Quick Update

Casey and I took Ian to see Dr. Sperry this morning for a scheduled weight check. He now weighs 15 lbs. and 14.4 oz. and is 26.5 inches long. Dr. Sperry said he appears to be back on track and we are good to go. Ian is such a ham - the entire appointment he bounced on my lap and made googly eyes at the doctor. He was also a huge fan of ripping the paper off the table every chance he got. Dr. Sperry tried to get Ian to sit up for him, but Ian doesn't show off his mad skills for just anyone. All went well and Ian was just happy to escape the evil needle nurses. Now we can sit back and enjoy the rest of summer, welcome fall and head back to Dr. Sperry's at the end of October for his 9 month check-up. My how the time flies...

DNC in the house!

Politics are cool. I guess. Rather, democracy is cool. I have voted almost every opportunity given to me, although when we were living in Wisconsin my motivation was beer. I know - shocked, aren't you? Really though...Casey and I would walk to our local polling place, which happened to be next door to our favorite bar. Get our vote on, quickly followed by our drink on. It was great! Sadly, we will not have this experience in Colorado. Actually, I think our polling place is in an assisted living community...so yeah, definitely not. I love living in Colorado, but truly miss being able to walk down the street for a $1 pint of Pabst's. A five spot and I was good to go - now it would be more like $2 and that would be with a $1 tip. Sadly.

Anyway, back to politics. I remember my Mom taking me to the polls when I was 18 and showing me the ropes. It was neat and I plan on doing the same with Ian. Granted, I could also buy cigarettes and adult entertainment - but neither of those made me feel like an adult - it was being allowed to vote and make a contribution to my government that made me feel like an adult. It was exciting to know that I had a say, whether my candidate won or not. This election is different for me though - for the first time I have a child. Someone who looks up to me whether I am having a good day or not, someone who looks to me for protection and guidance, someone who is relying on me to make their life better.

The DNC being 30 minutes away makes it more exciting too! So much going on - some good, some not. Mostly good though. It would be fun to check out all the buzz, but I have a feeling Denver is too crazy right now. So, I prefer to admire from afar. One of my favorite blogs at the moment is http://blogs.westword.com/demver/ - some fun, some serious. Mostly fun:) It is pretty cool to watch everything going on and know that only a few miles down the road history is being made. Don't forget to vote on November 4th!

Ian's Room

As most of you know, I have always enjoyed decorating and interior design. When I found out I was pregnant, I was saddened by the fact that we lived in a one-bedroom apartment and that I was going to miss out on decorating a nursery. I knew someday I would get the chance and I spent a lot of time daydreaming about how it would be (when I wasn't fixated on "D" day). We didn't find out the sex of our baby, so I had to keep it unisex - which was fine by me. We looked at several houses before we found "the one", but I envisioned a nursery in each one. Once we learned our offer was accepted, I went into design mode. I couldn't wait to start and Ian's room is the first room completed in our new home. It only took me 5 months!


Below is a snapshot of what his room looked like before I got my hands on it! The walls were lilac and there was a horrendous ceiling fan that hung about a foot above our heads.

My first task was to paint the walls. Uncle Jon took Ian for a day so that we could get it painted. Ian had to sleep in the hallway that night since his room smelled like paint, but he didn't seem to mind. He knew it would be worth it:) Click on the album below to see shots of his entire room.

I really love it! The only thing I would change is the carpet, but that is the case with my whole house. He seems to enjoy it and all of us have slept better since he got his own room. My favorite part of the room is the Family Tree wall. I wanted Ian to wake up and see the most important people in his life each morning. The tree starts with a photo of Ian, then Casey and I are below him. The bottom row are his Grandma and Grandpa Andrews, Aunt Megan, Uncle Sean and his cousins - Ethan and Taylor, Grandma and Grandpa Schneider, Grandpa and Grandma Conkright, Uncle Jon and Aunt Heather. He sure is a lucky little guy!

Flyin' Solo

Ian and I took a surprise trip to Indiana this past weekend to surprise my Mom for her birthday. I found a cheap fare back in May and called my stepdad to see if they had any plans for my Mom's birthday. He said they did not, so I bought a ticket and started to put a plan in place to surprise her. Bob was so helpful in gathering the essentials - diapers, wipes, formula and stroller - with the help of my cousin, Lisa, and a list from me.

We set out on Saturday the 16th. We had a rough start to the trip since Denver was experiencing a lot of rain and DIA had several delays. We were supposed to leave Denver at 4 PM, but didn't make it into the air until 7 PM. I had to call Bob throughout the day and give him updates on my delays, so he eventually had to tell my Mom that we were arriving (the original plan was to surprise her at my cousin's house during her daughter's birthday party). Fortunately, I had sent a birthday card for my Mom that had our itinerary taped on the inside. She was so surprised and of course there were tears! After a few hours at the terminal, a false start due to a sick passenger on the plane and many a tear...we arrived in Indianapolis at 11:30 PM. It was so great to see my Mom and Bob, finally done with the stress of traveling solo with an infant:)

Sunday we woke to meet my parents at my favorite restaurant, Little Mexico! Ian was welcomed by many family members and my Mom surprised me with my childhood babysitter. It was so great to see her and introduce her and her husband to my son. We all enjoyed a tasty lunch and catching up with each other. With full bellies, we returned home so Ian could nap and get ready for round two. After his nap, we took Ian to meet his great-great grandmother and great-grandmother. Unfortunately, my Dad was not able to be there. So, my Mom stood in so we could get a 5 generation photo.

Ian's great-grandfather is in poor health, so after a visit with his great-great grandmother we stopped by for a brief visit with his great-grandfather. He was delighted to get to meet the newest member of his family. We had to keep the visit short so we could head up to Lafayette for my Mom's birthday dinner. We had one more stop to make before heading to dinner. Ian needed to meet Mom and Bob's friends, Art & Barb. They were happy to finally meet the little guy they have heard so much about. We enjoyed a great steak dinner at Mountain Jack's to celebrate Mom's birthday. It was Ian's first fine dining experience. We enjoyed steak, while he opted for bananas. He had a blast eating like a big boy at the restaurant.

Ian handled all the travels and meeting of new people quite well. He slept in the same portable crib that my brother and I slept in when we stayed at our grandma's house. It served him well too. I wish he could have those sheets on his crib now! He enjoyed his naps and slept through the night for the most part. He still rolls over onto his back and needs to be moved onto his stomach, but he falls right back to sleep. It will be a glorious day when he learns he can roll himself back over! This kid is awesome though - he wakes up with a smile on his face...I hope that continues throughout his life. Even when I am exhausted, it brings a smile to my face as well. You just can't resist his cuteness.

This is what I woke up to on Monday - granted it was early and all I wanted to do was sleep for 10 more minutes. But Ian had other plans. He was super excited to take a road trip to Indianapolis and meet his newest pal, Nathan Green. However, once we arrived Ian didn't last long - he needed another nap. He took a long nap in Mallory's crib, so Erica and I got a chance to visit. Nathan slept and ate...oh, the life of a newborn. Once they both woke up from their naps, we decided it was time for a photo shoot. Ian was all about it, but Nathan could have done without it.
We headed back to Mom and Bob's for another visitor -my friend, Stacie. She was gracious enough to make the trip to Crawfordsville after her work day to catch up with me and meet Ian. We ordered pizza and Ian got to meet more family members. Bob's son, Greg, and his wife came over. Then my cousin, Lisa, brought over her daughter to meet Ian. She wasn't able to meet Ian at the Little Mexico lunch because she was enjoying a day at the zoo. My great aunt and uncle came by for another visit. It was so nice to see everyone and Ian was a little ham. He was full of smiles - especially when it came time for his dinner. He was so hungry he almost ate his high chair!After dinner, it was time for Ian to get a bath. It was his first bath in the sink. He had so much fun and Grandma had a couple of rubber ducks to keep him entertained.
After an eventful day of meet n' greets he passed out with sweet dreams of an easy day of travel with no delays! It was hard to say goodbye to Grandma, but we can't wait for her next visit. We are sure to see her in another month or two. Our flight home was much easier. We didn't have any delays and actually arrived in Denver 30 minutes early. Ian settled into the flight nicely and had fun flashing his smiles at all the other passengers. We arrived home at 7 PM (thanks to Uncle Jon for picking us up). All in all, it was a great trip and I am blessed to have such a good little traveler. I look forward to many trips in the future, but am okay with taking a break from flying for awhile.

Lucky Me

After months and months of cursing my camera with every photo, Casey surprised me with a new camera this evening. I was so surprised! Don't get me wrong - my old camera served me well and I am thankful for it's user friendly ways. However, it has been since Ian entered my life that I realized it is behind the times. Technology changes so fast - I can't even begin to imagine all the crazy things Ian will know and love by the time he is an adult.

When Casey and I first met he was not the best when it came to gifts. I saw this as a challenge and I must say that after 5 years together he has shown much improvement (thanks for listening, babe). I can't wait to take photos with my new camera. I have always envied my Mom for her trigger finger. She is always snapping a photo! I always have the best intentions; but I can't count how many trips I have gone on, only to come home with no photographic evidence. I think my brother got that gene. I am hoping to change that now that I am the proud owner of a newer, slimmer, cooler camera and a 6.5 month old that provides me with many photo ops each and every day!

It is a sad day in the Andrews household and the above image says it all.

GO PACK GO!