Some Ian Related Notes

Ian doesn't take a bottle anymore, and he doesn't drink formula either. He drinks whole milk from a sippy.

Ian knows the word "lamp". He doesn't say it, but he knows what one looks like.

Today he did something very cool. He scooted about 3 feet, got onto his knees, and was very close to pulling up. This is a big deal for us, because if you don't hang out with me everyday, you probably don't know that Ian is going to start receiving early intervention services for gross motor delays. We've been working on the kneeling position and I was SO happy that he was able to get from sitting to kneeling on his own.

Ian likes fish. We went to Wal-Mart today* and we stopped by the fish. He got the biggest smile and made his little ahhhh noise. Too cute.

Speaking of fish. All was going well at our house this evening. The dishes were done, everyone was fed, most of the laundry was away, lunches were made and I had just put Ian to bed. I was getting ready to go downstairs and crack open the bag of schoolwork when I heard and ear-piercing wail. Now normally, we get this wail around 10:30 or 11:00 (I have no idea why), not right after he goes to sleep. So I went in his room and quickly saw what the problem was. The fish (Fisher Price Aquarium Crib Thingy) were playing music, but no lights and no fishies swimming. The batteries were dead. Ian was MAD. So I had to pull out the crib, get the batteries, etc. etc. Apparently that kid will be sleeping with the fish until he is 10. :)

* A side note about Wal-Mart: Today at the register there was a sign hanging: Cash or Credit only, no debt (I know I am not in the position to mock anyone's spelling, but it was too funny!)

Now and Then

Note the height of the head (and the size!) and the length of the legs! :)

A Year in Review

A Year Ago Today...

I wore this shirt today, but the picture is from a year ago. One year ago today I was getting ready to go out on maternity leave. In case you're wondering, I'm wearing the same shirt a year later because it's my Dr. Seuss shirt (Dr. Seuss' birthday is March 2, and I am always in charge of planning the celebration). This picture was taken in my classroom at my "breakfast" going away party. My kids were so generous with gifts. I spent that day running around like a crazy person, greeting guest readers, and trying to get ready to leave my job. When I look back, I realize I am a totally different person now. So, in preperation for Ian's birthday, I'll start what I am sure will be a long list of lists.

Things I Didn't Know a Year Ago
1. I didn't know that I would become a person who talks about their babies poop AND talks to their baby on the phone (go ahead and laugh Justine, you told me so).
2. I didn't know my husband would be a champion snot sucker.
3. I didn't know that I would miss my son every second that I wasn't with him.
4. I didn't know that work would no longer by my top priority.
5. I didn't know that all those brain cells that disappeared during pregnancy would stay vanished after Ian was born.

Last year, I left work, and probably cried. This year, I left work, came home to my son, and them spent the evening with good friends drinking martini's. We won't count the fact that it's 10:30, everyone is gone and I'm going to bed after writing this post.

Life is good. It's been a tough year, but I'm glad that I've experienced it.

Snow!

McNuggets are McYummy

A Note from the Crib of Ian

Dear Family and Friends,

My mommy told me to tell you that you don't need to buy my any presents for my birthday. I laughed at her and said "No." So, don't tell my mommy, but here's what I want for my birthday:

Clothes for spring (size 12-18 months) and summer (18-24 months)
Socks with rubber on the bottom (to keep me from slipping!)
A lightweight jacket for spring
Pajamas for spring and summer
Books (I love board books!)
Puzzles, especially ones with big knobs
Anything musical
Any toy that I can practice putting something "in" like a shape sorter
Blocks (not legos, grandpa got me lots of those!)

I can't wait to see you!

Love,
Ian

Fishy

Ian said, "Fishy" today. Well it was more like "ishy", but still, cute.

He finally cut that last bottom tooth, making his grand total number of teeth at 8. I think the molars are not far behind.

Ian likes McDonalds.

Ian hates his bath. I can't remember if I already blogged about this (I can't remember anything lately). All of a sudden he screams in the bath. He went from loving his bath one day, to screaming like bloody murder when put in the tub. This has been going on for a week. I was forced to go through my entire repetoire of songs to calm him down long enough for washing (This Old Man and the Wheels on the Bus were the favorites!). This stinks because bath used to kill 20 minutes of that grumpy evening time in our quest to keep him up till 7:00pm, so mommy doesn't have to get up at 5:30am.

He's too smart.

Today when we were in the Children's Place, there was a very nice lady at the register who said hello to Ian. She asked him to say hi back. Ian looked at her, shook his head no, and then laughed, as if he knew that he was being funny. He's totally got his dad's sense of humor.

If you'll recall from an earlier post, Ian has this obsession with smelling people's feet. We say "Ew! Stinky" and he laughs. Today, I going to put on his shoes and they were sitting next to him on the couch. He grabbed one, and smelled it. I guess he totally knew that the shoes were associated with the stinky feet.

I bought Ian one of those puzzles today with the chunky knobs. He really likes taking the pieces out of the puzzle. The pieces were made of wood, and you could see the grain clearly on the sides. It resembled the way a board book looks when it is closed. The poor kid spent 5 minutes trying to get the piece to open like a book. When that didn't work, he smelled it. One of the pieces was a cat, and he kept leaning over to kiss it, which was really really cute.

A Shopping We Will Go

Today we went to the mall. We got a sweater and hat for Ian's first birthday picture/party/Easter. He also got his first real pair of shoes. Now, we all need a nap!

Happy 11 Month Birthday Ian!

Dear Ian,

It's been a crazy few weeks around here! You are eleven months old now. You spent most of your 10th month being sick. You had a really bad cold that turned into bronchitis (or something). We went to the doctor's office so many times! Finally, you are better, which makes me really happy. Now that you are better, you have decided that you want to do things your way. If you don't get to do what you want, like eat the remote, or call China on the telephone, you let me know that you are not happy (usually by screaming and throwing yourself on the floor). Despite this, you have a quirky sense of humor that is so funny. Sometimes you'll lean in to give me a kiss, smile, pull back, and shake your head no. You also enjoy smelling everyone's feet, to which we say, Peee-U! Stinky feet!

I'm not sure what you weigh, or how tall you are this month. You were on an eating strike for a while, so I know you lost a few pounds. You have started taking steps when we hold your hands, and today you walked by yourself when you were holding on to your little push cart. You also say hi and ok a lot. It's pretty funny, especially when you do it in the right context. You also shake your head no, alot. Often in times where it's appropriate. No, I don't want anymore food. No, I don't want my diaper changed.

You still love your daddy the best. You're starting to recognize the names of people; Grandma, Grandpa, Titi Missy. You like to practice your standing and walking a lot during the day. When you're not doing that, you like to "pet" the bunny, play with the tupperware, and read books. Sometimes when I get you from your crib in the morning you are reading a book. It's very, very cute.

Even though I still have days when I am impossibly overwhelmed by being your mother, I wouldn't trade you in for anything. Even after the toughest day, I still miss you when you go to bed.

I love you Ian.

Love,
Mama

PS: Thanks for being up at 4:00am so I could write this!

Getting Lost in the Store

With the events of late, I haven't really left the house much on my own. In fact, I haven't really left the house much period. This weekend though, I went out twice all alone. Once to Target (Mecca) and once to Shop Rite. As I walked around the stores and shopped, I found myself getting lost in my thoughts, something that doesn't happen often when you have a screaming, tantruming, almost one year old in your house. Speaking of that, Ian has perfected the art of the tantrum. Can't grab the bunny's ears? Just scream and cry and fling yourself backwards. Don't want to eat your carrots/bagel/peaches? Just throw them on the floor. Can't decide where you want to go? Cry and jump up and down. So as I walked through the grocery store tonight, I wondered, is this what life is going to be like from now until he turns three? Cause, wow, that's a lot of screaming and crying.

Getting Better?

Ian ate. He ate normal full meals for the first time in almost three weeks. I think he's getting better (crosses fingers!).

Giddy Up Horsey!

Sick Sick and More Sick

Since it's 2:30 am and I am wide awake, I figure I have time to update you on things around the Kish house. It's like the plauge here. I was really sick, and I can't seem to shake it. Ian, is also still sick. We're still coughing, but the bigger issue is the wheezing. His poor chest is rattling away. We're doing nebulizer treatments, but it's not really helping. They tested him for RSV (don't google that, very scary) and we're waiting for the results. He's not really eating (and hasn't for over a week) and still throwing up on occasion from the phlegm. It's been a tough week around here.

Happy Valentine's Day

Daddy's Boy

Doing New Things

Ian's balance really improved over the weekend. Now he is able to stand at the piano and play music and dance. He also likes to sit on his wagon and bounce around.

Ian also had his first sickness over the weekend. He had a fever, it went up to 103 at one point. It lasted about 24 hours, and now it's gone. I have no idea what that was about, but hopefully it's over.

Ian's also cutting some more teeth. He's getting at least one bottom front tooth, but I think his one year molars are coming in too. His gums look really red and swollen. Poor baby.

Gim

Ian loves the bunny. When he's not calling her a kitty cat (well they do sort of look alike!). He's been calling her Gim (I don't know where GiGi went). We're working on "gentle". Today he discovered grabbing her ears, which we did not let him do. He was not happy when we said "No" and took him away. He gave the bunny a kiss! It was VERY cute.

Ian has Control

Brrrr!

Then & Now: 3 Months & 10.5 Months

I can not remember who bought us this chair, but whoever it was, we owe you like 1 million dollars. We're still using it. He even asks for it, not by name, but by pointing, gesturing, and looking.