ian – Page 62 – Out Of Their Minds Design

Always Welcome!

I’ve got a lot to tell you, again, because I’ve been so busy. A huge deadline approaches on the 10th, and I only recently got into good enough shape with the project to be able to write about the latest happenings. The good news is that I wrote about 5 entries, and will be doling them out over the next week, so check back often!

On October 26th Grampa Dave and Gramma Marcia dropped by to get a look at their grandson again and see how he’d grown. And boy has he! Here we discover that he’s as tall upside-down. See this image larger.

They got us this cool book that is hollowed out for candy, and a witch voice chimes in with a comment when you lift the cover. Ian experiments with it here, wondering where the voice is coming from. See this image larger.

This is a combination of two different images that were fairly close in composition. I love all the smiles together, couldn’t help myself! See this image larger.

This is a photo of our new band, “Wall of Noise.” That’s Daran “the shaker” Chapman on maracas and Ian “mad skillz” Chapman on the drums. See this image larger.

We invented a game where the ball keeps going back and forth on the curved surfaces of the mats. I think Gpa Dave probably came up with that, I’m guessing. See this image larger.

Ian impressed Gpa Dave with such words as “skwaar” and “courcull” for square and circle. See this image larger.

If Ian looks happy to say good-bye here it is only because Da and Ma asked Gpa Dave and Gma Marcia to please return in a week on Da’s birthday, and they agreed! See this image larger.

Another note about this visit that was hilarious. Ian pulled his blanket comfortably onto a reclining Ma, and patted the blanket reassuringly… “Night, night” he said. So funny!

Farewell Ada

Jerry’s recent passing made it very apparent that just because you know something painful is coming, that doesn’t make it any less painful when it hits. Just because people may tell you somebody’s passing could be seen as merciful, you’ve still lost someone, regardless. Such is the case also with Grandma Marcia’s mom Ada who passed away last night. When I talked to Marcia this morning she mentioned how the world keeps right on spinning, and I agree, but quietly we often wonder if it should.

I’ve always felt a little distanced from Marcia’s parents, and I’m not sure why it turned out that way, it just did; but I can say with certainty that Marcia loved them both very much, and that she has reason to grieve (and feel 1,000 other emotions) even if the world does keep right on spinning.

We’re here for you Grandma Marcia, let us know how we can help!

Here’s an image of Ada holding Ian at his baptism, with the widest smile I’d ever seen on her face.

New Feature! The Jukebox!

Alright I can’t say how often I’ll be able to update this, but I wanted to let you all know about a feature I’m putting together for the site. I’m calling it the jukebox, but a more accurate term on the web these days is a “soundboard.” I’ll be adding or changing this from time to time, I think. For now you can click the link below, but in the future you’ll be able to find the jukebox in the menu to the right under “pages.”

It’s a series of buttons with sounds attached to each, you just have to click and enjoy. Don’t forget to turn on your speakers, and turn up the volume a bit. (Note for very slow connections: the sounds themselves load PER CLICK. So you’ll have to click, wait, and listen.)

Here’s the new feature!

Image Potpourri

These are from all over the place, partially because I don’t download Melissa’s camera enough. I went to get some pictures off of it and discovered a few gems I had missed! But before we get to those, I wanted to show you this great image taken on his class picture day…

I got rid of a little drool, but otherwise this is how it showed up out of the camera. I think it is a nice shot, and I like Ian’s look. He looks kind of dapper and cocky at the same time “Hey ladies, go for a spin in my wagon?” Taken around October 20.See this image larger.

And then there’s this one… See this image larger.

Under less shaky circumstances, this is a perfect shot… but I had to share anyway because it is a cute one! (This is one of the shots from Melissa’s camera taken back on September 1st. See this image larger.

Another good one from Ma’s camera around that same date, you can never get too much peek-a-boo, even when you know the boo is coming! See this image larger.

Ian pauses to catch his breath and laugh while running from crawling Gramma Barb! See this image larger.

The rest of these are taken from our annual trip down the farm from which we are sold a half-share of vegetables every Wednesday. This event happened on the 18th of October.
Love this shot of Ma… she’s so beautiful! I like the way their outfits kind of work together as well. See this image larger.

Ian carefully eyeballs the coming terrain on our “go grab a pumpkin” hay-ride, while Ma and Da pose for a quick family self-portrait. See this image larger.

This will give you an idea of what the even is like… long rows of tables and a barn with lots of food… and something you can’t tell from this picture — it gets dark quick. There’s also a cool band called the Blue Water Ramblers that plays folksy music that had Ian swaying around and tapping his toes. Lots of Obama bumper stickers, and hybrid cars. See this image larger.

Happily swinging along! Something I want to point out that happened several times during this event: Ian is still such a… innocent, sharing little boy. I mean, he was walking up to kids a year or two older than him and offering them toys so they could play together. Most kind of shied away from Ian, kind of scared by how happy the company of other kids makes him. He’s a very social boy! I admit I walked out of there with mixed feelings — are we hurting him keeping him out of daycare two days a week? How soon should we be talking about a little brother or sister? See this image larger.

Automatic Tears

I can’t speak for the fairer gender, but a guy goes through a mental checklist before letting himself cry. The guy does not reveal this checklist, under almost any circumstances, as it may label him as untrue. The checklist is long but it goes something like this: Am I alone? Is there a camera present? Are judgmental people of any kind present? Is it dark out? What are the context of these tears I may or may not cry? Could I potentially downgrade from full-blown waterworks to more of a “teary eyed” reaction? And that list goes on, like I said… and at the bottom of the list it says “All clear? Ok, cry.” I found a way to circumvent that, or to be more precise, Ian did.

“Bye bye, Daddy.”

High-pitched, but not fast; he was sincere, but not sad. Without any kind of warning, his first real use of “daddy” along with his farewell skipped the whole list above and hit the bottom line. If Melissa told me that she had to duck out of the way of actual projectile tears squirting from the ducts in my eyes, I wouldn’t be surprised. It was as immediate as it was automatic on my part. These little milestones are traveling at us all at a million miles per hour…

Grandma Sue Brings the Florida Sunshine, Part III

The next day, Gma Sue, Ian and I went to another cider mill, mostly because of a slide that is just perfect for him. Nice big stairs with rails, not too far up, and not too steep a slope. If it weren’t for the creepy girl that followed Ian around and tried to get in all of our pictures, we’d have been in good shape. See this image larger.

Almost to the slide part! “Pssst, Gramma Suuuue, is creepy girl behind me?” See this image larger.

“Woohoo, get that camera off of there, Da, it’s sliding time!” See this image larger.

If I didn’t mention it before, Ian can clearly say pumpkin. Little girl in background — “I’m watching yooooou.” See this image larger.

I admit to manipulating this image… Gma Sue was looking up in one, Ian in the other, so I smooshed them together. Can you tell? Nice picture, end result! See this image larger.

When you end up playing with the bike rack, it must be time to go! If Ian looks a little sad here it is because he knows Gma Sue had to fly home the next day. We all had a great time show Sue how much Ian had changed!See this image larger.

Other noteworthy things that happened during the trip.

On the way out of the cider mill parking lot, a dog in the next car howled at us a few times. Over the course of the next week he both barked and howled whenever we asked him what a dog says. He also howled at the moon a couple times; very cute too, his eyes crinkle up, his lips pucker into a little “o” and he extends his face up and out at 45°, like a wolf howls.

I wrapped one of Ian’s blankets over my shoulders, and Ian ran over and hugged me. I said to somebody, either Melissa or Gma Sue “that’s just because of the blanket.” As if to prove me exactly wrong, Ian pulled the blanket off of me, dropped it in a pile, and came back and hugged me. He’s getting a lot more into spontaneous hugs. He’s truly a great kid.

Ian has said his own name before, I think, but he’s much closer to being able to say it now, more regular about saying it, and in the proper context. “Who’s that?” I’ll ask, pointing at a picture of him. “EEN!”

Grandma Sue Brings the Florida Sunshine, Part II

Later that same day, Ian and Gma Sue colored a picture in a coloring book. This was kind of funny because I told Ian to “stand right there, hold this, look at Grandma Sue… and smile.” He listened to his Da quite nicely, and Gma Sue pulled off a wonderful shot! See this image larger.

Directly after the last shot, perhaps a better smile? They’re all good! See this image larger.

October 12th, Gma Sue wanted to go out and experience a little bit of fall while the weather was warming up, so we went to a nearby cider mill. They had animals to pet, and some other fun things to do. Ian found this toddler-sized tricycle and was immediately enamored… See this image larger.

…until Ian spotted something else to check out… (I like his confidence here, he’s walking like he owns the place!) See this image larger.

This was some kind of OSHA dis-approved fun-ride for kids involving a bouncy tow behind a three-wheeler bounding over the trench-like farmland around the mill… Ian and Ma went together and had a good time! Melissa mentioned that while he was interested for a bit, watching the scenery flying by, he got bored enough to swivel the cow’s head a few times and say “mooo!” See this image larger.

Here there was a wide-open field filled with pumpkins, and Ian sped up to run free like a greyhound unleashed. There were three really solid thuds during the trip, as Ian’s feet found the old pumpkin vines in the dusty soil; his hat saved him from minor injuries, just a note to self. See this image larger.

“Woman allegedly adopts pumpkin as her egg, attempts to hatch. Details at 11.” See this image larger.

At dinner one night, Ian used a to-go box to show us all what he would look like as an extra in a Flash Gordon re-make. See this image larger.

Grandma Sue Brings the Florida Sunshine, Part I

Hi all, sorry about the delay on the updates! The good news is that I’m starting all kinds of fun stuff, more info to follow…

So at first we figured that Grandma Sue couldn’t have picked a worse week to visit, when Ian started throwing up all over the place. He was still very good, almost casual, about it, however, so it wasn’t too bad. It also wasn’t very long before he was healthy and in fine spirits. On top of this the sun came out and stayed out for the majority of her visit, and it warmed up very nice.

Without further ado, here’s how it went!

Ian, Ma and Da all look up Gma Sue’s flight itinerary on their laptops. “Yup, she’ll be here soon!” When she got into town, I took her to pick up Ian… he was very excited to see us! Ian and Ma and I had rehearsed the word “Sue” before her arrival, but we weren’t sure how it would stick. Well a few moments after we were hanging out, Ian suddenly seemed to put it all together. “SOO!” See this image larger.

The 12th of October, still not feeling great at this point, Ian and Da consider something on the television. The thinker, and thinker jr., I guess! A funny moment — Ian whined until Gramma Sue handed over the television remote, and Ian matter-of-factly put it where it belonged… in Da’s lap. See this image larger.

Later that day he was ready for some fresh air. Here Ian explains where thar be treasure. See this image larger.

Ian shows me how to use the wagon appropriately. See this image larger.

“Add a 1/4 garden shovel of cocoa and stir vigorously.” See this image larger.

We aren’t the kind of people to put our kid on a leash. Apparently we reserve that honor for our cat only. Here Ian takes off like a shot, putter and wedge in tow. See this image larger.

“Ah you’ve brought me my drink, this cruise ship has all the amenities!” See this image larger.

A brief pause for a picture moment. See this image larger.

He’s pointing at a plane and saying the word “plane” here. See this image larger.

Peek-a-boo! What else has this kid said? Cow, moo, car, meow, dog, bark, plane, sheep, bah, Barb, Chris, e-i-e-i-o, moo, bird, and borrowing from his parent’s political agenda – clapped his hands… “O-ba-ma.” See this image larger.

Farewell Jerry

Yesterday we lost Jerry Thiebert. Jerry was Grampa Dave’s best friend as far back as I can remember. We spent many a weekend in my childhood visiting the Thiebert home, out in a rural area on the east side of Michigan. I don’t even remember the name of the town, but I could tell you how to get there and I also remember the construction of their garage, grabbing lightning bugs out of the sky, the steps up to their door, and that their yard was a great place to play. My dad and Jerry had the kind of friendship I find enviable and have referenced often when talking to the best of my friends. Jerry was quick witted and even more quick with a smile and laugh, and from the perspective of the little boy I was — I kind of saw my dad and Jerry as each other’s side kick; neither taking the spotlight from the other — two Robins that didn’t need a Batman. Jerry succumbed to cancer that he’d been fighting for years, having fought it long enough to get a glimpse of his new grandchild. While I didn’t stay all that close to Jerry or his kids over the years, I can say with certainty that the world wakes up this morning minus one of the good guys. Our condolences to Jerry’s family – he will be missed.

Rough Roads

I know that from the title you probably think we’re talking about the economy, which apparently did its absolute worst today. No, instead it has been Ian’s latest cold, and accompanying ear infection. I’ll warn you in advance, this blog entry is graphic in its description.

I took him to the doctor’s office on Wednesday and the pediatrician there (Dr. Benitez, for my own personal notes) was horrible. She couldn’t seem to understand how old Ian is. “If I geev you a freeze pohp can I check yor cheest?” she asked, twice. “It’ll be better if you just check him, he doesn’t understand what a freeze pop is, and doesn’t get the deal.” I replied for Ian. “But I don’t want to make him cry.” “You should probably just try.”

Neither Ian or I could understand her very well. She seemed to treat him like he was a 3-4 year old. And I personally think that if she’s worried about making kids cry she’s in the wrong line of work. Also, at this point I’ve already had it with her.

Anyway… so there were other things like this where she just didn’t get it, I could tell. She offers up a prescription for Omnicef. It says in his chart and I’d already told the nurse that he had had a reaction to Omnicef. Instead she tells me that her other choice is Amoxycillan, but she doesn’t think that’s going to work, so something perhaps in the strength of Augmentan. “But it might cause diarrhea, so if it geets bad, cawr me.” “Bad?” “Yes, ear infections are bad bec-” “I get that, what constitutes bad diarrhea? I mean, it is already a bad-” (I was going to say, it’s diarrhea, that’s bad already right? If diarrhea = unfriendly diapers and unhappy babies… then what’s bad diarrhea? Diaper blow-out? Eyes crossing? Instant dehydration?) She comes back to me with something about why diarrhea is bad… you know that it can sit in his diaper and form a rash, completely missing my point. At this point I’m starting to think I’m talking to McCain’s running mate, so I give up.

Well, it turns out Augmentan is the drug that caused Ian to get really ill when we were in Ohio for Thanksgiving last year. I’m assuming it was right next to Omnicef on the chart on a list entitled “Oh. My. God. Don’t give this to Ian.” Sadly I didn’t remember the name. Melissa remembered, but too late. Besides, when she remembered, he had been taking it for a few days and was apparently fine.

All day today he threw up all over the place.

He’s been an awesome trooper about the whole thing. Having fun between clean-ups and whatnot. But I’ve had three half-days of work and it’s been a busy week — this day in particular has me seeing red. I feel bad for Gramma Sue who just showed up here a day ago in time for the barf fountain, and to see me at my worst. Hopefully all will be well by tomorrow. More details about Gramma Sue’s visit in a less colorful entry to follow.