lifts his foot or comes and sits down in my lap. I love that he's starting to be able to really show how much he understands!!

When we go to the playground down the street, Ian has started to walk there. We live on such a quiet street and I always walk so that my body is shielding him from any possible traffic. If a car happens to come, then I explain that I need to pick him up. When he's allowed to walk there he carries a smile the entire way. Do they know that they are such big kids when they can do things like this? Haha.

Sometimes I give him a carrot to play with and gnaw on while I am working in the kitchen. He decided to bring it with him to the playground that day. And, every boy needs a good stick, too.

He has started saying more words, too. He answers "yea" to some questions such as "Do you want a drink?", "Are you hungry?", "Is the dog outside?". He says "aw done," when finished with a meal. Ian says ball, book, Mama, Papa, dog, bon (phone), and points to everything saying "ba." Recently he's started saying, "Bubye!" He won't do it on command, much to the dismay of the cashiers at the grocery store, but he'll say it to his toothbrush, to a book, and to us occasionally. He knows what many things are when we're talking. Namely, diaper, brushing teeth, toothbrush, bath, mirror, drink, water, outside, playground, house, car, bed, apple, banana, shoes, shirt, pants, hat, and I'm sure there are many more!

Leaves are fun!!

Though it's getting colder, Ian is not phased. He LOVES spending time outside and especially spending this time with his dog. I spent a while raking leaves, putting them in piles, and then lugging them with a rolling trash can to the side of the yard where Jim wants to plant our garden using the hugelkultur technique (more on that another day). Ian spent hours playing in the leaves, sharing sticks with Leif, and checking in with me every once in a while. It's entirely too fun to watch him play with Leif. Our yard, perfectly hedged in by bushes and trees, is an excellent place for a child to play. The boundaries are distinct and easy, even for a thirteen month old.

This boy and his dog. I just cannot get over their sweet relationship! Last night I took the most adorable video of Ian petting Leif so kindly, sweetly, and gently. Leif didn't move a muscle and it didn't end with Ian scaring him away (as it often does/did).

One of our new hiking friends,
Anna. Ian loves her. He climbed up
to cuddle in this picture.

We've been going on lots of hikes, too. It's been great! Ian isn't too heavy to break my back yet and it's a good workout. It's no more weight than I'd carry on a backpacking trip, really. I've been going with friends throughout the week and Ian has been such a willing participant and trooper! Leif's grateful, too, for the chance to explore another area besides our yard. And he gets to socialize with other dogs, most of the time.

This past weekend Jim had Saturday "off." I put that in quotes because he worked all night Friday (6 PM to 6 AM) and then had to work again on Sunday. We ended up going to the Cascades for a nice family hike later that afternoon and ended up hiking down in the dusk. Jim carried Ian and I carried our snacks and water. I felt so light and fit, since I wasn't carrying him! It's amazing what losing 25 lbs (of Ian) will do.

Ian did get a bit fussy as we hiked down in the dark, so Jim and I sang rounds from my childhood. It was pretty fun! And it kept him happy. As soon as we'd stop singing Ian would get upset. I think we have a little music-lover in the family. Surprise, surprise...

If moments could be bottled...

Our blue-eyed blueberry boy.

Ian's eating cheese and drinking a little whole milk. He's tried peanut butter, almonds, and cashews and hasn't had a poor reaction. It seems we are almost safely through every food! It's nice to get to this point and not be constantly watching him for allergic reactions. Of course we are still mindful of it, but he's not eating as many new foods.

He still hasn't had shellfish or any seafood, which happens to be my allergy... we haven't dared expose him yet (even though we were at the seafood festival in the OBX. Hopefully he'll take after his papa!!

Stylin'

Ian has started "helping" me in the kitchen for some tasks! Our CSA ended last week (so sad), but before it ended we were getting a lot of kale, collards, and chard. Almost every night we'd eat some greens in a soup, stir-fry, you name it. Well, instead of cutting them up, I often rip them. So, when Ian would get fussy during my dinner prep, it was usually about the time that I needed to take care of the greens. A few nights I sat down on the floor with a bowl and some stalks of greens and started ripping the green into the bowl. Ian plopped down next to me, took a stalk and ripped pieces off and put them in the bowl! Then, when our bowl was full, he'd help me by grabbing fistfuls and throwing them into the pot or pan. Don't worry, I kept him a very safe distance away from any source of heat. It's so fun!!

Alright, I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Many things. But here's a start and there's always tomorrow (or a month from now). Thanks for sticking with us through this journey!

I'll leave you with this sweet picture of the two best friends.

Books!!!

Once again it's been a few weeks and a lot has changed...

Meet our even more dynamic, more talkative, and more interactive little guy. He is too fun.

Now listen here...

We were thrilled to have Jim's sister, Christine, visit us for a whole week! She came to us for her "vacation" before starting pharmaceutical school in late August (which is now). Here's hoping she's willing to come back during future school vacations. It was wonderful to have her here and Ian and I enjoyed having another person around during Jim's longgg days in internal medicine.

During her stay I was hit hard by Lymes disease symptoms and I finally went into the doctor after a second wave of symptoms hit me pretty hard. After some blood results, it turns out I did get Lymes. It was my third time... sheesh.

We tried to make the most of her time here by going to Floyd for most of a day. We went Chatteau Morrisette for her first wine tasting experience, Dogtown Pizza for some awesome earth-oven pizza, and then to the Floyd Jamboree!! I took absolutely no pictures. So lame.

 

On Jim's day off we made the most of the cold, rainy day by getting Swiss fondue ingredients and enjoying our favorite horrible weather meal. We'd never had it in August before... but hey... why not? She loved it.

Other than that we made hummus & pesto, read, chatted, went to the park with Ian when the weather permitted, and stayed hunkered down inside since it rained ALL.WEEK.LONG. We hope for better weather next time!! Please come again :)

Ian's climbing everything these days! He can climb onto the couch, the chairs, the ottoman. He tries to climb up the windows, up onto the bed, out of the tub, you name it!!! Jim often says, "He's his mama's child."

Leif is still fascinating to Ian. He follows Leif around with his mouth open, laughing and squealing. He also understands that Leif might like things that he hands him, such as sticks and, in this picture, an actual leaf. Fitting... Leif might want a leaf. Smart boy. Man's best friend at it's finest. This friendship only has room to grow :)

Notice the squat. This is new!

Thanks for the blocks, Koskers!

Lately he enjoys putting things into containers and taking them back out. Every container gets dumped, too. He, himself, likes to get into containers and spaces that will allow him to sit in or on them.

He also loves to put his ear to the ground and just listen (at least that's what we think he's doing!).

Perhaps the most exciting thing has been his love for READING!! He will get into moods of just wanting to read book after book after book. He calls them "boo" (using the short u sound) and he wants to sit nice and close, turning the pages when he wants. It is so much fun.

Sometimes he's ready for a new book before you finish the first one and you can to watch out because those books sometimes come flying at your head!! One time I was sure I'd have a bruise. That's what I get for continuing to read the first book and not paying attention!!


Best of all have been the moments when I have caught him reading to himself. All of a sudden I'll realize that the house is quiet and that I haven't heard him banging or babbling to himself. This makes my heart stop and I quickly move to see what he's doing. Terror dissipates when I find him sitting and flipping the pages of a board book back and forth, but mostly forward through the book. Joy at it's finest. He's learning to enjoy the thrill of escaping into a book.


Ian isn't quick to want to be put into the high chair or put down. Lately, he's content to either cuddle or be held. He does love to play and wrestle, knock down block towers, or explore new items on his own, it just takes him some time to decide he wants to be put down to do those things.

In order to get him into the high chair, a few enticing food items have to be placed on his tray. Raisins seem to be the reining snack these days, but he also really continues to enjoy broccoli, green beans, potatoes, bananas, bread, and any and all meats. He's quite the carnivore. He continues to breastfeed throughout the day, always before he goes down for a nap or bed and sometimes just for comfort or getting topped-off. I'm going to follow his lead for weaning.

At the playground he loves to climb the stairs and swing on the swings. Recently he discovered the "lily pad" stairs, which is what I call them because I don't know what else they should be called!! They are like a massive puzzle for Ian. He likes to try multiple ways to climb up them, squat on them, and reach with his feeler foot to the next one. What fun it is to watch him!!

One time there was a puddle at the top of one of the slides. Ian went for it and patted it with his hands, crawled away, then crawled speedily toward it, turned around, backed down the slide in one foul swoop and landed on his feet at the bottom. He turned to me with a stunned face and then smiled. That kid.

Yum. Garlic?
Not so much.

He also seems to really know his way around this playground. Once I said, "Would you like to go on the swings?" As soon as I said the word, he turned and looked toward the swings, then started crawling that direction. It's pretty far from the playground to the swing, but he crawled the whole way there and then sat with his arms stretched upward toward the swing, begging to be put into it!!

Ian's been into all sorts of different toys. This pie tin, for example, was a hit for days! Oh, the sounds it made!!

He says, "ba" for ball, "Puh-puh" for "Papa," "Mahmah" for Mama (normally when he's upset), "Ma" for more (food, water, etc.), "da" or "puh" for Leif, and "yea" for yes (sometimes). The "yea" is hard to believe, but it does normally come as an answer to a question such as, "Would you like to brush your teeth?", "Would you like to nurse?", "Can I hold you?", and other common things you ask an infant.

Diaper changes have gotten easier and getting him dressed is actually really fun! If he's on his changing pad, then he normally knows that it's time to change his diaper and he waits it out while talking to you. There have been a few times when he really didn't want to be wiped, but he's content most of the time. BUT, when it comes to dressing, I have found a new tactic (which follows the RIE approach)!!! When I put his arm in his sleeve, I say "Where is Ian's hand?" He grins, expectantly, as he reaches for my face and I kiss his hand. Repeat the other hand and his feet. LOVE it.

The next few pictures are ones I could not leave out. Ian has started to make all sorts of faces when he's frustrated, sad, or just to try them out.

Where's the baby pudge?

Uh oh...

How can you resist my face when I do this?

You can? Really? Well, fine.

What about this one?

Or this one?

Alright, alright... I'll just be content.

Ian really loves to climb into things or sit on top of things. This little red bin normally houses his kitchen toys, but Ian is quick to empty the bin and then use this as a stepping stool, of sorts. We're in trouble when he really starts using it to get things out of his reach... right now it's just a fun activity on its own.

Ian has not started walking yet, but he stands for short periods of time and easily transfers himself from furniture to wall to furniture and walks along with them. His balance is incredible to us, even at the top of the couch!!

"Um. It wasn't me."

 Last minute, Papa had the chance to go on a hike with us!! We went to our favorite place, The Cascades, and Ian rode in the Kelty backpack. The falls were super busy, so we went up to the Upper Cascades and enjoyed complete privacy and solo time by the creek. Ian took a nap in the backpack and then joined us in playing with Leif by the creek. This month has been really hard with limited time as a family, so this time was super precious to all of us.

All adventured out.

During residency, we live for days like these....

Ian's personality is certainly coming out more and more every day. We are loving the daring, adventurous, determined, thoughtful, goofball he's becoming.

Love this shot of him reaching for Jim, who's mowing the lawn.
He watched him the entire time he mowed the front yard, calling to him, waving, and reaching after him.
Jim, of course, waved back :)

Oh those baby blues... 

Ian Forrester, it's almost September. It's hard to believe you've been with us for almost a year. The joy you daily bring to our lives is nothing we could have fathomed this time last year. We are so in love. We hope you will always know how loved you are.