Exersaucer

Today MomMom (Phil's Mom) brought over an exersaucer for Ian to try out. He's holding his head up more and more every day, so we thought that this would be a good toy to keep him occupied and allow him to be upright without Mommy being right next to him (anything that keeps him busy so that I can have the use of both arms for a few minutes is essential now that Phil is gone). He thoroughly examined all of the toys and especially liked the ones that made noise. It was fun to watch him explore this new toy and make new discoveries with every turn of his head. As you can see by the smile on his face, the exersaucer was a huge hit!

Dallas Send-Off

This past weekend, we went to Dallas to send Phil off for 3 months of training in Texas, South Carolina, and Georgia. After that training, he will be headed to Iraq for 10 months. There was a nice ceremony held at Texas Stadium (at 2 in the afternoon on a day that was about 100 degrees with 100% humidity); Ian slept through the entire ceremony in his stroller despite all of the music and cheering. He was a trooper this weekend with the traveling, heat, and different routine than he is used to. The morning that we left, Ian and Daddy enjoyed some snuggle time in bed. It's sad to think about how many of Ian's firsts Phil will miss, but we know that what he is doing will provide Ian with a safer world to live in. We'll just take it one day at a time and keep Phil and all of the soldiers and their families in our prayers. We are so very proud of our Sgt Thomas!

Picture Time

On July 24th, we all went to have some photos taken. Since this will be the only time this year that we will be able to have a family photo made, we took advantage of this opportunity. Ian was fussy at the beginning and not wanting to smile for the camera, but we ended up getting some nice pictures that we will treasure in the months to come. I published our favorite family picture under the "Blogging" post.

4 Months Old

On Ian's 4 month birthday, we decided to take him swimming for the first time. I lathered him up in sunscreen, put a swimming diaper on him, and loaded up the diaper bag with a hat, sunglasses, a towel, and all of the other necessities that I always have on hand. We fully expected him to cry once he got in the pool, but he was perfectly content to be held by Daddy and kick his legs in the water. After all of the swimming, he was tuckered out and enjoyed stretching out on the lounge chair. The next day we took him to the doctor for a check-up and shots. He weighed 18 pounds 1 ounce and was 25 inches long. No wonder I am exhausted after toting him up and down the stairs all day!

Blogging

This will be our family's introduction to the world of blogging, so bear with us. Since Phil will be going to Iraq in a few months, I (Erin) thought it would be a good idea to create a blog that he can look at whenever he has time. Ian has grown and changed so much in the last 4 months, and I want his Daddy to be able to check on him while he is protecting this beautiful country that we live in. This will also be a great way to share all of Ian's firsts and adventures with our friends and family. Wreck 'Em Tech and God Bless America!