"I love you, okay?"

 Before life keeps barreling by, I want to do a post on our Ian Forrester. Over a month ago now he turned three years old. THREE YEARS OLD, people. And, do you know what I realized? I don't necessarily want life to be frozen or to stop because life right now is so good. Three is hard, you guys. Don't get me wrong. Three is much different than two, but three is also so, so fun. And I've been promised by a few mamas that it just keeps getting better.

He's always in motion, this kid.

What's so great about this age? Thanks for asking. I'll tell you :)

He's started making his toys interact and talk to each other. He's moved from piling them all on top of each other and saying that they are "playing rugby" to having them interact, chat back and forth, and still "play rugby," among other things. If you want a window into how you interact with your child, just wait until they hit this age. He uses the polite, kind words as well as the rushed, busy words. It's one of the most fascinating and amazing things to listen to him play on his own. Sometimes I just park myself right outside the door to the room he's in and listen to his toys interact.

Another favorite is catching him reciting the words from a book we've read a million times. Recently I caught him reciting the wolf's lines to The Real Story of the Three Little Pigs. It's so funny and impressive to listen to vocabulary words beyond his age come out of his little mouth, with inflection and prowess. Seriously, it's amazing.

His imagination has been so fun to watch unfold! I loved watching him parade around the house in this get-up one day.

He's gotten more chatty about what he's done at PMO or in MOPS and how he interacted with the other kids. It's hard sometimes because he doesn't have answers to questions I have, so I mostly just wait until he decides there's something on his mind. It's then that I can step into his world and his thinking. Good practice for when he's older, I imagine. In this way, boys seem to be different than girls (and I learned that also at the conference I went to).

Naptimes are SO easy these days! Today he had lunch and while he was eating his I was fixing mine. He came to me and said, "Mama, I am ready for my nap now." Without delay, I stopped what I was doing and followed him to the bedroom to start his bedtime routine. Welp, if you insist, little one... ;)

In the way that naptimes are so easy, bedtimes have been MUCH harder. We hit age three and bedtimes became a battle of wills. Between needing a banana, an extra drink of water, his blanket pulled up, the light on or off, music on or off, etc., etc., etc., it was a serious challenge of patience. And I will admit that I failed more than I excelled at keeping patient. I am hoping that we've turned a corner, since it has been going better lately. Whew. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.

PUZZLES! This kid loves a good puzzle. It's so fun to watch him work, trying multiple pieces without getting frustrated. Some puzzles become like old friends to him. He does them over and over again, explaining what he is looking for or which one is needed next. Yesterday he did a puzzle of Noah's Ark (Thanks, Gramee & Grandpa!) and told me where to put each one. When we were done, he said, "Good job helping me with the puzzle, Mama!" Such a sweetheart.

For a day (tops) we were a concerned that he felt insecure in our love for him because he would (and still does) say, "I love you, okay?" But he's not asking permission, he's just saying it and wanting a response. To which we always respond, "We love you, too." I hope I always remember his sweet little voice saying it, usually followed by a darling hug and a kiss. This boy. He sure knows how to melt us.

We recently went apple picking and then we went and got a few bushels of seconds apples. Ian likes to help process the apples. And by that I mean that he likes to use a butter knife to cut up an apple for himself. It's wonderful! He's a HUGE fan of the apple chips(!!), apple butter, and apple sauce we've been making.

Ian adores his brother with a love that astounds me daily. I cannot imagine a better relationship between these two in this phase. It's so relieving to know that Ian can be trusted with Owen. Owen's facial expressions and giggles are his most joyful when Ian plays with him or interacts with him. It's just the best. May it only grow!!

He can be caught reading books to himself often, these days. I got a new set of library books while he was at PMO and as soon as we got into the house, he sat down and rifled through each one from start to finish, perusing each page. Books are almost always lying on the floor in his room and in the guest room, where we have books available to him. They are on the floor because he does drive-bys throughout the day, sitting to read a book or two (or more!) before moving on to the next thing.

Ian's getting to the point where he can do tasks on his own for long periods of time. This doesn't happen all of the time, but it is happening more and more frequently. He can put all of the blocks away without needing my help or the motivation of having someone help him. Sometimes just the promise of getting to do the next activity or have a snack is all it takes.

Almost every day he bikes to the mailbox. It's so fun that he's able to drive his own little vehicle. Right now he's only been on the tricycle, but it may be time to break out his bike with training wheels soon. He loves biking and you can tell that he's quite pleased and proud of his ability to propel himself forward. He also bikes down to the playground down the street when we go.

Ian's starting to understand, reiterate, and follow some rules. Sometimes he states, "Now Mama, you need to hold my hand when we're in the road." Yes, yes we do! Another rule he follows is looking both ways at the stop sign before crossing the street. I am blanking on others right now, but we're learning together.

He's wearing size 3T and starting to wear 4T, because we don't have a ton of clothing in these sizes. Ian wore size 24 month for so long and then I think I blinked and he breezed through 2T and straight into the next two sizes.

Yesterday we had his 3 year appointment and he's just staying right on track... such a tall lad! At 3 years, 1 month he is 41 inches tall and in the 98.13%. He's grown 4 inches this year, since he was 37 inches at his 2 year appointment. He weighs 38 lbs and is in the 92.98%. Since his height and weight are equally proportioned, the doctor said that his BMI of 15.89 and in the 46.82% is great! She said to keep doing what we're doing. Woo!

Ian's still a great eater, eating most vegetables and almost all of the same foods as us. There's the occasional meal that he will refuse to eat, like the baked apple stuffed with sausage and celery and apple and whatnot that we had last week, but this seemed a reasonable thing for a toddler to refuse. And it doesn't happen very often. I have my fingers crossed, don't worry.

His favorite toys continue to be his animals, although I would argue that playing with Owen (and Owen's toys) is, by far, his favorite past-time. He also enjoys the robots, his new lego train, puzzles, building with blocks, playing with his swing outside (getting pushed "way up high!"), and playing with Leif. He likes to "cook" next to his stumps that Papa and Grandpa hauled into our yard.

But, of course, wrestling with Papa is still the absolute best. Whether it's in a pile of leaves, or learning how to scrum in the middle of the living room, or rolling around on the bed, he's always game for some one on one time with his Papa. It won't be long before there are three of them doing this! Someone save me.



Parent's Morning Out (PMO) continues to be such a wonderful place for Ian. He adores his teachers and the activities they do there. This year, especially, he seems to be taking in much more of the interpersonal interactions that he did last year. It's so fun to be able to hear about what's important to him as it comes up on the car ride home and throughout the week.

At this point, he's still not interested in potty training. The pediatrician was comforting & reassuring in telling us that we are doing the right thing, waiting on him. We'll see!

He's cracking jokes, telling stories, and learning a lot about how to play with other kiddos. There's so much to learn in this life, isn't there!? From zero to three, it's incredible how much they change, grow, and learn. Life's remarkable and even more so when you follow the life of a baby turned toddler turned child.



He keeps us on our toes, pushes us to places we never knew were possible, and continues to teach us so much about joy, grace, and love. This journey will never be dull and it will never be slow-paced. When his feet his the ground in the morning, he seizes the day with more gumption than anyone I've ever known. I cannot wait to see what's in store for this three year old, but I can wait. I'm going to cherish each day of this adventure as it comes. So grateful for you, Ian Forrester!!!

We adore you, darling THREE YEAR OLD!

Ian Forrester, thanks for letting us come along for the ride. 

Your exuberance, determination, and laughter bring far more than we ever could have imagined into our lives. We are so proud to call you our son. And ever-grateful for our front row seats in your life. You are going to move mountains, sweet boy.

Buds & Butterflies

These two. I just love these pictures

There's a video to go with this of Iris chatting about the book and Ian smiling and saying "Yeah," after each thing she says. It's adorable.

Thank you, Gramee, for giving them matching books about one of your favorite things: monarchs! They are really enjoying them.

They have a really neat relationship and play together a lot at PMO. Ian loves to give hugs and Iris isn't crazy about them every time. She stands up for what she wants and Ian is starting to learn to respect it. It's neat to watch them interact and fun because our parenting styles are incredibly similar, making all of us feel comfortable with the interactions. 

Language Explosion!

No phone or camera can be pulled out without this reaction!

We're in the middle of so many break-throughs over here. The main and most obvious one being a language explosion! Ian is saying so many unprompted things, as well as imitating a word we previously said. I know that I say this constantly, but this is so much fun!!

Of course, some of his language is his own, but we are learning more about what certain words or phrases mean. And they sound very similar to the real words. "Nooky" is "milk," for example. "Abocabo" is "avocado," "Nana" is "banana," "Myamelon" is "watermelon."

The chickens are such a huge part of our lives now, so Ian knows each of their names and talks about them throughout the day. Sooki is his favorite. He always wants to find her first and almost always mentions her first. Next we talk about "Burn" (Laverne) and then "Momelia" (Cornelia, sometimes there are even more syllables added to her name!).

Iris & Ian

Oh, the cuteness...

Our friends Chris, Jess, & Iris are also quite familiar and so Ian talks about them very often. "Aras" for Iris, "Cockeye" for Buckeye the dog, "Mama" with a point away from me is for Jess, and Chris is "Daddy." Iris calls her dad that, so it seems he things that is Chris' real name. Good thing he has a "Papa," so it's not confusing!! Jess told me that Iris has started calling Jim "Papa." So funny!

Jess & Chris have watched Ian a few times for us and he's been so content and happy when I leave. I always tell him that I am leaving and where I'm going and then ask for a kiss and a hug. He gives them willingly and then doesn't bat an eye as I head for the door. This is new, people. It definitely helps, him and me, that he knows them and their house and always has a great time.

He LOVES giving hugs and kisses goodbye or goodnight. When my mom and Jim parents each visited over the past couple weekends, he always said goodnight to them by giving them first a hug, and then a kiss. When we say goodbye to Chris, Jess, Iris, & Buckeye, each of them get the same treatment. Sometimes his hugs are a bit much for Iris (she gets the best, longest, strongest hugs of all, I think), but we are working on light and short hugs for her. We visited a friend this week with a child his age and when we went to say goodbye, the girl refused a hug goodbye. Ian was quite upset and I had to carry him out to the car distraught. Quite the loving fellow. I'll take your hugs any day, sweet boy.

Looking at pictures of himself ;)

The best part about his hugs are that he always adds a few pats on your back. Kisses are always on the lips and he waits with a pucker face for as long as it takes you to reciprocate.

My mom came for a visit during her first weekend of summer without students! We took her to Floyd and walked around all of the interesting shops, ate dinner at Dogtown Pizza, and then enjoyed an evening at The Floyd Country Store for the Jamboree! She'd never been and it was quite fun to go with her.

Then, on Jim's day off, we went with Mom to Blacksburg's "Wagons & Wheels" Festival. Vehicles of every kind were present: police cars, SWAT vans, Army Hummers, plow trucks, tow trucks, fire engines, ambulances, you name it! A helicopter even landed and allowed kids to go inside. Ian did that AND we got to go for a ride in a fire engine! Thanks, Mom, for standing in those two long lines for us! It was amazing to see the number of kids between the ages of 1-4 or 5 who came to the festival. There are a lot of little kids and young families in our area! We saw almost everyone we know, too ;)

Two of Ian's stuffed animals have overnight become his favorite toys! One is the polar bear that my mom got him for his first birthday and the other is one of my moose stuffed animals from when I collected moose things. He calls the bear "Baby" and the moose "Moosey." They get diaper changes at the cobblers bench in his bedroom. We've put a few cloth wipes in the drawer so that he can actually wipe and clean them. So far, they've gotten full body scrub downs! He also ensures that they stay warm under a "blanky" while we read books or get ready for sleeping. They've also taken snacks at the same time as him. Today he asked for them in the bath, but we had to discuss how stuffed animals cannot go in the tub. It's very sweet watching him tend to their care.

Ian's become quite daring and confident with Leif. He loves playing fetch, which is nothing new, but he's gotten the gumption to wrap one arm around his neck and then reach into Leif's mouth with the other hand to get the ball. He often comes out successful! When not playing fetch, he loves to walk over and wrap his arm around him and just stand there next to him. Two sweet pals.

Our Morris Chairs have been a source of fascination and entertainment for Ian. It's been a challenge to keep him from removing the pegs and relocating them to different holes or different chairs. Toddlers have a way of finding just the right time to test the limits, often when you're preoccupied with dinner or some other absolutely necessary task.

Testing limits. This is happening often! We're entering full-on toddler mode! Staying calm, keeping our voices steady and firm, and validating through our words that we understand his frustration or desire to do X, Y, or Z, have been the name of the game. We don't always do this perfectly, of course. Every moments' a new opportunity to practice. We get a lot of moments in a day ;)

Sleep has been pretty good, thankfully!! We give him a bath, brush & floss teeth, read a few books, turn on his sound machine and music CD, and then nurse for less than a minute on each side (my supply is pretty non-existent at this point and I don't mind!) and then he has more "Nooki" from a bottle before handing it back to me to let me know he's had enough (it's normally not much). Then I lie with him until he falls asleep. He stays in his own bed until 3 or 4 AM and then comes to ours for the rest of the night. One day this will have to change, but for now we enjoy the morning snuggles.

His naps are lasting longer! He's currently in a three hour nap right now and it's still, miraculously, going! Normally he takes about a two or two and a half hour nap. Lately, I've been joining him and it's been glorious!

He posed for the first time purposeful time for this picture!

MUSIC. MUSIC. MUSIC!! Boy, does this kid love music! Hmm. Wonder where he gets it? He just LOVES to dance to any music he deems "flat-footing" music. We have the CD/cassette player in his room and he often requests to have his music on, which often encourages him to stay in his room longer than he would independently otherwise. If one song ends, he turns to me and asks for more. His face lights up as a new song starts; oh my heart... it's adorable. Pandora plays often throughout our day and he always enjoys it when I sing songs or when we sing through song books. His xylophone continues to be a big hit!

We've started coloring and doing art more! For a long time he wasn't very interested and he still doesn't really enjoy sitting for longer than a minute or two, but it's a start. Jess recommended some crayons that don't require quite the same amount of pressure as a regular crayon and those have been appealing to him. We've started a coloring notebook and I try to write the date and his age on the page somewhere, for when we look back at it in the future.

Papa continues to be Ian's celebrity. When he comes in the door at the end of the day, Ian exclaims his name repeatedly, while galloping into his arms at full speed. Quite a nice greeting! Then they wrestle and rough-house or go on a tour of what Ian's wanting to show his papa. Bath time, when Jim's home in time, continues to be their thing. It's so sweet to hear their banter echoing from the bathroom as they play and laugh and splash together.

On these hot days, Ian and I have headed to the pool. It's so fun to watch him enjoy the water!! We have such a fun time. He's starting to kick a lot more and really understands that he has to kick to get somewhere he wants to go (even if it's me directing him and his floaties).

Puzzles! He has started to enjoy putting puzzles together! We have one out right now, that probably should be rotated out, with emergency vehicles and he can put all six pieces in on his own. He's learned, through some assistance, to line up the wheels at the bottom of each piece. He used to get a bit frustrated and plead for help, but not anymore! We'll see what happens when another puzzle is put out.

We are reading lots and lots of books these days! A plethora of books. A cornucopia of books. "Cooks," as he fondly calls them. I just might spend more of his awake time reading books than doing anything else. He will find a book, announce/plead to read a "Cook," and then ask to sit in the "Rocky" (rocking chair). Repeat!! It's nice cuddle time with him, since he has to sit on my lap in the rocking chair since it's not wide enough for the two of us.

It's neat because he chooses to read the same book over and over again throughout the day(s) and really is showing his comprehension and understanding. He does this through his interactions by mirroring the book, giggling, or saying "uh oh", to name a few examples.

He loves "dawberries," "myamelon," and "boberries." That grin says it all.

Happy 21 months, dear talker!!!

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.