Hittin the Bottle

Perhaps it's time to get out those child locks now. :)

Ian's Rapper Look

Cake!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want too!

Presents

I'm 1!

Birthday Breakfast

Ian's New Chair

A YearAgo Today..

A year ago today, at this time, I was begging for an epidural, and considering the possibility of a c-section.

A year ago today, plus 12 hours or so, Ian was born on March 15 at 8:04am, weighing 8lbs, 4oz.

Lots and lots of pictures coming tomorrow. :)

Happy Birthday Ian!

Before you were born

Head CT

We finally got our results from the head CT. Everything is normal. Ian has a big head. It's a huge sigh of relief. Physical therapy starts on Monday.

Today I took Ian to the park. He had a BLAST. He slid down the slide like a big boy, rode in one of the bouncey cars and swang in the swing for like 45 minutes. He liked the swing so much that he threw a tantrum when it was time to get out! It was a very fun afternoon.

Freedom

Tonight I went to Target to try to find this chair that I wanted to get Ian for his birthday. After locating the chair and paying, I walked out. In the parking lot, I saw a women, about 9 months pregnant, and I was just struck with a pang of envy. I remember being that pregnant at this time last year, but still having the freedom to sleep late, go whenever I wanted, and even pee in peace (and oh, how I was peeing!). So much as changed over the year, but I wish for just one day, I could go back to having that kind of freedom. I know that I would enjoy it in a way that I never could before Ian. Does this make me a bad mom? Do other people feel this way too?

On an unrelated note, we went to Mastori's for lunch on Sunday. Ian apparently loves cinnamon bread. He ate like half a loaf. He was shoveling it in so fast that they guy next to use asked if we ever fed him. :) We also discovered Table Toppers, which are these ingenious little sticky placemats that you can use in restuarants. I bought them at Target a few weeks ago (yes, I go to Target a lot) and they were great.

I'm Almost 1!!! :)

So Big!

Spring is Coming!

At the Hospital (from Thursday)

Head CT

I'll start off by saying that we are all alive.

It was a long day. It started with us getting very lost in Philadelphia, they seriously need better signs there. After stopping twice for directions, we finally arrived, 30 minutes late. Rob dropped us at the main entrance, and went off in search of parking. I dashed in to get him registered. Registration went fine, but no sign of Rob. Then we were brought back into the "Sedation Unit". Still no sign of Rob. Of course, I had NO cell phone reception and no calling card (because why would I need one, oh for THIS situation exactly). Rob finally catches up with us as the doctor is coming in to get our history. Then the real fun began. The doctor felt that Ian would do better with an IV, the nurses felt he would be ok with oral meds. The doctor said that sometimes the oral meds didn't work for older babies and that an IV would. So, we went with the IV, with reservations. We waited for at least an hour for them to come in at try the IV. They tried for 20 minutes to stick him, with him screaming the entire time. It was now about 2:15 (our appointment was at 12:00). Then they ask if we want the oral meds. So we say yes. They come in and give him the meds and say it's another 30 minutes before they work. Just as the 30 minutes are up and the nurse is coming in to give him more meds, he finally fell asleep. It got a little better after that. We got the CT, and we actually got to go with him, so there was no handing over of the baby, which was good. Then while he slept we finally ate something. He woke up about an hour later, ate and we were off. Got lost again, and finally got home, exhausted at 5:15. Ian chowed down on a huge pile of grapes and cheese and we sent him to bed.

We don't have the results yet, but know it's not anything life threatening because the told us we wouldn't leave the hospital if it was. So hopefully that's it. Even though everyone says that CHOP is the best, I was not extremely impressed. The nurses were very nice to us, but I was really disappointed in the way the whole sedation issue was handled. I'll post again when we have results.

My Baby

Tomorrow, Ian will get a head CT. He's having the CT because of his huge noggin and developmental delays*. The CT will involve sedation. I am dreading the moment that I will have to hand over my baby for the procedure. We're going to CHOP, and they are the best, so I know that he will be in good hands, but they are not my hands.

* I haven't really blogged about the whole developmental delay issue. It's been a pretty emotional ride for us. At the reccomendation of my pediatrician, we had Ian evaluated by early intervention. I knew he was delayed in his gross motor skills, but when they told me that he qualified for services, I was surprised. It is a good thing, and he will be getting physical therapy once a week. He also scored extremely high in the cognitive and social interaction area (like 19 mos!). I'm already seeing progress in his motor skills from the work we have been doing. I worry that we're not doing the right thing, but in my heart I think we are.

Think of us tomorrow. I'll blog after to let you know what happened.

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.