Thursday, October 19, 2006

Smiles!






Sunday, October 15, 2006

Catching Up

Here is a smattering of news from the Brannnon household:

October 5-6: Cedar Key
We really enjoyed the two days we spent at Cedar Key. We rented a nice little cottage that was right on the water - lovely view and very peaceful. We spent the time walking around the town (and stopping so Iain could be admired by passersby), eating at a local seafood restaurant, and going on a boat ride around the keys. Iain was very well behaved on the boat! We learned about the interesting wildlife on the unpeopled keys; for example, on one key, the water moccasin population has changed into non-water snakes, as they have no fresh water on the island. Instead, they are foragers, eating only the fish dropped by the egrets as they feed their babies. The snakes and the birds are not enemies at all as they birds feed the snakes, and the snakes scare other predators away from the birds. Interesting. We also visited a scrub habitat, for those of you who remember those from the days of field trips and contests. No scrub jays, but we did see a few skinks and a toad.

Here's a picture of our little beach baby after the boat ride, one in the scrub, and one of us on one of the keys.




October 7: Open House and Baby Celebration
We had a lovely open house at my mom's, planned by Mrs. Icardi. Friends from church stopped by to meet Iain and to visit. It was good to see everyone, and to catch up.




State of the Sinking House
It's no longer sinking! The work crew came by last week and jacked it up on steel pilings. I was inside the house when it was raised and it was very interesting to see it move and hear it creaking! There are still holes outside our house and the front door no longer opens, but at least we're not in danger any longer of falling into the earth. And, thankfully and remarkably, none of the tiles in the dining room or kitchen cracked.

October 14: Iain is One Month Old
Celebrated with a visit from Jeremy's parents (Grammy and Papa), as well as with a candle in a scone (how very British of us), Iain turned one month old. It's amazing to think it's only been a month - seems like he's always been here with us. And on the other hand, a month seems very old.

Miscellaneous Cuteness



Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Bathtime, Etc.

Iain had his first real bath yesterday. He took it like a man - not much squalling at all! He did cry, but not as much as I expected. I think he'll like bath time someday! We have a little wire-framed mesh tub seat that he was in, in the big tub. It worked out pretty well, making it easier to hold on to a slippery-wet baby. And he still has the sweet newborn smell, thanks in part to the baby oil. :) Here's a picture of bathtime with Iain.


I also wanted to post a few of Iain's first pictures: sonogram photos from about a month before he was born. They are pretty good ones of his face; you can even see his cute chubby cheeks. The sonographer knew he was a boy, but didn't let on to us. I enjoyed seeing a sneak peek of the baby, but Jeremy waited until he was born to see him for the first time. He said it was like peeking under the wrapping paper of a Christmas gift.


Today, Iain and I took a long walk with a new friend and her new baby Noah. Lauren lives about two blocks from us and we met her as she took her son on a walk past our house a few days ago. So we exchanged numbers and today walked together. It was really nice. Noah is about five weeks older than Iain, and he is her first baby, too. But the best part was that we found out that Lauren and her husband go to the same church we do! It was great the way the Lord orchestrated us meeting and I am thankful for a new friend so close by! And the fact that she's staying at home with her baby and he's right around Iain's age is so nice. I look forward to many more walks with them, especially as the weather gets nicer.

Tomorrow, Jeremy, Iain and I are going on our first overnight trip. Our anniversary is October ninth, so we decided to go to Cedar Key and stay over as a treat. We found a cute cottage there and we look forward to walking around the area, seeing the parks and the beaches, and enjoying a change of scenery. It'll be fun taking Iain on his first trip of many, I am sure.

And a few more pictures just for fun.