22 Months

I can hardly believe that in 2 short months, Ian will be 2 years old!!! I really don't know where the time has gone. He is a loving, happy boy who has turned into quite the climber. He loves being outside, so these cold winter days that we have had recently have proven difficult for me to try and find other places to play so that he can run off some of his energy. He says a few words (Mama, no, dirt, stay, juice, truck), and he understands everything (things that are asked of him and things going on around him). We have days where the terrible twos run our house, but that is all part of testing his boundaries and growing up. He loves coloring with markers, chalk, and crayons, and I am amazed by his imagination already. It was a beautiful day today, so we spent the morning at the park and I brought my camera along. When the weather gets warmer we'll have more outings to new places, and I'll try to keep up better with Ian's blog. Enjoy!

Climbing.

Picking off the fluff of a dandelion.

Picking a new dandelion.

Just hanging out in the dugout. He looks pretty comfortable there...I might have a baseball player on my hands.

This is a common thing I see every day...Ian running everywhere!

Listening to the sound his shoes make on the bleachers.

Do you think Ian is ready for summer to be here?

Here Ian is "saying" that the water is cold (he puts his hand on his chest and shakes from side to side like he is shivering...pretty cute).

Playing in the baseball dirt. Both of my brothers played baseball, so I know what a chore it is to get this red dirt out of clothing. If a boy doesn't get to play in the dirt, I don't think he really has any fun. :)

Showing off his dirty hands.

Running to another adventure...

Sick Days

From Christmas until this week, either Ian or myself have been sick. It is truly a challenge taking care of a sick kid when you are also sick, but hopefully we will both be healthy for a while. Here is a picture of my little buddy sleeping soundly now that he feels better and isn't coughing all night long.

Christmas 2009

I know this post is extremely belated, but better late than never, right? We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve since I had to work on Christmas Day. We had a special Christmas with lots of fun memories, and it was a true joy to be able to see Christmas through the eyes of my child. Ian had no problem opening presents, but it took a while since he got caught up in playing with every gift he opened.

First glimpse at what Santa brought.

Does this smile say it all? He loves my vacuum, so I figured he would enjoy this. I had no idea how much he would enjoy it.

Shooting some hoops.

Trying out the beanbag chair.

"I don't think my arm can reach to the bottom of this stocking!"

Doesn't every child need a candy cane on Christmas morning before breakfast? Ian definitely enjoyed this treat!

New hat and mittens. Ian likes to put his hat on by himself...even if that means the ear flaps are covering his eyes, but you can't turn it around for anything so that he can see better.

Jumping up like the Jack-In-The-Box.

Uncle Justin helping Ian open up a new train.

Ian's Incredible Halloween

The month of October has come and gone, and it will be Christmas before I know it. Ian is doing great and has turned into quite the climber (up and down stairs, on shelves, furniture, etc.), so I have to keep an extra close eye on him when I hear things get quiet around the house. Enjoy the pictures from October!
Helping clean out the pumpkin seeds.

This is the only time he ever made a face when handling the insides of the pumpkin...he loves to eat, but raw pumpkin obviously isn't his favorite.

Finished product.

Some ghost cookies I made for a Halloween party we went to.

We went to a pumpkin patch for a Stroller Strides playdate, and though it was a little soggy from all the rain we had gotten, Ian enjoyed finally being able to be outside again. Here he is watching Brian play with the festive corn...so observant.

Now it was Ian's turn to see what was in the little wheelbarrow.

Clearly not a fan of the corn!

He didn't want to sit and have his picture made, so this was as good as I could do. Do you think he is imitating the scarecrows?

Ian dressed up as one of the Incredibles for trick-or-treating. We went on Halloween Eve since I had to work on Halloween. Some of our very nice neighbors turned their porch lights on and let Ian be their first trick-or-treater of the year. He caught on pretty quick and was knocking on the doors all by himself after the first house. The costume was a bit big, but he still looked adorable.

What a strong superhero!

Practicing holding the pumpkin before going to the first house.

Once he was in the garage, he took off down the driveway like he knew exactly what to do.

Happy Halloween!

18 Months

Ian turned 18 months old on the 21st of September, and he had his 18-month check-up that day as well. He weighs 26 lbs 1 oz (60th percentile), is 32.5 inches long (50th percentile), has 12 teeth (including 4 molars that seemed to take FOREVER to all cut through one by one), loves to run and jump, climbs on everything, is talking up a storm (but just a few words are really clear to an ear that doesn't translate toddler babble), feeds himself with a spoon or fork, and enjoys coloring with crayons, markers, or chalk. He is a healthy, happy boy and brings such joy to my life!

He got 3 shots at his doctor's appointment, and when I changed him into his swim diaper after his nap, he discovered the band aids that were covering those sweet, chunky legs that so resisted getting the shots in the morning. He hadn't paid any attention to them when he had his shorts on because they were covered, but once he could see them...

the tears started all over again like he had just been given more shots. It was definitely a traumatic experience for this little guy, and his right leg was swollen with a big knot for about a week. Thank goodness we won't need more until his 2 year appointment (still debating on whether or not to get him the Swine Flu vaccine)!

Drinking the water from the sprinkler. Summertime fun.

As you can see from this profile shot, Ian LOVES to eat! :)

Long Overdue Update

The time has flown by, and updating this blog at the end of my day just hasn't been my highest priority. I will try to be better about keeping current pictures up since Ian seems to grow and change more every day. Enjoy!

What can I say? Ian loves to help, and he especially loves to vacuum (with it unplugged, of course). He is definitely my big helper!

Loving on Lila.

Can't leave Chester out.

Isn't cooking equipment the best toy ever?

Spaghetti-faced boy.

Is there anything more innocent than a child sleeping?

Dialing...

Talking...

"Excuse me, can I get a little privacy while I'm on the phone?"

Here Ian is trying to plug the vacuum cleaner in. It's amazing to me how quickly he picks up on how things work.