You can't sleep if you are sitting up

That is what Ian found out last night when he must have gotten himself from laying into sitting (we've never seen him do it but he's already done it this morning in front of us). He's still working on getting down from sitting and gets very annoyed when he can't do it which led to last night's wake up. Mommy heard some screaming around 3 AM and there he was sitting up and smiling to me in the crib.

Da Da Da Da

Sorry the the poor quality but I didn't have time to run to get the good video camera in his room. But Ian has taken quite a liking to a wooden spoon this morning and his DaDa as you can tell from his talking. He's a little sniffly this morning but I think its the ear finally clearing.

Pictures from this morning

I am sure you are all wondering what the living room looks like with no walls. Only Grandma St. Germain has seen the mess that is our house right now. Unfortunately for her Steven decided to tear down the drywall the first day she was here - or it might have been the second day - I don't remember. Oh right - second day since the first day was one of many doctor's appointments for Ian. The second picture shows why we won't just build the wall and open up the doorway that was the built in - you can see right into the bathroom from the front door. I don't think that is the most attractive way to enter the house.

Update on the I-Man - the specialist said to continue the drops for another week. We are done with the medicine on Sunday and I can tell he is almost back to normal. Eating really well and the sleeping has gotten better. I would bet money that his sleeping issues over the past few months stemmed from the ears. He slept from 7:30 to 5:30 straight through last night. After a few rough mornings earlier this week (4AM a couple days) he's getting back on track. If he's cut out the 2-3 AM feeding after all of this then I'll be happy. He's talking in his crib right now - trying to get a nap out of him before leaving for the day. He was a happy guy playing with toys this morning. He likes to pile everything in front of himself and go crazy moving from one thing to the next. This week he has taken a liking to a knit Mr. Pumpkin head that is probably over 30 years old that was from a bag of toys from Grammy's house.

Happy and at least less sick

Ian went back to daycare today for the first time in a week and a half since last Monday when he was there all of an hour and then came home sick. The ear infection drama has gotten better. At least he's eating now. As you can see from his picture gone are the chubby cheeks - and I doubt he gained any weight from 9 to 10 months. He's in a great mood though and yesterday ate a lot for Daddy. So far today at daycare he's eaten more too (espcially since the stinker was up at 4 AM today and nursed twice and had cereal). If we could only solve the early morning wake ups then life would be perfect. For some reason Ian likes to wake up between 4 and 5 now for the day. I could deal with the 2 or 3 AM wake up to eat and then go right back to sleep - this is killing me this week on top of lack of sleep from being away for a work conference last weekend. Other updates - Ian was small before, but now is small but tall. Nine month pants are fine through the legs but droop off his little butt. He's not crawling but pushes up on his arms and toes and holds that pose (I'd liken it to downward dog from yoga) for minutes at a time. This morning I had to corral him for the first time while I was taking a shower in the pack in play because I couldn't be sure he'd stay in one spot and we have open eletrical and walls all over downstairs.

Grandma's visit

Mommy was away all week- so that is the reason for no updates. Grandma St. Germain was here though with two sick boys. Ian's ear infection got a little worse before it got better. Daddy has ended up with sinus infection and is still like a walking zombie. Ian was ten months yesterday and we might get to Mom's group today for the last one before the summer. Last weekend he tried out his new pool and I would say he liked it. This morning he was trying out his new almost crawling moves. Its just a matter of time before he's crawling. But - we can't let him loose in the house since we've taken apart the walls in the living room and dining room - which has turned from a simple build a wall for Mommy's office to replacing beams, rerunning plumbing, and electrical and not building the orginally planned wall.

Happy Father's Day

Ian's present to Daddy was a night of no sleep. He woke at 10, and was whining almost all night. Nothing would soothe him. Food, nursing, bottles, snuggles, no snuggles, nothing. Finally at 6:30 he fell asleep on Mommy and slept for an hour or so. Back to the doctor this morning (how lucky are we that they are open until noon on Sunday) just to confirm that his ear infection is still lingering. We are on another medicine and now ear drops for another week to ten days. Nice. Daddy is asleep on the couch and Ian in his crib. Why isn't Mommy sleeping you ask - well someone has to keep up with the laundry and cleaning...

Leaps and bounds

That is the best way to describe me these days. I'm doing everything by leaps and bounds. Lately I've been sort of squatting by my toy baskets to get into them and get what I want. I'm no longer content to just sit and reach in - oh no - I have to get in with them.

The other new development is my waving ability. Mummy and Daddy haven't caught it on camera yet but I clearly waved bye bye to Daddy when he left for work yesterday.

I can get up on my hands and knees in a crawling position but much prefer to do the army crawl to whatever is in my path. I am very fast and can get to whatever I want in seconds. I crawl after Mummy or Daddy and bite their feet.

Naps have gotten better. I enjoy waking up with the birds still (5 or 5:30 AM) and taking an early morning nap from about 7:00, 7:30 until almost nine. That is where I am now while Daddy went to work today and Mummy is getting the dining room packed up so work on the wall can start this week. Mummy is getting a new office and I will take it over as a playroom.

Pictures

Ian's weekend in review...

I liked it when Auntie Colleen blew bubbles at me on the porch. Yes- I am cool like Daddy - and my eyes are VERY blue as everyone says.
I found something new that I like - rice puffs. Except they stick to me when I am sticky.
I was a good boy at the shower - Uncle Kenny and Auntie Colleen posed with my buddy the Big Guy (otherwise known as Grampy).
Aunt Lorraine couldn't wait to get her hands on me- I was telling her a big story.
Here is my first experience with a balloon - Auntie Colleenie let me have hers.
And who would want them back after I slobered all over them?

We're Back!

Ian and I made it back by about 1:00 today - not too bad. We were in Massachusetts for Colleen's bridal shower yesterday. After a rough day Friday when Ian woke with a fever and we went to the doctor to discover ANOTHER ear infection, we didn't think we would make it. But the medication made all the difference and by Friday night he was almost his old self. We left Saturday morning and made it there by about 1. Ian's highlights of the weekend - scooting around Grammy's kitchen, taking baths in her bathtub, watching Auntie Colleenie blow bubbles at him, hanging out with Grampy at his Great Uncle Joe's, meeting his other aunts (Auntie Betty and Auntie Margie) at the shower, and generally being a very good little guy. Despite the hot and humid weather we survived yet another all by ourselves trip to Methuen.

here is some other news to make the blog - since it went public last week to the "sorority" industry - I've got a new job starting August 1st - I will be the Director of Educational Technologies for Delta Zeta Sorority (my own sorority). I will be working 100% from home with this new position so its very exciting. We will be a little more flexible to be able to visit family and friends in MA and NH more. Ian can't wait to spend some quality time at the lake with his Grampy - he might even get to sit on the boat. Steven and I will have to work things out as far as a schedule with the little guy - but the plan is to do some small renovations on the house to give me a home office/Ian's playroom where the dining room currently is and put the dining room off the kitchen (doesn't it make sense to be there anyway) with a new door to the backyard. Construction starts next week... stay tuned.

I didn't bring the camera - so Grammy or Colleen are going to have to send pictures.

Steven's traping skills need work

Last night he didn't set the trap but it was still out in Debbi and Peter's lawn. This morning Debbi knocked on my door - they trapped something again - not the raccoon but a skunk! Now we are really going to have to have animal control come out!

The Great White Hunters

So last night's excitement on Elgin Ave had to do with the family of raccoons that we discovered living under Debbi and Peter's deck. The other night Debbie said when she was in the basement at the computer she thought she heard rustling at the basement window. That window has a window well and it is right under their deck - so nice and dark. At first she thought it was a groundhog. Nope - racoons. Steven and Peter did some poking around under the deck after I heard rustling when I went up the steps to their back door. At first we thought it was just baby raccoons. Nope there was a big mama too. I HATE animals and so wouldn't step foot on the deck since they were right underneath. This all started about 7:30 after Ian went to bed. Between 7:30 and 10 PM we were up and down to the basement, Steven and Peter loosened up some deck panels to make escape easier, and realized that Big Mama was getting out from around the lattice somewhere and that the window well was there nest. They even provided a little ramp at one end of the deck and we watched the three babies come up and down and play on the deck. At one point Big Mama came up, grabbed one little baby by the scruff of the neck and dropped it back down. There was some debate about the have a heart trap. Steven was afraid they would catch a baby, then Big Mama would get mad. Or they would catch Big Mama and the babies would be orphans. I was watching mostly from a distance over on our side porch or kitchen door. Steven and Peter were inside their house at one point and I saw Big Mama make a run for it from under the lattice down their driveway and behind their garage. She had put the babies to bed in the window well and was going off for food. Steven set the trap by the garage and we wondered what would happen. We went inside, got ready for bed, and were laying in bed when we heard the trap go off. We couldn't see the trap in the dark but Steven said he'd look in the morning. This morning little Stinky slept until 6:15 (yea!- but did have one wake up at 3:15) and I could see something moving in the trap. I went running to Steven and told him. When he got up and outside he saw what they caught....

A SQUIRREL! So the saga of the family of raccoons will continue tonight - except Steven will be at work. And I HATE animals... wait did I already say that?

Laid back weekend

Ian spent a laid back weekend with Mommy and Daddy. The goal was to drive as little as possible in a silent protest of the gas prices. Not sure how that will help anything since I am driving to MA next weekend... Anyway he's getting more mobile and cuter by the minute as you can see below. Saturday he showed off his moves on the mat and today he hung around outside. Oh - and then came in and took all is toys out of the basket. This is what I am left with. He did a good job of wrestling Daddy to the couch though
Sitting pretty... I'm very good at it now.

A close up of my drool...

Trying to get away... the grass is always greener off the blanket...

Whooo Hoooo... I've got Daddy!Don't bother Ian - he's busy today!