The Amazing Ian Jacob
taking the baby world by storm
Our chatty bedtime routine
In: Daily
8 Jan 2012This is what it’s like when we go to bed. This entire conversation happened in the pitch black of the bedroom in our bed. Some notes for those following along at home.
He has a video from Aunt Trish that has holiday/snow themed Thomas the Tank Engine shorts on it and in one of them Oliver the train runs into a giant snow man. Ian is very worried about the fate of that snowman. He asks frequently what happened to the snowman. He watches the video a lot on his little portable DVD player while playing trains in the choo choo room.
Messy Birds = Angry Birds (because when they hit the towers they make a big mess)
We also were playing on my giant yoga/exercise ball this evening and Ian rolled off of it onto the floor with his face.
There have been several playground visits recently, both at Chick-fil-a and at MacArthur Center, and at one point or another it can be overwhelming for him because of either the volume or the number of kids.
Ian Bedtime Chatting (6:40)
Newsletter: Month 26
In: Newsletters
2 Jan 2012Dear Ian,
You may have noticed that there is a gap in our monthly newsletters. The best I can explain it is that starting around month 20, things got kind of tough for us all. You were having a hard time dealing with your emotions and we were having a hard time dealing with your emotions, so at the end of the day writing was the last thing on my mind.
But things are worlds better now. They have been pretty much from the moment you turned 2. We won’t try to recap all those good months and bad right now. We’ll just focus on how things are this month.
Things are awesome. You can talk about pretty much anything you want to and you are super chatty. The fact that we can communicate so well is something I appreciate every single day because when you get tired or your emotions get the better of you and block your words, everything just starts to break down.
Christmas was last week and both Santa and your grandparents were very good to you. It was all a little overwhelming for you so we were happy to take it all in stages. Nana and Granddad came to stay overnight on Christmas Eve and we all were able to see the magic of Christmas morning unfold.
Your favorite toy by far has been a travel train mat with some Thomas trains. As soon as you tore it open you knew exactly what to do with it and immediately started making chop chop noises as you pushed trains around the circuit. You got a Kermit puppet from Mamaw and Pop and some Tonka trucks from Nana and Granddad.
You got a tricycle for your 2nd birthday and it’s been your primary mode of transportation down to Mamaw and Pop’s. It’s so amazing to watch how your imagination works. There’s a Thomas video where one of the trains Spencer gets stuck in the mud and has to have Harvey the crane train save him. As we passed the house with a muddy yard, I warned you that if you went in there you’d get stuck just like Spencer. I could almost hear the gears turning in your little brain. About 10 feet later, you stopped pedaling in your tracks (thankfully still on the pavement) and blurted out, “oh, no! Spencer’s stuck in the mud again!” and started grinning at me. So I had to walk over and pick you up saying, “it looks like Harvey will have to pick you up and get you back on track.” You repeated “Back on track!” and then took off pedaling again.
There’s a Youtube video of a baby elephant that sneezes and scares himself so he runs over to his mommy. Now every time you sneeze, you said “Ooh! I sneeze like a baby elephant!” and we have to say “Bless you, baby elephant!” I love the way you say “thanks” and I love the way you say “okay” and “sure” like you’ve known all those words your whole life. I must admit I much prefer those words to “No!” and “I don’t wanna go to bed!”
You’re still our little night owl, not wanting to go to bed tonight until almost midnight. But you were amiable and chatty the whole evening. I think it was particularly hard for you to go to bed tonight after such an exciting day. Not only did you have a visit from Ben and Megan and Riley and Molly (and Penny dog) but we all went ice skating today!
Our intention was to just carry you around or maybe let you slide around with your tennis shoes but as we sat to put on our skates, you hopped up and immediately started taking off your shoes. This from the boy who won’t take his shoes off to SLEEP. So as Daddy started to say, “oh Buddy, we weren’t going to …” I said “that sentence shouldn’t even be finished. You should go over to the rental space and get the smallest pair of skates they have.”
Amazingly, they had your size and you were so pleased as Daddy strapped them on you. You only managed a tiny bit of skating until you realized that you could go much faster in Daddy’s arms than you could on your own two feet. Poor Daddy had quite a work out today sine you weigh at least 32 pounds. But everyone had a blast. It was a magical morning in many ways and part of the inspiration to mention all that you are these days.
You’re clever and funny and happy and kind and a little impulsive and better than we could have imagined. Pop said today that he wishes he could pause you at this age to get to enjoy it for longer. I’m not so sure about that, but I am trying to bottle up little moments as I can.
Love,
Mommy
Potty like Travis
In: Daily
30 Nov 2011
At the exact moment I was taking this picture, Ian was peeing on the floor next to his train table. I thought he looked awfully intent on the trains.
At first we were hanging out in the garage with Daddy and Travis. Travis and Ian were throwing the ball around but Travis said he needed to go use the restroom. When Ian asked where Travis went, I told him he had to go potty so he went inside since he’s a big boy.
About 15 minutes later after Travis had returned and we had all moved on to other things, Ian declared he needed to go inside to go potty. But Mommy didn’t need to go, he would be right back. He was just going to go inside to potty like Travis had.
I watched him run to the back door, let himself in, successfully close the storm door (which is no small feat) and remind me “I be right back!” as he turned around. I slowly followed behind and peeked inside to hear him in the choo choo room talking to his trains. But as I came around the corner, he burst through the door and said, “Mommy! I need to potty!”
He pulled his pants down on his own, asked for help with his diaper and sat on his Lightning McQueen potty. I went to put his diaper away and heard the bathroom door shut since apparently Ian needed some privacy.
A minute later he yelled out, “Mommy! I all done! My pants are wet!”
I walked in and he had peed in the potty … and the floor and all over his pants. Apparently in mid-pee was when he decided he needed privacy. He walked around for a bit with no pants on and said he was going to poop. I was dubious but when I was distracted taking photos of him concentrating on trains, he stood up and said, “Mommy! There’s pee everywhere over here!”
And there was! So apparently all our son needed to be inspired to potty like a big kid was Travis. Now to get him to understand how to stay on the potty until he’s really done peeing.
But we’re getting there. Travis now needs to come over every evening to continue potty training our child.
In your eyes
In: Daily
29 Nov 2011I used to be self-conscious about my squinty-eyed smile. Have you ever tried to keep your eyes open while smiling if you’re a squinty-eyed smiler? You look like you were in mid-smile and someone grabbed your ass.
So over the years, I’ve learned to embrace the fact that my eyes disappear when I smile. I’m all >_< in Japanese emoticons.
But now I've noticed Ian smiling that way too, and it brings me great joy.
Just a nice reminder of him being my kid.
Mamaw’s tree
In: Daily
28 Nov 2011I keep calling her Grandma, but Ian calls my mother Mamaw. And while I call my father Granddaddy in written form, Ian has decided that his name is Pop.
So on Sunday we were at Home Depot and they had a ton of Christmas trees all lit up for sale. When I saw one that said specifically it was a “porch tree” I said it would be nice for Mamaw to have and Ian immediately started calling it Mamaw’s tree. At 20% off, we of course had to get it.
So this evening we delivered Mamaw’s tree to her and it’s now on her porch. I worried that Pop would think of it as just more clutter but he quickly found an extension cord so we could light it up. Ian declared it PRETTY!
We look forward to visiting Mamaw’s tree over the next few weeks (and possibly into the spring) and maybe Ian can help her decorate it.
About this blog
This web space chronicles the amazing feats of Ian Jacob Stryker, born October 22, 2009.
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