Sometimes We are Fancy

We had our friends the Avenosos over for dinner the day after Christmas, and we served herbed lamb chops with pomegranate sauce over cream cheese potatoes and roasted asparagus. If only we could eat like this all the time!

Feet!

Ian would like everyone to know that his feet are very exciting and sometimes delicious.

Christmas 2009

The video version of our Christmas festivities is coming soon, but for now here are a few snapshots to tide you over.

Baby's First Christmas Ornament


Wrapping paper is the most exciting part of the gift.


This table is pretty fun!


Ian and his Great-Gammy


Four Generations


Ian loves Christmas!

Historic Nap Day

Today is a historic nap day. After not taking a real nap in 3 days, Ian has been asleep in his playpen for over an hour. He hasn't let go of his binky, and is curled up on his side for the first time since he was a newborn. He's even sleeping through the maids cleaning the house, and I'm debating telling them not to vacuum so we don't risk waking him up.



Meanwhile, I should be reading or working on my resume instead of wasting time on the Internet.

Holiday Snow 2009

We got a new video camera for Christmas (thanks mom and dad), so we decided to document our historic snow fall.

Ian Rolling Over

Ian has learned to roll from his tummy to his back, mostly because he hates tummy time.

The Little Gym

On Friday afternoons, Ian and I take a class together at The Little Gym. He doesn't do much tumbling yet, but we sing songs and work our muscles and learn about bubbles and bouncing balls and things like that. He really enjoys it, and I have made friends with several of the other Moms from my neighborhood.

Tummy time is not so bad on the colorful padded equipment at the gym.


Or maybe he'll just roll over instead.


Practicing pulling up and standing.

5 Months Old!

Ian is 5 months old today! In his birthday photo, he is grinning because he was sitting by himself then started to topple over, which he thinks is hilarious.

At 5 months old, Ian:
* eats 5-6 ounces of formula 5 times a day, and a bowl of rice cereal once a day.
* is between sizes in clothing. His 3-6 month clothes still fit but are getting snug and short, and his 6-9 month clothes are still too big.
* wears size 1 diapers. (we are hanging on as long as we can to the size 1s because we've got tons of them. lesson learned - don't buy diapers too far in advance!)
* has completely dropped his early evening nap and is in bed a little earlier as a result, usually around 7:30. He occasionally wakes once around 4am to eat, but mostly sleeps through until 7am. Unfortunately his afternoon nap isn't getting any longer though.
* has started teething, as evidenced by the rash on his face caused by the constant fountain of drool. Luckily it doesn't seem to bother him too much.
* loves storytime and sing-alongs at the library and his class at The Little Gym.
* can roll from his belly to his back pretty quickly, mostly in a desperate attempt to avoid tummy time.
* has discovered his feet and usually tries very hard, without success (yet), to pull off his socks.

Santa's Visit

Santa stopped by Frugality Court to hand out some early Christmas gifts and sample the milk and cookies. Santa gave Ian a teething toy, and Ian sat on his lap and was completely unphased.

Then Joe got to sit on Santa's lap too. Hopefully he asked for a deck, a new car, and a winning Powerball ticket.

Ian's First Snow!

Ian wasn't sure what to think of the snow today - we got 3-4 inches of wet slush - but he was definitely not a fan of his snowsuit.

A Ferner Christmas

Our house is looking very festive for Christmas this year! I figured this is the last year I can do my sparkly silver fancy icicle tree since next year it will have to be either fenced off or only decorated on the top half.

We also have lights outside but I was unable to get a good picture of them, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

All Standing, All the Time

Ian is a super stander-upper! He prefers to be standing and requires very little help from Mom & Dad. Maybe he'll skip rolling and crawling and go straight to walking.

Ian and Maggie Meet Again

We got to spend another lovely afternoon visiting with Christy, Jack, and Maggie yesterday. Last time Ian and Maggie didn't really notice each other, but this time they had a lot of fun holding hands and grinning together. They have both grown so much too!

The stockings are hung by the faux-chimney with care, and some are even stuffed already!

Peek-a-Boo

Solid Foods

Today we did a trial run of solid foods with some rice cereal. The doctor said it's still a little early to start Ian on solids, but that we could try and, if he pushes the food out, to wait a week and try again. He did push most of it out, but seemed to really enjoy his high chair and was interested in the spoon. By the end, he would open his mouth for the spoon and kind of suck on it for a while and then most of the cereal would drip out of his mouth. Overall I think it was a success, and we'll start to gradually incorporate one rice cereal meal a day into our feeding routine.

Babbling

Ian has been very busy lately testing out his vocal chords and learning to make noise. He's getting very good with 'B' and 'L' sounds, and has just recently started squealing. This video gives you a good idea of what it sounds like all the time in our house. Please excuse the darkness and poor quality of the video - the only video camera we have is on my ancient camera. I also had to shoot him from far away because he'd stop talking and stare at the red light as soon as I got close.

Hello

"Hello. Is that you Grandma? Thanks for sending me new fuzzy PJs!"

Starting Early

Since Mommy is sick today, Daddy is in charge of entertaining Ian. He's starting him early by teaching him to play Baby Smash.

4 Months Old

Ian is 4 months old today! He had a great check-up with the doctor this morning, and is growing up big and strong right on track. We got a grin in his birthday photo this month (with tongue sticking out of course), but unfortunately he was laughing at Clipper's antics and not the camera.


At 4 months old, Ian:
* weighs 13 pounds 12.6 ounces and is 25 inches tall.
* wears size 3-6 clothing and size 1 diapers.
* eats 5 bottles a day of 6 ounces each.
* sleeps through the night! goes to bed around 8:30pm and wakes up around 7am.
* will start solid foods after Thanksgiving.
* babbles all the time and enjoys making noises, and only cries when he needs something.
* grins and giggles when talked to, or when looking at a dog or interesting toy.
* is much more independent - enjoys playing on the floor with toys for long periods of time.
* is great at standing and sitting with support, and is getting very strong with his back and neck muscles.

The Holiday Season

The holidays are approaching way too fast this year, and someone today asked me what's on Ian's Christmas list. He doesn't need much but since he's a Ferner he'll get plenty of gifts anyway. We made a list of toys and books we think he'd like (see link to the right), some now and some when he's a little older. In general, he likes toys with bright colors that he can easily grasp, lift, and chew and he will sit through a few short board books each day. As for clothing, he does need a few things:

* cotton footed pajamas, size 6-9 months
* thick, oversized hooded towels (toddler or kids size to grow into)
* warm clothes for the winter (long sleeved onesies, pants, hats, sweatshirts, etc), size 6-9 months
* plastic, waterproof bibs

Ian's Mom would like a part-time job that's 9-5 only 3 days a week with no overtime required, located in Ashburn, and pays really well. Maybe I should write a letter to Santa ...

Daddy was in charge of getting Ian dressed ...

Looking more like Daddy every day!

Like Father, Like Son

Ian is dressed like his Daddy today in a baby-sized polo shirt. Thanks to my not-so-great barber skills, they also have matching hair cuts.

Ian has very recently discovered that he has a tongue, so he loves to stick it out at every opportunity. He's also started doing what we call 'baby crunches' where he lifts his head and shoulders as far as he can, I think in an attempt to sit up.

Toys, Toys and More Toys

Ian got lots of new toys lately, and he seems to be really enjoying them. The largest new purchase is an Exersaucer and, even though it's technically for 4 months and up, he is doing pretty well with it. He's still a little too short to easily reach the bottom with his feet, and he needs to work more on his back and arm strength to stay upright, but sometimes he gets the angle just right and is able to plant his feet and push up. His legs are really strong, and today he managed to spin the seat around a little bit by himself.

We're also trying to make tummy time more fun by giving him stimulating toys to look at and reach for. So far he loves the Baby Einstein stacking blocks - they are soft and easy to pick up and have lots of interesting pictures on them - and Joe even got him to do almost 5 minutes of tummy time last night without any screaming. We've also found that if there are toys in the general vicinity of his hands he'll find them and is getting good at grabbing the toy and pulling it closer. Some even make it into his mouth, but I don't think that's deliberate at this point.

Teak has found yet another use for the versatile Boppy pillow ...

Happy Halloween!

Ian spent the day in his halloween PJs that he got from Aunt Diana and Uncle Tom. He even tolerated a minute or two of tummy time so we could get a shot of his pumpkin butt.


When it was almost dark he put on his monkey costume and posed for a few pictures.

He was a tree-climbing monkey (with a lot of help from Daddy).

Even the dogs got in the spirit with an old witch costume we found in the closet, but they weren't happy about it.


Ian sat outside with us while we passed out candy, and had a great time looking at all the kids in costume. Poor little guy had so much fun he fell asleep on Daddy's lap halfway through the trick-or-treating.

Las Vegas 2009

Joe and I spent the past few days in Las Vegas - he was attending the SharePoint Conference and I decided to tag along for a little break. We stayed at The Signature at MGM Grand, where we had a huge suite with a balcony (unheard of in Vegas). We didn't exactly have a Strip view, more like a Strip peek, but it was still very nice.

While Joe spent his days working, I spent mine relaxing at the pool, reading, shopping, and generally doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to do it - a luxury I haven't had in a while! The highlight of our trip was dinner at VooDoo Steak, located on the 50th floor of the Rio hotel. Despite the fact that it was a Thursday night, the restaurant was surprisingly empty and we had the entire patio to ourselves. The view was incredible, and the Stag's Leap Petite Syrah didn't hurt either.

Babywearing Update

Now that Ian has head control he has lost all interest in being carried in a pouch sling. He would much rather look around at the exciting world. He's still a little too small for his structured carrier, so we've been learning to use a Moby wrap. So far we've only tried the classic hug hold around the house, but overall it's my favorite of the carriers we've tried and is much easier to use than I anticipated (with some practice). This picture was taken right before he zonked out for a 2 hour nap.

Ian's First Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago, Ian had his first photo shoot with the photographers from flutterphoto. The photos from that shoot are finished and they came out beautifully! This video has the highlights:



All of the photos are available for viewing and purchasing on Pictage. They are having a 2-for-1 print sale through November 18th so now is the time to pick your favorites.

3 Months Old

Ian is 3 months old today! He looks *just* like his Dad in his birthday photo this month.


At 3 months old, Ian:
* has almost outgrown all of his 0-3 month clothes and fits well in size 1 diapers.
* eats 5.5 ounces of formula 6 times a day.
* sleeps really well at night: falls asleep on his own in his crib, sleeps 6-7 hours, wakes once to eat, and goes right back to sleep on his own until around 8am.
* does not do quite as well with nap time.
* grins and giggles at everyone and everything, including his toys, Clipper, and ceiling fans.
* is starting to concentrate on toys and show preference for his favorites.
* unintentionally grabs and holds hanging toys. He is always very surprised and happy when this happens!
* "talks" a lot and sucks his thumb when he's tired.
* still hates tummy time.

Farmer's Market Treat

Fall is by far the best time to shop the local farmer's markets, and this morning I got an hour to myself to browse the goods. It was a lovely sunny morning and I couldn't resist treating myself to a bouquet of beautiful dahlias.

Happy Baby

It takes two of us to catch a smile on camera and today we finally got some good ones.

The Thumb Sucking Begins ...