9 Months Old

Ian is 9 months old today! It's been a rough month for the little guy - he had ear infections, pink eye, high fever, a trip to the ER, lots of different medicines that gave him diarrhea and diaper rash, and another cold virus complete with more fever and a wet cough. He's finally on the mend and is starting to be his happy self again.



At nine months old, Ian:
*weighs 18 lbs even and measures 28.5 inches tall.
*wears mostly 6-12 and 9 month sized clothing and has just graduated to size 3 diapers.
*has graduated to a convertible car seat (in one of the cars at least).
*won't let me feel around in his mouth for more teeth, but has two very prominent ones on the bottom.
*is an expert at crawling and pulling himself up to a stand. He's started cruising and is getting very good at climbing, much to our dismay (see below).
*prefers to feed himself finger food and is getting very good at chewing.
*drinks a little bit of water out of sippy cups with meals and when we're out and about.

Today's birthday photography session was very quick because he almost immediately figured out how to climb over the arm of the chair and onto the bookshelf. He was very pleased with himself. We were not.



See all of Ian's month-by-month birthday photos.

Happy Easter!

Ian is cheerful again after a long week of ear infections, fevers, antibiotics, and his first trip to the ER.

We went to a birthday party this afternoon and Ian had a wonderful time on this really cool swing. It looks like we'll be adding a swing just like this one to our deck furnishing plan.

First Day of Spring

The weather is sunny and warm today (finally) so Ian is trying out his summertime accessories. He even crawled around in the grass for a while this afternoon while Mama and Dada did yard work.

8 Months Old

Ian is 8 months old today! We had a little trouble with today's birthday photo shoot because he kept trying to crawl over the arm of the chair.



At eight months old, Ian:
* weighs about 17 pounds, 9 ounces.
* has two teeth (bottom center).
* is an expert roller and sitter, and has started crawling. He doesn't quite have the hang of crawling on his hands and knees, but is very fast at the army crawl and can be across a room very quickly.
* eats 2-3 meals of solid food a day, and is getting really good at feeding himself. He eats things like bread, muffins, and puffs with his purees, but hasn't quite figured out how to chew yet.
* loves his class at The Little Gym and swim lessons with Daddy.
* is on a rapid development path, as he's started to show interest in pulling up but isn't quite strong enough yet.

More Swim Class

I had the good camera for last night's swim class, but there is so much movement it's still hard to get a good shot. Plus, Ian is much more interested in watching the big kids than smiling at Mommy for a photo op.

Riding around the lazy river in a noodle:


Swimming is fun!


You put your left foot in and you splash it all about ...


A very short video of Ian getting a ride on the frog from Eric, his teacher.

Swim Class

Today, Ian and Joe started their first swim class together. It's held at the community recreation center and meets for 30 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday in March. Ian had a wonderful time splashing in the pool and watching the other kids, and he didn't mind the water at all.

These photos were taken with my phone since I thought cameras weren't allowed, but some of the other parents had them so I'll bring the good camera next time. Also, before you ask, Ian's cheeks are very red and chapped from all the drool and cold air outside. We've been putting Aquaphor on it but so far that hasn't helped.

Decked out in his swim clothes, checking out the surroundings.


Right after getting a bucket of water dumped on his head by Daddy:


Getting ready to end the class with a splashing version of the Hokey Pokey:

Big Week

Ian had a very big week this week. He got his first tooth, ate his first restaurant meal, rode around the Home & Garden Show in his new stroller, and graduated to a big boy bath.



Of course, even though I bought him lots of big boy bath toys and decked out his tub in colorful tub tattoos, he spent most of the bath trying to pull out the shiny drain plug.

Riding in the Buggy

Ian's favorite activity at daycare is riding in the "buggy." His teachers say that he sings and giggles while he tours the hallways.

Ian loves to hang out in his tunnel. It is the best place for chewing on toys ...


playing peek-a-boo ...


and learning to crawl.

First Tooth!

Ian's first tooth appeared this morning! Luckily he doesn't seem to be too bothered by it so far, and slept well last night.

7 Months Old

Ian is 7 months old today! He sat up all by himself for his birthday photo.


(see how much Ian has grown in his birthday photo gallery.)

At 7 months old, Ian:
- weighs 16 lbs 2 oz.
- wears anything from size 6-12 months.
- loves solid food, especially peas.
- sits up by himself, can roll easily in both directions, and pushes up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. Time to start babyproofing!
- sleeps on his belly, sometimes with his knees bent under him and his butt in the air.
- will be a big boy before we know it!

This is what happens when Daddy watches Ian while Mommy naps.

Blizzard 2010

We're busy digging out from the biggest snow storm our area has ever seen. Joe measured 24" in our back yard, but the offical measurement at Dulles airport (only a few miles down the road) was just over 30" and I think that's a more realistic measure of what we got. We lost power for about 8 hours, and thankfully our fireplace and stove still worked during that time so we were able to eat and keep warm.

The sun came out after the snow stopped falling, and the sunset was beautiful.


Does this mean you won't be plowing our street?


Official Ferner measurement: 24"


Height of Joe's shoveling wall: approx. 6'


Ian got all bundled up to play in the snow.

6 Months Old!

Ian is 6 months old today, and it feels both like 6 minutes and 6 lifetimes have passed since he was born.

At 6 months old, Ian:
* weighs 15 lbs 6oz and measures 25 3/4 inches tall.
* is just starting to fit in his 6-9 month clothes and is wearing size 2 diapers.
* is learning to eat solid foods. So far he's sampled oatmeal, apples, pears, peas, squash, and prunes. Apples and squash seem to be his favorites. The doctor said to replace 2 of his bottles a day with solid foods, so he'll be trying a lot of new things very soon.
* is still a great sleeper, usually sleeping 12 hours each night. He naps on his side with a blanket or lovey pulled up over his face.
* can almost sit up unassisted, and is very quick to roll from his belly to his back. He is very close to rolling from back to belly, and can roll from side to side pretty well.
* is endlessly entertained by his exersaucer - he LOVES to plant his feet and hop up and down or rock back and forth.

Squash!

"Mom, why does this food taste different that those yummy sweet apples I had for breakfast??"

Ian ate half a small jar of squash tonight for the first time. He is much more interested in grabbing the spoon, chewing it, and banging it on the tray and if he happens to swallow some food in the process then it's just a bonus. We are experimenting with giving him solids mid-way between formula feedings instead of right after, and reducing the amount of formula he gets at each feeding so he'll be more interested in the solids. He also has his 6-month (!!!) checkup tomorrow so we'll ask the doctor for tips on getting him to eat better.

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.

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.