We all had a blast with Grandma Sue in town, and we had a few more days together since last entry. She flew home, had some tests and a successful surgery since then; so perhaps the title of the blog entry is a little late. At any rate, we’re just happy to hear Gm Sue is safely at home with no problems!
One funny story to tell, and then some pics. I decided to run a funny test on Ian to see what he had learned of late. I asked him to please bring me something… anything… that was yellow. I was sure to tell him that he could bring me his yellow ball, for instance. He walked away from me, around Gm Sue, and back toward the bookshelf. He proceeded to pull a pink book off of the shelf. He handed me the book, and sat on my lap. Gm Sue immediately noticed the yellow flower on the cover, but the truth revealed itself moments later. The book was called “Colors.” He opened it to the first page, and pointed. The book says, clearly “Yellow.” it shows yellow cheese and a duckling. At first I figured he was a genius, but later tests seem to reveal that his sense of awareness about color may be limited to that book for now. Ask him to bring you something purple, and I think he might get that same book, for example. Of course, at the rate he’s learning now, that may no longer be true!
Grandma Sue didn’t get too much luck in the way of her flight to Grand Rapids; delays, mechanical breakdowns, inclement weather. Well, three’s a magic number according to those old Schoolhouse Rock videos from Saturday morning cartoons when I was a kid… and this is the third grandparent-ly visit. Her luck started turning around after she landed. As Gm Sue started walking toward the main terminal, I hefted Ian up on my shoulders in the hopes she’d at least see him on her way to say hello to us… Ian immediately and enthusiastically started waving hello. We giggled and beamed with pride.
Time passed, we had a lot of fun. Gm Sue and Ian played outside, we went out to eat, and when it came time to go to bed, we jokingly offered up an Ian good-night kiss to Gm Sue. Now, he’s kissed Melissa and I before. Historically it has been like taking a 2-liter bottle of drool, pressing the top of it against your cheek, and maybe giving the bottle a slight squeeze. Ian kissed Gm Sue in a much improved way, his little mouth actually sliding shut after coming in contact with her cheek. Still no puckering of the lips, but better!
More time passed, we dodged some horrific weather, Melissa cooked, or maybe this was the day where we went shopping, went out to eat, etc, I can’t remember. Regardless, as we put Ian to bed we showed him, again somewhat jokingly, how to blow a kiss by putting your palm to your lips, make a smacking sound while also say “mmmmm-MOI!” and opening your palm outward. Somehow he pulled off a close approximation of this by putting his hand up, and saying “mmmMMMM.” With his tiny voice, it sounded hilarious, and the gesture was a cute summary of what we had shown him. So there you have it a trinity of love for Gm Sue.
Other notes:
• Ian is somewhat clearly saying “don’t touch” and striking a similar pose to that of Pocoyo in one of his episodes of the same name.
• Here’s a fun game — Ian said this: “BAHBETBAW.” What is he trying to say? The answer has been written in the comments section.
• While we’ve had some exceptionally crappy weather, Ian continues to sleep like a dream through the rain and thunder between, say, 8 and midnight. At around midnight on he wakes up from time-to-time but typically only needs his zooey/pacifier to go back to sleep.
• Ian’s Greatest Hits II and III are almost ready to go. I need to find some more photo paper that doesn’t get off track in my printer. Sigh.
• Gm Sue watched an important tennis match, and the moment it was over, Ian stood up and successfully turned the TV off using the button on the front of the set. (He turned it right back on again, but it was a first worth noting; and seemed a whole lot like commentary about the match.)
Here’s some pics! That’s a happy grandma! If he somehow manages to say “Sue” before she goes home I think she’d be impossible to photograph, as she’d be so whole-heartedly dancing a jig.
“Yup, its worse than I feared, ma’am; the whole exhaust system is fried. That’ll be $700.”
“Of COURSE it’s not working, Dada. The negative power coupling has obviously reversed its polarity. Pfft.”
Grandma Sue and Ian take some time to play outside in the sunshine!
We all tried to look as vacant as when Ian watches TV. Did it work?
EDIT – Ok, here’s the link to the video! This one’s not too big. The usual warnings apply about how the video works and stuff.
Click here to enjoy the video!
I can’t say I’m all that happy with this particular video… since this was taped he’s much better at annunciating the “h” in “hi.” In this video it sounds more like “aye,” but suffice to say he’s doing much, much better with it than what you’ll be seeing here.
Some interesting observations:
• Ian pulled his zooey/pacifier out the other day to say something to me. It didn’t make any sense, but it was funny to watch him pull it out, speak his line, and plug it back in.
• A day or two later Melissa said he pulled his zooey/pacifier out to say “Hi!” and then, again, plugged it right back in.
• Uncle Ben called for some router advice on Sunday and got an earful of Ian saying “Hi! Hi!” in the background.
• Today Ian got to see baby Robins up close and personal. Several are around on our property trying to get life started whilst doting parents chirp angrily from rooftops. Sandpipers have decided to make a nest under our pine tree. That’s a kind of conifer tree, Ian. 😉
• Ian said something that sounded vaguely like “good boy!” about two days ago. He said “Don’t touch!” this weekend. Is that a sentence technically? If so, there you have it, his first sentence. Melissa and I saw a dog on the way home from church, but Ian couldn’t see it. We both said “Look Ian, a woof-woof!” And this was the first time I have heard him use his tone to convey a question in response: He said “woof-woof?” with the second “woof” significantly higher in pitch.
• Ian balanced a cup of cheerios on top of his sippy cup yesterday, and put a bubble wand in a tube of bubbles and blew on it — Didn’t get any bubbles, but kudos anyway. The most impressive part of that was the size of the wand and tube; these were specially made for a wedding we went to recently, to fit nicely onto the “program.” A tube not much bigger than a sharpie marker, and a bubble wand that fit so tightly into the tube that it looked like those commercials you see on TV for mascara. But he was able to line it up repeatedly. Pretty impressive for a 16 month old, I guess!
• Not sure if I mentioned this yet, but Ian has great chef potential. I’m guessing… I don’t know, maybe for the last three months or so, he’s been taking small bits of food and adding them to the spoon as it approaches his mouth, or just dipping. He kind of gestures until you get the ingredients before him. This morning he dipped a few bits of waffle into applesauce.
• Ian’s Greatest Hits III DVD is entering the final stages of production thanks to Melissa keeping Ian busy this weekend. Anytime you think about thanking me, thank her instead… So this is the 2nd part of the two disc set. I still have to print out some covers and whatnot, so we’ll probably be into the weekend before progress is made again, but when that’s done, I’ll be sending or handing these out.
Good Luck Granny
We all had a blast with Grandma Sue in town, and we had a few more days together since last entry. She flew home, had some tests and a successful surgery since then; so perhaps the title of the blog entry is a little late. At any rate, we’re just happy to hear Gm Sue is safely at home with no problems!
One funny story to tell, and then some pics. I decided to run a funny test on Ian to see what he had learned of late. I asked him to please bring me something… anything… that was yellow. I was sure to tell him that he could bring me his yellow ball, for instance. He walked away from me, around Gm Sue, and back toward the bookshelf. He proceeded to pull a pink book off of the shelf. He handed me the book, and sat on my lap. Gm Sue immediately noticed the yellow flower on the cover, but the truth revealed itself moments later. The book was called “Colors.” He opened it to the first page, and pointed. The book says, clearly “Yellow.” it shows yellow cheese and a duckling. At first I figured he was a genius, but later tests seem to reveal that his sense of awareness about color may be limited to that book for now. Ask him to bring you something purple, and I think he might get that same book, for example. Of course, at the rate he’s learning now, that may no longer be true!
Trinity
Grandma Sue didn’t get too much luck in the way of her flight to Grand Rapids; delays, mechanical breakdowns, inclement weather. Well, three’s a magic number according to those old Schoolhouse Rock videos from Saturday morning cartoons when I was a kid… and this is the third grandparent-ly visit. Her luck started turning around after she landed. As Gm Sue started walking toward the main terminal, I hefted Ian up on my shoulders in the hopes she’d at least see him on her way to say hello to us… Ian immediately and enthusiastically started waving hello. We giggled and beamed with pride.
Time passed, we had a lot of fun. Gm Sue and Ian played outside, we went out to eat, and when it came time to go to bed, we jokingly offered up an Ian good-night kiss to Gm Sue. Now, he’s kissed Melissa and I before. Historically it has been like taking a 2-liter bottle of drool, pressing the top of it against your cheek, and maybe giving the bottle a slight squeeze. Ian kissed Gm Sue in a much improved way, his little mouth actually sliding shut after coming in contact with her cheek. Still no puckering of the lips, but better!
More time passed, we dodged some horrific weather, Melissa cooked, or maybe this was the day where we went shopping, went out to eat, etc, I can’t remember. Regardless, as we put Ian to bed we showed him, again somewhat jokingly, how to blow a kiss by putting your palm to your lips, make a smacking sound while also say “mmmmm-MOI!” and opening your palm outward. Somehow he pulled off a close approximation of this by putting his hand up, and saying “mmmMMMM.” With his tiny voice, it sounded hilarious, and the gesture was a cute summary of what we had shown him. So there you have it a trinity of love for Gm Sue.
Other notes:
• Ian is somewhat clearly saying “don’t touch” and striking a similar pose to that of Pocoyo in one of his episodes of the same name.
• Here’s a fun game — Ian said this: “BAHBETBAW.” What is he trying to say? The answer has been written in the comments section.
• While we’ve had some exceptionally crappy weather, Ian continues to sleep like a dream through the rain and thunder between, say, 8 and midnight. At around midnight on he wakes up from time-to-time but typically only needs his zooey/pacifier to go back to sleep.
• Ian’s Greatest Hits II and III are almost ready to go. I need to find some more photo paper that doesn’t get off track in my printer. Sigh.
• Gm Sue watched an important tennis match, and the moment it was over, Ian stood up and successfully turned the TV off using the button on the front of the set. (He turned it right back on again, but it was a first worth noting; and seemed a whole lot like commentary about the match.)
Here’s some pics!
That’s a happy grandma! If he somehow manages to say “Sue” before she goes home I think she’d be impossible to photograph, as she’d be so whole-heartedly dancing a jig.
Hi again!
EDIT – Ok, here’s the link to the video! This one’s not too big. The usual warnings apply about how the video works and stuff.
Click here to enjoy the video!
I can’t say I’m all that happy with this particular video… since this was taped he’s much better at annunciating the “h” in “hi.” In this video it sounds more like “aye,” but suffice to say he’s doing much, much better with it than what you’ll be seeing here.
Some interesting observations:
• Ian pulled his zooey/pacifier out the other day to say something to me. It didn’t make any sense, but it was funny to watch him pull it out, speak his line, and plug it back in.
• A day or two later Melissa said he pulled his zooey/pacifier out to say “Hi!” and then, again, plugged it right back in.
• Uncle Ben called for some router advice on Sunday and got an earful of Ian saying “Hi! Hi!” in the background.
• Today Ian got to see baby Robins up close and personal. Several are around on our property trying to get life started whilst doting parents chirp angrily from rooftops. Sandpipers have decided to make a nest under our pine tree. That’s a kind of conifer tree, Ian. 😉
• Ian said something that sounded vaguely like “good boy!” about two days ago. He said “Don’t touch!” this weekend. Is that a sentence technically? If so, there you have it, his first sentence. Melissa and I saw a dog on the way home from church, but Ian couldn’t see it. We both said “Look Ian, a woof-woof!” And this was the first time I have heard him use his tone to convey a question in response: He said “woof-woof?” with the second “woof” significantly higher in pitch.
• Ian balanced a cup of cheerios on top of his sippy cup yesterday, and put a bubble wand in a tube of bubbles and blew on it — Didn’t get any bubbles, but kudos anyway. The most impressive part of that was the size of the wand and tube; these were specially made for a wedding we went to recently, to fit nicely onto the “program.” A tube not much bigger than a sharpie marker, and a bubble wand that fit so tightly into the tube that it looked like those commercials you see on TV for mascara. But he was able to line it up repeatedly. Pretty impressive for a 16 month old, I guess!
• Not sure if I mentioned this yet, but Ian has great chef potential. I’m guessing… I don’t know, maybe for the last three months or so, he’s been taking small bits of food and adding them to the spoon as it approaches his mouth, or just dipping. He kind of gestures until you get the ingredients before him. This morning he dipped a few bits of waffle into applesauce.
• Ian’s Greatest Hits III DVD is entering the final stages of production thanks to Melissa keeping Ian busy this weekend. Anytime you think about thanking me, thank her instead… So this is the 2nd part of the two disc set. I still have to print out some covers and whatnot, so we’ll probably be into the weekend before progress is made again, but when that’s done, I’ll be sending or handing these out.