The Boy and the Bulldog

First Day of School!

2009-09-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Ian gets jipped. After a 1 day Summer Break, Ian was back to school today for his first day of Preschool! I love that this daycare operates on a curriculum based system that moves kids as a class (if they're ready). Essentially, the idea is that the transition is easier when they have their familiar classmates with them. They can begin to learn about bonding with other kids, establishing friendships, and developing common interests. It is also very helpful that one of his teachers from his Early Preschool class is now his teacher in his new Preschool class. She is his favorite of the 2 prior teachers and very sweet and gentle with the kids.

We are gearing up for our trip to Maui and leave on Sunday morning. I am packed and ready to go now! I hope to post again before then, but if not, I will be posting pics every few days while there. Aloha!

Hard to see, but the top of the counter is WAY above his head in the 2nd picture. I can't believe how tall he has gotten!

Getting dressed

My serious little student

Railroad Days, Etc.

2009-08-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

Ian has had a fairly routine August with school, swimming, and Grandma Trish Fridays. Weekends are usually split with me and Shawn. I am always off on a hike one day and Shawn on a dive the other. This past weekend, I did not schedule a hike, but Shawn had a dive, then we laid low Sunday with a much needed at home day.

Saturday, he and I walked down to Snoqualmie Railroad Days, which is our town's big festival to celebrate it's rail history. There is a nice Railroad Museum that runs year round and dozens of retired trains line the roadway into town. This is one of the few times, aside from Christmas or the "Day out with Thomas" that they actually run one of the "people cars", as Ian calls it, but he was definitely not interested in that feature of the festival. He announced that he "likes them better when they're still". More than anything, the whistle is too loud, and the train seems unpredictable. I'm not sure he trusts that it's going to stay on the track (after all, his little ones don't, so why should the huge one).

The highlight of the day was the model train exhibit. He could have spent the entire day watching and studying that thing. I think I know what to collect for him. Now just to figure out what "class", as that is a very pivotal part of train collecting. Time to go talk to the people at the hobby shop, I guess! While other kids would watch for a few seconds and move on, he was riveted. He was concentrating on the fine details. He is so much more detail oriented than your average 3 year old.

We stopped at the gift shop, where I was fully prepared to cave in to a selection from the wall of Thomas gear, but he picked 2 very small manual operating trains that were $2.75 each. Added a book about trains and we were out of there for under $12. We walked back and, because it was warmer than I had dressed him for, I carried him most of the 1/2 mile or so to the car. Thank goodness all my hiking has me conditioned for this kind of thing. He is 36 pounds now and much too awkward to carry for long distances.

We also made a trip to the dog park, and since those pictures all tend to look the same, I'll spare most. He did discover blackberries (blueberries, he calls them) and we ate our fill along one of the many park trails. Great way to spend an afternoon.

This week is his last week in his Early Preschool class. He moves with the rest of his classmates on Sept. 1st to the Preschool class. I am so glad I fought a good fight and encouraged his teachers to let him come in underpants. He had one accident all week last week. ONE!

He has had zero accidents at home for several weeks now, which brings me a little closer to admitting that I might just have a pottytrained little boy. Six months ago, this seemed such a distant hope, but it really did happen. Saturday was our last sticker chart day. I give it most of the credit. Now, M&M's are reserved for when he pulls his pants up after potty. Once that is mastered, we'll have to include pulling his pants down...then snaps & zippers. Wow. The challenges of being 3!

Tomorrow, he is going on a hike with me! I bought him his very own hydration pack and as long as the weather holds, we'll be going to Twin Falls State Park in North Bend for a short 1.5 mile hike (round trip) to two waterfalls. I've coached him that he can only come if he walks like a big boy. He agreed, but we'll see. Regardless, it should be a fun afternoon. I'm sure there will be great pics!

We are less than 2 weeks away from our trip to Maui. Only a few posts away from saying Aloha!

Polli likes the dog park any day, but LOVES to go with Ian.

Karate Kid or Tip Toe-ing thru the Tulips?

Too tired to go on!

He's getting pretty good at walking Polli... and she is really good about not pulling. I think she knows she's stronger than he is.

Trying out his new swimming goggles

He looks just like daddy!

Walking the tracks to Snoqualmie Railroad Days

He looks so small next to this train

His favorite engine. He had a hard time with the fact that the engine was "connected" in the front to a box car. That seemed ridiculous to him.

Another cool car

Trains are serious business

Explaining locomotives

Still a long way to the station

Watching the model train exhibit. He was glued to the glass.

He noticed some small details I missed, including one train that had small lights inside and another carrying animals. He said "Mommy, that's a stock car!"

Reinacting Railroad Days

It's Been a Long Time!

2009-08-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much time I let pass. I find it hard to believe I've neglected for almost 3 weeks! Truthfully, it's because things are going along just fine and we're counting the days until we leave for Maui on Sept. 6th. For a while, it was so hot I just couldn't sit long enough to write something. We then had record cold temps right after that and our trees started turning. Now, we're back to hot (80's & 90's) for the next week or so.

I have been spending most of my free time hiking and hitting the gym. On the days Shawn is out and about, Ian and I have been going to the pool after school. Monday becomes Friday and is Monday again before we know it... one week after another. I'm glad for life to be routine after such a long time of milestone after milestone. It's quite relaxing to have the routine we have down to a science... and it makes for such an easy little guy.

After months of feeling like it was never going to happen, Ian is finally *mostly* accident free at home. He still has his occasional moment and still wears a pull up to bed, but he is in underpants full time now. Unfortuntately, his school is a pull up school and he was required to be pull up free by the time his class moved up from Early Pre to Preschool...on Sept. 8th! He has consistently been horrible at school with pretty much no potty success whatsoever. Every day, it was a progress report of frowns in the potty section. I was so frustrated. I felt like it was the pull ups sabatoging things. He knows they're glorified diapers and he doesn't *have* to stop playing if he doesn't want to, because there will be no mess and only a small amount of disappointment.

I told his teacher last week that we're going to try it my way for a while and she reluctantly agreed to let me bring him in underwear. Well, we're 2 days into MY WAY and he has had exactly ZERO accidents. Today, she said to me "wow, he really is ready". Umm, yeah. Great observation! I love his teachers and his school, but she was being lazy and just didn't have a good system for pottytraining. I am so glad I put my foot down!

It's lame, but below are a handful of recent pictures. Not much, but I haven't been behind the camera as much as I should. That will change soon with the upcoming Maui trip, followed closely by Halloween and Ian's 2nd Family day. I'm already thinking ahead halfway to Christmas! My, how time flies!

Ian with my brother Rex over an 18 month period... Jan 08 thru July 2009.

Ian sleeping on his first day with us and now. He has grown so much. I wish his first pic showed just how short his legs were compared to now.

Polli trying to wake up Ian. I could not get him to wake up. When he finally did, he sat up and said "The yellow train forgot to pick up the kids!" and then laid back down and closed his eyes again. It was SO hilarious!

Once he was finally awake...

Still attached to his blanket. He sometimes says "I need my blanket. It calms me down". Sniff away, kid!

Arriving to Tom & Trish's from a long hike, I reached the porch and in unison, all 3 raised their glasses and said "We're having Happy Hour!". He's definitely a Mrzena!

His favorite thing to do after swimming is to watch the tennis players at our gym's restaurant.

Oh crap, he's already interested in video games. This is in the Red Robin lobby.

Welcome to the Jungle

2009-07-30T21:43:00.001-07:00

The lameness continues.

It's so stinkin hot here, I can't even begin to think about sitting down long enough to write a thought out blog post. At least I can get some pics up, since I just loaded over 200 that had been sitting on my calendar for almost 2 weeks. Someone call social services, because I should be written up for this kind of neglect.

For those who have been living on another planet or are out of state with no national news... We're breaking all kinds of heat records for the Seattle area. Wah!, I hear you fam & friends in the South, Midwest, and Southwest.... Yes, wah. We have no idea what it's like to have extremes on both ends of the spectrum. However, keep in mind that AC is practically against the law up here. People with AC probably showed a doctor's note at the Home Depot checkout. Beyond that, stores stock approximately 1 fan per 1,000 households, so once a heat wave strikes the riots ensue...A little bit of deja vu from December when people stood in lines for hours waiting for generators and candles. We may be drama queens, but the retailers here perpetuate it a little.

I've actually decided that Obama, in all his awesome wit and crafty wisdom, must have had the most recent space station visitors launch some sort of cataclysmic flare that set off our heat wave, thus creating a surge in spending. Between fans and AC units...the packed malls and movie theaters of people trying to escape the heat...the filled restaurants of families refusing to cook... people are spending money here hand over fist just to escape the heat. I don't know about you, but the recession appears to be over in the Northwest! Yay for us! :)

Yesterday was the hottest day ever in Seattle. Not just record breaking for the day, but EVER. 106 in Seattle, which is right on the water and always cooler... and 115 at our house in Snoqualmie, about 30 miles away from Seattle and in the foothills of the Cascades. Hot. Africa Hot. No AC. Over 70's at night. 1 fan. 90's in the house. Got it? It's hot. If it were just outside, I would love it, but I need the house to escape too...and sleep in, so that's what makes me cranky.

Enough of that. Now on to the pics. These cover the visits from the bros. Shawn's bro Matt, after their trip to Honduras... and a visit from my bro Rex, which is a very rare treat. There are some others in here, but I have no idea what yet. Just look at them and be glad I even had the energy to put them up. Seriously, I'm doing it while sitting in a virtual sauna... or steam room... prison cell in Death Valley... Rick's bar in Casablanca... Broke down bus on the side of the road in Morocco. I'd better wrap up before this laptop starts to look like a delicious chicken leg.

Uncle Matt and Ian looking at a marine life book

Hanging out with daddy and Uncle Matt.

Think we have enough laptops at the table?

Enjoying corn on the cob for the first time.

Having fun with Uncle Rex

Checking out Uncle Rex's motorcycle

He only sees my brother a few times a year at most, so it was nice to have a visit and dinner with him... and we'll see him again in Maui less than 5 weeks from now.

Getting into cruising mode

I'll do a "before and after" of this shot with his other visits at some point. I have to stop sweating first.

Don't you just hate it when people intentionally stereotype their kids?! LOL.

Trying out Shawn's diving gear.

Ian asked Shawn if they could wash his truck. No idea where he got the thought... but he loved it.

Playing in the suds. What better way to beat the heat?

You missed a spot, Ian!

Ian thought this up on his own... Coloring with his toes. Apparently, he's left footed, too!

Missing In Action

2009-07-21T06:02:00.001-07:00

I have absolutely not a moment of free time to blog lately. Between a hectic work schedule, Shawn's trip to Honduras, hiking maina, and trying to get through summer to the Maui trip, I just don't have a lot of down time. Heck, I don't even have time for silly things like laundry and dishes. My house (and spouse) can attest to that.

To fend off the wolves, here are a couple of pictures in no particular order. I have lots more, which I'll try to put up soon.

Sorry to the faithful few who have had nothing to look at for the last week or so... Life happens!

With Uncle Matt & Daddy the day they returned from Honduras

At "Lily's Restaurant" with daddy

Getting ready to enjoy the first strawberries from Ian's plant

Just happy. We like these moments (his shirt apparently did not).

Hanging out with cousin Ashleigh while Grandma and I went for margaritas down the block

What Sick Looks Like...

2009-07-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows by now, Shawn left last Friday for Honduras... Roatan, specifically. We've been asked by about half the world's population if Roatan is safe and YES it is. It's an island on the eastern most edge of the country, more Southern Caribbean and less Central America. I did get a text message from him stating that he arrived OK and then another about swimming with sharks. Oh my!

I asked him not to call me, as it would just be a distraction to his trip as well as my "mojo" with Ian. I would much rather just know that he's there OK and discuss the details when he gets home.

As for our week, Ian had a rough day at school on Tuesday and I had to pick him up early. Because they took his temp (a measly 100.6) at 3:30pm, he couldn't come to school the next day. He has to be fever free for at least 24 hours, which cancelled out the entire next day. Great. It meant there was no option but to take a sick day...something Shawn and I draw straws for, typically. Fortunately, since Ian is rarely ever sick and has had only 2 or 3 fevers in the past year, we almost never have to think about it. Just my luck that it happens while I'm a solo parent!

So, yesterday was a sick day. I've included a few pics of what sick looks like on Ian. We went for a walk yesterday morning to get some fresh air and ended up at the library before it opened. There were tons of mommies and their kids outside and we learned that there is a toddler storytime on Wednesdays at 9:30. Awesome! Finally, a "stay at home mom" event! I could pretend to be "one of them". It was boring. Ian was the oldest in the group by far and there were lots of snuggling and tickling activities that caught me by surprise. Gladly, it was only 30 minutes and we continued into the library to check out some books. I was interested in what the librarian mentioned as the "summer reading program" for preschoolers... but when I picked up the flyer, found that the sessions are all during work hours. Of course. Not only can we not participate in ANY mom/me activities in our neighborhood (there are at least 5 playgroups a day and lots of adventure activities), now we can't even participate in something as simple as the library.

I almost typed a really bad word just then.

After the library, we got drinks at Starbucks and then headed home for lunch, books, and naptime. Not once did I hear a whine or whimper. He was so much fun. After lunch, we headed out to find a new park in our neighborhood and located a really nice one about 1 mile away. Too far to walk, but definitely worth the drive.

So, it was a sick day, but a great sick day. We didn't go on a hike or on a grand adventure, but it was one really great ordinary day at home with my favorite person in the whole world.

I won't go into today's details too much. In a nutshell, I let him sleep in and I'm glad I did. He was tired, but feeling much better. I decided to send him to school since it was "movie and popcorn" day, but got a call shortly after 2 letting me know he had been crying for 2 hours that he needed his mommy. Uggh! Just hours before, he was excited about a movie and going to Red Robin for my birthday dinner.

We dried the tears and went home. We watched more Backyardigans than is healthy for a 3 year old, and in the midst of all the joy, Ian jumped in a certain spot on the couch that catapulted him forward into the window sill. I heard the thud of his forehead before I saw it, and the silence that followed told me everything. It was probably really bad. The silence was quickly followed by a scream like I've never heard. I had flashes of my own head cracking incidents as a child and I practically had my coat and shoes on ready for the ER. I grabbed him calmly and hugged him tight, then went for the bathroom before really looking at it. Luckily, it was a dent, but not bleeding too badly. I think his glasses slowed him down so it wasn't so bad. I was able to get a bandaid on it despite his crying, and within 30 minutes, he was trying to "surf" a dump truck across the yard. I'm doomed.

I think the moral of this very long story is that although I would like to think I can do it all alone and MY WAY, I really do need and appreciate Shawn's help. I especially appreciate his help when I'm trying to control Polli and Ian at the same time or juggle a "I have to go potty!" moment with the melting ice cream left in the car in order to get the the bathroom in time.

What has really stuck with me the most is that I wish I had just one day to do all those things we did yesterday. Maybe some day I can make that work; it was so priceless, even just this one time. For those who get that kind of opportunity every day, please don't take it for granted. I really didn't want that day to end, even if it was accompanied by a continuous request to "cover your mouth, please".

Pics from our sick day:

Good medicine: Cocoa and cookies!

Playing with the scrapbook store owner's GIANT black lab. He is the biggest sweetie...maybe even more friendly than Polli (and he weighs 140 pounds!)!

Scrapbooking followed by the most expensive smoothie I've every purchased. Ian's "kiddie" smoothie and a small for me was $11. SHUT UP!
The crabby pouty boy I picked up from school today.

Not long after. It's amazing what a snack and some TV time can do!

...and then the fun came to a screeching halt! A nice black goose egg formed, but doesn't appear to be growing and the bleeding stopped fast.

The Kitchen Sink Blog Post

2009-07-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

This covers just about everything from Fourth of July to mom hiking adventures, to boo-boos...and everything in between.

Without going into a ton of detail on anything in particular, I'll hit some of the important points. We've had great weather, meaning I've been out hiking as much as possible. I don't post many of those pics here, but I'm too lazy to keep 2 blogs running, so I haven't been updating my hiking blog. I did finish June with 52 miles hiked and somewhere over 20,000 feet of elevation (I haven't worked it out yet). I want to see what that looks like on a graph in terms of grade, but I'm no math wiz, so I have to put some effort into it. I started July strong with a short but killer hike with great views at the end. I can't help but post a few pics of that great afternoon.

A big part of the week was spent getting Shawn ready for his trip to Roatan, Honduras for a long awaited diving trip with his brother, Matt. For those wondering, Roatan is far away from the tension in mainland Honduras and there is absolutely no danger there. Cruise ships are still porting there, and that wouldn't be happening if there was even a hint of trouble.

So anyway, I was getting ready to be a single mom for a week and Shawn was preparing about 200 pounds of photography and dive gear for a trip around the world. He left Friday night. My heart goes to single and military moms. It's only a week for me and I can't imagine what weeks (plural), months, years...and lifetimes of solo parenting must feel like. For all the times I think to myself that it would be nice to just have my way and do it all on my own, I really don't mean it. I know that now for sure.

Another big event was Ian's move to a big boy bed yesterday. It's just his crib converting to a toddler bed, so it feels much the same without the front bars. He picked out special pillows and a sleeping bag, and even wanted Polli to play on the bed with him. As it turns out, he doesn't need a step stool to get in and out and I can easily lay with him (eventhough it's a crib mattress) to sing songs before saying goodnight. It was GREAT. He took to it immediately and has yet to really figure out that he has the ability to get up and move around the house. I fear the day he figures that out!

The Fourth was a huge day. We watched the parade in our neighborhood and then spent a couple of hours at the big carnival party put on my the ROA and nearby businesses. They had bouncy houses and slides for all ages and Ian, who was petrified of them last year (and just a few months ago) couldn't be kept away from the bouncy houses. Try telling a 3 year old that he has to wait in line each time, but never the less, it was fun to watch. He also got to meet a "real live" firefighter and sat in a fire truck. There were things we had to skip due to long lines, but we shared a piece of pizza (Ian ended up just eating the toppings and I got the crust...gross). For this, I was sad that Shawn was gone. After a couple of hours, and already getting hot out, we left and headed home for a nap.

After nap, we got our stuff together and made our way toward Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house for a Fourth get together and fireworks. It was great to see everyone, including Shannon's brother Ricky and their mom Nancy. Both haven't seen Ian for a year or more. He was going strong well toward dark, so we decided to stay for fireworks. It took one to go off and he was scrambling to get in the house. He went into a panic over the sudden noise and didn't like it one bit. He seems to be fine with noise that he can prepare for (like a motorcycle coming from down the road) but loud bangs are mood killers. We watched from inside and he did fine after that... In the end, he wasn't home and in bed until after midnight. A new record for him! He did great until about 10 miles from home when he started screaming that he didn't want to be in the car anymore. He was just delirious with fatigue. Poor little guy.

Today, we hit the mall and Target, then later went grocery shopping. He did great. Not one accident and not a single meltdown. It was all errands, but he was as close to the perfect little buddy as possible. I loved today.

Thank goodness for a cool breeze coming in to give us a break from very humid 80's. Ian and I both woke up this morning congested and tired, so a change in the weather will be welcome for a day or two before I'll be complaining about the cold again.

Enjoy some pics from the weekend! Hope everyone had a great 4th and did the right thing by letting the pro's light the fuses...and giving a designated driver the keys!

Oh man, I left out a whole story about our trip to the zoo on Friday. Sigh. I'm too tired to go back and add it in...There are a few pics below.

One of the things I love most about Ian's new school is that, when the weather is nice enough, I can walk him to school. It's only a few minutes even at Ian's pace...and he loves it. It's a nice refreshing walk back for me, which is always welcome first thing in the AM.

I say goodbye to him at the window every morning. Some days are easier than others. This was a good day.

From about 1.5 miles up on the Chirico Trail in Issaquah. The summit is where paragliders launch and slowly sail down to the field below. As you can see, there is also an unobstructed view of the North side of Mt. Rainier. Always taunting me.

Watching paragliders launch. I absolutely want to do this... although I would also absolutely pee my pants in the process. There's no describing what it's like to watch them step off the side, so I'm sure the feeling of doing it is incomparable.

At the zoo with cousins Cade (12) and Taylor (14) from Fairbanks.

Getting up close and personal with a monkey. As it turned out, it was one of the busiest days of the year for the zoo and also one of the hottest, meaning we fought crowds at every exhibit and most of the animals were sleeping far away from where we could see them. It was still a great day...and Ian held up better than anyone. Cade threw a tantrum before Ian did!

You can see the fatigue setting in.

Random, but I loved this shot. Emerald Python..or Boa. Ian knows. I'll ask him tomorrow.

One last burst of energy in the tropical rainforest (it was SOOO humid in here!)

Fist bump to the diamond back Gorilla. One day I hope he can see one of these in the wild.

Helping me convert his crib to a big boy bed. Cribs are for babies!

Loving his new sleeping bag and truck & bus pillows. His music player stays. I think he might have that thing when he's in high school. It is by far one of the reasons why I can count on ONE HAND the number of nights he's woken up needing us.

Fine tuning his music... while Polli makes herself at home.

Showing off some of our Lego creations. He actually asked me to take a picture for daddy. He was so proud.

Having fun in a bouncy house. Just a month or two ago, he was petrified to go in these things.

Sitting in a real live fire truck. He was a little overwhelmed by it, but liked all the dials and buttons.

Checking out the first fire truck in Snoqualmie. It still runs (although it had a cup holder with Starbucks cups in it, which killed the effect a bit). We saw this fireman today at Trader Joes and I could see Ian's mind ticking... like, why is a fireman wearing a tee shirt and sweats?

As you can see, Ian and I completely forgot to wear red white and blue on the 4th. Oops! At least I could find him in a crowd!

Getting a dart lesson from Ricky.

Hey, wait a second....

Nice Taylor... really attractive! :)

Sitting by a waterfall and Chihouly sculpture in Bellevue Square (Lincoln Tower) today. We had just come from Tully's, which he thought was Tollie's...the Koala in Ni Hao Kai Lan. He was a little disappointed when there were no Tollie items to be had.

When he woke from his nap, he had gouged a scratch on his nose and it was bleeding pretty badly. I put a band-aid on it, and while it looks like he's crying, he's actually laughing about having a band-aid on his nose. He was trying to look at it, which made his eyes cross... and that made him laugh. Thought I needed to clarify that I was not ignoring my child's distress to get a Kodak moment!

Just a silly pic with his band aid and glasses. He actually wore the band aid all day. If anything, it might have helped his congestion some.

Casually playing in his big boy bed after nap with his new passion: GeoTrax trains. He has already examined the back of the package and noticed the pieces he doesn't have. I'm OK with it since these are half the cost of Thomas trains, which he likes but isn't married to. Thank goodness he isn't a brand junkie just yet.

Let Summer Begin!

2009-06-30T09:04:00.001-07:00

What a gorgeous week ahead of us! We'll be in the high 70's to mid 80's through the holiday weekend, which is gorgeous for us. We're gearing up this week for Shawn's departure for Honduras on Friday. For those concerned about his safety there, he is not going to the main part of the country which is in political unrest. He is going to the outlying island of Roatan, which is safe. I'm not exactly sure how he'll get from the airport, but the State Department has assured him that travel to Roatan is safe.

While Shawn and I scramble to get everything done before he leaves, Ian has a fairly normal week ahead. Shawn hopes to take him out of school early tomorrow to take him to REI for a sleeping bag. We've promised he can have one for his big boy bed, which will be assembled on Saturday. He is most excited about pillows in the shapes of a truck and bus, which he picked out at Pottery Barn last week. He asks daily when he gets his pillows and sleeping bag. I can't wait to report how he does in his first nights.

We're hoping he'll have a chance to see his cousins Cade and Taylor again, from Fairbanks, before they head home next week. We're thinking of meeting for a picnic at a local park on Friday morning. If not, I plan to take him to the zoo, which would be fun. It's been a year since his last zoo trip!

I've been doing a lot of hiking this month, finishing June with 52 miles hiked! I joined a Women's 30's & 40's hiking group a month ago and was asked to be an organizer within days. I've organized 6 hikes so far and have several scheduled for July and August. The organizing is as much or more work than the actual hike. I always have a ton of fun once we get hiking, but the job of corralling a dozen or more women is pretty tiring. I am undecided whether I'll continue organizing long term or will just develop a group of friends from it and pair up from that smaller group. We'll see.

Shawn has been doing as much diving as possible in prep for his week in Roatan with his brother, Matt. I hope they have a great time. It will be Shawn's first tropical dive eventhough he has become fanatical about diving and underwater photography here in the Northwest. He is convinced that learning in our cold waters will prepare him to be a better warm water diver. All I care about is that he comes home safe and gets a lot of great pictures!

Below are some pics from the past weekend, mostly from Ian's stayover at Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house. He had a blast with Cade and Taylor. There are also a couple of "around the house" pics. Shawn saw a Cat In The Hat hat and had to buy it. Ian was not a fan, but allowed us a few pictures before flinging it across the room. I also put him back in the bathroom sink so I could get a "then/now" picture. Amazing how much he's grown! I don't even remember him being that small.

Hopefully we'll get some good sunshine pictures this week. Ian's strawberry plant has fruit and we're just waiting for them to turn red.

Hanging out with cousins Cade and Taylor

Is it just me or does Ian look a lot like the alien? Nice socks, Taylor!

So when Ian is playing and says "Let's drink wine Glug Glug Glug"... I know where that comes from! Good going Grandma!

Ian & Cade

Not really what I was hoping for when I dropped him off! No wonder Grandma asked for a medical card.

Learning to ride a scooter. This one has training wheels. Cool.

I think I know now why he was so over stimulated when I picked him up on Saturday! Whee!

Reading bedtime stories

Wearing his new Cat In The Hat

Sitting in Shawn's bathroom sink in December 07 (20 months) and now (3 years+) It's hard to believe how much he's changed!

My Little Tree Hugger

2009-06-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Again with the radio silence! It has become apparent to me that time just goes... and the longer Ian is home, the harder it is to find time to post frequently about things that are not just our day to day living. How much of that I want the general public to read, I haven't decided. As many of my bloggy friends have done recently, I am considering moving our blog to a private status and opening it up to family, friends, and acquaintances...both virtual and IRL (in real life). I haven't completely made up my mind, as I still average about 300 hits a week, but since 200 of those might be from my mother, I can't really tell if Ian and Polli still have a genuine following.

Once I make up my mind, I will give ample warning and opportunity to send my info to stay "on the list".

As for Ian and Polli adventures, we had another plain ol vanilla week...which I consider successful. Not a ton of fanfare, but not much drama either, which I am happy about. I am super busy with a growing workload, becoming more and more involved in hiking groups, and preparing for Shawn's departure to Roatan, Honduras to scuba dive with his brother, Matt. They leave on the 4th and come home on the 12th. That prep is more mental than anything. I will essentially be a single mom for that week and wonder how we'll handle it. I am considering a "soup/salad/breadsticks" type menu for the entire week to make life easier. A couple of big salads and a crockpot of soup and I should be left with only a couple of days that will require cooking. Lord knows Ian would eat soup, noodles, and rice 3 meals a day indefinitely, so this should only be a test for me.

I will also be without workout or hiking capabilities, which might be the hardest adjustment for me. I am strategically planning to take a day off work to give myself a reprieve, but work schedules requiring training might foil that plan. We shall see. I've also secretly eyed my sick time stockpile in case I decide to have a "sick attitude" day, but I would like that to be my last resort...as in, if I need to talk myself off a cliff, or something.

This week, Polli went on her first hike, a relatively flat and easy 3 miles, with only 900 feet of elevation gain. She did great but was visibly tired by the end. She had a fellow 4 legged hiker, a Chihuahua named Muscles, which helped keep her moving at a good pace the entire time. She was less than enthusiastic to jump on and off the bed the next day, so I think she was sore. I need to search to see if dogs can have ibuprofen in case that's helpful in her recovery next time. I don't have any of her pics on this post; they're on a different computer. I'll post those another day.

Yesterday, I decided to take Ian on his first hike! We did the "Tradition Lake Loop" at Tiger Mountain, which is technically 1.5 miles, but we stopped halfway. We still hiked almost a mile total, and he only asked to be carried once. He pretended that he was scared of stumps suddenly, but I know he was just zeroing in on what would make me pick him up. Genuine fears or pain are the two biggies. Just being tired isn't high up on my list. I told him that I would carry him this time, but if he wants to go on hikes with mommy, he must walk all the way. He reiterated that "babies don't go hiking, only big kids", to which I asked "which are you, a baby or a big kid?" and he very seriously answered "I'm NOT a baby, I'm only a big kid. Big kids walk, huh?". "Yep". "OK. I'll walk now".

As we reached the parking lot (and refusing to hold my hand) he darted out into the driveway without looking, barely missed by a car entering from the other side. I reached out and grabbed him by the top of his arm and yanked him back. It scared him more than anything, but he lost it. Owie Owie Owie! We got to the car and I got down to his level and very sternly (if not a little too loudly) told him that he almost got hit by a car and must always look both ways first. Never do that again!". All business, I placed him in his car seat, not realizing the crotch buckle was bent upward. Another round of Owies. He said, "Mommy, you smashed my junk in the seat. You need to settle down right now!". So, I did need to settle down. I also heard in his voice what I must sound like sometimes. Uggh. I didn't like it. My emotions were obviously running high, too. We had good cuddles and kisses... I was sorry/he was sorry... We agreed to go to Panera for soup to make us happy again.

He reminded me over and over that he was "sad at hiking", but I reminded him about all the fun we had before the parking lot, and within a few hours (and a big bowl of broccoli cheddar) he had forgotten about the parking lot and was again remembering the bugs, moss, and overall hiking good times. When I asked if he wanted to go again, he was very excited about "hiking another place, too!".

Probably more than anything, he liked drinking from my Camelbak. They make them for toddlers and small children now, so I might just break down and buy him one.

I actually have a handful of things to scan and post, plus some before/after stuff to do, so I'm not completely bored with blogging. There might just be a little left in me.

Checking out the trail signs. 1.5 miles? No way!

Taking it all in. There was a lot of looking up on the trail.

Trying out my backpack and water reservoir. He loved drinking from it... and I have no idea how much 3 year old backwash I ended up drinking. Yuck!

Pretty proud of himself after he got to pee in the bushes. No outhouse needed out here!

Enjoying the scenery

Posing with a big mature fir. He proclaimed that "trees are our friends!"

My little Tree Hugger!

Long Time No See!

2009-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

Im back...well sort of. As you can see, I have some built in grammatical issues stemming from my laptop drama. I reinstalled the OS twice, updated drivers, waited for parts from Dell, and still I have issues with my keyboard. My apostrophe/quote key sticks (i.e. doesnt work except to spontaneously type apostrophes any time it wants). I am waiting for a replacement keyboard to fix that issue, but I can at least function now and finally get an update posted!

Ironically, there isnt a ton to say. We had a fairly normal work/school week last week with Friday being the highlight. Grandma Trish was in Minnesota visiting family, so Shawn and I split the day with Ian. Shawn took him in the AM, then dropped him off at my office and we made the rounds, then enjoyed my companys first of several employee Summer BBQs. We were able to visit some of my coworkers who havent seen him for a year or more and had a few snacks to boot. It was a lot of fun.

On Saturday, I took Ian and Polli to the dog park, ran a ton of errands, and hung around the neighborhood parks. We have had no measurable rain in the Seattle area for 26 days. If it stays dry through tomorrow, we will break an all time record for dry May/June weather.

Sunday, I was leading a hike in the morning while Shawn and Ian slept in and did lazy things in the yard. Overall, the weekend went fast but was the perfect mix of busy and lazy. Just like I like it.

Yesterday (Monday), I led another hike and missed Ians bedtime. When I came home, I found a big box in the living room decorated like a boat. As it turns out, this was the one and only toy Shawn and Ian played with all evening. If only my Ian shifts were so easy!

Were about 2 weeks until Shawn leaves for his dive trip to Rotan, Honduras. During that time, I should also have some of my busiest work schedule all year. Great timing! Hopefully, we all come out unscathed...especially since this is also the week I plan to move Ian to a big boy bed. We have promised him a sleeping bag in his bed when we switch and he is very excited about camping in his bed.

Below are just some of the many pictures that have been backing up since my last picture post. Enjoy!

Enjoying diner food one day last week. How nutritious...Fries and Mac/Cheese!

I love these sleeping in the car pics. They never get old.

Playing with a new puzzle game. He has to take the different shapes and match them to the cards. I love these kinds of toys.

This kid is so limber. I cant waint to get him into a gymnastics class.

Chatting with daddy

Big thumbs up from Ian. He actually left his hat on for 30 minutes. Shocking. I told him he had to wear a hat outside in Maui. I think he can do it.

Playing with a boy at the park. He only spoke Chinese and it only took Ian a few minutes before he was babbling Chinese gibberish to the kid. I was shocked. I dont think he was saying anything, but he was making the right tones. Amazing.

Ian getting in a good workout in the garage.

Moving on to the weights

Getting unauthorized candy from my friend Oscar. He picked the Nerds.

Hanging out with my friend Brandon. They both look so trendy.

Posing with my manager, Jeff. Amazing to see how much he has grown since their last photo op together.

Getting to work in a managers office.

On the walkpath outside my office. We walked to the park and back (OK, I carried him most of the way).

Hard to see, but our groundcover was full of bumblebees.

So glad we got great blooms this year. It looks pretty cool against all the green.

At the dog park

Watering the bamboo

Splashing in a puddle. Whee!

Row row row your boat! Way to be creative, daddy!

Ians Boat
...That dad made at Dads Shipyard
He ate and played in this thing for hours.

Technical Difficulties

2009-06-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for radio silence. I've had major laptop problems for the past several days. That normally just means composing from a different computer, but my pictures are ALL conveniently located on this laptop, and my backups don't have the newest pics yet. Ah, got to love technology. We depend on it way too much, but it pays the bills so I can't do too much complaining.

As a synopsis before I can post pictures, I'll just say that the weekend was somewhat uneventful and eventful at the same time. Our heat wave snapped on Friday, giving us some much needed relieve from the very hot weather we had been having. For some of the country, 90's is no big deal, but here, it's a bit of a shock and houses aren't built with A/C, so you can begin to understand our ranting & raving. It was almost too drastic of a transition though, dropping almost 30 degrees in one day (actually in just a couple of hours), and now the colds and allergies are kicking in around here. I am already missing the heat...don't know when it will be back.

Saturday, Ian and I went to get Shawn's Father's Day present... as long as no one tells him (and he doesn't venture here for the next 2 weeks), I can leak that we went to a "paint yourself pottery" place....and when I say "paint yourself" I mean it both ways. These places are an absolute practical joke. $20 for a coffee cup...granted, I know it will be a priceless piece of art to cherish forever and ever... but Oh My God. What a fiasco. All Ian wanted to do was go around and touch every blank piece of pottery. He was also just not that into the painting process. If this were a "build your own train track" store, we would have been there all day. This was just not his thing. The family at the table next to us had 2 girls, about 6 and 9... well, those girls were sitting quietly painting unicorns and picture frames while Ian ran the store, threatening to wipe $1k+ of blanks with one sweep of his arm. I was in a sweat the entire time.

In the end, I think they will turn out great. The brushes they had didn't really allow for writing well, so the word Daddy probably really will look like a 3 year old painted it. In the end, I know the sentiment will be what matters.

OK, so put your secret keeping hats on. No telling.

Sunday, we spent the morning sleeping in...yes! I told Ian the night before that when he wakes up the next day, it's OK to play quietly in his crib as long as he wants, but to stay quiet for a while so Mommy & Daddy can have extra sleep. It worked! He slept until 9am, at which time we went in and he was sitting with his toys. He looked up and said "Mommy, did you sleep extras?". It was really cute. Maybe this big boy bed thing will go OK. My days are numbered. I plan to do that while Shawn is in Honduras...he leaves on the 4th!

Later that morning, I left to go on a hike and Shawn/Ian had the day together. I arrived home about 4 hours later and he was still down for his nap, so I had a little extra time to clean up and rest before dinner.

In all, it was a good weekend. Just enough activity to keep from getting bored, but enough rest to keep from feeling like we were cheated out of our weekend.

As soon as my laptop stops throwing fits, I'll post pics.

Oh, and as an FYI, Ian's attitude did improve when the weather cooled down... although he still freaks out when Polli runs ahead of him on the stairs or outside. Grandma Trish had the right idea: She told him that it's OK because Polli has 4 legs and he has 2, so she's faster. He wasn't buying it... We still have a little work to do on that issue.

Theatrical Threes

2009-06-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how we thought we'd be so lucky, but we actually thought we skipped right past the terrible twos. We're so naive!

We are smack dab in the middle of the "theatrical threes". It's a real joy at our house...either genuinely or sarcastically. One minute he's my priceless child that I adore and want to be with more than any other living thing on the planet. The next minute (and I really do mean the next minute) I want as far away from him as possible. The kind of far away where it would be paradise to be dropped in the middle of the desert with no food or water.

It's not just me. I received a call from his teacher on Thursday saying Ian had been great all week and then suddenly hit a wave of aggression and started hitting and throwing things without the ability to calm him. By the time I reached the school to address the issue, he was once again smiling and happy, playing peacefully with his friends.

In my heart (and somewhere up there in my brain, as useless as it feels in these situations) I know this is all normal. At least he's still an excellent sleeper (I probably just jinxed myself!!). I also know it will pass or no one would have kids that live past the age of 3 or 4 (this will pass won't it? Lie if you have to!).

I'm allowing myself to blame it all in part by the heat we've had recently. We've had 20 days of no rain (rare for May/June in Seattle) and over a week of 80's, with it hitting the high 90's for 3 days straight. That's highly unusual and has everyone in love with summer and hating it already, all at the same time. Also unusual. He is eating less, not getting nearly enough liquids (says the stubborn potty trainer). Our house is a tad too warm and it's not as much fun to be outside without something cool nearby. Today was about 20 degrees cooler and he was noticeably easier to deal with. Part of that could be that it was Grandma Trish Friday, but I'll give the cooler weather a little of the credit, too.

On the bright side of things, I've joined a mom's group for our community and although almost every child centered event happens at 10am on a weekday (uggh to you SAHM's who can't compromise!), they actually do a pretty good job of planning parent specific events, such as a monthly poker night alternating mom's only, dad's only, and couples only with babysitting teams available at certain homes on the couples night. Nice. I've RSVP'd already for the mom's poker night and can't wait. I know none of these ladies, but I figure if I can make almost best friends with complete strangers in other states, I can adapt to a house full of poker playing, martini drinking women that live in my very neighborhood. We've been here for over 6 years and I've probably passed every one in the store or at Starbucks... time to get to know some people, I think.

I don't have a ton of pics now, but Ian and I are planning a special outing tomorrow while daddy is out scuba diving. I'll talk about it more once I have all confidentiality waivers signed and returned.

For now, please take note of how quickly the moods of my child change these days. The first is just a cute shot to make you say "AWWW", kind of a palate cleanser before the other side of him slaps you in the face.

Awww... He looks so peaceful! Sometimes he still looks so tiny, like we're still in China. If only I could freeze time.

Having a good laugh about something. (This was on haircut day...way shorter than I wanted her to go! What part of "just above the eyebrows is hard to understand??).

Literally the next camera shot. Might have been 10 seconds after the previous picture. I have no idea what changed the mood. I might have touched him with my foot or refused to make up an impromptu song about cameras.

Happy again. Looking out at his newly planted strawberry plants. He likes to visit them while he eats dinner.

Maybe the strawberries looked at him funny...or maybe it's gas. Don't know.

Giggling again, and a mouth full of something.

Moments later...Fun's over

Outdoor Adventures

2009-06-01T05:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve been warned that my lack of blogging is becoming a major problem that might require severe action. I’m sorry! We’ve had such gorgeous weather these past 2 weeks that it’s hard to sit still long enough to write an entry. Oddly enough, we’ve fallen into a sunshiny routine that doesn’t really include much to write about. For the most part, our week days are: walk to pick up Ian from school, come home to see Polli, leave for another walk, come home for dinner, go for another walk, come home for bath & bedtime. As boring as that sounds, it’s really great. Ian is happiest when “on the trail”, being the sidewalk, and it burns his unending supply of energy.

I do feel like we’re going through the Terrible Twos right now. I guess that makes it the Terrible Threes…but he is just getting on my last nerve constantly with some of his absolutely normal behavior. It's not horrible, just really exhausting.

“Why?” is the question of the minute. He also wants me to make up songs for everything “mommy, sing the ‘car’ song”. “Sing the ‘leaf’ song”….etc., etc. He wants me to “talk to yourself”, in which I break into a full dialogue with myself about what we’re doing at that moment or where we’re going. Mind numbing, to say the least.

Beyond all that cuteness, he is getting some habits that I don’t like. He started calling himself a “dirtball”, which I do not like at all. I know he doesn't know what it means, but still. Next is "poopyhead" or worse. He must have picked it up at school, but he also could have gotten it from a game he and Shawn play where he says “I’m a dingaling”. Fabulous. He also throws gigantic MAJOR over the top tantrums for the tiniest reasons lately… Polli cannot go down or up the stairs in front of him. He has to have snacks or prizes on demand. He wants my attention 100% and IMMEDIATELY regardless of what I’m doing… Yes, I know. Still very normal.

As bad as I make it sound, it’s not so bad. He is still an easy breezy kid. He is generally happy “most” of the time, and since starting his new school, has gotten extremely creative and playful. He enjoys other kids more than ever, and even just yesterday, said in the backyard “I hear Joey’s mommy” (Joey is a 5 year old 3 houses down) “Maybe we can go see if they can play with toys right now”. So, before I know it, he will be asking to go to his friend’s houses….riding bikes up and down the street. Getting scrapes and big owies. Mystery gunk on his clothes. It’s all just around the corner. I guess for now, I should appreciate that he wants me by his side 24/7 and won’t let me leave the room for 2 seconds without asking “where’d mommy go?”. I should love it and cherish it, because it will be fleeting. All this I know.

While Shawn went diving on Thursday, I took Ian to Home Depot to get some “special plants”, and we went to REI and Panera as well. He loves REI and Panera more than anywhere. Panera is “the soup store” and REI is where the bikes are (and gummy bears). If we by chance need something at Target, it’s in the same lot and makes for the perfect trifecta of shopping… Ian’s 3 favorite places. While out, we picked up some strawberry plants to put in a pot in our backyard. At school, they planted strawberries and will watch them grow, bloom, then bud fruit. He came home talking about it and asked if he could have a “special plant”. I love that it interests him, so we picked up our own strawberry plants and he did a great job of helping me plant them. Of course, he wanted to know immediately where the strawberries were…and I had to explain that the plant is the mommy and she will grow babies that are the strawberries. He knows now that when the grow “big” and turn red, we can “eat’em, mmm” (complete with the belly rub). I sure hope they bear fruit or I’m in big trouble!

He finally figured out that he can stand up and walk around the back of my car. Now, he requires that I let him out of his car seat so he can get out through the back. It took a little convincing that he couldn’t go back there while I’m driving, but it sure gave me flashbacks of riding in our station wagon growing up!

Also keeping me busy is my own new obsession, hiking. My big crazy goal is to actually do a hike/climb up Mt. Rainier by the time I turn 40 (4 years), but most people look at me like I’ve totally lost it. I know it sounds crazy, as a relative beginner hiker, but I think it is absolutely doable. Who knows how it will all turn out, especially since it directly coincides with my other goal of going back to school…but we shall see. My first real hike of the season was yesterday to Mt. Si, here in North Bend, WA. I’ve put a couple of pics down below, but to read the whole story and/or follow along as I attempt this crazy mission, your best bet is to RSS or bookmark my other blog, dedicated to me, rather than The Boy & The Bulldog. My other blog address: http://trailmixmom.blogspot.com/

Enjoy the pics below. I’ll try to post more often this month. Next month will get interesting as Shawn leaves for Rotan, Honduras on 7/4 with his brother for a scuba diving trip, then goes out of town again mid-July to Atlanta. I’m furious that I’m not going with him on that trip. I love Atlanta and have friends I want to see in that area. Maybe next time.

About to dart off in some unknown direction at Home Depot...all he wants to do is run in this place.

Watching for me as I went to get our food at Panera

Playing on "big kid bikes" at REI. Just a little more leg and he'll be ready. His tricycle is perfect training for this right now.

My future outdoorsman. He loves the tents and sleeping bags. In fact, I might get him a sleeping bag for his "big boy bed" as an incentive to stay in his room at night.

Thrilled with his purchases

Hanging out in the back of my car with his strawberry and tomato plants

Gardening is serious business

Getting into the dig of it

Mt. Rainier from the summit of Mt. Si yesterday

Me (with Rainier in the background) on Si yesterday. 8 miles round trip.

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

2009-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

I took a little break from blogging to enjoy what turned out to be one of our nicest Memorial Day Weekends in recent memory. We had such a bleak and endlessly miserable Winter, weather wise, that it has become unanimous that Mother Nature owes us big time with a decent Spring and Summer.

Friday was Grandma Trish day and as usual, they had a great day. We enjoyed the sunny evening with Ian's usual walks through the neighborhood. Of all the things I love about our little community, it's that we can head down the sidewalk (sometimes without even putting on shoes) and head in a new direction every time. We're a block away from the retail shops, we can throw rocks at the toddler park or the duck pond (although throwing rocks is a big no-no) and we're a 5 minute walk to Ian's new school. It's pretty awesome.

We also made a trip to REI to get me a new pair of hiking boots and ate dinner at our usual spot, Panera. Ian absolutely loved the tents, sleeping bags, and bicycles. I can tell he'll be a great camper when he gets just a little older. It'll be fun to stock up on gear and head out for a weekend under the stars.

Saturday, we headed out early to Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house. The idea was to get there before naptime. We ended up driving down to the Farmer's Market and enjoyed lunch in the park. Later that evening, Ashleigh came over to watch Ian while us grown ups went out for Shawn's birthday dinner. We went to a great restaurant; the owner knows Tom & Trish and made a special ordered Ettouffee for Shawn since he was really wanting Cajun food. We had a great meal, drinks, dessert... It was wonderful. Happy Birthday, Shawn!

We stayed over and originally had planned to go to an early movie while Shawn visited a friend from high school, but planned changed and we headed out after breakfast. It was nice to get home and in the backyard. It was a perfect 75 and Ian was happy to be back to his routine a bit. We brought the tent and tunnel from his bedroom to the backyard and he and Polli hung out in there with their snacks.

Rinse and repeat for Sunday... We hung out in the backyard and played trains. Shawn let me loose for a few hours on my own, which I spent at the gym and at Target. I came home and made a giant pasta salad meant to stretch the week, and we ate on the patio, still enjoying the afternoon sun.

I thought ahead to take today off, which I'm very grateful for. Ian was also glad to get back to routine. He headed straight for his chair at the table in his classroom for breakfast, and gave me a quick peck before nonchalantly waving goodbye. There's no doubt he loves it when things are structured.

The pics below are from our weekend... a hodgepodge of rest and relaxation!

The weekend started with ice cream!

Going for a walk with daddy (without pants!)

Bug hunting with Grandpa Tom

Trying out his first hot dog. He was not a fan, which I am completely fine with!

Jamming with Grandpa and Daddy

Yay! Cousin Ashleigh is here!!! Sidewalk chalk and sunshine. How can it get any better than this?

A very rare couple's shot of us

Family Shot

Eating dinner with Ashleigh while we were out to dinner... I LOVE Tom & Trish's new kitchen table!

Home from Grandma & Grandpa's house... Carrying his own overnight bag

Checking out our neighbor Cory's scooter. Later, he said "Mommy, how bout you go get me a scooter now?".

Having a great afternoon in their tent in the backyard

Ian has his first Drumstick!

The weekend ended with ice cream, too!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-05-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Ian's daddy! Shawn turns 39 today...holding on for dear life! I was super lazy and just took pictures of his card and envelope instead of scanning them. I cut part of the card off in order to show the picture better, but the caption says "Are We Having Fun Yet?".

I think it turned out pretty cute. The envelope is the ultimate in laziness... I just used stickers. It's a good idea not to try too hard when giving "artwork" to an artist!

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

2009-05-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

Well, if I didn't scare everyone away (that is, if you actually read that entire last post), I wanted to report that there was light at the end of that very dark, damp, cherry stained tunnel. My Blackberry survived, Ian survived... and probably most importantly, I survived. Probably the only thing I still haven't gotten over is the exchange with the State Farm lady. I still want to claw her eyes out. But moving on....

The week really did get better daily and ultimately, we had the best weekend. Anticipating beautiful weather, we planned to head out to Alki Beach. It's a very popular sandy beach area of Seattle that has a gorgeous view of the city, but also the Olympic Mountains and the Peninsula (for those out of state, think Forks, WA...aka Twilight).

It was Ian's first real trip to "the ocean" and he loved it... that is, until he got water and sand in his shoes. It took a little coaxing to convince him that he should keep his shoes on and no, he didn't need to change his clothes. Next, he announced that he needed to go potty. Well, the bathrooms were very far away and Shawn didn't want him whipping it out there in front of everyone. We told him it was OK to use his pull up, but he was not happy at all. What a great thing. Tells me he's really ready to be trained, but just needs a little time before he's really good at it.

After playing in the sand for a while and checking out shells, drift wood, and answering lots of "what's that?" questions, we wandered across the street to get lunch. Ian ate his first fish & chips (likes the chips, but not so much the fish...at least the breading part). We had so much fun people watching from the restaurant and imagining that we lived right there on the water. I'd give anything to live right on the water so Ian could spend his days building sand castles and playing in the sun... a little like Shawn lived at that age in Pensacola, Florida. Alas, it can't be that way, so for now we'll settle for a 30 minute drive to the water (not bad considering we practically live in the mountains) and trips like September's 2 weeks in Maui!

After lunch, we played in the sand for a while longer before heading back to the truck. The idea was to get some pics of the city skyline before heading home, but the vantage point was too crowded, so we headed back home and stopped on the way for ice cream cones.

While there, we ran into a childhood friend of my brother, only 20+ years since I've seen him last... He had his daughter with him who is almost as old as I was the last time I saw him. How time flies!

We got home in time for nap, well before the grumpy side of Ian surfaced, and once he was down, I headed out to have some quiet time. I did some window shopping and sat outside at Bellevue Park reading with a frappacino. So relaxing. So so so relaxing. Tuesday seemed a million years ago.

Sunday was simply a day of going for walks to different neighborhood parks and then a trip to the grocery store in the afternoon. We ate BBQ pizza and hung out in the backyard. Another perfect day.

The weather has turned, but it's supposed to be another nice weekend coming up...just in time for a 3 day weekend (or 4 for me... I'm taking Tuesday off). Also this week: Ian has his second dentist appointment on Wednesday and then Thursday is Shawn's 39th birthday. Friday is Grandma Trish's day, and then Saturday, we head south to spend the night at their house and go out for Shawn's birthday dinner. For the first time ever, someone other than Trish will be babysitting Ian! His cousin Ashleigh will be watching him while we go out to dinner. I have complete faith in her. Ian loves to spend time with her and I know they'll do just fine.

Below are some pics from Alki. I have several great pics from a walk Friday with Grandma Trish, but I'll reserve those for another post. No reason to write another novel.

I just had to start out with this picture. Amidst the chaos, Polli finds a moment of pure bliss in the sun.

My little man getting his "beach" on. We're thinking about growing his hair out into a shaggy mess like this for Hawaii. Why fight nature?

Hanging with Daddy on a big piece of driftwood

Me and my shadow

Learning about the ocean

He had something important to say

I had to include these scenery shots. My camera's not that great on super zooms, but I forget sometimes that not everyone who reads this is from here. We take it for granted since this is pretty much a daily sight from any given vantage point.

Our little family (minus Polli... no dogs allowed on this beach).

Taking it all in

It looks much smaller than it really was, but there's a small spec in the sky, which is a C-141 aircraft flying maneuvers... We were telling him all about how Grandpa Tom and Uncle Matt fly those big airplanes.

Taking a walk

Ian digs this. Ha.

Getting down and dirty

Checking out a crab shell

It's never a bad day when it ends like this!

The Bad Day

2009-05-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I've almost written a post several times this week and just couldn't bring myself to do it. Why? Well, I had a really rough day on Tuesday and wanted to put several days between me and the horrible memories before talking about it. I'm already forgetting exactly how painful it was, so this is probably a good time to recap.

Tuesday started a little like any other day. I was up and ready before Ian woke, catching up with all my Facebooky friends before venturing in to get his day started. With his new schedule, I wake him up at 6:30 and want him in class by 7:15. That gives us about 30 minutes before we need to be starting toward the car. In retrospect, probably not enough time. I can feel the rush setting in if we start "coloring outside the lines" even a little bit. S'pose I need to push back that wake up a little.

Here's a little run down of where it all started to unravel:

Battle 1: Sock it to Me

Mommy: I need to run upstairs and get socks. I'll be right back

Ian: I want to come with you!

Mommy: No, I'll be back in 1 minute. Keep playing.

Ian: {panic whine kicking in} No! I go with mommy to the closet. Please!

Mommy: OK, hurry. We need to hurry.

Ian: I want to bring toys. {beginning to rummage through the toybox}

Mommy: Ian, let's go now or I'm going by myself.

5 toys in hand, Ian starts up the stairs, but one toy drops and falls three steps back. He goes back for that toy, but drops another, which falls to the bottom of the staircase. I ran back down to get it, but he said "I get it! I get it!" We start back up the stairs and the same thing happens to varying degrees twice more. Next, Polli ran past us up the stairs. She is now sitting at the top of the stairs waiting.

Ian: {whiny voice mode} I want Polli to walk with me! Get her!
Mommy: She's OK. She's waiting for us. Let's hurry and catch up.

Ian: {whine dial cranked up a few notches} No! Polli walks with Ian now!

Forgoing the "say please" lecture, I walked up the stairs and led Polli back down, who was looking at me like "what is going on here?". We eventually make it up the stairs as a group.

I grabbed my socks, but Ian wanted to stay behind and "play trains" in the closet. A few fake attempts at tears later, I finally got him out of the closet and heading back downstairs. One trip to his bedroom to swap out a toy that has now grown stale for a different one...and we were ready to head out the door. Whew. All that for socks. Moral: Be fully dressed and ready to head out the door before he's even out of bed.

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Battle 2: The Accident

So, with lunchbox in hand, we're finally ready to head out the door. We're only 10 minutes behind schedule, so not too much harm done at this point. I am exhausted after the sock incident though and was already thinking an "at home day" might be nice. Right as we're at the door, Ian announced that he needs to go potty. Great! Time is of the essence when he announces it, so we ran to the bathroom and got pullup down just in time... for the stream to hit my shirt & pants. He got soaked too.

Mommy: Ian, why didn't you wait until we were sitting down?

Ian: I didn't know! I not in trouble, huh?

Mommy: {exasperated} No, you're not in trouble, but we need to hurry and clean up so we can go to school. Next time, hold it inside until you're on the potty OK?

So, we headed upstairs to change. Just repeat the first half of the "socks incident" here. Seriously. When we got to the halfway point of the stairs, I sat down and put my face in my hands and cried. Cried hard! Ian didn't like it and was saying "mommy, don't cry OK?", with little tears in his voice. I don't know what the protocol is for crying in front of your child, but I just lost it. I cried and cried for a few minutes...really getting it all out. We hugged and kissed, and we continued up the stairs, both crying and holding hands. At this point he actually let me change him pretty quickly. I changed too, and we were back down the stairs to head to school. FINALLY!

Getting back downstairs, we found that Polli had thrown up on the carpet. Sigh. Got the enzyme spray and towels...cleaned that up while Ian went off to play puzzles... Polli was just as upset as we were. She's so sensitive...just like her mama.

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Battle 3: Stranded

We got to the car and buckled in, at which time Ian announced he was hungry and needed a snack. I didn't have a snack, only a sippy of juice, to which he responded with a newly mastered fake cry that should go up for Emmy awards. To the untrained ear, it might sound like he's really crying. I know better. At this point I told him he'd have to wait and get a snack at school, shut his door and went around to my side. I vividly remember at this point, thinking to myself how nice it would be to work from home, but had lots to do in the office, so I dismissed the thought.

Got in my side, only to realize my keys were in the ignition. In all the chaos back in the house, I never once looked for my keys (since I don't need them to lock the back door). Why were my keys in the ignition? Well, the night before, I was listening to a news story on the radio when I pulled in, and turned the key to that "kind of on, kind of off" position and sat to listen to the rest. While doing that, my phone rang and I turned the radio off to answer. While talking, I started gathering my things and headed toward the house. I guess I should be glad my car wasn't idling the entire time. I should also be glad that we have low/no crime in our neighborhood and my car was still in the driveway!

Turned the key and nothing. Not even a glimmer of hope. The battery was dead. Well, I got my wish. I would not be going in to the office. Meanwhile, the theatrics over the "treat that wasn't" was still going on in the backseat. I was ignoring him with every fiber of my being, not even at a place where I was the sane mom on the block. At this point, I absolutely understood how people can just go bonkers and run their car off a cliff. If only my battery weren't dead.

The other saving grace here is that Ian's school is now within walking distance. I was not at all in the state of mind to be stuck with him all day. Post negatively about that if you like, but I think we've all been there. I absolutely wanted to be as far from him as possible, even if just for a few minutes.

We got out and started walking. This is great in Ian's book since he loves to go for walks. It's a 5 minute walk at a grown up pace, but anywhere from 10-30+ with Ian depending on what there is to see and do along the way. Besides wanting to find rocks to throw in drains and splash in mudpuddles with his non-muddpuddle splashing shoes... It was a fairly uneventful walk.

We arrived almost 40 minutes later than usual, and then began the drop off hysterics. His teacher is great about diverting his attention and she allowed me to say my goodbyes and get out of there while she took a crying Ian to "go on a special toy mission". For such a young girl (early 20's), she's great at what she does...better than his last teacher and better than I could do, especially when she and her assistant have other kids to give that same attention to.

I left and walked to Starbucks for coffee, then headed home to email my boss to let him know I would be working from home, like it or not. So glad he's an easy going guy! In fact, his suggestion was that I take a break and go to the Ridge shoe store to treat myself. My boss told me to, so if I do it during business hours, I guess it's OK, right? Ha.

Although frazzled and emotionally wrung out, I worked all the way through to 3:30pm. Of course, I had to walk to pick Ian up, so I headed out with a calmer state of mind. Picked him up to hear that he had a rough day too, would not eat much, and refused to go on the potty all day. Looked like he and I were feeding off each other's bad mojo.

From school, we headed toward the grocery store with the intent of picking up a few things for dinner before walking home. He was in a pretty good mood, so I was looking forward to an easy evening in comparison to the earier part of the day.

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Battle 4: The Bait & Switch

On the way, we passed part of our neighborhood's retail area, which includes an insurance office. In the window, they've cleverly parked a wagon filled with stuffed animals and balls. He naturally stopped to look in the window, which was the cue to the bored insurance salesperson inside to open the door and ask Ian if he would like a free ball or bear. Sure. Why not. He walked in to pick a ball, but around the corner was a much more enticing assortment of toys... a play area with old cars and trains. Of course Ian wanted those toys, not the boring ball or bear.

Insurance Lady to Ian: Maybe you can play with those toys while your mommy and I talk about insurance.

Mommy: {Really PO'd because this was a dirty trick} We're not interested in changing insurance, thanks. Ian, let's get going before it starts raining.

Ian: {Instant tantrum!} No, I want to stay, please! {Death grip on the woman's toys}.

Insurance Lady: {Smug expression} Oops!

Mommy: {Sarcasm, with a touch of "I'm going to rip your face off"} Ya think? Not a good idea.

So, I carried out a kicking and screaming 3 year old and continued down the block. Thanks lady. Thanks for ruining what might have been a salvaged day. You can bet we won't be using their services any time soon.

I was able to get Ian focused on a man trimming shrubs with a chain saw type trimmer, and we were able to continue to the store. Riding in the "car cart" seemed to redeem the situation and I was momentarily relieved.

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Battle 5: Rainy Days and Bullies

As we stood in line to pay, I glanced outside to see a torrential downpour. Absolutely raining cats and dogs out there... and we were on foot with no umbrella. Great. This is lovely!

We went to Starbucks to kill some time, but it looked like every other mom in the area had the same idea and Ian gravitated toward a group of kids with puzzles while I paid for our drinks. Of course these girls did not think it was cute to have a little "baby" touching their things and one girl forcefully retrieved a taken toy from Ian's hand and told him to go away. MAJOR "she just pulled my hand from the socket" meltdown while the gal behind the counter slowly completed my transaction. Oh my. The day was apparently not over yet.

Got our drinks and headed for home. Fine for Ian who had a hood and cared about nothing but splashing in puddles... Not so great for mom who carried everything, including his lunch bag, groceries, both drinks, and my purse...and no hood. Sigh. This was bound to be the final straw, right?

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Battle 6: The Juicy Blackberry

We made it home in one piece, dried out a bit and proceeded to start dinner. Ian asked for a drink and I vaguely remembered a sippy I had stowed in my purse for the walk. I opened my purse and immediately knew something was wrong. A pool of cherry juice...nice concentrated, red, stainy cherry juice... sat in the bottom of my purse, covering my wallet, several receipts, some work notes, a sheet of stamps, money, and oh yeah... my Blackberry. My phone. My expensive little lifeline that makes all things mobile-y possible. Drowning in cherry juice. Lifted the purse and a nice stain was forming on our raw oak table. Nice. REALLY REALLY nice. The good news is that the table didn't get stained and I was able to dry out the battery and SIM card for my phone. After about 12 hours, it appeared to be OK. Still not completely sure.

That's the end of it. We were both pretty darn exhausted and went straight to bath after dinner. I had decided that if Shawn came home and even so much looked at me sideways, used a sarcastic tone, asked for a favor, made a comment about a purchase or the laundry, or ANYTHING shy of an Edward Cullen caliber response (a Twilight reference)... I was going to pack my bags. Maybe wait until after the Maui trip, but I was definitely packing my bags. I'd take Ian of course. And Polli... but I'd pack my bags. I wouldn't go far because I like my commute. And I'm not giving up my house. But I'd pack my bags. Maybe. I'd think about it.

Well, when Shawn came home I told him about my battery and told him that if he didn't want to sit quietly through a full blown vent, he'd better not ask about my day. I think he could tell it was really bad. I'm happy to report I didn't pack my bags. Didn't threaten with papers. Whew. I'd say he's lucky, but I think he was probably just petrified. Whatever look I had in my eyes, it said "Don't f'ing mess with me right now or you'll regret it".

So that was my day Tuesday. You can probably see why I needed to let a few days pass before talking about it. For those still around after this epic autobiography, I apologize if anything I said or did was offensive or against your opinion...but I think it either has or will happen to all of us at one point or another. I realized that this was probably not going to be my only bad day and there would be lots of good days, too. I also realized that a good majority of what happened during the day was completely out of my control. More than anything, I realized that working to prevent the tantrums (aka, inviting him up the stairs to get socks) made things worse and the tantrums will (and did) end, so letting him cry for a minute isn't going to kill him (or me, even though I hate to see him sad, angry, scared, mad, etc.).

It reminds me so much of my helplessness when we first arrived home because he wouldn't let me put him down... and many people told me "he won't die if you put him on the floor for a few minutes" and... knock me over with a feather... they were right. Now, I can't even BEGIN to imagine carrying him around all day (sort of physically impossible now, 18 months later). He lived then and he'll live now. My Blackberry on the other hand can't handle much more of that treatment.

So, to keep this from being the longest blog rant in history, I'll stop there. I will say that every day since has been incrementally better than the one before. Our weather is shaping up to be perfect for the weekend, so I'm expecting more good days ahead.

I'll post some pics from our week, despite the bad Tuesday... and then I'll post about our adventurous Friday with Grandma Trish today.

A definite highlight amongst all the chaos was the gorgeous potted Orchid I received by special express delivery from my brother, Rex. I hope I don't kill it, but it is SO gorgeous!

Practicing "say cheese" for school pictures on Thursday

I love those eyebrows

Chillin in "daddy's spot" (where Shawn eats dinner).

Mommy needs a drink. The Starbucks rival store in our neighborhood makes great drinks and they always add impressive "flair" to their drinks. You don't get this at Starbucks! This drink is called the "Comfort Latte". You can imagine why I ordered it... and no comfort does mean there's Southern Comfort in it... One could only wish.

Relaxing at the coffee shop

Pondering his next chess move

Clearing out my pawns. He actually said the Rook looked sad.

I was thinking of sending him to the pokie, but changed my mind at the last second.

We passed this condo and he wanted to sit on their porch and pet their cat. No, we don't know them... and the cat may look friendly, but he ran off as soon as Ian made his move. It was hard to explain that cats aren't always quite as eager to be petted as dogs.

Pre-Mother's Day Festivities

2009-05-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

First thing's first....Ian had a great first week at his new preschool. He was full day by the second day, which is thanks in part to the "soft launch" visits every Friday. By his start day, he was fully familiar with the teachers and classroom.

Friday, his Grandma Trish day, started great. We watched the garbage trucks go by and then packed for a sleepover at Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house. He was very excited about going to their house. I told him that we were going to his school for breakfast first, then would drive to meet Grandma. He said "no school today, it's Friday" and looked at me like I'd gone crazy. Well, when we arrived at his school for his Mother's Day Tea, it got ugly. I told him we would have some breakfast and he could give me his Mother's Day gift, then we would leave. He was in full blown panic stricken meltdown mode and all but refused to go inside. He thought I'd double crossed him. I took him to a quiet corner and forced him to look me in the eye while I calmly explained that I would NOT be leaving him and after the party, we'd leave TOGETHER to go see Grandma.

Once we were eating with all the other moms, he had started to settle down, although he would not let go of my hand...as though I would disappear as soon as he let go. When it came time to hand out his gift, he was in a great mood again. He was very proud of the flower pot he had decorated. I love it. It will be one of those things I will keep and cherish forever.

They did a great job on this shindig. Beyond the food, there were craft stations set up throughout his room, allowing mom/child to do fun projects together. We painted each other's hands and made handprint art, made handprint cutout flowers, and had our picture taken. He proudly showed me all his favorite toys and books...then took me by the hand and showed me the bathroom, where he said "mommy, this is where I pee pee all the time". He then showed me how the soap and sinks work and how he can wash/dry his hands "all by myself!".

We stayed a bit longer to meet some of the moms, then said our goodbyes to his teachers and left to meet Grandma Trish. Whew. MAJOR crisis averted.

I handed him over to Grandma at Starbucks and was off to do a major gear switch mid-day and attempt to get some work done. It was only sort of successful!

For our free night, Shawn and I went to dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy, then saw Star Trek, which alone, was worth a night without Ian. It will probably rank right up there as one of my favorite movies for a long time. I could have easily turned right back around and bought another ticket. Several scenes must be seen on the big screen and the casting was right on. I'm sure all but the most devout original Star Trek purists will enjoy it. Even the casual Sci Fi or action watcher will agree it's worth a full price ticket (which is now $10 in my neck of the woods. When did that happen?).

Even with dinner and a movie, we were home and in our sweats by 9pm, which was great. If I can get through a movie and dinner and still not be drop dead tired, I'm happy!

We were up, showered and dressed before 7am this morning (why?) and sitting in the parking lot of my favorite breakfast spot by 7:45 waiting for them to open. One amazing order of French Toast a'Orange later, I was one happy girl and ready for my day...without a child in tow. We headed out to my favorite local nursery to peruse their gift shop, then on to the outlet mall, where we were again there before any of the stores opened. It's amazing what you can accomplish before 10am on a Saturday!

My next mission was cleaning out Ian's closet, where I finally purged everything that is stained to it's limit or getting too small. The amount of kids clothes/PJ's going to charity this season is startling. How did he accumulate so much and why does it no longer fit him? He must be growing or something. ;-)

Some of my best news of the day is that I am finally caught up on laundry! I know. Very exciting... But it's one of the things I really struggle at getting a handle on. Since Ian started potty training, it has really started multiplying, but even our own grown up laundry piles up fast and I can't figure out why. None the less, I got caught up, including sheets and towels, so I feel amazingly accomplished today.

I ended my afternoon by napping on a lounge chair in the sun with my pup for about 30 minutes before heading out to pick up my little rug rat. I was even able to tack a trip to Pier One and Starbucks to that commute south to Tom/Trish's place...bonus!

Tomorrow is the real thing, but I actually feel like I've already had my Mother's Day... Ian's school Tea was the best and then time out to see a movie, have dinner, and then out again for breakfast, followed by a consented shopping trip and a nap outside...those are the things that would have all made for a great day tomorrow if they had occurred a day or two later.

I have no idea what is on tap for tomorrow. We'll see. Maybe nothing and maybe a big surprise. I'm trying not to get my hopes up since Shawn is leaving at 5:30am for a dive excursion. Between a Bachelor Party tonight and an early outing tomorrow, I doubt he'll have time to do anything. If he surprises me with a gift card to Underwater Sports, I might not be so understanding.

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends, all my friends (im)patiently awaiting the arrival of their kids (either biologically or through adoption), and most of all a huge Happy Mother's Day to my own Mom and my Mother in Law. Mom, it's hard not celebrating this day at a distance. I hope it is a fun and special day for you and we'll toast a drink to motherhood in exactly 4 months, in Maui! Mom-in-law, Trish, if you've hung around to read this far (usually she just skips ahead to the pictures), you mean so very much to me... always treating me like your very own daughter and being a phenomenal Grandma to Ian. On a daily basis, I thank God for you and all you do for us.

When I get a smile like this, I have to take the shot. He is one tough cookie to get to look at the camera long enough (and still enough) for a good photo op.

This was one of the craft stations. We painted each other's hands and made hand prints on either side of a Mother's Day poem. I didn't get Ian to spread his fingers before he made the hand print...but it still turned out precious. A real keeper.

He just HAD to show me how the soap and sink work... he acted like it was revolutionary... unlike anything he's seen before. I guess that means we don't wash our hands at home enough. Guilty!

Finally coming around. He was making the rounds in his classroom.

Pretending to be a choo choo train...which is appropriate for a Mother's Day Tea, right?

He loves this statue in the parking lot of his school... the boy and girl reading. I think of my mom every time I see it.

Each day this week, he's stopped me and asked to "see the babies". This window looks in on one of the "ones" toddler rooms. Probably where he would have started out if he had begun daycare here just a little over a year ago.

A not so great picture of my Mother's Day presents... a hand decorated flower pot and a bouquet of lilies made from Ian & his classmates' hand prints. I can't wait to do this craft at home. So cute.

The cover of the fabulous card Ian made for me with Grandma Trish's help. I especially love that Ian is spelled "NIA" and mom is spelled "MOW (or WOM, depending on how you're reading it)".

Just a couple of pics of me with my other little one... Polli is as much my child as Ian. I couldn't live without her, either!

By the way, I'm not winding up to punch Shawn. I'm not sure what I was doing with my left hand there...

Ian sends a big "Happy Mother's Day" out to all the Mommies out there, including his Grama Pat and Grandma Trish!

New School Dayz

2009-05-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

We had a very busy weekend, which I have a bunch of great pictures, but today's adventures are too exciting to put off. It's Ian's first day at his new preschool! We waited almost a full year to get in to this preschool, so this has been very anticipated. It's a well orchestrated care center located right in our small community and once families enroll, they just simply don't leave, hence the long wait. He also progressively "graduates" with his class to the next class, so he'll forge friendships similar to how he'll progress through grades when he's older. It also matters to me that these other families are in our same community, meaning we can get to know each other and ultimately work toward the common goal of good resources for our own kids in our own neighborhood. (Insert 'Leave it to Beaver' theme here).

He woke up happy and ready to go at 6:30am, a full hour later than a usual school day. It felt weird putting him in a pull up after underpants for so many weeks, but he's bound to relapse until he gets the hang of the new routine.

The most exciting aspect of the morning is that he got to carry his very first lunchbox. It felt funny packing him a lunch, but it feels good that I get to choose what he eats for his largest meal of the school day. They do breakfast and snacks, but we bring a fresh lunch every day. I've gotten mixed comments from some who think it's crazy that they charge what they do and don't provide lunch and others who feel like I do and don't mind sending lunch with the empowerment of giving him the foods we prefer. Although we don't eat 100% organic, I buy organic whenever I can and Ian eats low sodium and low fat/sugar. These are not criteria taken into account by the state when they set school lunch standards. They go by a very outdated food pyramid...one that thinks white bread, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets are acceptable. I may not always have a say, so I might as well take advantage of it while I can.

Off my soapbox now. So, we headed out a little after 7 and drove the crazy 60 second stretch to his school. Hopefully we'll get into a good enough routine to allow us to walk, but Ian is too easily distracted and what could be 5 minutes easily turns into 20, so for now we'll drive. He was a little thrown that he barely got his vitamin down and we were there already. He was so excited to get out of his car seat and ran to the door with his lunchbox in hand. It was pretty darn cute.

He went straight to the trains, of course (why not pick up where he left off 5 minutes earlier at home?). We showed him where to put his lunch and took his coat, then he was off again. It's great that he already had a settling in period and was familiar with the room, teachers, and kids already.

I'll pick him up after lunch, but before nap today so his first day ends on a good note. We'll have some one on one time before he has his nap at home and then tomorrow he'll stay through nap....then the full day on Wednesday.

Great morning... Enjoy some highlights:

Ian's first packed lunch: Peaches, carrots, black beans, and pasta

First Day of School

Ugggghhhh.... This lunch is heavy!

Heading out the door

Walking to school

First Day/Last Day

2009-05-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Not much to say that I haven't already, but this is a picture of Ian on his first and last day of daycare at Kindercare. I've said many times how much we wanted him out of there...and it only took a couple months to figure out that it wasn't for us, but you don't know what you don't know. Our options were limited and it seemed good at first. We changed our minds as Ian got older, we learned more about his personality, and we figured out how to be parents (not everything's intuitive!).

I'm sure I'll have some pics of Ian's first day at his new daycare come Monday. Stay tuned for another comparison.

It's easy to see here how much he has changed from Feb 08 to now...although he still couldn't figure out why I was taking pictures of him in the parking lot.

A Walk in the 'Hood

2009-05-01T08:58:00.001-07:00

I'm still pretty lame. Still pretty sick. Still pretty obsessed with the Twilight series. Because of these things, my time behind the camera has been limited. I will say that despite my horrible comments about Ian's daycare, they did give him a really great farewell. He got a little party, a bouncy house for his class, and they made him a neat scrapbook, which was very well done and thought out. I felt a little bad for all the things I said after I saw what they did for him.

There were lots of tears from the teachers when I came to pick him up yesterday and one of the gals asked if she could babysit. For that purpose, she would be great...and I'm glad to finally have a resource aside from Grandma Trish that I think I could trust.

Once I have the chance, I'll get some of the photos and artwork scanned and posted...I need to find the energy first, though!

Potty training is going great! Ian had his first accident free school day yesterday, which made for a nice farewell. I didn't have to take a bag of stinky clothes home with me. He has been mostly accident free at home for over a week now, so our next obstacles will be transitioning those habits to the new school, and then venturing out of the house in underpants. (GASP!) That scares me.

Yesterday, Ian and I were having a conversation (yes, an actual back and forth conversation) and I suddenly realized he has had a big surge in speech since leaving Mona's therapy sessions. She would be so impressed if she saw him today. I might try to make a coffee date with her after one of her Ridge meetings so she can see how well he's doing. He is doing great at asking Why questions (I'm sure those will only increase) and can make decisions and choices with explanation. That's hard to explain, but basically, if I ask him if he wants grapes or blueberries, he'll tell me he wants blueberries, and then why he wants blueberries...or how he wants them (bossy little sucker).

Until I get more pictures up, the below is a "then and now" of Ian out for a walk almost a year apart (give or take a month). Pretty amazing. The pants he's wearing in the first pictures are rolled halfway up his leg and now would be VERY high water. It's easy to see how, although he's still considered short for his age, he's getting longer and leaner. Time changes everything!

This weekend, we plan to do some gardening with a trip to the rock quarry and nursery, and then family friends from Texas visit Sunday. So much for resting up after this horrible week of illness for me. I'll have to find another way to get better (Like drugs. Lots of drugs. Just kidding!).

Mommy the Lame Blogger Here...

2009-04-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a little lame. I admit it. Not only have I been spending all my free time reading (I'm addicted to the Twilight series, finally), but I'm sick again. AGAIN! This time, my voice went and going on day 4 of very little to say. For those wondering, I don't have Swine Flu! If I had a dollar for every person who cracked that joke at me today, I could buy a pizza.

I do have very good news to report on the potty training front. Ian went 3 days (Fri-Sun) with NO accidents and only one at school today. That even included a long outing on Saturday. He is still afraid to use public toilets, but I'm not a big fan either, so that might take some time.

Last week, it took him until Friday to get as many stickers as he already has for 2 days so far this week. I'm so proud of him. He's slowly starting to understand that he is capable of "holding it", but also that "keeping it clean" is a good thing.

He is also getting more comfortable playing alone in his room and I was even able to go downstairs and do dishes while he played contently. He yelled down the stairs that he needed to go potty and I sprinted faster than I ever have in order to get there in time...and I did get there in time. It was a nice feeling. Next time I might not run so fast.

On Saturday, we made an outing to Target to pick out Ian's very first lunchbox. He picked a Lightening McQueen lunch tote, but doesn't understand what it's for yet. We'll have to give it a trial run one of these days so he gets the point.

Nothing much this week. I have a very busy week at work on top of getting over laryngitis and another sinus thing. Ian has another "play date" at his new school Friday, and then starts next Monday.

Gotta get back to my book. I only have 200 pages left in New Moon....but to avoid hate mail about my putting books ahead of my son, I did manage to get some pictures of Ian with his new water table as well as some cute shots talking to Grandma Trish on the phone.

Have a great week everyone...and stay healthy!

Ian talking to Grandma Trish on the phone....

...and talking some more.

Last week's sticker tally

Playing contently in his room

Playing with the water table (sans water), a birthday gift from Uncle Rex

Hold On Tight!

2009-04-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already seen this, but since I have virtually nothing else to share right now, I'll post this for those who aren't in my Facebook Family.

I should point out that he did fall after I stopped recording, but only a slow motion sideways tumble and nothing backward or on a hard surface. We were laughing again within moments.

Bring the Spring

2009-04-20T19:30:00.001-07:00

Surprisingly, I don't have a ton to say other than how proud I am of Ian. He's doing great on the potty training front, aside from some accidents here and there, but overall, I underestimated how great he would catch on. He genuinely wants to do a good job. Ian and Shawn have a saying "keep it clean", meaning no accidents in his underpants. Based on this campaign, Ian rewarded Shawn with a sticker and 2 M&M's for going pee without an accident. Yay, daddy!

Sunday was a great day, sunny and full of time outside. Ian got his "weekend TV time" in the morning, and was asking to play in his room after about an hour of Backyardigans. It's his newly found passion based on a video we bought to watch with him in China, but never took out of the wrapping (he was NOT AT ALL interested in TV for the first year). I loved it more than he did and immediately looked up Backyardigans music for in the car. It's a great blend of jazz, blues, skat, and big band... a great compliment to his favorite classical music (a'la Little Einsteins). My well rounded little man.

Before nap, we tried potty several times and then headed out for a "family" walk. He insisted he didn't need to go (No, mommy! I not!), but a few steps before we got to the sidewalk and he was pee'ing all over his new shoes. Darn it! I turned him around and told him that daddy & Polli get to go for a walk, but we didn't keep it clean, so we had to go clean up and miss the walk. I know that sounds harsh, but it was a great learning experience that next time he'd better go before the walk when given the chance. I took him inside and set him on the potty, and he cried his little eyes out. Not a "I'm in trouble" cry, or a "I want to go for a walk" cry... It was a "I failed" cry. He was really upset with himself. He really identified with the fact that he knew what to do but didn't do it. I consoled him and gave him positive feedback as we cleaned up and changed, but I also let him know that this is what happens when he doesn't try when mommy says to try.

He helped me clean up and apologized for "not keeping it clean" and then asked if we could find daddy & Polli. for a walk. He was drying his eyes and asking a big please, so we headed out and found them on the walk path. It's one of many lessons he'll learn. I won't pretend it wasn't hard to watch, but I was glad that he understood what he had done.

After nap, I took him out again to two of our many neighborhood parks. It was a gorgeous day, right around 70 degrees, and I got a little taste of what summer weekends will be like with him. I stretched my brain to remember this time last year, but couldn't remember him being nearly this interested in going for a walk or enjoying the weather. Be sure I'll dig up some pics from last year to do a "then and now" montage.

We have nothing on tap this week, so we'll be watching the weather and acting accordingly. I bought a book called "Bringing Out Baby", which shows the amenities and kid friendly features of the Puget Sound's prime parks and attractions. I plan to pick two spots every week to take Ian after school or on weekends this spring and summer. I'm also hoping to plan a "Meetup" at a fun NW location every month...I'm tired of waiting for a working mom friendly playgroup. There are tons of former coworkers and friends from school that I've reconnected with on Facebook with kids. Time is going to pass us all by. I need to do something about it! Even if it means the occasional "hookie" day, I'm fine with that. I get enough vacation time to afford it every once in a while.

I lied before. We do have something planned this week...Ian actually is slated to visit his new class again Friday afternoon. I hope to stay for a little while, but then leave and give him a taste for his interaction with the teachers and kids. We need a few dry runs of "mommy's here!", so this will be helpful. I love that they have this easy transition plan before he even starts. It will make my life so much easier come May 4th. I also figured out that I'll save about 100 miles and about 2 hours a week by moving him. That's 400 miles and 8 hours a month, and more than a tank of gas, and about a a work shift of extra time with him. That may sound silly to those who are with their kids every waking moment, but that's huge for me! I am so excited.

I also lied before... I had a lot to say.

Another awesome week. This sticker chart works! Even better than M&M's!

He's settling into the idea of backyard lounging just fine!

Mona Lisa's smile. I sometimes wonder what complex thoughts are going thru this little boy's mind.

Playing at the park...on a "big kid toy". He felt very grown up playing at the big kid park.

The sensitive son of mine always has a soft spot for a flower

Still enjoying the big kid toy... See, he survived the earlier "accident breakdown". I've realized that kids survive more than we can sometimes.

I love it when his hair blows in the breeze. Run, Ian, run!

I tried all day to get Mt. Si in the background. I love that all of this is within steps of our house. Despite our crummy weather 90% of the time, how could I not want to raise my son here?

On our walk... on the section thru the woods. I was SURE we'd have an accident, but he held it... seems he learned something earlier!

...But starting to look a little to "serious" for my comfort zone. Better not push my luck. Let's get home!

Tiptoeing into Spring

2009-04-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure where I left of on my last post, but our week really started on Friday, when Ian visited his new class. I didn't take my camera as I'm not entirely sure yet what their policy is for taking pictures inside the school. I can tell you this much. He loved it. We walked in and he went straight for the train table (big shock). At that point, I probably could have left and it would have taken a couple of hours for him to notice that I was gone.

Shortly after arriving, they went outside and he listened to the teacher and followed directions perfectly, not at all worried about his new surroundings or different teachers. We stayed for an hour and then left for our long 30 second commute home to meet up with Grandma Trish so I could head to work. It will be soooo nice in the summertime when I can walk him to school on a pleasant summer morning, then walk to pick him up on a sunny summer afternoon.

Already, we've run into parents of other kids in his class. It's great having his school right in our neighborhood. For the naysayers, this is a big plus. It means better friendships long-term (if we stay up here forever) as they progress through the classes together, and good communication with other parents. That's a good thing no matter how you slice it. I grew up in the same neighborhood since I was five and still have contact (thanks to Facebook and other networking venues) with people I went to Kindergarten with. That's almost unheard of these days, so if I can even begin to provide that kind of beginning for my son, I'm happy.

On the potty training front, things are going well. At home we've had 3 accidents (at home) over the course of 7 days, which for our second week, is great progress. At home, he does great...is in comfortable surroundings, and has attentive adults right there every moment. At school, the teachers are busy and he is independent much of the time, so accidents are the norm rather than the exception there. They tend to give up after nap and leave him in a diaper, so he is only moderately successful there. I'm not doing much to push them at this point. With only 2 weeks left before he leaves, I can't imagine it will do much to say anything.

I would like to give some major recognition to Grandma Trish, who is accident free while in her charge. I've decided she deserves a "sticker chart" of her own and her reward will be gift cards to her favorite stores... since she won't let us pay her or buy her dinner. She can't very well turn down a Pier 1 or Chico's gift card, now can she?

Today, we headed to the mall for a new shoe fitting at Stride Rite. It has been a year since he had a professional fitting, at which time he was an Xtra Wide. Still is. Bricks for feet, this kid! He's been complaining lately that all of his shoes are too tight, and will only wear one pair- a cheap pair of Target shoes that he calls Quincy shoes because Little Einsteins Quincy wears a similar pair. I've bought 6 pairs of the same shoes now, since they can only get slightly wet or worn before they're disgusting... at $15 a pair, I've spent $90 for the only shoe he'll wear. Finally, he started complaining about those, too. So, off to Stride Rite we go, one of the only places we can get good quality Xtra Wide shoes for a 3 year old. Good thing we went. He's still a Wide or Xtra Wide and a full size bigger than his most recent shoes. Shawn freaked out (and turned a little pale) when he saw the prices, but if these shoes last him 4-5 months, it's still cheaper than replacing his cheap Target shoes every month like I have been. We ended up with a good pair of tennis shoes and a "hybrid" pair that he can wear with socks or as a sandal. I figure he'll be in Crocs or Keens full time between July and September anyway (and while we're in Hawaii), so these should last until Fall.

We went from there to the big Bellevue City Park, where I conveniently left my camera in the truck...But we didn't stay long. Ian was showing his long morning shift, after getting up much earlier than usual, so we headed home for nap and lunch.

I should also mention that today is the first day that we left the house without Ian's glasses. We decided to let it go, but afte his nap, he said his head hurt, so I think it gave him a headache. You can bet I never do that again! From now on, his spare set will be in my purse. Bad mommy! Bring on the negative anonymous commenters! :-p

After lunch, we tried heading out to the duck pond, but when they wouldn't even come to shore for bread (snobby Ridge ducks!), we continued walking and stopped at the grocery store, where I hauled around the "car cart" with 2 items for 30 minutes to make Ian happy. What ridiculous things we do for our children!

We ended the day with 7 stickers on Ian's chart for today alone (and Ian insisted on a sticker and M&M's for Shawn when he went, too). I made shrimp tacos and Ian stayed happy and energetic all the way up to bedtime, when he crashed out without so much as a peep. It was a great day.

What will tomorrow bring? No idea. Just the way I like it.

Helping mommy grind coffee for morning

Ian loves his sister!

Just being cute. What he does best.

Hanging out in daddy's garage...in his preppy golfing gear. Loved dragging out the plaid shorts!

Getting ready to go shoe shopping. I get this happy about shoes, too!

Walking thru Macy's. Who needs a stroller when you have such a pair of mature guys?

Playing in the backyard

Mr. Serious. I pretend this is a small version of what he'll look like as an adult. (check out the new spiffy sandals. Machine washable!)

Showing off his first band-aid. How I have a 3 year old who is just now getting his first band-aid, I have no idea!

It obviously didn't hurt that bad!

Easter Highlights

2009-04-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter at Shawn's parents yesterday and captured some great moments. As usual, I did a "before and after" to show just how grown up Ian looks now. He really was still so much baby last year, it's startling to me (although uncle Mark apparently wore the same shirt).

We headed out early and had a nice laid back day of snack foods and panini sandwiches instead of the boring classic ham. The day went fast and before we knew it, it was time to do our Easter Egg Hunt. It was pouring down rain, so we did it inside, which turned out just fine. Ian caught on to the technique quickly and ignored the eggs filled with money in lieu of jelly beans and chocolate (shocking!). As a result, he was really bouncing off the walls on the way home but crashed easily and hasn't asked for another piece of candy since.

I realize that I spent about $50 too much on his basket. I could have included one or two toys and one treat, and he would have been more than happy.

Probably most important was that he went the entire day without a potty accident. Amazing since we were in someone else's house. As it ends up, he went the entire weekend with one accident. Pretty amazing considering how frustrated I was just a few days ago!

Unfortunately, all that success (which included this morning) unravelled at school. I suspected it would. When I picked him up, he was wearing a diaper and had been in one most of the day. She said he didn't have success all day. I told him we'd try one time before leaving. I let him pick the potty he wanted to use and he sat down and pee'd immediately. Ha. I asked for a pair of underpants, dressed him and we left. I wasn't very happy about their lack of effort.

Shortly after getting home, it started snowing! We kind of knew it was coming, but it's still hard to believe it's snowing this late in the year. We did have snow after Easter last year, but Easter was in March, so that's understandable. I'm so sick of the snow it isn't even funny. I'm pretty sure Shawn could sell software from just about anywhere... so what are we doing in Washington? Ughh. It's frustrating. It's a great place to raise Ian, but come on. Some sun, maybe? We'd better have one killer summer after this winter!

Sticker Mania

2009-04-11T23:05:00.001-07:00

Ian happily wishes each and every one of you a fabulous Easter!

I wanted to post some impromptu pictures of Ian's phenomenal potty success the past 2 days. He is really on a roll and seems to be slowly getting the hang of telling us when he needs to go...It doesn't always include enough time to get his pants down and sitting, but he's doing really great. What a turnaround in just a day! Looking at his calendar, it's easy to see where it all falls apart: the school week. We'll have to work through that with his teachers, but ultimately this pattern of weekend success is a step in the right direction.

Check out all these stickers! He hit 10 stickers early this morning (where I drew a line to start over). He picked a Matchbox car, which turned out to be a lime green '76 Thunderbird to match his shirt. We're calling it his "hooptee car".

Unfortunately, it was absolutely pouring down rain right when the Easter Egg hunt was supposed to start at our neighborhood park. We skipped it and played (and added more stickers). Shawn and I both had tons of errands to run today, so it was fine. Ian had no idea, so no harm done. We plan to do a hunt at grandma & grandpa's house tomorrow anyway.

I spent over an hour putting together his basket and filling plastic eggs, after he went to bed. In the end, his basket is reminiscent of the baskets I was used to growing up. Shawn said it made him sick (or that could have just been the leftover candy he was shovelling in while I was finishing).

I'm sure I'll have lots to tell after tomorrow. Until then, enjoy your day with family and friends! Happy Easter!

Enjoying his "hooptee" car

We just get more done while sitting on the pot these days

Check out all those smilies!!! In one day, he reached one goal and is more than half way to another. In all, I changed one wet diaper and rinsed one pair of undies... That's what I call a successful day!

Ian's Easter Morning loot

I know it looks like I just threw a bunch of stuff in a basket, but there is a method to my madness, I swear!

Stop and Smell the Flowers

2009-04-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

This week has been quite a roller coaster, to say the least. I hope I still have a follower or two after I blew a gasket the other day. Thanks for those who came to my defense. I certainly don't do this looking for nothing but positive reinforcement, but it's nice to see that at least one person (even if it's just my mother) approves of how we're doing!

At the risk of fanning a flame, I'll mention that I had the orientation meeting at Ian's new "daycare" on Wednesday. It went great. I spent almost 2 hours touring the facility again, doing paperwork, and asking a ton of questions. Ian and I will come visit for an hour or two each Friday until he starts on Monday, May 4th.

I received the codes to connect to his classroom cameras and they invited me to test them out at different times during the day so I can see how his class interacts. That rocks! It's a fairly narrow view with no sound, but it's something.

Today was Ian's day with Grandma Trish and also her first day with a potty training agenda to stick to. I'm sure she'll soon appreciate being able to go out for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood with no worry of potties or accidents! Ah, those were the days (aka, 5 days ago!).

As for the potty training front, we've had mixed results so far. I'd love to say he's accident free, but nothing could be further from the truth. Stop by my desk and say "how's it going?" and I'll ignore your rhetorical expectation of "oh, fine", and instead, I'll give you a full rundown of the down and dirty of potty training. I don't think I even have a filter anymore for what's appropriate and what's not. It's OK to talk casually about poop in a meeting, right?

Anyway, it started out promising with the incentive of two M&M's as his reward. He still loves them (and covets to a melted mess), but they were out of sight/out of mind...so I started a sticker chart. On Tuesday, we started a calendar on the fridge and Ian gets a smiley sticker for each potty. After 10 stickers, he'll get to pick a prize from a hidden box of small things I've stashed away (mostly Hot Wheels, stickers, coloring books, etc.). The first day worked great. He kept going back to the fridge to look at his stickers, counting them and smiling. He was so excited.

Well, the week at school really set him back. I know they're busy and can't spend a ton of time with him one-on-one camped out in the bathroom, but he just had nothing but accident after accident. Every day when I'd pick him up, he was wearing a diaper or pull up instead of underpants. Sigh. I just felt like they didn't have the time or experience with this and gave up after nap. It's frustrating, but I fully expect that he'll backslide with transitioning to the new "place", so I'm trying to put perspective on it all.

Where he might be a little behind in potty awareness game, he makes up for it when he does things like this... He just now came to me with a magnet from the fridge (another 'mom of the year' thing I'm sure I'll get rave reviews for) and said "mommy, look...the Eiffel Tower". Maybe Shawn or Grandma told him that recently, but it still caught me off guard. That's pretty cute.

On the bright side, he only had one accident for Grandma Trish (if you don't count the one with me this morning before she arrived) but went once on the potty for her and once for me. He was so thrilled to get his stickers (I noticed that Grandma gave him an extra one... (cuz that's how Grandma's roll). He's up to 6 stickers for the week...only 4 more to go and he gets to pick a special prize.

Who knows how that will all work out with such a crazy weekend (again). Tomorrow, we have our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt and then Sunday we'll do another one at Tom & Trish's house with cousins Alec & Ashleigh. I'm working on a letter to Ian from the Easter Bunny about going potty. We'll see if it makes any impact.

For now, I'd like to give another gentle request to put our differences aside and enjoy the weekend. May the Easter Bunny bring you lots of chocolate...and the good kind... a solid Dove bunny will do!

Adding a smiley sticker to his calendar

So proud of his achievements!

Let's Take It Down a Notch

2009-04-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

To difuse the tension around here, I thought I'd share that we've finally had some beautiful weather here in the Northwest. We went from snow on Friday to 70's on Monday. Rain is coming back, just in time for Easter, but for now, we're all feeling a little happier to have fresh air to breath and a reason to wear sunglasses for more than just glare from the overcast sky.

The picture below is a reminder that we all might need to be more like our dogs and live in the moment... and agree to disagree, because choosing to do otherwise is just bad juju.

Hugs, all!

As soon as I arrived home for lunch yesterday, Polli ran outside and made a beeline for the lounge chairs. Her favorite spot to waste away the day, if given the opportunity. Boy, will she be loving sunny Fridays this summer!

Why I Blog... and Remembering Our Log In Date

2009-04-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Opening note:

I wanted to acknowledge the comments left on my last post. I am fine with negative feedback. Why? Because I know this is a public blog and by airing our family laundry in such an open way exposes us to opinions of all kinds. Why is my blog public? Because blogs are what educated me most realistically during our entire process to Ian. I want to be that resource for other families. This blog is not intended to ever be a "Working Mom Anthology". I respect and enjoy the perspective of parenting from both sides. I have many Stay at Home friends. I have many who work. They all have awesome kids with amazing relationships. What we all have in common is that we ***LOVE THEM*** It's each family's choice and right to do what they need to do for their family's health, happiness, and well being. As long as it's legal, ethical, and brings no harm, it is none of my business...or anyone else's.

I have 3 target demographics for this blog:

1. Family and Friends. This is the easiest way for me to share Ian and Polli's adventures all at once.

2. China families: waiting and home. It's a community with an unspoken understanding of a very trying roller coaster of a process. Those in this group are sometimes the only others who "get it" and I'd die before losing a connection to them.

3. Microtia families and those learning about it. When reviewing Ian's file, these families and their stories are 100% why we moved forward. They were living their lives with Microtia...and surviving, THRIVING. Without them, we might have been like the other 15 families who turned down Ian's file. The thought literally turns my stomach.

So, to anyone not meeting the above criteria, you are not who I blog for. I appreciate your point of view, but in all due respect, it leaves no impact on me or how I feel I parent my son. You must not know me very well to make assumptions about my priorities as a mother, and must not know my son to make assumptions about his attachment and adjustments.

I think I've taken a couple thousand pictures in the past 18 months of a smiling, happy, thriving little boy who would respectfully agree that your harshly expressed opinion is just that... Thank you for respecting our choice to do what we feel is right for him and us.

Back to the original purpose for this post... I wanted to point out quickly that it has been 2 years today since our dossier was logged in, in China. This meant we were officially "in line", and it was this day that we started looking at files of Waiting Children. I had one already that I was just waiting for an LID date to put on hold. Shawn was worried that he was too old (almost 3 at the time) and wanted to think long and hard about changing our minds about age. We watched for the next batch of files to make a definitive decision on what to do. I saw that boy's name later on a "coming home" newsletter, and cried. I was so sure at the time that he was my son. I still have a photo copy of his file and wonder what he looks like now and how he's doing with his forever family.

All I know, is that the timing of things happen for a reason. Another year later and we would have probably been putting our adoption plans on hold due to the economy. A month later and we might have missed out on Ian's file. A month sooner and I might have convinced Shawn to consider the other boy's file.

Things happen for a reason. Whether you're religious or not, I think we all can agree to that.

Here's our post announcing our Log In Date of 4/6/07. My thoughts go out to the families logged in with us for the "non special needs" route. They are still waiting with a long wait still ahead. I can't fathom it and wonder what strength it must take to go on with life as usual with so many years in limbo.

http://theboyandthebulldog.blogspot.com/2007/04/another-milestone-lid.html

April comes in like a lion...

2009-04-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

I have not been much in the mood to blog. I'm sorry for being lazy, but I've actually been really busy! I'll give you a quick run down of our past week and then on to the pictures. That's always the best way to communicate what Ian's been up to in the first place. Hopefully I'll get out of my slump soon and have the energy again to tell a big story.

Monday: Ian stayed home sick after such a big weekend. He slept all but a few hours of the day and bounced back fast.

Tuesday: Eye doctor appointment. No changes to his prescription and they were so proud of him for wearing his glasses religiously with no complaints or problems. Unfortunately, there is nothing they can do to "extend" his nose bridge and resolve the problem we're having with his glasses hitting his eyelashes. It will have to wait until his next "upgrade" next year.

Thursday: Three year checkup! Ian is 32 pounds and 3 feet/1 inch. That puts him at the 35th percentile for height and 90th percentile for weight. Wow! He's still a butterball, despite the changes in his body structure since coming home. There were no concerns about his health other than his iron still showing a little low, but overall, he found Ian to be doing great and doesn't need to see him for another year! This turns the focus back to maintaining his hearing tests and ENT appointments at Children's.

Friday: Uncle Andrew came to visit. Grandma watched Ian like normal and Shawn & Andy went to the falls and up to the top floor of the Lincoln Plaza tower to see the view. I woke to several inches of snow Friday, but it melted by noon, leaving a nice afternoon. We had a great Chinese dinner and Cheesecake Factory dessert before bidding adieu to Uncle Andrew. He leaves to head back to Minnesota on Tuesday.

Saturday: It was a gorgeous day! Shawn embarked on day 2 of a 3 day hockey tournament and left early. Ian, Polli, & I headed out to the dog park for a morning in the sun with a gazillion pups. As usual, they both loved it. Afterward, we hustled home to change from our muddy dog clothes, grabbed a snack, then headed back out to see Shawn play hockey. We battled massive traffic and made it just in time. Ironically, I don't know that I saw Shawn on the ice one time. Ian ran the entire time and I never did pay attention to the game. We met Shawn for dinner later, after which he headed back for more games. We had some very unsuccessful potty training efforts, and then Ian crashed...hard. Poor kid, another crazy weekend!

Sunday: A VERY gorgeous day. I have no idea how warm it got, but it was really nice. You'd never know it was snowing 2 days ago! I intended to use today as a full force potty training boot camp day. From the time Ian woke, he went in big boy pants. Of course, he held it for hours. He just refused to go. He sighed and said "pee pee now" as soon as I put his nap diaper on. Little sucker! He had 2 accidents, then finally had one big success. A matchbox car we had on display as incentive was finally his. He wouldn't let it out of his sight the rest of the night. It was in his grasp as I turned out the lights. He had worked the whole weekend for that thing.

This week... Well, tomorrow he goes COLD TURKEY to big boy pants at school tomorrow. This should be interesting. For what we pay, I'd like this to be their one last big task before he leaves that center... which reminds me!...
IAN GOT INTO HIS NEW SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a big deal. We only waited for 11 months. He'll start on May 4th. My enrollment meeting is Wednesday. Lots of short sentences to describe something so big that I can't even put it into words. With this transition, I will also start a new work schedule that will allow him to sleep in another hour and stay up later. That will come in handy with the longer days and busier afternoon schedules. It'll be nice to let him hang at the park later vs. leaving at 5 to get home for dinner and bedtime routine in the middle of summer.

OK. Pictures:

6am on Friday morning. It warmed up from below freezing Friday morning to almost 70 today. Maybe we'll finally get the reprieve to our horrible winter weather.

Uncle Andrew and Ian enjoying cheesecake

Up close with a herd of elk. They were MUCH closer than they appear here!

Dipping into the ketchup and hot mustard at the Chinese restaurant. He did get a bit of the mustard and actually recovered quickly.

Hanging out at the dog park. He loves this place. Best dollar I could spend on a Saturday.

It was very muddy after the weather we've had. I'm so glad Shawn wasn't with us. They were much dirtier than they look here.

Taking a rest on a bench. He wanted to lay down and take a nap. That was my hint that it was time to head home. In the end, he never did get a nap that day!

Watching daddy play hockey.

Enjoying his beans and rice at Azteca. For a kid who didn't have a nap, he was in a very good mood all day!

We got the OK from the pediatrician, so today, Ian had his very first peanut butter! We noticed a rash on his face later, but we don't know that it's from the peanut butter just yet.

Shawn brought Ian this water bottle. It's almost as big as he is...and I don't want him walking and drinking from it for fear of what might happen.

Happy Birthday Ian Part 2

2009-03-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, it was a crazy weekend! After the fun we had in Seattle on Saturday, I had no idea what to expect at Ian's birthday get together on Sunday.

It was fairly laid back, but just crazy enough to keep things interesting. Ian met his great uncle Andrew (Grandma Trish's baby brother) who is in town visiting from Minnesota.

He also did a great job of opening presents...something he was not interested in doing at Christmas. He opened about 4 before he focused in on those gifts, leaving lots to open and examine later.

The best part of the day just had to be the cake... actually cupcakes. I got the Coldstone Creamery ice cream cupcakes and they were awesome. I highly recommend them. Ian ate about half each of two flavors and did a great job. The pictures speak for themselves. He loved Happy Birthday and blowing out the candles. I got a tiny piece of video. I need to fiddle with it a bit, so I'll post it another day.

Unfortunately, Ian had been brewing a nice cold, thanks I'm sure, to the outing in the rain (and wet feet) in Seattle the day before. He was not a happy camper on the ride home and literally screamed at the top of his lungs the entire 45 minute drive home. It was horrible.

He slept great once in his crib though, so I crossed ear infection off my list and determined it was just lots of congestion that was probably made worse by the ice cream. I kept him home yesterday as a precaution, and he slept all but about 6 hours of the day (up at 10, down at 1, up at 5, down at 8). It did the trick. He was almost 100% by this morning. I only wish I could bounce back that fast!

He also braved the eye doctor today and it went great. His prescription is still fine (thank goodness) and they have an awesome play area that he loved. Naturally, he played trains the entire time. An identical set that he has at home. Creature of habit. I sat next to him to play, but was in his way and pointed to the play kitchen on the other side of the room and said "Mommy, you go make dinner, OK?". So, the stereotyping has begun!

Please enjoy a few of the pictures from his birthday... I only took 260!

Last year to now. Huge difference!

Heading out to Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house

Polli in big sister mode

Unwrapping presents. I think he's starting to grasp the concept.

Reading the user documentation for one of his toys.

Playing with the best toy of all.. a "choo choo house" for his train track.

Enjoying his first Peep. That's my boy. (He actually took one bite and gave the rest to me. Score!)

Reading a story with daddy

Making bead necklaces with Grandma

Enjoying his ice cream cupcake

REALLY enjoying his ice cream cupcake!

The Red Velvet cupcake... my personal favorite.

Hugs from Uncle Andrew

The morning after. Love this hair.

Birthday Adventure in Seattle

2009-03-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Ian's 3rd birthday! He and I celebrated the actual day by ourselves. Shawn was out of the house very early to enjoy his first major dive of the year and was staying the night at his parents house due to the distance to and from the dive site. Unfortunately, the weather made for poor visibility and he ended up cutting his dive short. I was so looking forward to pictures of the giant octopus he was planning to see.

As for our day yesterday, Ian and I left fairly early and headed into Seattle to the Children's Museum in Seattle Center. Something was going on and parking was impossible. We ended up waiting in the rain to pay at an automated lot far from the center, and then walked in the rain. Ian recited the whole way "This is ridiculous!". Gee, I wonder where he heard that... Me. Many times over.

Once we arrived at the museum, it was clear that this was going to be fun. That place is huge and very well laid out. He made a bee line for an off road vehicle (of course) and played in that area for the longest time before agreeing to move on to other things. There was a section called "cultural village" where homes and shops from different countries were replicated. Ian liked the Chinese shop and Japanese kitchen. He pretended to load up and serve me a dish of sushi. So cute. There was a replica of a Hutong home, but he was asking to go back to the "bus" by then, so I didn't get any pictures. I'd like to go back and check that section out a bit more. It was really well thought out.

Unfortunately, I failed to charge my camera before leaving, so the battery died about halfway through the day. You'd think I would have it figured out by now that you NEVER go out without a fully charged camera!

On our way out, Ian saw the Birthday rooms and thought he was going there for his birthday party. It wasn't pretty when I didn't let him go in. He was very disappointed that he couldn't go to the birthday party...on his birthday. I would have been confused, too!

He wanted to leave and go get soup (Panera), but he was fast asleep before we made it to the freeway. He took a long nap and we had soup and rice at home upon waking at 4:30. If Ian were to pick a last supper, I think it would be soup and rice. Boy that kid loves his soup.

He then talked to daddy on the phone, who told him he could have special birthday treats. We attempted to watch Mulan, but it got to a battle scene and he asked me to turn it to Ni Hao Kai Lan. He must be making a China connection on his birthday today... It got me thinking about the fact that 3 years ago a couple had their long awaited son only to find out he wasn't perfect. Although they kept him for 3 months, this was the day that actions were set in motion that eventually culminated in Ian becoming our son. One day we'll have to address what happened and why, but for now it's about presents, cake... and all the fun stuff the all kids get to enjoy about birthdays. I hope it can always be a good day for Ian, but also know it could be a day he resents when he's older. Time will tell. Right now, we're just going to have fun and deal with the tough stuff later!

Splashing in puddles. It wasn't until we got home that I realized his socks were soaked and his feet were FREEZING! Poor little guy!

Playing in the "bus". It was really a safari jeep, but Ian's favorite part of the entire museum. Go figure.

At the wheel

Inside the Chinese shop. Looked pretty darn authentic aside from the fact that it wasn't cluttered enough...and it needed a little old man watching TV.

Preparing me a bowl of sushi...good call, Ian!

This was in the storytime castle... Note to Grandpa: How hard would it be to build something like this (maybe with the top the size of a twin mattress so we could convert it to a bed when he's older? Hmmm?

In the Costruction Zone. They had pegboard sections and all the tools to put them together in different configurations. It was pretty cool, but very chaotic, so he moved on fairly quickly. It'll be neat when he's just a little older.

Preparing to go down a rocket slide in the Curious George area. It was a VERY fast slide, but he loved it and went back at least a dozen times.

Happy Birthday Ian Part 1

2009-03-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Ian turns 3 today! He is pretty adamant that he is "only 4", but I'm not quite ready to put another year behind us. Who knows what will happen in the next year. If this year was any indicator of how quickly things change, we're in for a wild ride.

Shawn is on an all day dive today in the Hood Canal and will be spending the night at his parents' house. It should be a good time for him since this is his first major dive of the year and he hasn't been to Hood Canal yet. He's really starting to get in obsession mode as his trip to Roatan, Honduras draws near.

We will be meeting up at Grandma & Grandpa's house tomorrow to celebrate Ian's birthday, Grandma's belated birthday (3/17)....and Shawn's Uncle Andy is in town from MN for 2 weeks. He has not met Ian yet and I haven't seen him for at least 7 years, so it should be a fun day. I wish my parents could be here, but I can't blame them for staying home... Our weather sucks and it's beautiful in Arizona... but Maui is only 5 months away, so we'll hold on until then.

I originally planned to stay in all day today and kick potty training into high gear with an all day "big boy pants" agenda. Guilt (and a fear of a boring day in) has gotten the better of me and I've decided that today will be a great day to head into Seattle to the Children's Museum. It will either be a blast or a disaster without a second adult to help, but we shall see. I've seen mom's with several kids do it without a problem... Not sure if I'm that mom, but it's worth a try.

With all that said, I'm bound to have a stockpile of pictures and stories of our weekend by the time it's said and done. Cross your fingers that it all comes off without a hitch!

To tide you over until the chaos subsides, here's a quick video of Ian's morning wake up. Not much, but my goal was to get a hello out to Grama & Paga in AZ.

Gearing up for the Big 3

2009-03-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

I should start out by mentioning something that I've left out of my last few posts. Ian has now officially been home with us longer than he was in orphanage care. That is substantial to me for many reasons. I know there are many out there who will understand the magnitude of that statement.

Moving on... Ian enjoyed another fun sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa T's house Friday. Shawn and I needed some time to go out shopping for his birthday. It is only the second time he and I have shopped for Ian together and the first since Ian has been home. Hard to believe, but true!

We went to the Lego store and Toys R Us and spent almost our whole b-day budget on only a few small things. I always said I would never get sucked into Thomas trains or Licensed characters. Boy was I naive! There's no getting around it, just no way. They fill that Thomas aisle with something irresistible to kids and dads... OK, and me on occasion. It's impossible to stay away.

Shawn begged to get him a PlayMobil scuba guy and shark...Not because Ian will enjoy it, in fact he will most likely play with it for a few minutes and relegate it to the bottom of the toy box. No- They're for Shawn. He justified by saying they'd make great bath toys. Uh-huh. Sure.

I'll go over his birthday loot later in the week, but let's just say he'll have plenty to open, and more than last year. We were shocked at how many aisles we skipped in TrU that contained toys he was receiving as recently as 6 months ago. He is definitely growing up fast!

Also a big deal, today is Ian's last speech therapy appointment. I'm so sad; we will definitely miss Mona. I made her a card and got her a set of the Brain Quest 2's "Max" cards that have helped Ian so much. Hopefully she can use them with her son or with other therapy families.

Also exciting, Shawn's uncle Andy is coming to visit from Minnesota this week! He'll be here for almost 2 weeks, so I'm sure I'll get a good number of pics. It will be Ian's first time meeting Andy and the first time we've seen him for several years.

Below are a handful of pictures from Ian's latest adventures at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I'd like to add an extra huge THANK YOU to Ashleigh for all the time she spends with Ian. Teenagers would probably much rather be doing other things, but she is always excited to spend time with him.

Making a bead necklace with Ashleigh

Head over heels about puzzles!

Working through the tough pieces

Super Ian!

His favorite spot in the house...

...Grandma's window seat!

Dancing in the street

Hanging out in grandma & grandpa's newly landscaped yard...on grandma's rock: Hudson

Coloring Easter Eggs

2009-03-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Ian's first experience coloring eggs. Pardon the barking dog. She was excited, too. Be sure to scroll to the next post to see the pictures.

Spring Fever

2009-03-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Not that you would know it by our weather lately, but today is the first day of Spring! I, for one, am looking very forward to warmer weather. I'm realistic enough to know that I live in Washington, so warmer means the 50's and the occasional 60 degree day. I know it will be rainy and windy until June or July. That's fine, I guess, as long as the 30's and snow TAKE A HIKE!

Hard to believe Ian's 3rd birthday is coming up on the 28th. We do not have a birthday party planned; it seems like a big expense for 3, but next year I would like to do it up big. I have no idea what we'll do, but Shawn and I have yet to start shopping for him. We've pawned Ian off on Grandma Trish again tonight so we can go shopping without trying to hide purchases. I'm pretty sure we'll be going to the L-E-G-O store, and a trip to Toys R Us.

Ian's big passion right now is puzzles, so we're trying to capitalize on that. We're also going to be refreshing his book selection and getting rid of some of his baby board books. More than anything else, I want to add to his outdoor toy selection, which is pretty pathetic. We can't have anything that can't be stored small in the Winter, so that limits our options. Luckily, we're within walking distance to several parks, so the big stuff isn't as necessary.

We're also looking forward to Easter. We didn't really celebrate it with Ian last year. He was still not quite ready to take on holidays yet and didn't get it at all. This year, we're talking about the Easter Bunny, Spring, and Easter Egg Hunting. He still doesn't completely understand that it's coming or why...but he really got into decorating eggs. We only did a dozen at first and after it was a success, I've decided we'll do it again before Bunny Day. I only had to raise my voice once or twice (just kidding), but our biggest disaster was that he wanted to splash the eggs into the dye...and also wanted to clap them together like maracas. Not a good idea with hard boiled eggs!
I have no idea how they expect people to color eggs with that little wire holder, though. We're still getting the dye off his hands.

Below are some pics of Ian coloring eggs along with a few from another crafty affair... Recycle was going out and Shawn took the opportunity to make Ian a "costume" from diaper and wipes boxes. It was pretty hilarious. Also some pics of Ian pretending to sleep and snuggling with Polli.

Getting prepped to color eggs.

Giving me instructions

This isn't going to be messy or anything!

Ask him to "say cheese" and this is what you get...

He got the hang of it fast.

He really wanted to put 2 eggs in one cup. I'll have to work it out so that can happen next time

My favorite picture. We're still getting that dye off his hands. How did I do it when I was little? I'm sure I didn't use that dumb wire holder

Pretending to sleep. He wakes up with this smile EVERY morning

I think this is the closest thing I've captured to his "gotcha" pictures in China.

Laying on the couch with Polli

Getting suited up in his "costume"

He didn't really like it... It lasted about 5 seconds, but was pretty darn cute.

What's Ian up to? About 37 Inches.

2009-03-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

We had a 100% nothing weekend. We went nowhere and accomplished pretty much nothing. I am finally seeing the light at the end tunnel with my stomach bug, I think. We've also had really crazy weather. Aside from the range we had last week from record cold, snow, and short sleeve temps, today alone it ranged from driving snow, to rain, to thunder and lightening (along with power flickers), the heaviest hail I've ever seen...and now it's sunny and freezing cold. All before 5pm. Who knows what the rest of the day will bring. It's days like this that I wish I could jump a plane to Phoenix and sit by my parents' pool!

So I have nothing to report. We took a whopping 10 pictures this weekend, which might as well be zero for me.

Yesterday, Ian was playing in the kitchen and I snapped a shot of him standing next to the counter. I compared it to a picture of him in the kitchen from a little over a year ago. Wow, what a difference. He looked at that picture and said "who's that baby?". Even he didn't recognize himself. He can now reach the counter and across it by about 10 inches. It means moving everything sharp or heavy just a little further back...including the almost ever present knife on my cutting board. Yikes!

Ian is only about 6 or 7 inches taller than in this picture, but that's over only a year's time... and I'm pretty sure he has gained all that height in his legs. His hair is also a pretty big difference. Long gone are my worries that he would be a permanently bald kid.

Snowy Day...Sunny Day

2009-03-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

I won't delay with much back story here. There's not much to tell other than the fact that I've been sick this week with little opportunity to create adventure. Essentially, it's an adventure in and of itself that that we had snow and record cold temps Monday and Tuesday...and super sunny weather yesterday and today. It was still chilly though, but 30's in the morning and upper 50's in the afternoon, making for a good reason to get out and get some fresh air. It really did make me feel better. Ian and I had a great afternoon at a big park that we hadn't been to yet, and then dinner of Chicken Noodle soup at Panera.

On the way home, Ian asked if he could watch "a TV about China", so upon arriving home, we watched the Dragon Kite episode of Little Einsteins, which includes The Great Wall and several stops in China. As rocket flew over the China landscape, Ian pointed to the patchwork of farms and said "Mommy, look! Ian born down there!" I love that he is fascinated with China. I hope that enthusiasm continues as he gets older, eventhough it will eventually mean talking about some tough topics. It will be so interesting to do a heritage trip when he's 10 or so.

While at the park today, a little girl around 5 or 6 came up to us and asked me why Ian wears glasses. I told her they help him see better. She persisted...asking if he is blind if he takes his glasses off. I told her no, but things are very blurry. She also asked if he will have to wear glasses forever and if he wore glasses when he was a baby. Nosy little girl, but very inquisitive. Not once did she ask about his ear. To date, we've only had two people ask... one curious 5 year old (who asked if his ear would grow back...very cute) and one very rude grown man (who asked if it was bitten off by a dog or fell off from frostbite).

Below are a bunch of pictures as the week progressed. Hard to believe it was snowing 72 hours ago!

Getting ready for school either Monday or Tuesday. Its's a blur. I hate the ever present glare on his glasses, but it didn't seem important at the time to get the coating. I definitely will when he gets new specs next year.

This is Monday. It was snowing very hard...and he was obsessed with filling his dump truck with snowballs, dumping it, then smashing the snowballs. He's such a boy!

Playing with the snowball maker. It really makes awesome little snowballs super fast.

Today... Just a few days later... Playing at Downtown Bellevue Park.

The closest thing to a swing I can get him to ride. He is petrified of the real thing. This reminds me of the apparatus in China's parks.

Ian and his train preparing to go down a slide

He did awesome on the ladders, which he could never do before he got his glasses.

Add a few more skyscrapers, a gateway, and some Tai Chi... and this could have been in one of the countless parks in China.

Strolling with complete strangers

I think it's a quarter mile around this little canal...and he ran the entire thing.

Having a nice chat with one of the locals. Aflac.

Ian getting in touch with his roots... A common male activity in China... Relaxing on a park bench. Just kidding (a little). Now, if he were smoking and playing a tile or card game, it'd be authentic.

Enjoying chicken noodle soup for dinner. He asks for soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Peek a boos under the table

Hitting a wall...literally.

And the Snow Just Keeps Coming

2009-03-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

After the events of Saturday, we weren't quite sure what Sunday would bring, but Ian bounced back just fine and was his normal crazy self by morning. He still has a cough and some nasty nose stuff, but so does every other kid at his school. It's just that time of year.

Sunday, we got another round of snow, and he insisted on going outside. We pulled out the snowball maker and played endlessly with snowballs and his dump truck. Because he still refuses to wear gloves outside, the outings only lasted 20-30 minutes at a time, bringing him in periodically to warm his hands. I think I could make a fortune if I could only come up with a glove or mitten that a 2-3 year old will keep on their hands.

The rest of Sunday was "arts and crafts" galore. We played with playdoh, attempted to make a thank you card for Aunt Lu, and played with daddy's prize Lego crane. I was shocked that Shawn actually let Ian touch it... it is normally on a high shelf in his garage. He showed Ian how to raise and lower the crane arm using the hydraulic pump...and several days later, he is still playing gently with it. Shocking.

Yesterday, I worked from home and then picked Ian up early from school for his speech therapy appointment. Unfortunately, Mona cancelled due to the snow. It was about that time that I was hit with a major stomach bug that forced me to skip the gym and retreat to bed while Ian and Shawn played.

I was up all night...literally... and couldn't wait to get Ian and Shawn out of the house this morning so I could try to get some sleep. Polli and I are about to crash again, but in the meantime, I wanted to get a few pictures up from the weekend.

Watching the kids sled at the park from the upstairs bedroom.

Playing with Shawn's Lego crane

Playing with Playdoh accessories

Helping daddy fix a toy

Helping mommy make cards

Loading up the snowballs

He said "Snowballs taste like ice cream"

Auntie Lu & Big Kid Skool

2009-03-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

First thing's first. Friday was Ian's evaluation with the school district to see if he qualifies to continue speech services in their Special Needs Preschool. For those unaware of how it works, the state's "birth to three" services end just when it says: Age three. At that point, he has to be evaluated to be over a certain percentage delayed in order to continue services through them.

We had to start planning his transition to the school district back in November. There was paperwork, testing and evaluation by his present speech therapist, meetings...more paperwork, more meetings. It was a lot like going through the social work phases of our adoption. Part of me wanted him to qualify just so he could stay in Speech Therapy; he has had so much success. A bigger part of me wanted him to NOT qualify just to prove how far we've come.

We arrived for our 9am appointment well fed and happy. He was beside himself that he was actually in a "big kid school". He ran through the hall with this look on his face like, "Mommy, can you believe this?".

Next, we met the 5 people involved in his evaluation and he was taken to another room to start his tests. I was SO nervous about what they would get out of him in a strange place, with strange people, and with me out of the room. In my room, the psychologist and preschool teacher dissected my stack of questionnaires and forms... asking questions that gave them a picture of Ian's social and adaptive skills, among other things. It was 60 long minutes of testing for Ian. That's an eternity for a 3 year old. I can't believe he made it without a meltdown.

The next step was the scoring meeting. By their glowing comments, it was clear that he is doing fine, if not exceptionally well in the social, adaptive, and cognitive areas. The Occupational Therapist rated him age appropriate in both Fine and Gross motor, complimenting his attention to detail and higher than average ability to watch an activity and then repeat it. The Speech team rated him at 65%, or above average for "receptive" speech (or what he understands), and age appropriate for the other areas of speech relating to what he articulates and communicates.

That's it. He doesn't qualify. This means after his final 2 appointments with Mona this month, he'll be done. I'm still looking into options to stay with at least a monthly meeting with Mona or her colleagues, but it might not work with their case loads. We'll see.

Fast forward to today. Ian and I got up early and headed out to meet a dear friend of mine for breakfast. She and I used to have all day "girls days", but those days are long gone. She hasn't seen Ian since his birthday last year. I can't believe it's been almost a year! We met at Panera and had a great time. She brought gifts for Ian, including a whole pack of M&M's. After 2 (his normal potty reward), he looked at me for permission to keep eating. He was thrilled to get a whole package. They lasted over an hour. He savored every one.

We walked over to Target and had almost too much fun trying on sunglasses and loitering on furniture. It wasn't long before Ian was asking for his blanket. He was tired. We headed home, back toward the blizzard awaiting us.

While Ian napped, I went grocery shopping...not the nap I truly wanted and needed. While I was putting away groceries, he woke from his nap, came in the kitchen rubbing his eyes, leaned forward, and threw up. A big projectile event. Three times. He was a little scared and I think it burned his nose, so we had to stop everything and comfort him so he wouldn't think he was in trouble for making a mess. He continued to be extra clingy and groggy for a while, but after a yogurt and two full glasses of juice, he came around and was his usual self, but a little subdued. He bounces back so easily.

If he's feeling up to it tomorrow, we'll play in the snow, otherwise it might be a day in jammies.

Below are a few pictures of his morning with Lu. No pics of Ian at the "big kid school". I wasn't comfortable taking pictures inside an elementary school.

Putting together a puzzle from Lu

Loading his dump truck with Play Doh

Hanging out with Lu at Target

Getting silly from all the M&M's

I told him to stand up for this picture, then promptly told him "thank you Ian, now sit down and never do that again." No mixed messages from this mama!

Trying on sunglasses with Auntie Lu

Hey, it's Elton John!

All the excitement knocked him out. Little did we know his tummy was a churnin.

March Snow... or...Ian the Foodie

2009-03-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

As expected, I ran out of things to say this week. We had a fairly normal week... Wake up, go to work/school, come home, eat, play, sleep. Repeat.

I started taking a Circuit Training Class twice a week at our gym and it's kicking my butt, although I'm in pretty good shape already. Shawn simultaneously started a class on alternate days called "Six Pack Abs". I haven't seen it, but I'm willing to bet it's a class full of 40 something and 50 something men longing for their young tummies. Ha. Well, it's kicking his butt, too.

Anyway, we're both sore and tired, and both have crazy work schedules right now. What a problem to have, I know. I'm actually begging to get work off my plate, I have so much to do right now.

I'm glad to have tomorrow off, though. Not for fun, but primarily to focus on Ian's Speech Therapy evaluation at the school district. They will test his speech, cognitive, and gross/fine motor to determine if he is delayed enough for services to continue there after he turns three. Although he is only receiving speech services now, it's possible that they'll find him behind in motor. I have no idea what's age appropriate in those other areas. I truly care the most about speech.

After that appointment, he'll be needing a nap, after which we plan to meet Grandma Trish for lunch. Since it's normally her day to have him, it seemed only fair to give her a chance to see him. She leaves Saturday for a short trip to Arizona to see Kristen's parents and my parents. I can't wait to see what she thinks of that area.

On a sad note, Shawn's uncle Andy got laid off from his job last week. He had been with that company for over 20 years and it was pretty much the only company he worked for his entire adult life. If anyone knows of a company in Minnesota needing an amazing Software Engineer experienced with legacy networks, mainframe computer systems, and UNIX, please let me know.

So below are a couple pictures after today's surprise snow storm, that only seemed to hit our area (there were several inches on the ground at lunch but melted to this by the end of the day). Following are several great pictures of our evening at Grandma and Grandpa's house last weekend.

The boy who was petrified of snow is now beside himself with glee over it... but still refuses to wear gloves.

Offering me a bite. He wanted to eat all the snow. As long as it wasn't yellow, I was fine with it.

Mommy and Ian getting a little crazy

It looks like we've both had a little too much to drink!

Trust me, we ALL do this when we eat Grandma Trish's homemade pickles.

What goes better with a pickle than BACON!

Grandma says "Grandpa Tom, keep bringing home the bacon!"

Still eating. We grazed all night.

Hanging out with Uncle Mark

Checking out a picture of himself on the digital frame. He looks so young there!

Good times like that get great big smiles like this!

Growing up so fast!

2009-03-01T10:42:00.000-08:00

Just a quick comparison of Ian from this day last year to now. I read back on my post from March 1st, 2008 and I mention how Ian was almost tall enough to reach the door handles. I'm stretching my brain to think of when he couldn't reach the door handles! It's now his job to let Polli in and out and opening/closing doors is one of his favorite things to do. Since we did almost nothing to kid proofed our house in the first place, we have no guards on the doors that lead outside. That will probably have to change at some point for the front door, but for now, he's pretty good about not opening that door. I think he knows it's a big no-no. Sooner or later, his curiosity will get the better of him and we'll be in trouble!

Below are shots of Ian on March 1st last year and today. I'm standing just a little closer to him in today's picture and he's turned at a different angle, but you can tell just how much he's grown in a year. Last year, the table top hit right at his belly, but now is mid-thigh. I also look at those pants, long outgrown... and we were still rolling everything at that point.

I have lots of great pics from Grandma & Grandpa's house yesterday. I'll save them to post in a few days, when I have run out of things to say for the week!

Where were you 13 years ago today?

2009-02-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

Me? I was basking in the sun of the Caribbean... with my brand new hubby! It's amazing that it happened 13 years ago. It feels like forever in many ways, but I can also remember pieces of that day like it was an hour ago.

We did not get married in a church. We planned a cruise with a stop in St. Thomas and got married on the beach: Magen's Bay, and went shopping for cheap rum and jewelry right after. The only thing I would change is to have my parents there. I wish I knew then that I know now how important that would be to me. Maybe for our 25th, we'll do it again and bring my folks.

Other than that, it was great. A first cruise toward an addiction to cruising for Tom & Trish...and Shawn for that matter. It was also quite an adventure. I'd spent the better part of a year planning, so it was not a fly by night deal. This was also before internet, email, or any of the resources we now consider the norm, so the planning was all done over the phone and via Fred Flintstone mail. I had to go to Kinko's to use the computer to do something with the state of Washington so we could legally get married there (although it's a US territory). It was really anyone's guess whether a car would really be waiting for us at the ship dock on that random Tuesday in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.

It came off pretty much without a hitch. There were no drunken brawls or smeared mascara moments. Our car took us to the courthouse to get our marriage license while another car brought Shawn's parents, aunt, and her friend straight to the beach. When we arrived, it was about 8am and there wasn't a soul there but us. I can't imagine a more perfect way to exchange vows. The wedding coordinator was waiting for us with the photographer and the minister. What a sweet gig! They were all "mainlanders" who had just decided one day to pack it up and head to the islands. I've always envied the courage it must take to do that... If it weren't for sheer fear, I'm pretty sure I'd be living in an little Italian village right now running some rinky dink boutique and sipping espresso all day. Every country we've travelled to, we've met people who did just that...and I've always been crazy with jealousy. Maybe some day when Ian's grown, Shawn can open a dive shop and I can do something of little consequence in some little corner of the world. We shall see.

As soon as the minister started his schpeal, I knew we had a problem. The glaring ball of fire that is the sun, was literally right next to his face...and they were snapping pictures, destined to live on as record of this priceless moment for all eternity. I couldn't very well interrupt him and ask him to move over just a few inches...so, most of our pictures show us squinting miserably at the pastor. FYI, the sun is WAY brighter there than here!

It was over in a matter of minutes and POOF! I was a married woman. Ball & Chain. Old Lady. The 'Other Half'. A few more pictures and we were on our way back to the car, off to do some shopping. The way our pictures worked in our wedding package was that the photographer would give us the roll (yes, 1 roll of film) and we would have them professionally developed at home. No problem.

Yes problem. The roll of film had to actually make it home for that to work, right? Well, the car dropped us back in town and we did a ton of shopping. Of course we bought about 10 bottles of rum in every flavor possible (and ultimately left about 8 in our old apartment when we moved) who can resist $2 rum? We also bought some jewelry... Totally tacky gold watches and earrings that gather dust now...who knows where... but we were completely broke and young at the time, so it was our first purchase like that.

As we headed back toward the ship on foot (lugging all that rum), Shawn started feeling his pockets and asked me if I had the roll of film. No! I was wearing a pocketless formal dress! Of course, this is before cell phones, so we couldn't very well just call his folks on the ship and ask if they had it, or call the wedding coordinator and check to see if she picked it up by mistake. This was bad.

Some of the details are fuzzy, but we ended up at a gift shop somewhere near the port and finally reached the photographer on a pay phone. She was all the way back on the other side of the island at that point and the car was back with the driver at his house...who knows where. If you've ever visited or lived on an island, you'll know that island locals take their sweet time to do things. We were pretty sure there was no way to get our film back before we had to board the ship.

Well, after several more calls, it was determined that our film ended up on the floor of the towncar. The photographer was able to track down the driver, get the film, and get it back to the ship before we sailed out for our next port. Whew. That was a close one! All this took place while we stood around in the heat wearing our formal attire. Thank goodness we dressed down for the occasion! No wedding on the beach should take place in a big flowing gown or heavy tux for this reason alone!

It didn't take long before we were laughing about it, although Shawn's dad was laid up in his room with a cold washcloth on his face... practically with shingles over the stress of it all... but the rest of us carried on like we...well, like we were honeymooning in paradise. It was still one of my favorite vacations ever.

The weekend after arriving home, we had a reception at Tom & Trish's house, catered by family friends. We were striking deals left and right, which is never a bad thing for broke kids in love when they just can't wait to spend their lives together (INSERT UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER HERE!!!).

I had promptly quit my job at Starbucks within days of coming home and started my new job at SanMar in their Call Center the day after our Wedding Reception. It's amazing to look back now and think that two big changes in my life happened at pretty much the same time. I generally know how long I've been married by the tenure at my company when people ask.

We rarely have pictures of the two of us together anymore, so I don't really have anything recent to compare with those posted below, but I hope to get the waiter at dinner tonight to take a picture. Shawn hates it when I do that. 50,000 pictures of one underwater sea anemone, yes. One picture every few years of the two of us together...no. I no longer have the excuse that our social worker made me do it!

Below are a few pictures... only a few. Again, we only took one roll of the actual wedding and I think we have some pictures somewhere of us on the honeymoon. I have no idea where those pictures ended up. I also included one of us at our reception...where we wore our wedding attire. So very 90's... Even a little 80's if you're looking at my attractive little jacket. Don't we look like we're headed off to prom?

So, in order to make this an official post on The Boy & The Bulldog, I have to say something about Ian. He woke VERY cheerful this morning and wanted to dance. His new thing is asking me to pick him up and we "dance" in the dark to the sound of his Rainforest music player and say good morning to our shadows. We do "rockabye babies" at night and say goodnight to our shadows, so it's become a ritual. He is quickly getting too heavy to do this for more than a minute or two, but I can still hold him longer than Shawn (or my 6 foot tall dad) go figure. Guys are a little wimpy when it comes to that stuff!

He insisted on soup for breakfast and of course got it all over a brand new shirt... but he ate the whole can before he left with grandma for another overnighter. He had a few crafts to do with cousin Ashleigh, and was looking forward to playing the harmonica with Grandpa Tom and playing trains.

I've got it down to a science now and only have to send a change of clothes. I love not needing to send her with 3 big bags of stuff to get him by for one night. It's one nice thing about boys. They don't take nearly as much "stuff".

We plan to do dinner and a movie tonight and then go to the gym tomorrow before heading to pick him up. It's become a comfortable routine and I'm perfectly OK with it now. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for being so great about taking him and giving us that "alone" time. Trish, although the card you sent was right on the money, he's still fun to be with after all these years... Grandma knows what I'm talking about...and she can relate! I love that.

While the rest of you are saying "huh?", please enjoy a few pictures of what I was doing this time 13 years ago!

My dress was a clearance Jessica McClintock prom dress...and my sandals were $6 at Fred Meyer. Shawn's outfit cost about $100 total at some random mall store. I do still have my dress, though...as dated as it is, I'll probably never get rid of it.

Oh man, look how skinny I am here. I think I was in a size zero or 2 at this time. Shawn still had his beautiful hair then...and he didn't have contacts yet, so I'm not sure what he could actually see!

At our reception. It wasn't until I was scanning this picture that I realized how sheer Shawn's shirt was. Good thing he didn't have his tattoos then!

Ian's Weekend Shenanigans

2009-02-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

OK. So, I know my last post was essentially just Ian running after Polli in the yard. I still love watching it...and imagine replaying it years from now, reminicing about how little he was. I think about just a year ago...and he could hardly be persuaded to go outside and definitely wouldn't have been running around after Polli like that.

So, from the weekend, there were more pictures that I haven't gotten around to posting. Some, I'm holding off to do more "then and now" comparisons...coming soon to a blog post near you.

So, Ian goes for yet another overnighter at Grandma and Grandpa T's house on Friday. That day is our 13th wedding anniversary and we're planning to go out for dinner and a movie... our normal MO for a night alone. Nothing else on tap for the weekend, but next week Ian has his school district speech evaluation to see if he qualifies for continued services or if we'll be on our own at that point.

For now, enjoy a few pictures from the dog park and around the house. Hard to believe it was almost short sleeves weather on Saturday and it's snowing today. Just another lovely winter in the Pacific Northwest!

Daddy & Ian at the dog park

Ian meeting a Boxer. We've always wanted a Boxer, they're such beautiful dogs

Ian and Polli enjoying the sunny day

Heading down the path

Mucho Grassy Ass!

It's official. Ian has hay fever

Ask me how much I hate his haircut!

Everyone has their laptops out

Shawn did this for fun... Thank goodness our social worker visits are over!

Playing in the backyard. When I'm gone this is the kind of thing that happens. The fashion police must have had the day off!

Another M&M Ceremony... The NC-17 version

Follow the Leader

2009-02-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

For those out there who can tolerate mindless video clips of toddlers in action, this is for you... For those who, while growing up, were tortured by home videos of absolutely nothing, you'll probably want to skip this...

I decided not to do any editing, although it was tempting to add silent movie music and speed it up a little. I might still give that a try.

Fabulous February Friday

2009-02-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

Grandma Trish and Ian had another great day together, although Ian was pretty adamant at first with her that she go home, but then panicked when she actually did put her coat back on and walk out the door. He was pretty floored that she actually went. She came back in of course, and from that point on, he wanted her to go, but he wanted to go with her... Saying over and over that he wanted to go to Grandma's house.

We also made the mistake of mentioning a walk after breakfast and he got very excited about that. Problem is, Polli also gets excited at the word "walk" and needless to say, I left Trish with a pretty rowdy bunch to manage.

By all accounts, it was a great days as alway. I love this day at the end of the week when he can just do his own thing and have one on one attention after four days of chaos and over stimulation. I have a hard time believing that, other than mom and dad, there are better caretakers for kids than their very own Grandmas. I only wish my mom were closer so she could have some of that time with him, too... and we'd save a bunch more money! Hey, it would be a win win.

Alas, it can't be that way. I'm trying to figure out a way to get Ian to see my parents before Maui in September, but I'm not sure it's going to work out. Logistically, we're really limited right now and honestly, have 2 vacations coming up in the next 6 months, so...well. I'm sad. We'll work something out, mom & dad!

So, we have nothing planned for this weekend but as I mentioned before, I've been thinking of taking Ian to the Children's Museum in Seattle. However, we're reported to have nice weather tomorrow, so I might take the kiddos to the dog P-A-R-K and then either head into the city on Sunday or take Ian swimming. Haven't decided yet.

Today, Grandma took Ian for a walk to a coffee shop in our neighborhood. It was a traitor move against Starbucks across the street, but I'll forgive it this time. They had a great time chasing their shadows and enjoying the crisp sunny winter day, and when I got home from work he had just gotten up from his nap, in good spirits.

I was thinking about playing a movie to keep him up later this evening (in preparation for another pre-7am wake up like last Sat/Sun), but he started putting together a train track in the kitchen (completely by himself) and has been at it for almost 2 hours now. Why interrupt imagination with brain drain? So, right now he's playing "school bus trains", his own invention. I love that he is getting very independent in his play and also that he is using his imagination more and more. Often, when he talks through what his toys are doing, he includes "mommy & daddy toys" and "Ian & Polli" toys... and if it involves a motor vehicle, everyone is ALWAYS sitting in their proper "real life" spot in the vehicle. So cute...and way more creative and intuitive than when I was 2. I know that for sure.

Also big news, Ian had #2 success on the potty tonight! We were all so excited that we forgot about the M&M's reward. After dinner, he picked out his 2 M&M's and then had to be convinced to eat them. They went for train rides, rode on a flat bed rig, etc. He gets so excited about picking out his colors (and takes forever to decide) that he doesn't want to squander the moment. With any other candy type treat, he scarfs it down like nothing, but his 2 precious M&M's are savored. This is be why we will make him EARN his first car.

I also wanted to share a little story that I don't have a picture for... Today, we were doing letter flashcards and when we got to the Z card, Ian said "Seven this way, and seven upside down". I corrected him that it was a Z... and it took me several minutes to figure out what he saw: A 'Z" really is 2 sevens. Look for yourself. My kid is awesome... Although he also said to me the other day "Mommy, you're so money!", just like Vince Vaughn did in Swingers... a movie Ian has obviously never seen... Where did that come from? Kids are amazing!

Below are a few pictures from his Friday with Grandma...and afterward.

Oh, and I wanted to send out a big thank you to everyone "still" reading our blog so long after Ian has come home. I know blogs were a big source of learning and inspiration for me as we waited, and then ultimately brought Ian home...proving that 1) There IS an end to the wait, 2) We COULD do this, 3) Kids persevere, and 4) Parents can survive it all. The main reason why I keep it going is to be that source of comfort for other families, whether they be China families, other countries, Microtia families...or even the working moms out there trying to juggle it all. I reached 40,000 hits on my blog a few days ago, and while I'm sure half are my mom and mother in law, and the other half my coworkers, the few others out there...Thank you! You keep me going, even on the days I want to hang it up. I know blogs that get that many hits in a month, but for me, that's a big deal... almost 2 and a half years later!

Ian only watches TV a few times a week at most, so he hasn't really broken the close TV watching habit yet. Polli knows the proper distance she is supposed to sit from the screen.

Grandma getting hellos from her grandkiddos

Saying hi to his shadow

Traitor Ian... I mean, Ian drinking a smoothie at Zoka Coffee.

Checking out his Lego train tunnel

'Sup, Mom?!

I only include this to show how short his pants have gotten. In just the past few weeks, almost ALL of his pants have stopped fitting him. Up to now, he's worn the same size pants as in China although he's grown more than 6 inches.

Presented with the M&M's container. Check out that face. Could it get any better than this?

After several minutes, he finally picked his colors... Red and Orange. He usually picks only blue.

Building his train set in the kitchen. I only had to help him move two pieces, otherwise, it's all him.

A Little of This... And a Little of That

2009-02-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

Not much to say on this post, but I'm making up for my last entry's lack of kid pics by overdoing it a little here.

Saturday was a lazy family day. Ian stayed in his PJ's all day and I only went out to do some light grocery shopping. Sunday, we stayed in all day again, but ventured out after naptime to watch Shawn play hockey. During the game, Ian found the video game area in the building and was enthralled by what the big kids were doing. I told him the gun games were broken when he asked me "what is that?". I said, "Those are big kid games that don't work when little kids play them". I fib like that all the time. I'm not sorry. He also thinks Nutri Grain bars are endorsed by The Little Einsteins... and that raisins taste just like gummy snacks.

Ian had the day off Monday with daddy and they stayed in their PJ's again, doing pretty much nothing. I was so jealous! When I take days off, they're to complete an impossible list of tasks like Speech Evaluations...doctors appointments...blood draws... haircuts...and other torturous events. Dad gets to hang out in jammies and watch reruns of Top Gear with his son. Darn that Eve and her apple!

The rest of this week should have more of the same routine. We have nothing major planned for the weekend, so I might take Ian to the Children's Museum in Seattle. We haven't been to that one yet. You'll know if we do!

A few small updates: Ian loves his glasses. They're the first thing he asks for in the morning and whines when I take them off at night. They are obviously making a difference that he can measure now...In just a few short weeks. I never thought it would be this easy.

Also, we're having no potty success, so we're backing off. He gets to sit on the potty if he asks, but there's no pressure and he still accepts diapers. It will happen eventually!

His new favorite phrases are: "Hey, I need Privacy!" and "I NEED THAT". He is also constantly asking "What is that" and "What is ____ doing?", which is a direct result of the many weeks of question words and phrases we practiced with his Brain Quest cards.

He asks all the time if people and things are sad. If a toy is all alone or if Polli throws a stuffed animal around, he asks if they're sad. We watched WALL-E and he asked over and over if WALL-E was sad and where his mommy and daddy went. He makes an instant connection with being alone and sadness.

We're eagerly awaiting his name to come up on the new school's list... His current school is really getting on our nerves. Just once I would like good feedback instead of hearing about how disruptive he is at naptime, or how he wouldn't listen, or any other number of countless things that 2 year olds do, but also points out the lack of engagement and supervision he gets. He doesn't eat the food they offer, sleeps poorly, gets cranky in the afternoon, etc. At least at the new place we'll be able to supply his lunches AND we'll have access to webcams all day. Cool.

At the new school, he'll also have computer time, Spanish class, Kindermusik, and several other great programs...all included. We get none of that now. I'm hoping we're able to get him in sometime before his birthday, but that's starting to look unlikely.

There's not much else going on, so for now, you'll have to make due with a few very random pictures of the weekend:

I don't know why, but he LOVES wearing my shoes. Never Shawn's... Only mine. The higher the heel, the better. Who can't resist a great pair of Kenneth Cole pumps? And he's running in these!

Doing Brain Quest "Max" cards with daddy. These are awesome... I highly recommend for speech therapy. They prompt great vocabulary bursts in numerous categories and prompt the use of prepositions and question words.

Doing "Run Jumps"... Pretty much all he wants to do, all the time. It's essentially Simon Says around the kitchen, living room, and laundry room... Over and over and over and over. Who needs a gym?

I just happen to like this smirk. He's obviously up to something, huh? p.s. I absolutely hate his haircut!

When I showed him this picture on the camera, he copied the pose exactly. Such a little charmer!

Pretending to play video games at the ice rink. I tried to keep him out of this area, but I think they have boy magnets built into the floor.

Naturally, his favorite was the car racing game. Even without quarters, it kept him entertained for 15 minutes.

Wondering why this is in here? This folks, is my son outside playing ALONE! He went out all by himself, which has NEVER happened before. It's a big milestone I didn't even mention above. Before I know it, he'll be taking off with his friends down the street on their bikes. I think of that every time I see neighbor kids out and about. I could cry just thinking about it.

The Anti-Valentine’s Day

2009-02-13T10:52:00.001-08:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but forgot to queue it up...oops! I'm a day behind, so my next cute post of pictures from the weekend will have to wait a day or two. Hopefully I'll be able to add a few from Ian's day off with Daddy tomorrow, President's Day.

Well, We decided to unofficially boycott Valentine's Day this year. I'm sure I took the pressure off Shawn by making this decision all by myself. He unceremoniously dropped a Hershey's Kiss on my couch while I watched TV last night. Happy "Val-Times" (as he calls it).

Whether or not it "stimulates" the economy, it seems like an unnecessary way to spend money these days, so we skipped it. Grandma brought a nice gift of Dr. Seuss books and cash (!!!) for Ian, but we did absolutely nothing for anyone. I bought a box of Valentines for Ian's friends at school, but since he doesn't go on Fridays, he missed the party and I didn't partake in the supplying of garbage food for the little monsters. It's OK. He wasn't feeling well and I'm sure that every kid in his class will be hopped up on sugar and a mess by the end of the day. Ian is fighting a cold (me too) and would have probably stayed home even if it weren't already a scheduled day off. He was making excuses to lay down with his blanket all morning and was crying when I left for work. Grandma's so used to an easy breezy Ian, I'm not sure she has seen this side of him! (Update: Upon arriving home, I learned that he was his perky self within minutes of my departure...and stayed that way and then some all weekend).

Shawn proposed to me on Valentine's Day 14 years ago, but it has never been a major holiday for me. I'm not a flowers and candy girl and the idea of a crowded restaurant for the sake of a day made up by retailers…well I'm just not that into it. So, it's a normal day for us. Not pomp & circumstance and no pink/red hearts around the house. I much prefer to save the excitement and celebrate our Anniversary at the end of the month or my birthday in July, which are really my special days...that I don't have to share with the rest of the world.

I did find a picture of Shawn and me right around the time we were engaged. I suppose it could be considered our Engagement Photo since it was actually taken as we were scouting out possible wedding locations. It was after the headache of this research that we decided to go to St. Thomas and get married on the beach instead. It seems a million years ago. In fact, the bench we're sitting on was at a restaurant and nursery called The Herb Farm when it was located in Fall City, Washington… not far from where we live now. The restaurant was destroyed by fire not long after this and the nursery closed. It was a vacant lot the last time I drove by, with no sign of its former charming self. The Herb Farm was re-established elsewhere, but this was still one of my favorite places. I'm sad that it's gone.

Note our cute matchy matchy outfits. Do kids in love still do this? Green jeans (remember colored denim?) with almost matching boots (remember cowboy boots?) and white shirts. Weren't we so adorable back then? I'm pretty sure we had matching tan leather bomber jackets with us that day, too. Mine had huge shoulder pads. I remember them vividly. Ah, those were the days (like, totally).

Side note: I'm so excited to see a deaf player on The Amazing Race this season...and coming in first in the beginning leg, to boot! Many forget that Ian is technically considered Hard of Hearing since he only has partial hearing in his right ear, to what extent we still don't know. It was good to be reminded that a deaf or Hard of Hearing person can do the same things that hearing folks can do... just without the acoustics. No matter the future outcome for Ian's ear or hearing, he can and will do whatever he sets his mind to. If he has proven anything to us and those who know him, it's that he doesn't let anything get in his way!

Speech Therapy Ups and Haircut Downs

2009-02-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

This week has been fairly routine and not a lot of photo ops. Today was Ian's next to-next to last speech visit with Mona. He only has 2 left! It would be a major step in the wrong direction to lose her at this point. It frustrates me SO much that the school district picks up at age 3. It seems so young. He has a ton of momentum with her right now and, even if he qualifies for speech therapy through the school district, it won't be the same. They won't get the same out of him in an office as Mona gets from him at our house.

I've decided to check Shawn's insurance benefits to see if Speech Therapy can be covered to some extent, and if so, we might just stick with Mona "off the grid". I'll even take Ian's old therapist Maura... but I'm feeling really sick about losing that group's support right now. They've done so much good for Ian and he just LOVES Mona...and I mean loves her. He talks about her, asks about her, and responds so well to her when she's here. He listens and interacts with her in a way that he doesn't do with most family and especially his teachers (I sometimes wonder if he talks at all at school). As a parent, she gives me good feedback and provides wonderful suggestions for improvement. She is creative and sweet... and I'll miss her.

I don't have pictures, but I took Ian for a haircut yesterday and he had a major MAJOR meltdown. He did great during his last haircut and sat well for the stylist. This time, I'm not sure what the trigger was, but he went into full meltdown mode and kept saying she was hurting him. She wasn't...I was right there. I think she might have poked him with the scissors once and it set him off. She was also nervous, which doesn't help. For crying out loud, it's Great Clips. They cut 2 kinds of hair: Men and kids. You'd think they'd have a system down. Anyway, it was similar to when he has blood drawn. In order to get to a point where it was even and he didn't have a mullet, I had to put him in my lap and hold his legs, arms and head. Yeah. It was as difficult as it sounds. He's getting really strong! In the end, he ended up with a bowl cut... when he didn't even really need his bangs cut at all and the sides and back are almost the same length....and it was $15 plus my guilt-laden $5 tip. $20 bucks. Next time I might take Grandpa Tom up on his offer to borrow the dog clippers.

Before she rang us up, she went to the back of the salon for a minute and I thought I could hear crying. I felt really bad for her, but come on... That can't be the first dramatic 2 year old she's ever seen. I assured her that she did fine and that I should be sorry. I wasn't really (I mean, I just pinned my child down while a stranger came at him with sharp objects) but felt like I had to be nice about it.

Within minutes of leaving, he was just fine. We went next door to the toy store and his sucker of a mom bought a tiny little train piece for $20. I don't know what's worse, the fact that toy makers exploit parents by putting these things in irresistible packaging and at the front of the store, or that there are people like me that fall for it. Regardless, he was thrilled and the haircut fiasco was long forgotten. So, I was down $40 for a toddler haircut and a consolation prize. C'est La Vie!

Tomorrow is another exciting Grandma Trish day. Ian asked out of the blue yesterday to go to Grandma's house and see Spirit. I asked if he wanted to take Polli... He said "No, Polli stay home. Only Ian play with Spirit". Once the weather gets nicer, Spirit can come on Fridays and they can all lounge on the patio... sounds nice!

For those wondering, he is doing great with his glasses. When he's at home, he never takes them off and usually asks for help if they come off or get off kilter. Odd that most of the pictures I saw of him at grandma's house, there were no glasses on! They're also usually around his neck or just getting put back on when I pick him up from school. What would kids do without their moms around to be the police?

Below are a measly few pictures from the past few days. I've been a slacker with the camera. Ian also doesn't love it when I have it out, possibly because of the flash. He's always saying "Mommy, camera down!". He's getting more like his daddy every day!

When I ask him to smile at the camera, this is what I get. A quick flash of cheezy overdone grin. Sorry about the mouth full of apple.

Getting REALLY good at "no lid" drinking. Niced moo-stache, Ian!

Roadkill

You Are My Sunshine, Ian!

2009-02-09T14:09:00.000-08:00

I finally got this to upload in Blogger! What a chore. This is from Ian's latest sleepover.

Ian and Grandpa Tom singing Ian's favorite song and playing the mandolin. Grandpa Tom sounds cranky at the end, but the video cut out before the laughter... dadburnit!

Another Overnight with Grandma & Grandpa

2009-02-08T14:12:00.001-08:00

Our weekend started with Ian packing up and heading to Grandma & Grandpa T's house for yet another overnighter. A mere 6 months ago, I had to be begged and bribed into letting them take Ian overnight, but I'm over it now in a big way and am glad to let them take him for that ONE night every once in a while. A big part of what eases my mind is that Ian loves it at their house and is 100% comfortable to sleep alone in his room there with zero issues. It's another day in the life for him when he's there.

This time, Polli went too, so we truly had an empty house. Before Polli came along in Dec. of 2005, it was what our house was like all the time. I don't remember the quiet being so quiet then or the hollow feeling I get now, that something important is missing...like a limb that is suddenly unusable or diminished eyesight. I missed them both terribly, even for just that one night, but I especially missed Polli. Yes, I know that's horrible. I admit it here (and expect the backlash) that I missed my dog more than my son Friday night. Normally when Ian goes to Grandma's house, I have Polli to fill the gap... She warms my lap and is my ever present best friend when Ian is asleep or gone. She makes me feel necessary and valuable in a way that no human ever could. For this reason, having her gone too was a big letdown. I make it sound like Shawn and I were on other ends of the planet this weekend, and we were a bit of the time. We each had our own reasons for wanting the night off Friday, and it wasn't for a date night this time.

Friday night, I had arranged a "IT Girls Night" for my department. There are only 9 of us ladies on site compared to 3 dozen guys, so I got the OK to arrange a round of drinks and dinner. Six of us were able to attend and we had a great time learning how each of us got our start in IT and at SanMar. It was a ton of fun. I haven't been out with gals for...well almost never... so this was a treat for me. By 8pm, we were ready to break off and get back to our lives, many of us moms and wives with long to-do lists waiting to be completed...and I'm sad to say we didn't get a single picture although I had a camera in my purse.

I decided to go see "He's Not That Into You", but it was sold out in the 3 closest theaters for most of the evening's showings...so I walked around the mall for an hour and then closed down Target. I can't say that I've ever heard "Target will be closing in 10 minutes". It was a new milestone for me but a sad one, right? I mean, it was Friday night and I was loitering in Target. I walked out with a windbreaker for Ian and a bag of dog snacks... Is it obvious who I was thinking about the whole time?

Why was I doing this, you ask? Well, while I was having my girls' night, Shawn was hosting a guys poker party at our house. I couldn't very well go home and be the wife who ruined everyone's dude fun. I did eventually go home to sneak upstairs and watch TV while the party raged, and yes it raged... I heard lots of swear words and "between hands" arm wrestling tournament. Oh, the fun I was missing, right? And although they didn't smoke in the house, there was a lot of cigar smoke finding it's way back in from the garage somehow, and it smelled like a bachelor pad throughout the house.

It started disbanding at about 1AM and Shawn came to bed silly on beers and thankfully had already cleaned up after himself; my kitchen sink was actually empty! I was pretty impressed. It sounded like fun though, and I like poker, so the next time, I'm hoping it can be a co-ed event...I guess that means I'll have to invite my department guys to the next girls' night! Hmmm. We'll have to think this through a little more.

So, I woke early Saturday and went to the gym while Shawn slept. We went and had a nice lunch at Panera, my favorite lunch spot, and then headed to see our kiddos. We stayed the night, drank wine, and watched movies...and then headed back home in time for Ian's nap today. It was great to be reunited with my kids. I missed them so much, eventhough it is truly nice to have a break every once in a while...even if the highlight is simply a break from tiptoe-ing the halls after 7pm.

While Ian napped today, Shawn and I watched my beloved Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins... YAY!, and ate too much junk food. Now Ian and I are playing while Shawn is off playing hockey with his Sunday league.

Probably the most important event of the whole weekend is that today, Ian told Shawn "uh-oh daddy, toots" and asked to go to the potty. We sat for a while and low & behold, there was pee pee & poo poo in the potty when he stood up. It was a big celebration, with the big finale being that Ian FINALLY got M&M's for going. He got 2 for #1 and 2 for #2... and couldn't have been more thrilled about his 4 M&M's. He savored each like it was caviar and obviously doesn't take that luxury for granted.

Below are several pics from Ian's overnight stay including a few with cousin Ashleigh during his last stay, 2 weeks ago. She's so great with him.

I've also been trying to upload a great video of Ian singing with Grandpa Tom, but Blogger's video upload is terrible and I need to figure out what's wrong. Stay tuned for that soon.

Reading with Cousin Ashleigh

Bonding with their blankets...

...Someone understands his need for a good sniff

Checking out one of Grandpa Tom's carvings...I'm pretty sure he thought it was real

Isn't this a cool book? He loved playing pretend with Masie. Here, he's feeding her oatmeal.

Hanging out in Spirit's kennel

He loves Grandma's window seat

Taking a break on the stairs

Anniversary of Ian’s First Day of School

2009-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today marks ONE YEAR since Ian started school. This time last year, I was sitting in the Starbucks down the street from his daycare wringing my hands for three hours before going back to pick him up. I was nervous about how he reacted when I left. I was sad that I couldn't somehow stay and watch without him knowing. I felt guilty for putting him in another scary unknown situation so soon after the traumatic process of coming home. More than anything, I was torn. Torn between my desire to go back to work and my wish to stay home with him. I always said I would go back, but in theory, I haven't met a single mom who doesn't wish they could be with their kids more, especially in those first few years.

So, when I went back for him on that first day after 3 hours, he was sitting happily at the table eating lunch. Spoon. Plate. Chair. I couldn't believe it. By the end of that week, he was head first into a routine and he didn't show a single sign of distress from the separation. I can't lie. That was hard. Something in me wanted him to struggle with the transition more, eventhough I know that would have been worse.

Now, a year later, he is a bona fide school kid. Monday through Thursday, he gets up at 5:30, goes to school from 6:30-3:30, and goes to sleep at about 7. Although we decided early on that the daycare he's in is not our choice for nutrition and curriculum reasons, he has flourished in the past year. Flourished in ways I never imagined possible. I won't give his center too much credit since it's more or less an expensive babysitting service there. Much of his progress is based on the success of speech therapy, his "down day" with Grandma Trish on Fridays, and our "every waking minute" attitude toward learning.

I read back over my post a year ago and can't believe how far he has come. He was a brand new walker, was afraid of outside, and had zero vocabulary past "dah" and the occasional "mama". He was barely eating with utensils and had never (at least since home) eaten out of his highchair. Now, he talks like any other almost-three year old, is completely fearless, and is BUSY. Just how many laps around the living room and kitchen can one kid do?

Here we are passing year one and getting ready to start a new daycare, or "Early Learning Center" as they prefer to be called. We're hoping to come up on the waiting list in the next month, making a transition to their Preschool class in March. I will have to go through that above hand wringing process again as we move him to yet another strange new place. All you parents out there who've had to move for jobs, military, etc… My heart goes out to you. I don't know how you do it!

We are also adding in the use of a keyboard and mouse with an old laptop of mine. There is some great toddler software out there that teaches the general key clicking and cursor moving skills, and he seems to love it. It's incredibly annoying to us adults, but quite engaging for him. As silly as that might seem to some, I think all the time about how important these skills will be by the time he is an adult. Chances are, he'll need to have a keyboard mastered and be capable of handling electronics by the 1^st grade, if not earlier.

I also posted a few pictures of Ian at the park yesterday. LESS than a year ago, he actually figured out that outside was not the enemy. Watching him climb, jump, run, and slide with ease yesterday made me realize just how much he has accomplished this year. He amazes me on a daily basis! As we speak, I'm probably taking for granted something that will blow my mind a year from now!

So, I think it's evident that I've done away with such luxuries as hair combing or even pants in some cases, but it's easy to see much has changed in a year. He's definitely not the baby he was then. Why does it have to go so fast?

Learning his new computer software

Already mastering the mouse

Playing at the park. This time last year he was still unsure about the park...and would have never been able to manage the stairs alone.

Pretending to drive "the bus". Everything is either a train or a bus with this kid!

Finishing off January

2009-02-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

What a lame week. I had so many great plans for Chinese New Year, but didn't follow through with a thing past the initial Hong Bao and giving Ian a Chinese Dragon train piece. I also bought him a traditional shirt (that I probably could have bought for pennies in China) that won't fit him next year. Well, it sits in his closet with the tags still attached. Sigh.

On the flip side of things, I joined a Yahoo group for families with kids from China in our area (the Eastside Seattle suburbs). Unfortunately, it's called "Eastside Little Ladybugs", but he'll have to deal with that a lot with the local "Born in China" community. Good thing he likes the ladies! I may just regret this some day!

Unfortunately, with most groups, the playdates are all in the morning on weekdays. I'm waiting for the day working mom's are recognized. It's pretty frustrating that I can't even get a decent magazine devoted to the subject. I get the feeling that once more moms are forced back into the workplace from our spiriling economy, that will change. As sad as that is for those who've dreamed and worked hard to stay home... It's probably a stark reality!

We did have one milestone this weekend... Ian had his first time out! Yep. I made him sit on the naughty step for one minute. He was upset that I told him to pick up his toys before getting a snack and proceeded to take all 25 letter magnets off the fridge (we're missing the X) and throw them at me. I was emptying the dishwasher and pretended I didn't notice, so he said "mommy, see this?" and when I turned, he threw one right at me. Sassy sucker. I picked him up and took him to the step, put him down and sat next to him. I told him "you never throw toys and especially at mommy. That hurt my feelings and could have given me owies. You're going to sit here and stay sitting for one minute because you didn't pick up your toys like I asked you to."

He cried. I hated to see it. But, he sat there for the whole minute saying "where's daddy?" Of course. Go to the other parent! After a minute, I went over and said "I want you to say you're sorry for throwing toys at me". He said "I sorry mommy". It could have melted my heart. I then gave him a hug and said "Thank you, now what are you going to do next?" He said "pick up letters and get a snack". So, we went over and he picked up every letter (we sounded it out as they went on the fridge and made it a game), and after, he got a snack. Thank you, Super Nanny!

Since we skipped the Chinese New Year Festival put on by our local chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC), we stayed in jammies most of this morning and then went to lunch at Qdoba after nap. Ian was so excited for a Naked Burrito. In the end, anything with beans and rice are his version of heaven. He ate almost an entire adult Naked Burrito. You go, kid.

This is poised to be a boring week for Ian but a busy week for mom and dad. Shawn will be at Microsoft's Tech Ready all week and I'm on fulltime mom/dad duty from sun up to sun down. I also have lots of training going on this week and will be giving classes every day this week to new hires in my department. Now that we're pretty much done hiring for a while, I have no idea what that means for me. Hopefully more writing projects. There's always something for me to do, so I'm not too terribly worried. Yet.

I will be stopping at Ian's future preschool tomorrow to see how much longer we'll be waiting. It's been 10 months since we put him on the waiting list. Ridiculous, but it means lower student/teacher ratios and a better school overall (and walking distance from our house). I was reviewing their curriculum again tonight and couldn't be more excited. I also get to provide his lunches, meaning they'll be healthier than the current chicken nugget/spagetti from a can diet he gets now and I'll be able to send things I know he'll eat. I feel much better about what's in his tummy in the afternoon when I packed it myself.

At the end of this week, Ian and Polli get to hang out at grandma Trish and grandpa Tom's overnight again. Shawn is hosting a poker party at our house and I am attempting to put together a first ever girls' night for my department. Shawn has about 30 RSVP's while I have a measly 4... Looks like I'll be finding a quiet place to read a book and have a cocktail for the wee hours that boys will be going crazy over a $20 buy in. They're lucky girls aren't invited. I'd shark the table for sure.

Below are a random hodgepodge of pictures from the week. Once I get grandma's memory card, I'll have some pics from Ian's last sleepover.

P.S. Mom & Dad: Sorry the Cardinals lost! I was rooting for them in your honor, but had to also root for Pittsburgh for a few other friends... But it was still hard to see them lose. Hope you're recovering OK!

Checking out the Yuan that was in his Hong Bao, the envelopes of money given during Chinese New Year for wealth and prosperity. Give a little of that over here, Ian!

He liked the chocolate money...and even the real stuff, but there was NO WAY he was letting me put it in the piggy bank... A golden OX, since this is the Year of the Ox. We'll deposit what goes in there at the end of the year (or use if for groceries the way things are going).

His favorite cartoon is Little Einsteins, this is Leo, the main character... Who also wears glasses. He has been the driving motivator in getting Ian to put on and keep on his specs.

Our little musician shows that he's not a one trick pony. Getting into a Jerry Lee Lewis groove here...

On his way to time out. Yep, I had to get a picture of that moment.

Ian and Grandpa Tom's Hoedown

2009-01-27T12:54:00.001-08:00

I've posted a couple of video clips on Facebook of Ian playing harmonica with Grandpa Tom. Normally, I just don't even try posting here because I usually have nothing but problems, but these are really too cute to keep to ourselves.

Turns out these loaded pretty quickly, so without further adieu, please enjoy a few minutes of good 'ol harmonica jammin'!

Another Date Night

2009-01-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Ian stayed at Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house Friday night so Shawn and I could have another date night. I know what you're thinking...That's 2 date nights in 6 months. Isn't that a little selfish? Well, it's only the second since Ian came home in November of 07, so I'm willing to risk offending that growing segment of the parenting public who are quick to jump in and say they've never been away from their kids overnight.

It was worth it, although Shawn wore jeans again, just like our last date night. He dresses really nice for work (for no good reason) yet jeans for our night out. He said it was because I was behind on laundry. OOOOHHHH. Probably not the right thing to say a month before our Anniversary.

So we went to Palomino, an upscale grill, and in true romantic fashion used a 2 for 1 dinner coupon. If we were newly married, this would be a major problem... but after 13 years, even just ordering something off the menu over $10 is a fancy night out... so I'm not complaining.

The dinner was great and I had 2 martinis (Tirimisu and Lychee...as a homage to Chinese New Year)and crab stuffed cod. It was awesome. It was worth the jeans and coupon. That's how good it was.

After, we went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was very good. I expected it to be good considering the hype, but it was better than I expected. The story is moving, it has just enough love story but wasn't over the top lovey dovey... and Brad Pitt was nice to look at in his younger (older) years. It reminded me a lot of Forest Gump and will probably do well at the Oscars. The cinematography and special effects were great. It was also very long...almost 3 hours. It moved at a good enough pace to support that length though, and made me feel like I got my money's worth considering it may be a while before I see another movie in the theater again. Who wants to pay $10 and spare their only night out for a 90 minute slapstick comedy? Not me.

We were home and asleep by midnight and I was up by 8 the next morning feeling like I wanted to go get Ian right then. I missed him and felt like if I was going to sit around and do nothing, he might as well be doing nothing with me (yeah right). We ended up going to lunch, which we rarely do because of the circus that ensues, and it was nice to eat uninterrupted. Of course, there were Chinese twin girls eating lunch next to us and they were so adorable. I thought of Ian the whole time and counted the hours until we would drive to pick him up.

As I knew he would, he had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. His cousin Ashleigh stayed the night also and they had a ton of fun playing, sharing blankets, and being silly. She is great with kids and he loves her, so it was nice that they had that time together.

Ian and Grandpa Tom jammed together on their harmonicas and it was a total laugh riot. Videos are hard to post in Blogger, so I won't even try, but there are some good pics below of those two gettin' their blues on. It was too cute.

Ian did OK with his glasses, but I'm nervous about school tomorrow. I know for a fact that those things won't stay on for long periods of time and who knows what will happen to them. They plan to use "glasses" as their conversation at circle time and discuss why Ian needs glasses, and why they should not be touched, taken off, or pulled on. Hopefully he'll only be the center of attention with them for a while and then life will go back to normal. It will be interesting to see how it goes. He doesn't like them on when he's looking at a book or things close up, but he's learning how to lift them to his forehead and then bring them back down again when he's done. Again, not sure how that will translate to school.

Below are a few pics from yesterday. There are more cute shots trapped on grandma's camera...But there's even one of me with Ian. So very rare! Too bad I was having a bad hair day. Can't we schedule these things better? :-)

Tomorrow marks the start of Chinese New Year and Ian already knows he wants lots of Hong Baos (red envelopes of money) to symbolize weath and prosperity in the new year. I have one for him each day of Chinese New Year, and he can put the money in the Golden Ox piggy bank I bought him. We are planning to go to our Families with Children from China chapter's CNY celebration next Saturday in Seattle, and sometime during the week, Ian and I will make fortune cookies and paper lanterns. I would love to take him down to the China Town in Seattle for Dim Sum, but I'm afraid we won't have time during the CNY period. Maybe after when it won't be so crazy.

Showing off his blue glasses

Rare pic of the two of us... and I have hair issues. Oh well.

Silly

He couldn't get enough of this placemat for some reason. With his short nose bridge, it's almost impossible to get his glasses to stay on straight.

Jammin with Grandpa

Finding a good rhythm. He is actually pretty good at this...and bobs back and forth to the tune. It's so adorable. It just can't be described with pictures.

Getting a goodbye snuggle from Aunt Shannon

Breaking News: Ian's New Glasses

2009-01-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

I received the call yesterday that Ian's glasses were ready to be picked up. I raced to the Optical store to get them and couldn't wait to try them on him.

I asked the woman there if there was a way to simulate the way he sees without his glasses... I really wanted to know what Ian sees now. She said putting his prescription on would give me a good idea of how he sees things without a prescription. Wow. My kid is blind. His prescription is one of the strongest I've seen. I asked her how he sees such detail and can identify things, even at a distance. She said kids are masters at faking it and don't analyze or quantify what they can and cannot see at that age. If I had known he was so limited all this time, I would have had him to the doctor our first day back in the states. I'm interested to see if these new glasses translate into a jump in any specific area of development. I have my suspicions that the amount of sleep he currently requires will drop. His eyes are probably so tired by the end of the day that he can't even keep them open. Poor Ian!

So, he was asleep by the time I got home last night, meaning I needed to test them out in the AM. I had them on him within minutes of waking up and he did AWESOME! It helps that his favorite Little Einsteins character, Leo, wears glasses. I told him that Leo needs his glasses to see better when he goes on missions. He was all about wearing them after that.

He lasted about 10 minutes before asking for them off, but he kept lifting them and putting them back down. It obviously made a big difference right away. I put them on again to eat breakfast and to feed Polli, telling him he had to wear them for these things. He didn't argue and wore them all the way up to leaving for school.

I want to take baby steps with how long he wears them until the weekend, when we'll work on lengthening those times, before sending him to school with them. I frankly don't trust his teachers to work with us on it and they'll end up missing. I just know it.

Below are a few pictures first thing this morning with his glasses. I'm disappointed about the glare, but I'd rather have that than scratched up or broken lenses, so it's a fair trade off. They're thick and clunky, but they are also unbreakable, so they'll make perfect "training" glasses. A year in these should get him ready for a lighter metal frame... and then he'll really be ready for the Ivy Leagues!

Charles Nelson Riley? Is that you?

He already likes them and he's not even out of his crib yet.

Getting the hang of actually seeing me clearly from across the room.

His new serious look

He had them on for a good 15 minutes at this point with no problem. I completely underestimated how well he would do. No bribes needed yet!