Two Posts in One

Due to blogger being unwilling to load pictures, last week's post was delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience. :) Here's last week's post, which should have gone up last Wednesday, Iain's six-month birthday:

3/14/07
Today, Iain Mark is six months old. I thought it would be fun to compare the six-month-old Iain with the newborn one:

Weight Then: 8lb 12 oz
Weight Now: 23.5 lbs

Height Then: 23 inches
Height Now: 29 inches

Family Photo Then:


Family Photo Now:
New Tricks Then: um... breathing, eating, sleeping, making cute faces, moving arms and legs, trying out lungs, etc, etc, etc.
New Tricks Now: practicing sitting and trying to scoot

Favorite Dayime Activity Then:
Favorite Daytime Activity Now:

(note: in the week since I originally wrote this post, Iain's favorite activity has changed. Now the jumpy seat holds his attention only briefly, but sitting up in a laundry basket, so he doesn't topple over, and playing with his toys has become the new favorite!)

Menu Then: milk
Menu Now: milk, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and the new favorite: squash!

Musical Inclination Then:
Musical Inclination Now:
Happy Six Months, Iain!



3/21/07
Well. House-wise, we did finally get the slab poured, only two days late. We also had some electrical work done (preliminary stuff) and Jeremy and I are working a few hours at a time to fill the cement block cells on the four corners of the laundry room. We also bought a stackable washer and dryer from Craigslist, which will save us several feet of living space.

Iain is still teething, but seems to be not quite as miserable as he was before. He is sleeping moderately well at night and today he napped exceptionally well! He also sat up for ten minutes before tumbling over.

Since I haven't been able to post in a while, I have a backlog of cute Iain photos.
Here are some more family photos. Iain was being rather wiggly and fussy so we had a hard time getting a good smile out of him!



Trying to coax a smile:

Iain up a tree:

Well, dinner time is upon us. The other cute Iain pictures will have to wait. Coming soon: Iain has his first taste of a family favorite. Tune in next time!

Sitting, Scooting, and If the Creek Don't Rise

Iain is almost six months old. Can you believe it? He is working on sitting in earnest now though he still tumbles almost every time. He is also teething in earnest, which is tough on the poor little guy. He's not a cryer (a fusser at times, but he doesn't often actually cry hard), but the past few days, it seems every time he tries to nurse he just cries and cries. It's so pitiful! Pray for his teeth to come in soon and with as little pain as possible.

In the swing:
I must say, though, even with the teeth troubles, he is sleeping a bit better. Last night, he woke up three times instead of four (or eight), and I think had his teeth not bothered him, he wouldn't have awakened the last time. So praise the Lord for progress.
Fun floor time:



Aunt Haylee really wanted Iain to scoot before she left for the month. She practiced with him this last week, and eventually, he learned that he can propel himself forward if someone puts their hand behind his feet for him to push off. He really, really wants to crawl! He gets frustrated that he can't, even though he can roll himself wherever he wants to go (and does so!). I think once he really gets moving, there will be no stopping this active boy. Anyway, when he tries to scoot, he grunts and groans and makes you think he was trying to lift the refrigerator. Very dramatic boy.

Aunt Kelsey came to visit (well, she didn't come for the express purpose of visiting Iain, but we like to think she did). She was a good sport and fed Iain his sweet potato and rice cereal lunch, which was fun for us all to watch. They both made quite a mess of themselves and each other. Aleah, Grace and Jake were over, so Iain had quite an audience as he chowed down.


Last bit of news for the evening: we are pouring slab tomorrow (if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, that is). It really feels like we're moving on this house project, finally. We spent the weekend emptying the laundry room and tearing down the walls, removing the sink, washer, dryer, hot water heater and miscellaneous pipes. Uncle Alex and my mom helped out a great deal, and Nan took Iain for a stroll so we could finish up today. Jeremy loved demolishing the walls with the sledgehammer - actually grinned while smashing away. Must be a guy thing. The "room" looks strange now, like a stage waiting for a play to be performed. And tomorrow, we will have slab! A good way to start off spring break.

Before:


During:


After:

Outdoor Fun

The other day, after a particularly fussy morning, Iain and I needed a break from looking at the same walls of our house. It was abeautiful day and I had some potted plants I had been meaning to re-pot, so we headed outside. Iain, as usual, loved being outdoors, and the weather was beautiful. I put him in his jumparoo so he could look around (instead of laying him on his back where he could only look up). As I potted my plants, I would look up and catch him looking around and smiling to himself. He didn't even jump - just sat there looking at the trees, the grass, the birds... I think we have ourselves an outdoor lover, and I am glad.