Ian's Exciting Visitor and Woo Hoo Seahawks

There are a few topics to cover today, but the biggest to talk about is Ian's exciting visitor today... My favorite brother, Ian's Uncle Rex! (OK, I confess, I only have one brother...but if I had more, he would be my favorite)

Due to our hectic schedule since coming home 6 weeks ago- which has included a week of jet lag/transition heck, Thanksgiving, a week in Arizona (he went there twice in this time frame), Christmas, and me starting back to work- We just haven't had a chance to connect with my brother at all. He lives near downtown Seattle, which is a quick 30 minute drive for us, but our schedules are on opposite ends of the cosmos. Lets just say that on a given Saturday, he might be just heading to sleep when I'm waking up...and my bedtime is the middle of his day. Needless to say, in order for him to meet Ian when he isn't in a pre-bedtime state of mind (aka cranky), we were going to have to be patient with our schedules.

After the AWESOME win today (35-14) by our Seattle Seahawks, he arrived with Christmas gifts in hand and excited to meet his newest nephew. Ian was his usual reserved but curious self at the sight of another new person, but was soon showing off his new walking skills and playing contently while we chatted.

We had a really nice few hours of catching up and Ian gave a great display at what a fun and easy going kid he is. At 7pm on the dot, his charm shut down for the day and it was clearly his bath/bedtime, which usually commences at about 7... talk about well adjusted to a schedule! Almost too well! My brother is one of the few visitors to view a tantrum (usually he reserves those only for us), but it wasn't too bad, and he was able to spend some lap time with Rex before heading for bed. Not to be outdone, Polli got her share of kisses and hugs before Rex headed back to the city.

He left us with great Christmas gifts, which I would publicly like to thank him for...most specifically a thoughtful donation to Love Without Boundaries in Ian's name. That means more to us than I can express...and will have much more impact than any toy.

On a separate note, if Ian was walking on his own 5% of the time yesterday, he was walking 75% of the time today...and with relative control. It was a big day on the walking front and we couldn't be happier. Although everyone says "just wait...you'll wonder why you were so eager to have him walking", but we really are happy to have him meet this milestone. It really means he is catching up at warp speed with things that he probably could/should have been doing months ago. I just thank heavens every day that he is with us and not falling further behind in his previous setting. What an amazing little guy.

Also of note, I made it through day #2 of work yesterday. I spent lunch at home playing with Ian while Shawn stole time for a shower, and then went back to work and had a busy and productive day with big people. I was neutral about getting up and going, but thrilled to come home. It was a nice start to what I thought would be a hard transition for me...And for those following, Shawn remembered to change Ian's diaper...and nothing was broken or bleeding when I got home, so we can count the day a success.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Ian's 2nd month with us. We plan to have lunch at The Rainforest Cafe and have a treat of some kind since Sunday is Shawn's and my "junk food day". It will be our first meal out since Ian's homecoming, so we may need to introduce him to ice cream or cheesecake. I think he's earned it!


Ian meets his uncle Rex. It's been about 22 years since Rex has held a nephew this young.