March review

I was a little lazy and never wrote a to-do list for March.  We did do stuff I promise it's just a matter of remembering what all was done.

-Potty trained Ian well at least 98% trained when home and out in public with us (zero accidents while out in public) and about 95% trained at the sitters.  Some nights he's completely dry while others not so much.

- Thanks to my dad going to pick up and deliver a load of mulch to our house, we gave our landscaping a little face lift.  We also rearranged plants now that spring has sprung we were able to take full inventory of what all was in the ground. 

-guest bedroom got painted, trim is still needing to be finished.

-Marcus' Christmas present from my parents got installed.  He got a flag and flag pole and I'm here to tell you that a 4ft hole is very deep.

-we colored eggs for Easter, Ian enjoyed bossing us around and telling us which colors to color them after he colored on them with the magic crayon.

Well now that we are over halfway through the month of April I better get a jump on what happened in April around the Z house.

yap yaps

Have you broken out your yap yaps from the closet yet??

puppy dog, blankie, hat, and tractor

Those 4 things prefectly describe Ian's favorites things.  And what better way to document Ian turning 2 and his favorite 4 things than with a photo shoot with Knox Photography.  I would say I'm sharing some of my favorites shots but no, I'm sharing all of them because they are all my favorite.  Brittany did a tremedous job of capturing Ian and his personality.

interview

I asked Ian a few questions and here's the results




I wanted to do this so that when he grows out of "Ian language" I can recall on how he talked when he was an early 2.  Our favorite word that he says is nauggy.

Lately

We're still here, just haven't had a chance to peck at the keyboard.  But, I have given myself the time limit of 30min to share before I go and fold laundry and put it all away.  I feel a good bullet point list is a great way to fill ya in along with some pics and videos.

*A super cute lil boy got a side taken off his crib which turned it into a toddler bed.

*Ian got his 1st shiner (from a girl) it was a moment of bad timing, he was tough though and almost 3wks later he is still talking about.

*Feed some ducks and after this experience I will never getaway with just living a snack for ducks in the prairie.

*We said "see ya later" to Sis

*Ian learned how to hop like a frog. Please disregard his pantless attire he was delaying pj putting on.


*Ian became a man and grew a mustache, (every year the fire dept puts on a fundraiser in which 100% of the proceeds go directly tofor The Hooiser Burn Camp and The Firefighters Cancer Support Network  and  in which for the month of Feb the guys grow upper lip sweaters and then they have a have a contest and all the ladies cringe at the sight of their normally naked upper lip hubby's/boyfriends)

*Oh and we can add the following words to Ian's vocab:
 Nauggy- naughty
 Nakey
 lelow- yellow
 yep
 pizzaaa-pizza
And I'm sure there is more, but I'm out of thinking power right now.

Z house funnies Edition 3

Another edition of Z House Funnies because well we are humans and things happen that you just gotta laugh at.

*This one actually took place at my sister's house in FL.
Diaper change gone terribly wrong for an unprepared mommy.  Ian needed a diaper change so I started and when I realized it was a poopy diaper I looked for the wipes and quickly remembered they were in another room.  So I cover Ian with diaper to prevent any fountain shows and tell him "don't touch".  Come back to the room and the diaper is no longer covering him or even under him.  I look and diaper is up by his head, I pick it up and the poo has diappeared I look in the area the diaper was in and see nothing.  I then look at Ian and see it, it has attacked the side of his face and neck.  Excellent my son had a poop face...literally.

*Daily conversation in car:
Ian: mommy?
Me: yes
Ian: stuck
Me: are you stuck in your seat?
Ian: yeah
Me: that is good you are suppose to be, I love you!


*Marcus relayed this one to me as I was in Chicago with my sister for some time away.  Convo between Marcus and I:
Marcus: Ian wanted to take his gator out on the open road.  So he drove it to his parents.
Me: oh yeah, how'd I go?
Marcus: well, he cried and had to have warm water run over his hands when he arrived.
Me: why didn't he have his mittens on? (mind you it almost 50 so mittens are not all that necessary)
Marcus: well I didn't think it would take an 1hr and 15min to travel 13 houses
Me: oh wow...yeah I wouldn't have thought to bring gloves either.


*Thank goodness one of the previous owners of house did this to the wall between the dining area and basement stairs:

I've had to climb over that wall from the basement stairs more times than I would like to remember thanks to a little boy who discovered how to lock doors.


*It's been unseasonably warm around here so on Tuesday I let Ian drive around in his Gator. We took a shorter drive than above when Marcus supervised driving.  Anyways we were across the street from our house and 1 house down when Ian decided he was tired of driving and got off and started walking towards the house.  Leaving me with the Gator on the road, 2 options ran through my head: 1) bend over and use one hand to push the "gas" and my other hand to steer. 2)get in and drive.  Here was my FB status that will reveal which option I went with: "Dear neighbors and passer by-ers, please erase the image of me driving my child's Gator as my child walked along. Said child got tried and didn't want to drive anymore. And yes Mr Honda Odyssey I did see you take a triple look."



*Whenever we get somewhere I tell Ian he is going to walk and he says "no, mommy" meaning I'm to carry him. So while carrying him I ask if it's because his legs are broke and he says while laughing "no, mommy" while patting my back.  Well, as of this week when I get him out of the car and stand him up next to the car he says "broke, mommy" when I pick him up he says mommy and pats my back.

Love him so much!!

Swim Lessons with Little Fins Swim School Week 4

Ian received swim lessons from his CiCi (or sis as he has changed her name too when in reality her real name is Marci and for short we call her Marcc (with very soft "c's") for his Birthday with Little Fins Swim School (CiCi's business) she is up north for the month of January to conduct lessons not only for Ian but for about 18 other families in our area.


Week 4: just gotta say these 4 weeks have flown by!

Day 1: Today Papa Jim came to watch!  Ian continued to have excitement and has embraced the lessons he has learned.  He has a strong kick and knows when he needs to roll over and float to rest.

Day 2: The calm before the storm (day 3 is the storm).

Day 3: Today was a big day, kinda like a test day.  Lessons started off fully clothed: pants, shorts, hoodie, socks, and shoes

 
As you can see in the video Ian did exactly what he learned roll over and float until help arrives or until he has rested to roll back over and swim to the side.

Day 4: no negative side effects from yesterday's lesson of being fully clothed.  He continues to trust his Sis and the lessons and has great instincts.

Day 5: last day, we can now get into the pool from the side solo.  My plans are to get him into a pool at least 2x a month to practice what he has learned these last 4 weeks.  Happy instructor with a happy swimmer who is getting the water.

Week 4 videos:

Swim Lessons with Little Fins Swim School Week 3

Ian received swim lessons from his CiCi (or sis as he has changed her name too when in reality her real name is Marci and for short we call her Marcc (with very soft "c's") for his Birthday with Little Fins Swim School (CiCi's business) she is up north for the month of January to conduct lessons not only for Ian but for about 18 other kiddos in our area.

Week 3:
Day 1: Despite not being in the pool for 3 days the excitement was still there!! Ian continues to do so very well. Continues to follow directions very well. He's gotta work on resting for longer though.

Day 2: Ian throws his hands up in the air with excitement when we pull into the driveway for the pool. That makes my heart happy!! More floating and more swimming, his kick is getting stronger which is a great thing. Today he sat on the side of the pool and got in, this is a small step in giving him the know how of if he was to fall in what to do. And he did what he was suppose too, swim a little and roll over to float. Still need him to rest longer though.

Day 3: I was unable to take him today so his Ma and G-Pa took him.  And the report was he did good, Sis had him work a little harder today which he was not a fan of.  But it's good for him!

Day 4: Ever since day 3 of week 2, the 10min seriously FLYS by.  Instincts are kicking in and the boy is figuring out what he has to do in order to save himself if for some reason our safety barriers fail.

Day 5: we have a lil fish on our hands.  Once he's in suit and CiCi alright Buddy your turn he is headed for her arms before she is completely ready and has caught her off guard a couple times.   I'm so pleased with how well he has adapted to the lessons.

Here is video from week 3:

Swim Lessons with Litte Fins Swim School Week 2

Ian received swim lessons from his CiCi (or sis as he has changed her name too when in reality her real name is Marci and for short we call her Marcc (with very soft "c's") for his Birthday with Little Fins Swim School (CiCi's business) she is up north for the month of January to conduct lessons not only for Ian but for about 18 other kiddos in our area.
Week 2:

Day 1: no tears until it was time to get in. He continued to do well with everything that was asked of him. His screams are simply for attention. He can be drama at times:)

Day 2: I got in with him and he did well. Got him to splash and smile all at the sametime. The thing that my sister has learned is to get him and other kids like him not enough time to think about what they are doing.

Day 3: Holy cow who is this kid??? He walked from to my sister who was in the pool without any hesitation. Not a single wimper of dislike, he splashed, he kicked his little legs, he floated and he swam.

Day 4: again did wonderful and getting so good at kicking and floating!!!! Now gotta get him to float (rest) for longer periods of time. he gets impatient and wants to roll over and swim more. The 10 min now goes so much quicker than when he was screaming the entire time.

Day 5: no lessons due to prior engagement not only for us but also for the instructor.

Week 2 Video

Swim Lessons with Little Fins Swim School Week 1

Ian received swim lessons from his CiCi (or sis as he has changed her name too when in reality her real name is Marci and for short we call her Marcc (with very soft "c's") for his Birthday with Little Fins Swim School (CiCi's business) she is up north for the month of January to conduct lessons not only for Ian but for about 18 other families in the area. 

Week 1:
Day 1: it took the 2 of us to get his swim diaper on.  He was not thrilled at all he continued to say "done, all done" throughout the entire 10min session but never refused to do/try anything.  He swam from CiCi to the ladder and from CiCi to the gutter.  He also worked on rolling over and floating on his back.  That evening I told him we would be going to see CiCi tomorrow and he said "yea Ci, pool, ducky"

Day 2: as quickly as we got into the pool area he wanted to get out. But he pulled up his swim diaper and went in kicking and screaming.  He never once refused to do anything CiCi said, he often times had his face in the water before CiCi was ready.  Worked on swimming to side of pool at an angle,  rolling over and floating.

Day 3: he had the same feelings about the pool today as he did on day 2.  But again was a trooper, worked on more floating, and CiCi mentioned serveral times that he is very touchy meaning when laying on his back floating CiCi supports (guides) and wherever her hands are he reaches for them.

Day 4: no tears till it was time to get in. Worked on swimming to CiCi's fingers and more rolling over and floating.  Gotta get him to do airplane arms and not hands behind the head relaxing arms.

Day 5: same response to the pool as Day 4. Floating was on the books for today.  He did better and floated for a seconds all my himself.

Here's is video from week 1:

Christmas 2011

Wow, it seems like Christmas was a long time ago but it hasn't even been a month.  We celebrated 1st with my family on Christmas Eve at my parents, Christmas morning at our house with just the 3 of us, and then Fri Dec 30th with my in-laws at our house.  Ian was a great present opener, he got the hang of it very quickly and was quickly became the resident gift opener for his Grammie and PaPa Jim.

Here's an album from our days of celebrations!



Hope you all had a Mrry Christmas!!!

2nd Birthday

On Saturday (Dec 31st) we celebrated Ian's 2nd birthday.  We kept it small (if that's at all possible) but we kept it to grandparents, great grandparents and immediate aunt's and uncle.  Served cold cuts and big thanks to our local grocery store on telling me how much deli meat I needed.  Made chocolate chip zucchini cupcakes and because it was a recipe I had never tried I got worried and therefore got a box mix and made more. Overkill quite possible, but wanted to be safe!










And here's an album of his day


He had a great day and I was in my pj's by 6:45p, Happy New Year!!!

2yrs

Ian,

My lil Buddy you are now 2 and I don't think I can say this enough I love that I have been blessed to be your mommy and that you are my boy.  Your stats are as follows: Head 19.5in, Height/Length: 35.5in, and Weight: 29lbs 8oz.  You are in the 75th percentile all around, despite your super picky eating habits you are growing as you should!

You have learned so much since my "all about you" post.  Your vocabulary grows daily you know the following words: 

Doo-stool
Ooes- shoes
Ducky
Doggie
Ma
Papa
Dada
Mom
Momma
Mommeeee
Happy
Bowl
spoon
smoothie
Eat
Elro-Elmo
Illow-pillow
Ack-Cracker
Uck-cup
Blow- in reference to blowing nose
Oak- coat
Pee
Bar - in reference to granola bar or fruit crisp bar
Ilk-milk
Nana
Poppy
WooWoo- anything fire related
Booboo- booger
Mickey
Ee- monkey
Money
Donkey
Blankie
Hat
Movie
Buddy
E-Ian
Me
Banana

Knows word and location of:
Eyes
Ears
Nose
Tougue
Belly button
Toes
Booty

When asked a question you will respond by saying hmmm....with finger up to your mouth and then you will point to object/item you are wanting.



You still love your doggie and any crocheted blanket, you enjoy watching Elro (Elmo), you love your hat and usually don't go a day without wearing it some days you wear it the entire day through naptime and all.  You still nap beautifully 2.5-3hrs a day.  You started potty training around 20mos old and have great success at home and out in public but not so good when away from Mommy and Daddy.

You can add another hash mark to your Disney World tracking sheet you are up to 2 visits and 1 visit to Disney Land with 8 plane rides.

You Buddy make a lot of people smile.  You are shy in unfamilar places but once you find your groove it's tough to get you to go bye bye.  You are 99% a momma's boy and I'm fine with that!  You are 100% boy from your hat, to your jeans, to your personality you are all boy.  We recieve lots of complianments on how well behaved you are which makes for some proud parents.  You are loved, you are kind and you are important!!

LOVE YOU,

Momma

dog walker

Please disregard my childs face when I turned off the camera, not his best look.

If you need a dog to rent for your child to walk or pretend that they own, I have 2 that fit the bill!!  Really though Kota Dog is great with Ian, she lets him sit on her back jump and pull her ears.  Lexus pretty much just tries to stay out of his way she deoesn't bother him he doens't bother her. 

groovin'

Patching it

As we did last fall we did the same this fall.  We took Ian to a pumpkin patch unlike last year Ian actually had a say in picking which pumpkin he got.  Although dispite having such a say in which one he got he wanted no part and no pumpkin meant his standards.  So after a process of elmination we got one pumpkin to carve and one Ian's size that he wanted to show to the goat.  He wanted no part of the carving but was a good sport and stayed on the counter for part of it.

Halloween

Halloween this year was a complete 180 from last year.

We'll start with the costume, after searching eBay we became the proud owners of a 102 Dalmations costume.  Absolutely adorable costume that is so warm, soft, fuzzy, and so cute and perfect for my doggie loving boy.

It arrived and like any excited parents we put Ian in it kicking and screaming literally it took 2 of us to get him it.  As we were attempting to dress him I asked Marcus "should it really be this difficult or require 2 adults to put a costume on". Once it was on he screamed and screamed some more and his legs went all noodlely.  The only time he stopped crying and stopped being all noodlely was when he had a hershey kiss in his mouth.  So I hung the outfit up on his closet door so he could use to the idea of being an adorable dalmation.  We continued to offer the outfit as a choice of his daily wardrobe option in hopes he had warmed up to the idea. Well, 2 days before halloween and there was ZERO interest in being a dalmation doggie. So, we came up with a being a constructor worker like Bob the Builder Ian has overalls, plaid button down shirt, a hammer and yellow hard hat...PERFECT right??  Well this is what Ian wore for Halloween, we didn't go trick or treating due to the time (5-7p) our town did it and our schedules we didn't even get our light turned on till about 5:45.  Ian enjoyed watching all the kiddos coming up to the door he only was frightened by one and only tried to shut the door about 3x. Oh and this is the only picture I could get of him.

Contractor Ian

Potty

On September's to do list I added start potty training. I had no intentions of doing this but when a) your child has on frequent occasions been waking dry from naps from time to time and b) asks to go. I'm not one to pass up an opportunity. Now, I have yet to cancel my amazon diaper subscription and to save $30 every month and a half. He has gone pee 2 handful of times and has left a stinky and pee 1 handful + one finger of times, but hey whose counting? Oh yeah I am.

I don't push it, I ask him if he wants to go but he does better when he tells me he has to go in which my child is stripped down to just a shirt. He's gotta have not only pants completely off but also shoes and socks. He then sits on the potty for what seems to me as hours but it's just about 3 rounds of "head shoulders knees and toes", a dramatic reading of his Elmo book, another reading from his Richard Scarry First words book and finally Elmo's ABC's on the iPad. During this time he can produce nothing or something. I was going to give him a m&m but I usually forget after I have diapered and clothed him, cleaned his potty seat and washed my hands. But please don't fret we have a great potty party with high fives and woohoo's. Followed by texting Grammie (who is undergoing a possible name change), PaPa Jim and CiCi of the most recent potty production!  *Note I would text Marcus but his job doesn't allow him to check his phone very often or ever.  So, I just fill him if we talk at lunch and if not then when he gets home.

So there you have we have started the use of the potty and thanks to my good friend Mo we are using her son's training potty.  Also, I'm all for convinence so if I need to make dinner and Ian has to go potty I'm not opposed to moving the potty into the kitchen area so I can get my multi-task skills on.

BUBBLES!!!

Picture...er...watch the clip below from Finding Nemo


And now turn your head (sorry if your neck gets sore).  Also I apologize for the lack of lighting it gets dark around our parts kinda early.

BFF's

They have nightly/daily sleepovers, doggie has gone to the outlets, grocery store, accompany us to drop off/pick up from the sitters, gone on runs, to the playground, pretty much whenever Ian goes doggie must come along.  He is pretty good at carrying him on his own, only occassionaly have I been left to doggie duty.

*doggie's history: originally belonged to my sister (it's the closest she has ever been to being a dog owner) Ian came across him at my parents. And has since become the foster doggie owner, since doggie was abandoned at my parents house when my sister moved to Florida (bad stuffed dog owner).