Time flies when you’re having fun right? Well, we must be having loads of fun around here because time is rushing by quicker than I can keep track. I know it sounds cliche, but I honestly feel like we just brought Ian home from the hospital a couple of weeks ago, and yet, it’s already been over 6 months! Every day Ian is changing, growing, and doing more exploring. Sometimes when I pick him up from his crib, I swear he has grown during the night! At his 6-month appointment a week ago, Ian weighed in at 15 lbs. 6 oz, and is 26 inches long! It’s hard to believe that my little boy has already doubled in size, but I’m so thankful to have such a healthy baby.
I’m making a photo book of Ian month by month, but I realized I haven’t been doing very well at keeping all of you updated on all the ways that he is growing. So, here are a few pictures of all the new things Ian is up to!
For the past few months, Ian didn’t like being cuddled very much and always wanted to be sitting up, facing out so he could see all that was going on. Then, right around the beginning of April, he started becoming more relaxed and wanted to snuggle more. Evan and I are loving this phase! Sometimes at night he is really cuddly and it’s hard to put him in his own bed. He still loves him thumb (only his left one, of course) and sleeps on his side most of the time so that he can suck his thumb at the same time.
As far as sleeping goes, Ian has grown in leaps and bounds the last few weeks. Ever since Christmas, he has been waking up 2-3 times in the night. We have had quite a few visitors and also traveled often, so it’s been difficult to get in a sleep routine. Ever since Ian was born, I said that I would let him cry himself to sleep, but when his sleeping became so erratic, it was really hard for me. I worried that maybe he was going through a growth spurt, or hadn’t had a good evening feeding, or had a bad dream, or a million other things that kept me constantly worried. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I was so exhausted from waking up so many times in that night that Evan and I decided to let Ian cry it out for a couple nights, just to see how it went. The first night we heard Ian cry twice, but he went back to sleep on his own after a little while. The next night he was only up once, and even since then, he has been sleeping through the night almost every night! This may seem small, but it has truly been an answer to prayer for Evan and I. The constant worry of how often he would wake up was frustrating for both of us. And, as crazy as it seems, Ian has also been a much more consistent napper since he started sleeping soundly at night. I never knew I would spend so much of my prayer life praying about sleep!
Another big milestone happened just last week – Ian graduated from his infant bathtub (that top picture is from his very first bath!) to a ducky tub that fits inside the big bathroom tub. Now that he is sitting up on his own, and splashing like crazy, this blow-up bath fits him just perfect. He wasn’t too sure about it at first, but after a couple of times, he is now loving having more room to play with his toys and splash around. I think we might try setting it up outside later this week as a make-shift pool so that we can enjoy the sunshine. (Thanks for the tub Aunt Lisa and Uncle Kris!)
Although he isn’t making any attempts at crawling yet, Ian LOVES to stand up! He has been standing since he was 2 months old, and can stand up without any help if placed against furniture. He hasn’t figure out how to pull himself up to anything yet, which is a blessing I am relishing for the time being. He looks so big in this photo, I can hardly stand it!
Ian is all about the outdoors, just like his daddy =] Whenever he gets fussy, we take him outside to swing, go for a walk in the stroller, or like in the photo above, strap him in the bjorn for a hike in the woods. Evan and I are both looking forward to all the adventures we are going to have with this little boy!
Another one of Ian’s favorite things, actually his most favorite thing, is eating. And when I say eating, I mean eating and eating and more eating. No matter what I put on the spoon, Ian eats until it is all gone. So far his list of foods includes the ordinary baby purees like oatmeal cereal, applesauce, and bananas, to more interesting choices like avocado, sweet potatoes, prunes, and kiwi. He’s even been spoiled with a little bit of frosting, ice cream, and cookies (all from his adoring aunts, uncles, or grandparents of course!)
Little by little, more and more of Ian’s personality is showing through. He absolutely loves the camera, and is fascinated by mirrors and reflections. He loves music, and is very intrigued when Evan plays the guitar. Ian is also very excitable, and kicks, squirms, and flings his toys when he gets really happy. Although he doesn’t have a large range of sounds yet, he stares at mouths and tries to imitate the sounds we make. Lately he has been testing out the idea of spitting and buzzing his lips, which is really cute, except when practicing coincides with eating…which happens to be quite often =]
So now you’re all caught up on the details about our adorable little man. Each time I write about him I’m reminded of what a blessing it is to be a parent. Recently God has been doing a work in my heart, reminding me that Ian his first and foremost HIS child, entrusted to Evan and I to train up in the way he should go. This reminder has been both a relief and a burden, pushing me to follow hard after Christ, so that as Ian imitates me, he will be imitating Jesus. And on the days, hours, and minutes where I am not living up to that desire, I am rejoicing in the fact that even with all the love I have for Ian, God’s love for him is so much greater!
Thanks for stopping by. We love you all so much!
- Kelly
