In this short video, Ian shows us how child proofing should probably not work. (Click the link below and hit “play” when you’re told to!)

Click here to view the short video!

Ian’s hand-eye coordination continues to astound. I’ll share a video at some point that shows him combining different toys together in ways you didn’t think a one-year-old could manage, I’m guessing.

We had a recent doctor visit… he’s not quite up the weight he should be, but otherwise he’s fine. No signs of ear infection, thank God. He got 4 shots this trip, two of which were new to him, not just updates. He handles the shots well… there’s crying at first and then just as suddenly he is usually over it. This time it was a little worse, but this is also because he has a new cold that is giving him a nasty cough. So you can tell he’s miserable, but he fights through it if you play with him a bit, and despite the pain in his legs from the shots and his congestion he musters a nice smile.

At the doctor’s office he was running around their spacious lobby like crazy and laughing his butt off; mostly apparently thrilled to just be moving and being allowed to do so seemingly at will. (We were right near him, of course… he’s got shoes that he wears now that are akin to a moccasin, and he’s only just getting used to them.)

Another generalization, he’s definitely entering a new phase of development. The likelihood of a sippy cup ending up on the floor, for instance, instead of on his high chair tray has gone up dramatically. He’s getting a lot more sassy, if one can be sassy without using too many words. But he’s still the baby that causes complete strangers to approach us to remind us that we’ve got a very good baby.

We’ve been playing various music CDs and songs for him on his Christmas and birthday toys, and surprise, surprise, he seems to be having a problem keeping himself still while the tunes are playing. Currently he bobs his upper torso up and down a bit, which looks more like a seizure than a dance, but you can tell he’s working out the kinks.

As I was dealing with Ian’s cold, the snow and the freezing temperatures, I remembered how much footage I had from our last trip of the year up to Fawn Island and decided to put together something with more of a summer theme even though it is months old. I figured this might warm us all up a bit. This is one of the larger movies that I’ve put up here, so be prepared for a long download. Once again, click the link, and wait until you’re instructed to hit play.

Click here to view the movie.

I have more video to share, with the usual warning about download time. You’ll need to click the link, wait a few minutes, or maybe a whole lot more if your connection is slow. I still haven’t built a proper loader, so you’re not going to see the “progress bar” move at all, sorry.

Commentary:
Film shot January 5th 2008…

This night, he did the following with great regularity, and in fact, Part II is going to be similar tape from that same night. (Since then he’s done this a bit more, but not as much as the evening in question.)

What does he do?
1. He stands up without any kind of handhold.
2. He takes many fast steps without falling over, then a few slow ones.
3. He then stands very still, and sits fairly well when he realizes he’s still standing.
4. He mimics the sound I’m making (trying to get him to say “cat.”)
5. He uses his tongue to make “Luh” noises.

Click here to start the video!

Ian is officially 6 months old today!

General updates: His diet consists of rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, and tomorrow he will have green beans for the first time. He’s generally into extremes at the moment, sometimes crying, and other times happy. The good news is that he is being happier for longer lengths of time than previously. He can now get his butt up in the air at the same time as his shoulders, resulting in a bit of a crawling stance, without actually crawling just yet. As you may see in a moment, if you’re very observant, his bottom two teeth are coming along just fine, but there’s nothing on the top just yet.

If you have a good internet connection, check out this video of a recent happy moment! This is a particularly good one, so gather folks around and turn up the sound! (After you click the link below, wait until you see a play button, then click it!)

Click here to see the video!

Next update probably in a week unless something spectacular happens soon!