Road Trip

Ian took his longest trip to date this past weekend. We went to visit his cousin Avery in suburban Chicago. Ian slept most of the 4 1/2 hour drive, but he was ready to be out of his car seat when we arrived!
Avery greeted us in his Buzz Lightyear outfit! Avery was so gentle and affectionate with Ian. We had such a nice weekend that Mama forgot to get her camera out!Like most 3 year olds, Avery is a ball of energy and trying to catch him AND get Ian to look at the camera was a challenge I loved!Ian is working on his third tooth. The teething process is still very hard on him, but each one seems a little easier...keep your fingers crossed this pattern continues.

We, Ian's Mama and Daddy, went on our first date since Ian was born! We had forgotten how nice a dinner and movie was. It was nice to have a few hours of adult time, but we were both ready to get back to our little guy! Thank you to Jessie and Scott for watching Ian while we were out!
Here Avery is giving Ian a hug...
We had a wonderful trip and we look forward to many more!

The Not So Fun Doctor Appointment

Ian had his 6-month checkup the other day, weighing in at 18lbs. 8 ounces, and measuring 27 1/8" long. He's in the 65th percentile for height, weight, and head size. Our little boy is growing so fast and getting stronger and more mobile every day!

At the appoint Dr. Schwartz discovered that Ian has a "tongue tie" as he called it, which was preventing Ian from sticking out his tongue. Dr. Schwartz stated that we needed to remove the frenulum and the sooner the better. Since you all know me, you already know I immediately began to worry and fret about what was about to happen to my baby. Dr. Schwartz explained the procedure to me and even had me try the numbing agent that we used on Ian's tongue. I decided it would be better for me not to watch, so I stepped aside and let the doctor and nurse do their work. It was all over within 30 seconds and Ian was more upset about not being able to see me than what had just happened. I have noticed that Ian is moving his tongue more, but he hasn't stuck it all the way out of his mouth yet.

We also had shots at this appointment, so both Ian and I were relieved when everything was over and we got to come home and snuggle and rock. Our little man is such a trouper.

Ian is also working on his third tooth! The teething process continues to be hard for him.

These photos are from Sunday -- before the Dr. appointment. Ian is driving his car for the first time!

Sitting Pretty....er...Handsome!

Ian has recently started to sit on his own! One of his favorite toys right now is one from Auntie Sara that has a mirror with lights and shapes of instruments that when you press them, the lights turn on, little people pop up and songs play. I have to say, it's quite fun!
Here is Ian sitting all by himself playing the instruments!Here the toy is playing the "If You're Happy and You Know It" song; Ian's not sure he likes it...

Ian's love for Charlie is growing every day. Charlie would probably never admit it, but she loves him to. She stays very close to Ian. Right before I snapped this photo, Charlie was resting her head on him while he played! She's such a great cat. When she walks into the room, Ian smiles, giggles and has started to reach for her! Amazingly, she usually goes to him and allows him to "pet" her. We are working on being gentle with Kitty Charlie.

Here Ian is watching Charlie...the reason for the smile!This smile is all for Mama...and Charlie!
Ian is also getting very close to begin crawling. He gets up on all fours and then he's not quite sure what to do from there. I have been strategically placing toys in front of him, so now he moves his hand forward to reach the toy and then goes back onto his stomach.
Ian now has two teeth and luckily he hasn't been having trouble! I'm so thankful for this "teething break". It's so difficult as a parent to know your baby is in pain! In this photo you can see his two bottom teeth...
Ian has also slept through the entire night for the last 3 nights! Yay!! We hope Ian keeps it up!

We also moved into our house two weeks ago! We are still working on getting everything unpacked, but we love our house and look forward to being settled for quite a while! On the next blog, I'll include photos of our house.

Ian's First Tooth

Last Sunday Ian's first tooth came through! After it cut through, he seemed so relieved. Our poor little guy was in so much pain. He's usually very laid back and happy and he had been crying and needy. Tylenol and chewing on damp dishcloths seem to be the only things that help!

Since the tooth has come through, he seems back to his happy self! We are anxiously awaiting the next one.

So, to celebrate Ian's first tooth, here is a video of him in one of his favorite activities...the Jump-A-Roo.

Big Red Tractor

Ian sat on a tractor for the first time on May 2nd. We went to visit Nana and Papa for Nana's birthday and then rode the tractors on Sunday. Uncle Jon was able to spend the weekend with us as well!


First Papa, Daddy and Uncle Jon had to show Ian how the tractors worked, so Ian had his very own private parade! I don't know who had more fun, there were big smiles from all three.

The parade did turn into a mini race, with Papa winning! :)

Ian wasn't afraid of the tractors at all! In the picture below, he has his serious face on, but he was very laid back about the whole thing.

This is my favorite family photo we have so far!


We had a great weekend in Albert Lea and I'm sure this is just the beginning of many tractor rides (and tractor drives!) for Ian.

The Baptism

On Sunday, April 18th, Ian was Baptized at Decorah Lutheran Church.

We are fortunate that all our family was able to be present to celebrate such a special event in Ian's life.

Ian was wonderful during the service. He smiled at the congregation and didn't even cry when Pastor Robertson poured the holy water on his head! I think he thought he was getting a bath and he wasn't sure why everyone was watching!

Ian's Godparents, Jessie and Scott came on Saturday and we spent the day together. Ian loved watching his cousin Avery jump and play and gave Avery big smiles and giggles!


Cousins Riley and Hailey were so quiet during the service, I had to look to see if they had fallen asleep! They hadn't they were just being very good! I'm convinced that Ian has the best (and cutest) cousins in the world! After the service, we had lunch (and of course cake!) in the Church social hall and Riley, Avery and Hailey had fun playing on the stage!





A special thanks to Uncle Jon for taking photos, Grandma Olson for making Ian's Baptismal outfit and making cheesy potatoes and to Nana for making salad, chicken noodle hot dish and for bringing Ian's cake!

The Big Roll Over

On Sunday, we came home from Riley's 5th Birthday party, fed Ian and then I laid him on the floor for tummy time. To our surprise, he rolled over! Since Ian dislikes tummy time, he's never really even attempted to roll over, so we were shocked it happened! I thought maybe it was a fluke, so I put Ian back on his tummy and he did it again! He was a bit surprised by our reactions, but he loved it!

Here are a few "action" photos of Ian rolling over this evening.


Karen, Ian's daycare provider, told us that he rolled over from his back to his tummy this afternoon! She stated his rattle was out of his reach, so he rolled over and grabbed it! I haven't seen the back-to-tummy roll, but am anxious to see for myself!

Another big milestone is we started rice cereal. I don't think Ian cares for the taste very much, but I try to keep it fun for him and so far he smiles when I put the spoon in his mouth. But then he immediately spits the majority of it out!
In this photo, I'm trying to show how much of the cereal is on his face and bib!