9mos

Holy cow we have a 9mo old in our house. It's amazing how in 9 short months how much you have changed Ian. You went from being a helpless preemie to a bouncing (literally you love to bounce) baby boy, it's truly amazing. We go next week for your 9mo check up and we'll find out then what your stats are.




You continue to love life, wake up with a smile on your face and ready for a kiss on each check and a Eskimo kiss. We change your diaper and head out to the kitchen for some oatmeal and a bottle. You are capable of holding your own bottle but will galdly allow us to hold it for you. If we are in a hurry I usually hold it for you as you tend to get distracted and it ends up on the floor and you end up sucking on your toe. Although for the past week you have been waking up very upset around 4, I give you your bottle burp you and then you think it is playtime. Well, I'm here to tell ya, it isn't.

Goodbye gummy grin and hello tooth!! That's right buddy you have a pearly white to show off to world. It's still not all the way in but it's there and it's neighbor is also working it's way up. When those broke through your gums you woke up extra early screaming. Which you never do which told me you were in pain. We gave you a teething ring and a bottle which made you happy again and I got you some baby orajel just this week.

On Monday 9/6 you said DaDa, we are now working on MaMa. You have started to show interest in pulling yourself up either using us or your toy basket. When you use us you will let go of our hands and stand for about .5 seconds before your butt meets the floor. You have become more interested in the dogs, you like to touch their paws and ears your interest in them last longer than what they can handle though before they need a break from all the attention.

Your daily meals consist of 2 6.5oz bottles and 2 4oz bottles, approx 4oz of food. Your eating routine is as follows. fruit, yogurt and 6.5oz bottle, veggies, cereal (mixed) and 4oz bottle, chicken and either sweet potato of fruit mixed in and a 4oz bottle, oatmeal/cereal and a 6.5oz bottle.


Also throughout the day you enjoy some water or diluted juice, puffs and fruit in your teething mesh bag. We are currently trying to find a sippy cup that you like. The ones we have right now you can't tip your head back far enough to get the liquid to where you need it without falling backwards so you either lay on your back and attempt to drink or I will recline you in your high chair. This week I got you a sippy cup with a straw and you have formed such a bond with it.


Here you are with your new sippy, gotta love a straw!!


You got to run with mommy in your first ever 5k this past Sunday. You did great you talked/sang to mommy the whole time. The race volunteers all cheered you on as we went by and all said how cute you are. YOu were the 1st in your age group to finish!!

I'm always asked "is he always this content" and my response is "yes". You are a such a happy baby when we are out and about. Don't get me wrong you know how to whine and you're very good at it. Lately, you're whiney problem kicks in when you go from the sitting position to your tummy and you attempt to move and nothing happens. You have a thing for electronics you like the remote, my phone, the lap top, power cords, etc.

You are also always complimented on your eyes, you have gorgeous big blue eyes. You have adjusted very well to your helmet and your lil noggin' has made such a change in 3 short weeks.

I love you Buddy and love watching you change.

Momma

back to when it all started

It's really a quite short story. Marcus and I meet at church youth group (yg) and 10yrs ago today we went on our 1st date. We went and saw the movie Remember the Titans and then dinner at Steak n' Shake. We meet at church, and were very active in the youth group (yg). No one in yg knew we were going on a date so we show up at the movie theather and who do we sit next too? Two girls from YG with their mom. And who is sitting in the row in front of us? Two guys and their dad's. So the girls thought we were there meeting the guys and the guys thought we were meeting the girls. Gah...too funny, they figured it out by Sunday though.

Anyways, the story starts and stops there (pretty boring). Marcus was my 1st and last 1st date. We had our moments of ups and downs and questioning of what we wanted. But, I knew from that 1st date that I was going to marry him. Soon after we started dating Marcus started going bald, I don't believe the two go hand in hand at all I blame genectics entirely.

I would post a picture of use back then but they are all packed far far away. So here's a picture of us now. Just photo shop some weight off and add hair to Marcus' head and viola that's us 10yrs ago.

Race To Zero

Today Ian and I ran in a 5k race (Race to Zero) at the Mishawaka Riverwalk to help raise money to stop child abuse. This was my first time racing with Ian, there aren't many races that allow strollers so I was looking forward to giving it a try. It was a gorgeous fall day there were well over 100 registered runners. We finished 36th overall, 10th in my age group and 1st in Ian's age group our time was 26min 15sec (chip time). There were quite a few other strollers and one gave us a run for our money towards the end but I pushed ahead and was bound and determined not to be passed. Ian did great during the race he sang/talked to me the whole time. There were awards but we did not stay for them as we needed to get home. I hope to do more races in which Ian can participate

Ian and I before the race

Ian and I after the race

Here's a video, you can see Ian and I crossing the finish line and the stroller that tried beating us close behind.


Here's the results. I was the 4th female to finish in my age group, there were a total of 138 registered runners. I'm quite pleased with my placing.

week 2

Here we are week #2 we went in for a helmet check and they made some adjustments to the ear area and around the left eye. We go back in 3wks for another scan where they will do measurements and be able to tell us how much progress has been made number wise.

running tunes

Who needs an iPod when you run when you have Ian singing to you. Please disregard the Clydesdale horse you hear in the background trotting along, Ian stops singing when I stop running.

Saturday Night Football

come swing with me

We took Ian to a local playground however it was lacking baby swings which meant Marcus and I had to tap into our innerchild. I must say the slides are not made for people with hips. We had fun and Ian got to experience a new activity.

switching it up

Over labor day weekend Marcus and I moved our upstairs furniture downstairs and our downstairs furniture upstairs. Then we had the bright idea to move our TV to a different corner which involved a trip up in the attic for the surround sound cords and speakers to be moved.

This if you come in from the front door.

This is looking in from the area that leads into the bedrooms and bathroom:

In the 4yrs we've been in this house, we tried other arrangements but they simply didn't work however, we are both enjoying the new set-up and so is Ian. This arrangement gives him more room to play. The area rug is something that we got from Bed Bath and Beyond for $25 on clearance, normally 130.

week 1

We are 1wk into the wearing of the crown and I do believe we have all adjusted. Night 1 (saturday) of sleeping with it on went ok, he woke up around 2:30 and was super sweaty so I changed him in different pj's and he slept till the sun came up. Night 2 (sunday) he woke-up again at 2 but this time there was nothing that was going to make him happy and after further investigation I do believe we have tooth #2 trying to make it's way through. Sunday night or Monday morning however you want to look at it he was up for about an hr, I ended up giving him about 2oz of milk and he fell back asleep till about 6:30. Last night (night 3) was a success, everyone slept through the night. Although, ever since Ian has been a wee lil boy he will scream (not sure what else to call it) in his sleep, it doesn't happen every night and never happens during naps. Not sure what that is all about. Ooookay, got off track there a lil bit.



The 1st picture was taken a week before we got the helmet and the 2nd picture was taken today 1wk after getting helmet. Is it me or is there already improvement??

16 reasons

Summer is winding down, the temps are decreasing,the leaves are changing colors and that means one thing. Fall is practically knocking on the door and because I like lists so much I'm gonna list a few of the things I'm looking forward.


1. lighting candles, I know you can light candles year round but I really feel funny about doing so in the summer, I know it's weird. Anyways I set out on Tuesday to bath and bodyworks with giftcard in hand in search of fall candles. I got 2 3-wick candles and a room spray all for 26.75 with tax. The candles were on sale 2 for 20, I got one for fall and one for winter, the room spray is neutral.

2. homemade applesauce made with apples picked by ME!

3. Change in wardrobe. I don't know what it is but after months of wearing shorts, skirts, capris, and tank tops I'm ready to put on jeans and longsleeve shirts.

4.homemade apple pie again made with apples picked by ME!

5.football, although I do like football it's also a great naptime without feeling guilty that I'm not doing anything productive. Now, if game time would just match up with Ian's naptime I'll be all set.

6.tailgating, this is season #2 of not being able to enjoy a few adult beverages while catching up with friends in a parking lot. But that is ok, my time will come.

7. open windows, the hum or in our case the rattle of the air conditioner going is no longer heard.

8. leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground, I know my dad does not like that part of it, as his leaf picking up crew is down to a 1 man operation (sorry dad)

9. pumpkins and pumpkin patches

10. hot chocolate and hot cider (not for me but for the hubs)

11. enjoying an afternoon run without having the feeling that I'm going to die because it's 90 degrees outside.

12. comfort foods. need I say more?

13. new seasons of my favorite TV shows come back.

14. Chelssie introduced me to a fun fall trail mix of: candy corn, peanuts, rasins, and m&m's. Oh so yummy and easy, I am going to toss in some crasins as well.

15. soup, we are big soup people however because we are both super picky our soup choices are limited to: chicken noodle, potato, and broccoli. I know very boring, Marcus does have a larger soup liking than I do those are just the ones we are agree on. He likes chicken corn chowder and chili, and well I won't touch either one of those with a 9ft pole. So if he wants it he's gotta get it or make it himself.

16. Oatmeal, yes I like oatmeal and come fall/winter that is all I eat for breakfast. In the spring/summer I eat cold cereal usually Kashi.

See living in the midwest isn't all that bad. What are some of the things you look forward to with the change in seasons?

those people with that baby

Most of us have been there, stuck on an airplane with a baby who just isn't happy and everyone gets off and all they talk about is those people with that baby. My goal was not to be "those" people with "that" baby.

I've been asked by a few people how Ian did with the plane and time change. And like everything else he adapted quickly to his surroundings and went with the flow. Our plan was eat solids at the airport and drink bottle during take off and use pacifier on the landing to help with the change in pressures with his ears. We would do the samething minus the solids for our second flight. But as it is with most plans it didn't work out that way due to a delayed flight so onto plan B. Use pacifier on take off and landing, he slept during all the flights and if he was awake (which he was for maybe an 1/2hr) he was being talked to by the flight attendants, playing peek a boo with the people behind us or talking and laughing with us.

We did carry-on everything!! Since my parents arrived before us they took the carseat from their car and checked it with their luggage and when they got the rental swagger wagon my sister installed it and it was ready to go for airport pick-up. We side gate checked the stroller and it greeted us when we got off the plane everytime undamaged. And when we landed in Indy it was open and waiting for us (all the other times it was still folded). If you have traveled with a child then you understand what a blessing it was to get off the plan and not have wrangle your bags and child while trying to get the stroller opened. I thanked them over and over for that. Marcus was in charge of our 2 bags and Ian's diaper bag, I was in charge of my pump (not sure why he didn't want to carry the pump), Ian and my purse/tote.

On our way there we had seats right next to the engine but also behind flight attendants station which means LEG ROOM!!! Now, a regular seat does not bother me but when you are 6'6" apparently it's a little uncomfortable to have the person in front of you recline their seat and you are now stuck and feel like you are a dentist and you should be asking them to open wide.

On our 1st flight home we were in regular seating and in a row with 3 seats. Luckily our neighbor has 3 boys under the age of 6 and therefore knew what he was in for. As the plane landed he said how impressed Ian did on the flight, Marcus and I put our arm rest up and had Ian laying across our laps while he slept. Flight #2 we were back to just 2 seats but no extra leg room what so ever. We made it work as what choice did we have.

I had only one issue on the flight from San Deigo to Dallas and that was the flight attendent offered us no help in locating overhead open bin space so as Marcus and I are turning in circles with all of our stuff trying locate some room the flight attendant simply said look around and she went back to crushing her ice. Luckily the other passengers on the plane were kind enough to help us out in our search.

Before our flights I had read that if you are in a 3 seat row that you could try where one parent takes the aisle seat and the other takes the window seat in attempts to keep that 3rd person from wanting to sit with you. We did think about doing this but once on the flight we quickly realized it was a full plane and there was no point to do this.

Once we did land we waited to be the last passengers off the plane as we rounded up our stuff without having to stand in a long line as people waited to get off the plane.

The time difference was 3hrs, and the thought of before we left working on changing Ian's routine did run through my head. I decided not to worry about it, he slept when he needed to sleep and ate when he needed to eat. In true Ian fashion he adapted very quickly, slept through the night and maintained his normal eating routine. He went with the flow and we went with his needs, thanks Aunt CiCi for walking around with him at the baseball in search of an area that there was nothing around to catch his attention.

Thanks again to my parents for taking us all out there we had a great time and made some great memories.

9yrs

It's hard to beleive that we can all pretty much remember exactly what we were doing on Sept. 11 2001. When it was suppose be just another ordinary day of work/school and how it was taken away in just an instant.

I remember I was going in late to school so I took my sweet time getting ready and was blow drying my hair and turned off the blow dryer when I heard on the radio that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center, I ran into my parents room where my mom was and where a TV was and from that moment on I transfixed to the TV. I did make it to school but even there in every classroom the TV's were on and not much work was being produce by teachers or students. I made it through the day and headed home where both my parents were trying to get a hold of a dear family friend Matt who is a firefighter with FDNY. It was well over 48hrs before Matt was even able to get a hold of his wife Jenny who was keeping everyone else updated. Matt wasn't on duty that day but rather he was enjoying his morning with his 2 boys watching Bob the Builder and playing cars when he received a phone call to look out his window. They were living in the Bronx during that time. Matt had a neighbor look after the boys as he headed into the city to do his part.

In October of 2001 my parents and I headed out east to help Matt and his family move into a house they had just finished building outside of the city. While there my parents and I attended a funeral service for one of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11. It is something I will never forget, my mom and I sat together as my dad was in Class A uniform and sat with the many other firefighters who were in attendance. I have never cried so hard for someone I've never meant before, even to this day it leaves me speechless. After the service we headed towards Ground Zero from St. Patrick's Catherdal in which my dad insisted was just a few blocks away. I do beleive that day we managed to walk a good 10 miles (we did get to take the subway back, thanks dad). We eventually made it and it was a sight to see and a smell to smell as the area was still smoldering. I have pictures but they were taken before a digital camera was in my possession. We left the area but images we saw and the smell stuck with us as it was embedded into our clothing.

We ventured back to the city a couple years later on the 9/11 where we we paid our respects to the 2996 (break down of the number: 2,606 at the Twin towers; 343 FDNY, 23 NYPD, 37 PAPD and 15 EMTs. 125 at the Pentagon: 55 Military. On the planes 246 civilians) lives that we lost that day and attended the memorial service and the reading of the names. That year the children of those who lost parents read the names it was beyond touching. Just thinking about the events of that day leaves my eyes welled up with tears.

This year please take time out of your day to remember those 2996 lives that we lost, tell your family what they mean to you and be thankful for all that you have and those who serve our country.

NEVER FORGET!

crown

Ian got his crown yesterday finally after an annoying visit last week:



Wearing Schedule:
Day ON OFF nap bed
Day 1: Tues/Wednesday 1hr 1hr no no
Day 2: Thursday 2hrs 1hr no no
Day 3: Friday 4hrs 1hr yes no
Day 4: Saturday 8hrs 1hr yes yes (optional)
Day 5: Sunday 23hrs 1hr yes yes

After day 5 he wear it 23hrs a day for approx 12-16wks, the orthotics specialist did say anywhere between 21-23hrs will be fine so if he has a 1/2hr break in AM and PM and then an extra break for the cleaning of the crown it would be fine.

The hardest part for us and him is the putting on and taking off. He hates having it put on and taken off. Once it's on he's fine, he doesn't try to take it off or pull at it.

SD Part 4

Day #3 cont'd and Adventure #5 After adventure #4 we loaded into the swagger wagon and headed off to adventure #5 which was Disneyland. Have I mentioned before how much I love my sister's part-time/seasonal job working for the mouse? Yeah, well I love it!! We arrived and headed to the Happiest Place on Earth, this was Ian's first visit to the mouse but won't be his last as long as my sister works for the mouse or has some really great friends:) The "we are tourists picture" and check out that Castle, it's so itty bitty compared to Disney World's!! We headed towards some rides after my sister made a quick trip back to City Hall to obtain a ticket for herself as her Disney ID was apparently not good enough. We ran into some characters along the way (the pictures are in no particular order of how we saw them): The Chipmunks were headed in for a break and wouldn't stop for a picture so instead we walk with them while Marci snapped pictures: We got one of them, YAY: Curella DeVille was around and mean, she asked "how old that thing in the stroller was and then said you know mom, he's not going to remember any of this?" I said yes I'm aware no pose for a picture! No, that part didn't really happen like that but still. Marcus said I should've told yes and you're mean!! Apparently these 2 guys are from Alice in Wonderland (we really weren't sure at the time, they simply had a short line or actually no line at all so we took advantage of the opportunity) Penguins from Mary Poppins (again they didn't have much of a line either) The biggest difference we noticed was that the Characters were pretty much on their own, if you've ever been to DW all the characters have a character handler (security) walking with them and standing with them at all times. Apparently the guests in FL are really rowdy compared to those in Cali. We went on about 6 different rides and Ian fell asleep on each one except for the Toy Story one. He even managed to fall asleep to the Captain EO 3D thing we saw. Finding Nemo ride in which you ride in s submarine, Ian loved watching the bubbles. Next up was It's a Small World as it wouldn't be a trip to Disney if you missed it. While at Disney we celebrated my parent's 34th Wedding Anniversary (a day early) with dinner. Happy Anniversary!!! The restaurant gave Ian a kid's menu and I insisted on completing all the activities on it. Ian seemed a bit jealous of the attention I was giving to the activities. He is also sitting so far away from the table because he felt it was necessary to pull everything off the table. Ian with his Aunt CiCi who managed to not play Diaper Roulette the whole time. I would like to know the reasoning behind Disney putting rolls of toilet paper above the changing stations. Ian enjoyed it a lot. If you ever visit the Mouse with a lil one both DL and DW have Baby Care Centers in which you can go into and take care of all your babies needs in a comforting environment. They have a curtained off area to breastfeed or pump, a nice diaper changing area, and potties for those who are 42" or shorter to use. They also sell diapers, stage 2 food, formula, and pacifiers. While I was in there 2 dads came in and said in very desperate tones "I heard you sell pacifiers!!" one even asked if they had an area to let the kiddos nap while they ventured through the park. That question got a big NO!! And at the First Aid Center they will keep your pump for you while you visit the park without having to worry about carrying it around. We of course had to visit the one and only Mickey Mouse!! Ian loved him!
Ian also kissed Mickey's nose but of course I didn't get a picture or video of that, and I only got video because the camera was on the wrong setting.

SD Part 3

Day 3 Adeventure #4

Day 3 was our last full day we had in Cali. I awoke early to get my stuff taken care which of course included a workout and shower. Just because you're away from home doesn't mean you stop working out. And a workout was required before the next adventure.

This really wasn't an adventure but I did require a nap afterwards so that's the category that it's going in.

Adventure #4 can be summed up into 5 simple words: Hash House A Go Go (say that 3x fast). The owners are from Milford, IN which is a uber doober small town in Indiana, their menu choices are named after fun Indiana towns. Such as South Bend famous. San Diego was where they opened their first restaurant and they now have locations in Vegas. I have three to describe this adventure: YUMMY, SHARE, and PORTION CONTROL (wait that is 4 words, oh well)!!!

My sister's Blueberry Pecan pancake:


She put portion control into practice (she tapped into her inner fat kid):


Biscuits and Gravy (Marcus and I shared and also put portion control into practice):


Ian upset that he had to sit in the highchair while we ate, he really just needed a nap:


It was all so yummy and served up on turkey platters!!

One more adventure to go, are you tired yet??

SD Part 2

Day 2: My dad, sister and I started the day out with a run around the Petco stadium and Gaslamp Quaters of San Diego. Came back ate some breakfast and got around for adventure #3.

Adventure #3: snorkeling at La Jolla Cove, once again after some bad directions due to bad information that we were given we arrived at our destination. Seriously if you wanna just move to Cali all you really need is a rubbermaid tote on wheels, some wetsuits, fins, goggles and blow straws things and you got yourself a business. Needless to say I'm sure there is a group of small children that had nightmares that night. As they had to witness 6 adults trying to squeeze into small black wetsuits that the snorkel guide insisted would stretch out once we got in the 60 degree water. Yep I said the water temp was around 60 if not colder. All I know is that I lost feeling in my fingers and toes.



















It was an adventure, we swam with sea lions, fish and a jelly fish that we swam way out an around. It was kinda hard to see anything and there was quite a bit of kelp and this seagrass stuff. It wasn't seaweed it was actual grass, I'm sure there is a real technical name for it but I'm going to call it seagrass. It was what I said an adventure and we can say that we swam in the brr chilly cold pacific ocean.

We headed back to the condo, an enroute someone I won't mention any names (it wasn't me this time) apparently ingested quite a bit of saltwater that revisited their towel. Wouldn't be a vacay if someone didn't lose it in the car. So it felt good that it wasn't me this time. Once back we showered and made out our game plan for the rest of the day. Which involved 2 more adventures.

Adventure #4 Harbor Tour Excursion:
We had orginally planned on doing the 2hr tour but we didn't have time so we opted for the 1hr tour instead


Ian's thoughts of the tour:


Marcus and I:



Adventure #5 The famous San Diego Zoo



The zoo is huge, we had no where near enough time to get through the whole thing, we did enjoy a nice dinner. But can I just say San Diego Zoo you need baby changing stations in your bathrooms even at the restaurants. Poor Ian has had to have his diaper changed in some odd places due to the lack of changing areas for babes.