Ian's Big Shin-Dig

Today was Ian's welcome home and birthday parties all rolled into one, hosted by the one and only person who could make Martha Stewart look disorganized, his Grandma Trish.

Trish deserves her own stage a bit to be appreciated for how much she gives without asking for anything in return. Being a Grandma is truly her calling and if there were a Nobel Prize for it, she would be a repeat winner.

So, she threw a wonderful party for Ian with nothing forgotten, and many of our favorite family and friends were in attendance. Ian was a dream all day, and at one point I saw him stroll past the crowd I was in, and I thought "oh yeah, Ian... I almost forgot he was here". He just did wonderful in such a crowded and loud group. It helped a lot that it was a familiar place with many familiar faces.

My parents flew into town from Arizona; my brother Rex drove down from the city; Shawn's cousin Troy, his wife Shannon, and their son Alex came; Troy's mom and dad Pat & Tim (Grandpa Tom's sister and brother in law/Ian's great aunt & uncle); Shawn's oldest brother Mark, wife Shannon, and kids Alec & Ashleigh, Shannon's adorable brother Rick and mom Nancy; our good family friends Tim & Cassie, their beautiful daughters Aiden and Marlee, and Cassie's mom Nancy; Dave and Kathy, otherwise known as "The Wonderfuls"; Mary & Jamie with their cutie pie curly head carrot top grandson, Kent; our good friends Chuck & Lu with their sweet nieces, Margaret and Nicki. I really hope I'm not accidentally forgetting anyone. If so, I'll figure it out and add them later. Never the less, it was an amazing group. We plan to do this again this summer at our house for the benefit of many of our friends and coworkers, but for our family and friends in the "south end", it was an amazing turn out.

Even without much of a nap and not a lot to eat other than milk, cheese, and cake, Ian was more mature and easy to handle than any two year old I've ever met...and I don't just say that because he's my son. Just about everyone agreed. I'm not crazy, my kid is just naturally amazing!

He wasn't interested in getting his hands in birthday cake, but he quickly warmed up to the taste of the frosting. Since he's not used to sweets, I think it was an odd taste at first, but soon he was taking bigger and bigger bite fulls.

He got a ton of great gifts and several really nice donations to various charities (one to Ian's orphanage...thanks, big bro!), and several items that will make wonderful donations to Ian's orphanage. . The entire time we were opening gifts and cards, Ian was playing with a toy Barbie bicycle and couldn't care less about opening gifts. He did get in the action a bit when a loud fire engine entered the picture...and then again when a "band in a box" was opened. Noise is so much fun.

He was out like a light within 15 minutes of leaving the house and barely woke for his PJ change when we arrived home. Sweet dreams, Ian. Welcome to the big boy club, son!

A special thank you to my parents, Ian's Grama & Paga, for making the long trip up from Phoenix. I don't know anyone else in the world who would have gone from 80 degrees to 30 for a two year old's birthday party. Mom and dad, you have no idea what this weekend meant to us. We miss not having you near and can't wait to see you again.

Here are just a few of the 130 pictures I took today (doesn't count the 40 or so that I deleted).

Nothing to do with Ian's big day, but thought I'd show you all what a day in "almost April" doesn't normally look like in Seattle.

Ian helps Shawn disconnect the MANY ridiculous ties that anchor down every toy in existence. You parents know what I'm talking about. I sure wish I could buy stock in that company! (Yes, Shawn's wearing shorts here...he looks a little naked.)

What a happy 2 year old looks like... our cheerful days might just be numbered until the "terrible twos" kicks in...although I think he'll be a delightful angel forever.

Multi tasking with the sound/light/learning toys. "A" says "A & AH"... Did you know that?

Chit chat with Paga..."So what do you think the Mariners chances are this season? Diamondback fans now? Well, good thing you're family!"

Chit chat with Uncle Rex... "So what do you think about that Jeff Brown trade? I know Grama & Paga are Cardinals fans now. Can you believe it?"

Ian meets his goofy aunt Pat. Yep, another family member with a silly southern accent.

Uncle Ricky helps Ian "raise the roof"

More people to entertain. A two year old's job is never done!

Everyone remembers their first red party cup!

Happy Birthday to Ian! (For the skeptics who think I'm a myth since I never appear in pictures, here's proof that I really do exist!)

Mmm. This cake stuff is OK!

He enjoyed this fire truck (and the random barbie bicycle he found in a box somewhere).

He enjoyed his box of instruments. I can't remember what this one is called, but it had a cool texture and sound.

One man show in an all girl band

Let's see, Spirit is technically Ian & Polli's Aunt. Ian loves dogs and was so excited to see her.

Sleepytown came quickly. Happy birthday my son. We're so glad your 2nd birthday was spent here with us and everyone who loves you so much...and not in an orphanage.

Ian Turns Two!

Today is a pretty monumental day for us... It's Ian's 2nd Birthday! He spent the day as I think everyone should...playing hookie from school, hanging out with his grandparents, and shoe shopping! (No really. We went shoe shopping).

My parents, Ian's Grama & Paga, flew into town last night from Arizona just in time to enjoy our Spring snowstorm in Seattle. Nothing like adjusting to a 50 degree difference in the weather! We picked them up from their hotel and headed to do some shopping. The original plan was to go toy shopping for Ian's birthday, but we ended up at Macy's buying shoes. I'm not sure how that happened, but he actually liked it there. He walked with his Paga and checked out the shoe displays. That's my boy!

We continued on to lunch with my mom's old employer prior to her retirement, and had a wonderful time. Ian was very well behaved and even managed to eat an entire plate of Asian Chicken Salad and steamed dumplings. Their house is a museum of worldly acquired one of a kind pieces of art and glass, and not really the place for a toddler, but he did great and didn't break a single item (but kept me on my toes, I can tell you that much). He especially enjoyed their grand piano and plunked the keys like a true maestro.

From there, we further defied nap time physics and went to Toys R Us, where my parents bought him his first real car...a Cozy Coupe and some play instruments. He test drove one in the store and loved it, so lets hope it doesn't fall victim to the Cozy Coupe junk yard anytime soon.

We dropped them off at their hotel and headed home to round out our day with dinner and a bath...and despite the lack of sleep, he remained chipper and happy. He's a mature 2 year old, for sure.

His birthday party is Sunday at his Grandma Trish & Grandpa Tom's house... that will be when the real festivities happen.

I only took a few pictures today to prevent being a rude house guest, but they're cute:

I had to get a picture of his birthday suit... and cute package!

Shoe shopping agreed with him....Note to self.

He remembered my dad, his Paga. He lit up as soon as he saw him. He wasn't sure about my mom at first, but in the end, everyone remembers grandma's love, so I'm not worried.

Playing piano. He loved it...and left the fingerprints to show for it!

The Day After

I worked from home most of the day today and Ian had his first speech therapy appointment, meaning it was an oddly arranged day for both of us.

Ian was up several times last night with teething pain, although he put himself back to sleep within a few minutes each time. Shawn did numb him once, which only made him madder, but we had to do something for him. He was frustrated...and wouldn't you be if you had razor sharp teeth sinking into your gums and tongue just as you're drifting off? Poor little guy. It makes me wonder why teeth aren't worth more when they fall out, considering all the grief they cause on their way in. I don't know the going rate these days, but I'll have to make a mental note to really make it worth his while.

He was in great spirits this AM (although I was up at 4am and already half way through a day's worth of work), but he was not interested in breakfast at all. He and Polli ate toast at the dining room bench and then cheese and crackers a little before 11, when the speech therapist arrived, which he accepted OK.

When she arrived, it was actually the therapist, who is deaf (I asked and it's an OK word to use), and her interpreter. It was interesting. I have to say that I've never had a lengthy conversation with someone who is deaf. I found that at first I looked at the interpreter when she was translating, but by the end of their stay, I was making eye contact with her completely while the translator spoke, and speaking in more natural sentences instead of half a sentence and then waiting for her to catch up to finish, which I was doing at first.

She pointed out that Ian is a prime candidate to incorporate signing (the basis for this therapy approach). She said he makes and holds excellent eye contact while you're talking to him, which I had already noticed. She also said that he is inquisitive of people's hands, which I also knew. All this adds up to a good foundation for speaking a word with good eye contact plus a sign for it right before and after speaking it. She reached out and tickled his foot, he laughed and then stuck his foot out for another tickle, and she signed more and then tickled him again....to which he responded with the 'more' sign...over and over again. It ran chills up my spine to see him remember and comprehend the meaning of a sign after seeing it once. We've been lazy about incorporating signing so far and I can see now how beneficial it can be with just a little diligence.

He also learned 'book' while she was here, and we almost had him signing 'thank you' when they left. He already signs something similar to 'all done', which I think he must have learned at school. They had a great time playing with Ian and didn't want to leave, but needed to get to another appointment.

We will review one more program, less sign intensive, and then will decide which program we want to continue with. I like the signing segment of this program, but also want to make sure they don't spend the entire time focused on his hearing loss and also address his speech delays from a orphanage delay standpoint. Whatever he needs is what he'll get, but because he auto-qualifies due to his ear, I'm afraid he will now be labeled a hard of hearing child...nothing wrong with that, but I just want to make sure we're not overlooking other resources by focusing on his ear. Also while they were here, the translator commented to the therapist about how accurately he turns to sounds, even those out of the room. She got very wide eyes and signed "so smart". Yeah. I know.

Before I talk myself into a ton of flaming comments, I'll move on. Regardless, we've heard nothing but positive things from those who have met with Ian so far, so I have nothing but good things to say.

He went straight to nap after they left, but only slept for about an hour, not giving me much time to work. When he woke, he was in horrible tooth pain and inconsolable. He had giant tears and just wanted to be held. I can do that, no problem. For lunch, I even gave him some jarred baby food from the "old days" when he was newly home. He was just not interested in chewing and seemed relieved at having an easy meal.

Pics below are misc. from our morning. The basket hasn't been forgotten yet!

Hanging out in the basket...sharing toys (and apparently some Cheerios) with his sister-dog.

When I'm working...this is what I saw every 5 minutes...so much for getting something done!

Snack time! They don't have snack buddies like this at school!

So, let's see... If I touch the power button, what will happen with this unsaved document you have open?

I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be letting him play with these, but he's a smart kid...he'll make good choices, right?

I think he's figured out what this basket is for... although he spent most of the afternoon with it on his head (camera conveniently missing at the time).

Ian's First Easter

Something tells me they didn't worship giant bunnies or celebrate the resurrection of Christ in Wenzhou, China. I'm not even sure they would know what to do with a basket filled with plastic grass or sugar dipped marshmallows shaped like baby chickens.

But now that he's here, Ian is subject to everything that makes the western world the masters at over marketed expensive excuses to eat and drink in excess. I'm sure the government is loving holidays like Easter, that in times like these, do more to "stimulate the economy" than all the ridiculous tax rebate checks put together ever will. Off my soap box now to talk about Ian's first introduction to Easter...

It was any other morning for him other than the fact that he got to wear his PJ's until well into the afternoon and got a basket full of fun stuff in the AM that made the day really whiz by. I know it makes me a horrible mother, but Ian was not getting a basket full of candy today. I also didn't see the logic in spending money on an Easter basket that would just wind up in a land fill...and I don't fill baskets full of crap and display them around the house...so I had to come up with a creative alternative. I found a storage basket with wheels and handles that would be perfect for picking up toys and carrying around the living room. Ian loves to push and pull things, so this would be practical and fun. Let's just say it could have been the one and only gift from any and all people today and he would have been more than content.

I did fill it with toys and other things he needed anyway. I realized what a 'mom' thing I did when I also included sippy cups and a new box of Infant Motrin in the basket. Such a mom thing. If I had enough time to make it to Costco for wipes and diapers yesterday, they would have gone in the basket also, I'm sure.

So Ian played with the toys and basket all morning while Polli destroyed her new toy in less time than it took Shawn to take a shower...but the cutest thing today of all was that Ian figured out all on his own that by turning the box over and standing on it, he could easily reach the counters. Since we don't have step stools anywhere in the house, this was pretty amazing. Analytical thinking at work... and while I was irritated that he'd figured that out, I was just as thrilled that a new learning skill had emerged. I'll say it once and I'll say it again...My kid's a genius.

He did something else on his own that was VERY smart... When Polli had torn the stuffing out of her toy, Ian started picking it up piece by piece and carrying it over to the garbage under the sink to throw it away. He picked up every piece of the fluff and threw it away, to big applause and cheers every time. What a big helper.

Shawn's folks and his oldest brother Mark & his wife Shannon came over in the afternoon and Ian and Polli were our entertainment for the afternoon. Ian discovered a new love for these things called chips, and enjoyed some graham cracker snacks from Aunt Shannon, shaped like dog bones.

Trish brought a gift for him on behalf of my parents in Arizona... Giant eggs that were reminiscent of the huge pantyhose eggs I played with as a child, filled with matchbox cars. He played with them for a long time with Uncle Mark after which time the eggs were relegated to the bath toy bin... perfect for drinking bath water, so he discovered later. Great!

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Ian was feeling better and a great little host...only shedding a few tears when the chip bowl was replaced by broccoli and tofu.

Tomorrow, Ian has his first full length speech therapy appointment at the house and then my parents come to town on Thursday! We'll spend the day with them Friday, when Ian turns... drum roll please... 2 years old! 24 big ones.

Pictures below are from throughout the day today. I took over 120 pictures in all. Who knew a random Sunday in March could be so much fun?

It took him a few minutes to figure out that we were just giving him all this stuff...No strings attached.

All we really needed to give him was this basket. Disneyland with handles.

He even liked it when there was no one around to propel him around the room.

I was able to get a ton done while he sat contently playing with his cars in the basket.

The little genius figured out pretty quickly that he could turn it upside down and reach that elusive cutting board...where his food is born.

After Polli had destroyed her new toy, Ian took it upon himself to pick up the stuffing...

...And march it over to the garbage. He is great at the "put away" and "throw away" games.

Polli tried hard to hypnotize Grandpa Tom into giving her his cheese and crackers, but it didn't work.

Hallelujah! He's a Guacamole baby!

Opening the eggs from Grama and Paga in Arizona.

Playing with Uncle Mark and Aunt Shannon

The Noodle Kid meets the Pizza Delivery Boy

Friday afternoon, about 30 minutes before I normally pick Ian up, I received a call from his teacher saying he was sick and needed to be picked up. She said he had been lethargic and laying down with his blanket much of the day. When I arrived, he was sitting at the snack table looking quite normal, and his daily summary showed that he took a shorter than normal nap and rated a "cheerful", not "content" or "tired". Hmmm. What am I supposed to think? Either they wanted to get the kids out of there so their weekend could start or their daily summaries are not all that accurate.

He was pretty mellow on the ride home, but no real red flags that he wasn't feeling well. Still skeptical. However, it became fairly evident upon arriving home that he was not himself. He didn't want Polli anywhere near him and he was rubbing his eyes like crazy. We put him down for a bonus nap and had to physically wake him 2 hours later to give him dinner. He ate well, but still quiet, and then it was off to bath and bed after a dose of Motrin. He went down easily and was asleep before Shawn left the room...and not a peep from 6pm to 7:30am.

He was at about 80% today, with a 3.5 hour nap filling most of the late morning/afternoon, but for the most part was fine, just a little sensitive. He went to bed early again, and I'm hoping all this extra sleep will make him a good host for Easter tomorrow.

Because we had gale force winds in our neighborhood today, we skipped the Easter Egg Hunt scheduled at the park across the street. With Ian not feeling great, the last thing we needed was to force an ear infection or worse. There's always next year for egg hunts and the Easter Bunny. He doesn't have a clue about any of it yet anyway.

We did have tons of fun this morning with our newest homemade toy...a pizza box. Ian couldn't get enough of it. One day, I'll have to post all of our fun homemade toys/games over the months. I'm still wondering why we all get sucked into the commercial toy scam. He seems to appreciate the toys that come as a surprise anyway and no one is especially heartbroken when it's time to throw them away.

I also just have to post a picture of Ian eating noodles. Lots of kids from China are "noodle babies" and are adept at eating them correctly before they can walk... but Ian refused noodles in China... only eating rice. Even our guide was surprised that he didn't like noodles. We tried again the other night and he had a great time slurping them...and trying to teach Polli to do the same.

Another cheap toy that offered hours of amusement!

Where's Ian? Has anyone seen Ian?

There he is!

He loves to help set up his highchair.

Noodles! One for Ian...

...Ten for Polli

I had to throw this one in... He loves to look at pictures. He can identify Shawn in most of them, but never knows me... Maybe if I kept one hair color or style for long my child would recognize me!

Lawnmowers & Girl Scout Cookies

A coworker gave me a neat little John Deere lawnmower for Ian that couldn't be timed better. Tomorrow is the first day of spring and Ian has been in desperate need of a backyard toy to push around. He was furious when he figured out that this toy would not be allowed in the house. He got over it, but we had a bit of a "fall down on the ground and scream as loud as possible" moment to entertain the neighborhood. I basically left him on the sidewalk to get over himself and he came up the stairs after me reluctantly.

When Shawn came home, he had a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies with him. I thought we were going to make it through the entire GSC season without buying a single box, but Shawn caved in at the last possible second. Unless it's at school and we're unaware, Ian does not get sweets above and beyond juice and fruit. He does have some "toddler cookies", which I'm sure are essentially the same thing as any other cookie, but since they're sold in the baby food section and labeled for toddlers, I look the other way. Lucky for me, Polli gets fed more than Ian actually eats, so it's a win-win for everyone.

Anyway, Ian had his very first Girl Scout Cookie today...Shortbread. No chocolate. I'm a terrible mother, I know. He has his entire life to eat crap. I'd rather he didn't while I still have the energy to have a say in the matter.

Earlier in the day, when I arrived to pick him up from daycare, I could see through the fence that they were outside playing. I decided to keep driving and come back 20 minutes later to give him a chance to play. Yesterday, I had arrived right after he got outside and he was really angry that I was taking him away from his friends and the slide. He just loves outside now. A full 180 from just a few weeks ago. It's really amazing. So, that means I now have to work out the logistics of either showing up before snack and outside time or after he's been outside for a while.
Below are a few pics of Ian with his new lawnmower and with his first Girl Scout Cookie.

Two kinds of lawn mower represented... As you can see, Polli can easily manage her little patch of backyard grass without much help.

He had the technique down pretty quickly

Checking the oil and adjusting the cutting height. Notice the perfect work clothes.

Who doesn't love a Girl Scout Cookie? I didn't notice that he was covered in yogurt until after it was too late. Oh well.

Imagine how thrilled he would have been if this were a Thin Mint?!

Lazy Sunday

We didn't follow through with any of our plans this weekend. The weather was really crummy, so we didn't venture to the dog park (if Polli sees even one drop of rain fall from the sky, she flat refuses to go outside). We also didn't make it to the gym to try out the pool. It just didn't happen.

Shawn made a plan to be outside ALL DAY yesterday, so Ian and I stayed inside and cleaned. Well, I cleaned. Ian made more messes in my wake. It's OK. He's actually not that messy, and really likes to help "put away". He is always so proud of himself when he knows he picked up after himself. We did drive down the street to get Ian a haircut and then right back home to continue our Saturday chores.

A coworker of Shawn's burned about 20 "old school" vinyl children's records to CD, and they're really great. They range from stories, such as "Little Toot" and "The Little Engine that Could" to musical classics such as "Peter and the Wolf". You can still hear some of the pops and scratches of the needle and they really remind me of my own childhood. He did this free of charge for the coworkers with kids. How do you repay someone for that? He even scanned the cover art and included a table of contents with each CD. Most of our weekend was spent listening to these classics while we cleaned and played.

Today marks 4 months since Ian walked through immigration at Sea Tac airport and became a US Citizen. In many ways, it feels like we've been home a lot longer than that. In other ways, it feels like we were just in China. I have a feeling it will always feel that way to some extent. This morning, Ian slept in until after 9am and when I went to get him, it was FUNKY in his room. He had his first diaper situation requiring that I wash everything in sight...including both of his lovey blankets that have never been washed. I wasn't happy about needing to do that, as they've taken on their own signature smell, but he didn't seem to have a problem with them once they were out of the dryer. Thank goodness. They are part of what makes every night quiet and uneventful.

I made it pretty clear to Shawn that I needed a break today. Except for Monday afternoons, when I go to the gym after work, I have taken ZERO time away from home without Ian with me. ZERO. Shawn gets lots. Lots and lots. So, I got guts and told him (didn't ask) that I would be leaving to go to the mall when Ian went down for nap today. It felt great to be able to go try on clothes, which is hard to do with Ian with me. Typically, if the stroller stops or the Cheerios run out (whichever comes first) he becomes a typical male and wants to go home. Target seems to be the only exception. He really loves that place for some reason.

I came home with some new spring clothes and fixins to make Shepherd's Pie and brownies for a work potluck tomorrow. The rest of our evening was spent remaking the messes we cleaned up yesterday and listening to more classic stories.

This week, I hope to get a chance to get Ian's picture with the Easter Bunny (for the grandmas) and we're hosting a casual Easter gathering at our house on Sunday. The following week, my parents come into town (!!!) and Ian's 2nd birthday is on the 28th. Yippee!

Nothing much to take picures of this weekend... Here are a few random Ian & Polli shots:

Polli is so patient with Ian. She just sits there and lets him poke and prod, although her slicked back ears tell her story. She's praying that someone will rescue her from the crazy toddler!

No blanket to sniff? Polli's back will do! He was actually giving her a kiss. He sees us give her kisses and tries to do it too, but she usually doesn't sit still this long.

He's so happy here. Truly the boy and his bulldog. It chokes me up a little to think what good friends they'll be for each other as Ian gets older.

Who wouldn't sit still for a massage? A little to the left, Ian. Yeah, right there.

He loves this collander. Tonight, he walked around the kitchen for 10 minutes with it on his head.

Nothing Much Happening

It's been a pretty boring week so far. We haven't had anything out of the ordinary going on and with Ian's early to bed/early to rise schedule, it means most of our waking hours together are spent eating, bathing, and dressing.

We have spent much of the time between school and dinner outside the past 3 days, and Ian is increasingly comfortable with our yard and it's contents. We're both a little bored with the small toddler park across from our house, so in the next few days, if the weather cooperates, we'll seek out more parks in the neighborhood or make a trip into Bellevue to the city center park there. I think Ian would be perfectly happy to go anywhere that he can walk without being bothered to hold someone's hand, so if we can, we'll go somewhere with a trail or track that he can just let loose and go.

This weekend, weather pending, we are planning to make a trip to our nearby dog park to give Polli and Ian a chance to interact with others a bit; we will also try taking Ian to our club to dangle his feet in the pool. We were unable to get him into the March/April swimming classes, but want him to be at least a little bit familiar with the water before starting lessons in May/June. We are heading over to Idaho for a family vacation in July and would love it if we can avoid meltdowns over fear of the lake.

The video below is of Ian and Shawn playing on our bed (Ian was trying to make himself bounce), a couple pictures of Ian cruising the halls in his diaper, and a picture of him in his diaper while in China to give you an idea of how much he has grown in 4 short months (same size diaper)... he's getting taller and thinner compared to the chunky little guy we picked up.

He loves bouncing on the bed. Here, he's trying to bounce by himself...

I was wondering why his diaper was so baggy...until I took it off and found a sock stuffed in the back... let's jut say he had an accomplice.

Bed acrobatics. You can almost hear me saying "watch his head!"

He loves to be chased. Shawn is off camera pretending to come after him. He still has a post-meal belly, but he's getting taller and much more muscle tone in his legs (check out those calves & quads!).

Barely able to cruise the bed when we picked him up. This is day 1 and he had almost no muscle tone in his legs or arms.

Weekend Ups & Downs

This weekend had it's share of ups and downs. Saturday, Ian and I headed south to meet his grandma Trish and cousin Ashleigh to pick out Ian's birthday present, a table and chairs for his bedroom. So, I now know what the Swedish word for 'meltdown' is... IKEA.

We met the ladies at IKEA and things were fine for the first 15 minutes or so. Ian was comfy in his stroller, taking in the swarm of people in all directions. It was a typical Saturday at IKEA and most of Washington's population and part of Canada was in attendance for the weekly "hand-over-your-paycheck-for-a-truck-load-of-allen-wrench-assembly-cheap-furniture-that-you'll-be-giving-away-in-6-months -sale".

We took him out of his stroller to check out the kids furniture area and it wasn't long before it was all too much. It started out just a bit whiny, but escalated quickly into an full blown meltdown. We decided to get some lunch in the restaurant (a cafeteria, really) and see if we could get him to settle down. It got worse by the minute. Since coming home, we haven't seen a single meltdown more than just a few minutes of crying. He did have a couple of incidents in China, once during the Visa & Physical Examination process and again during the swearing in ceremony at the US Consulate, both in Guangzhou. We determined that the large, noisy crowds in strange environments was too much for him to take. After all, he takes in all that noise from all directions through one ear. Next time you're in a noise filled crowd, plug one ear and you'll quickly realize how overwhelming it is.

The incident was much like what we went through in Guangzhou. Poor little guy. He was beside himself and inconsolable. I tried what worked best in GZ, which was to let him lay on the floor for a minute, but it didn't help. We decided to pay for what we had and go, making our decision on his table and chairs another day.

I felt horrible for our afternoon being ruined, but these things happen. I'm just glad that Shawn or Grandpa Tom weren't there. It wasn't a situation for boys who can't handle unplanned chaos.

By the time we were out of the building and on our way back to the freeway, he was fine, sitting in his car seat drinking his juice and staring out the sun roof. By the time we arrived home, I had gotten a few smiles and giggles out of him and he was his old self again.

Once in the house, we laid out the new rug we bought for his room...a city scene with a road. We also unpacked the wooden train set we purchased, which was very similar to the Brio-style set at the Children's Museum a couple of weeks back. It was a purchase almost worth the incident...almost. He really loves it and doesn't even seem to care when the train track comes apart.

Sunday began with a late awakening, due to the time change, and soaked sheets and PJ's (that diaper must have weighed 5 pounds). Once we resolved that issue, we played for the first 30 minutes or so with the new train set. He was his normal cheerful self, seemingly forgetting the horrors of the day before.

He ate a big breakfast and was in motion and babbling like crazy for the next 2 hours...until we realized our clocks were off and it was already nap time. The day was going by way too fast and we were all still in our pajamas!

After nap, we went grocery shopping, where Ian tested out his newly acquired pitching arm by throwing a can of tomato sauce into a busy Trader Joe's crowd and hit a woman in the back. I almost felt like I should have exchanged insurance information with her, but she was nice about it and thankfully isn't pressing charges. This kid can throw hard and far. Our "good job Ian" praises when he throws a ball for Polli have no doubt led him to believe that it's OK to throw anything and anywhere...we'll have to figure out how to undo this!

Oddly, Trader Joe's can get extremely crowded, but not that loud... and Ian is always fine there. It has to be all the noise at IKEA that got to him. I'll have to make a note to mention this to his audiologist and ask her if aiding his little ear would resolve this or if it's just one of the things we'll have to learn to deal with until he goes through his surgeries.

In just the few days since his first Early Intervention appointment on Tuesday, we have noticed an advancement in amount of babbling he is doing and also a change in the complexity of what he is saying. We have also noticed that when we say words to him, he really concentrates on our face and it is really apparent that he is thinking really, really hard about what we are saying. A few times, I've even noticed his lips moving a little bit when I say and repeat words. He is thinking...eventually all of that thinking will change into verbalizing.

He has also shown a great deal of independence this week and loves to walk WITHOUT holding a hand, especially in places like parking lots. We're starting to see a defiant stage in him, which is perfectly normal for his age...I guess that means he's getting even more comfortable with his surroundings.

Believe it or not, we have NOTHING extra-curricular scheduled this week. I'm hoping the weather will be nice enough next weekend for us to all go to the dog park. Ian loves any dog now and I can't wait to see his eyes at the sight of hundreds of them.

The pictures below start with one that we took last week, but didn't post... Polli hates baths, but suddenly and without warning jumped in the tub with Ian on Wednesday. I accidentally deleted the cutest shots, but salvaged a few.

The rest chronicle our weekend. I didn't have my camera with me at IKEA and I'm glad. It wasn't the kind of experience I wanted pictures of.

I think Polli figured out the error of her ways as soon as she jumped in.

Only a couple of hours after the IKEA incident...and only a puffy eye to show for it.

He really liked the train... even though the cars don't stay together very well. He goes straight for this rug as soon as we enter his room now.

Helping Polli clean out the last of the morning's scrambled eggs.

Polli's modeling behaviour at it's finest. Now you all know why we had to get Ian around other kids, pronto!

I was putting away groceries today and Ian stepped into the fridge, pointed at the yogurt and said "guh".

Backyard Disneyland

Gone is the little boy afraid of the yard. Ian has long forgotten whatever it was that caused him anxiety about being outside without a tight grip on mom or dad's hand. I think we can partially thank daycare and their almost daily outings to the play area (despite last week's blacktop tragedy).

We had yet another nice day today and barely stopped inside after school/work to drop off the day's report card before heading to the backyard. Every outing brings new things to discover and some that he is learning to make peace with. Plants are becoming less of an enemy and rocks are his new best friends. He is still a bit apprehensive about the Buddha statue, but I'm sure the day will come that he figures out that he's Happy Buddha and nothing to fear.

Ian playing with rocks, etc. This video is mostly for the benefit of the grandparents. (click Play arrow twice to begin)

Ian giving Shawn a kiss.

Ready to touch the bamboo, but not completely trusting yet. See the skepticism in his eyes?

Fear of the groundcover is a thing of the past

Pointing at something


He used a bowling swing to throw this rock


It was really only a few days ago that he was petrified of the river rock area....Also Polli's "business district", meaning I have to stay on top of my "package pick ups".

Four months ago...

Click image to enlarge

Early Intervention

Today was Ian's first Early Intervention appointment...Finally! Well, it wasn't officially a one on one with Ian so much as an informational appointment for me. She's the coordinator who arranges those that will ultimately assess Ian and provide his therapies.

At this point, he automatically qualifies for speech related resources because of his unilateral hearing loss. We actually have our choice of programs and I was excited to hear that each has several play group opportunities, above and beyond home visits, where he can interact with other kids in the same boat...one is a meet where he engages in play with other kids while parents take a sign language class, which is a great idea.

When she arrived, Ian was his usual shy but charming self, and Polli was her usual inappropriate jumping, "smother the stranger" self. Her baby gate wouldn't latch, so I had to pray she would settle down and leave this poor lady alone (takes me back to our homestudy meeting that went horribly wrong).

Polli did settle down, but that's when Ian's odd behavior started. He rarely tantrums and never in front of guests. Anyone who meets Ian describes him as nothing short of an angel because he plays happily and independently, even at other people's homes. Well, today, he decided that he HAD to be held by me while she was describing the programs, and wanted nothing more than to grab and destroy her paperwork. I rooted through the recycle bin to find him something fun to play with... an empty box, Gatorade bottle, and empty egg carton. I'm sure they weren't the traditional therapy toys they recommend...but I was pretty desperate for something to distract him. It worked. He was thrilled with the empty Gatorade bottle and mimicked my yelling into it to make a funny voice. The egg carton had great mileage, too...and chaperoned him on several laps around the living room.

Once we got through the paperwork and general details of the program, she wanted to get on the floor and interact with Ian to do some basic evaluations. Polli decided this would be when she would try once again to get to know her..and jumped on her, knocking her glasses off and head butting her in the nose. I was so embarrassed. Polli went outside with the door closed. Yes, I know. Canine abuse. She was out there all alone for an hour. Quick...Call the SPCA! After this, there's no denying that Polli needs to go back to school.

Ian was great from then on out. He did things that she was visibly impressed with and as she asked questions about things he can/can't do, I started to realize that beyond speech, he isn't that far behind. As a reassurance, she told me that as a child with the language exposure of a 3 month old and a hearing deficit to boot, he is doing pretty well. She said she could hear some sound inflections that are definite precursors to language and was impressed with his ability to determine the direction of sounds. Polli was barking outside and he walked over to the laundry room doorway and pointed to the back door and said "Buh", which is his attempt at the "P" sound for Polli. Later, he brought me our little photo album of Polli pictures, pointed to it and said "Buh". I don't think he understood why she was outside barking without someone running to let her in.

She asked questions about how he responds to questions, which I never really thought about, so I asked him "Ian, where's the alligator?" and he walked over and got his alligator pull toy. Put a big smiley next to that one, lady! He also showed her how he knows how to "put away" his toys and demonstrated bye & hi waves several times.

Later in the evening, in the bathtub, I asked him "where's the ball?" and he picked up the purple ball (there are only 6 or 7 balls in the tub, so he had a pretty high probability of getting it right by accident). He pointed at it and said "Bob". That's clearly ball...after all this talk about how he has no vocabulary, he pulls out "Bob" only hours after meeting with the state lady. It's official, my son is a genius.

We worked on "where's the lion" and "get sippy" and he scored 100% on both...the lion toy and his sippy cup. Since EVERY bath toy was in the tub, he actually had to search for both. I think that was enough bath time homework for one day!

She didn't say anything about positive benefits of too many toys, but we decided to empty the Boon Frog and celebrate a great meeting the proper way. I even let him bring his milk in the tub. Livin on the edge!

Everyone, meet "Bob"

There's a New Master in Town!

Today, we went for 3 trips up and down the street. Ian couldn't get enough of just walking the sidewalk back and forth. We went all the way to the grocery store and back twice, which is a full block one way. Our third trip out was, with dad & Polli in tow, to the scrapbook store, two full blocks and into our neighborhood's retail plaza. Everything is so new and exciting to Ian and the boy who, less than two weeks ago, was scared to death of setting his feet down in the great outdoors, seems to be happiest taking it all in.

I'm so glad we live in a quiet neighborhood with so much to do and see within a short toddler walk. It was a big hit with our social worker during our homestudy and I can see why now. If we ever move from our neighborhood, it will be next to impossible to find these same benefits elsewhere.

As we got ready to go out as a family, Shawn gave Ian Polli's leash and it was the most exciting thing ever. He squealed and laughed...and then came the trouble: Taking the leash away from him when we got outside. He didn't completely understand that he wouldn't be able to handle her once in her domain. He wasn't happy at all, but once we got back, he walked her around the living room and she graciously complied. She is so patient with him, even letting him throw her toy for her and not making him wrestle to get it out of her mouth to throw it again.

She never walks submissively like this with me!

He was having a ball... Polli's not quite getting the point, but being a good sport none the less.

He really wanted to walk her outside, so Shawn helped him for a while... one day, he'll make a wonderful dog walker!

Two blocks into the walk and he still didn't want to hold my hand. He is really getting the hang of this outside thing!

Everything is new out here. Even this grate with it's cool hollow echo.

Polli has been doing a great job of letting Ian play with her. It's typically next to impossible to get her toys from her, but she seems to be more cooperative with Ian.

Ian's First Boo Boo

When I picked Ian up from school on Thursday, he was outside playing with his classmates. I went outside and caught his eye from about 10 yards away. Excited, he started toward me, with that adorable Jack Sparrow walk that has evolved from the mummy trance of last month. Unexpectedly, another little boy ran between us, throwing him off balance and he did a full face dive onto the concrete play surface. (Yeah, I thought the same thing... concrete for a toddler play surface? I thought they had done away with that in the 70's...I seem to remember the chewed up tire revolution starting when I was in grade school.).

Anyway, I ran for him at the same time as one of the teachers and he was already at a full scream, like I've never heard, before either of us made it to him. He had a nice cut in his lower lip, a skinned chin, and gravel/dirt covering most of his face. Big tears were already coming down and this "how did you let this happen to me?" look on his face. After all, it was my fault he fell, right?

We wiped down his face and got most of the blood off his lip and chin. He was still pretty hysterical, but settled down quickly and we left. I wanted to get him home to clean off his face more. It was clear that he didn't need medical attention, just some hugs and kisses...and maybe an extra cheese stick (Ian's favorite after school treat) when we arrived home.

His lip stopped bleeding and was a non issue pretty quickly, but his chin was pretty banged up. He was crabby for the next couple of hours and was pretty wiped out from the trauma of it all. His first boo-boo.

It was very hard to get good pictures of it. My camera has trouble with very close shots of moving objects. Below are a couple of pictures of his battle scar...and a few other pictures from the past couple of days.

Low key weekend on tap... and Ian has his first Early Intervention evaluation on Tuesday. They will assess if he has significant enough delays in different areas of development, to warrant free state assistance with therapy. Because of his unilateral hearing loss, he will qualify for speech therapy until at least 3, but I'm curious to see what they'll find with other areas: motor, social/emotional, etc. Finally, we're getting the chance to take advantage of something our tax dollars are already paying for! I've heard from several families about how Early Intervention was nothing short of life changing, and I'm hoping that, as a first time mom, they will be able to point out things I don't know to look for, or give reassurances on others that are not as panic worthy.

I know it doesn't look like much, but it was pretty traumatic (for both of us). He's a boy. I know this won't be his last boo boo.

Another view of the wound. Thank goodness it happened after school picture day!

I'm pretty sure it's letting him do things like this that cause boo boo's! Run to get him down? NO! Get the camera!

...And then have a good laugh about how dangerous that was.

Not boo boo related... Ian waiting at the back door for Polli to be done with her business. He can almost reach the door handle. That will be a fun stage.

I don't know if he is trying to make her sit or if he wants a ride. Either way, he thought he was doing something funny.

Another "just because it's cute" picture. He was starting to get tired/serious.