Sunday, July 26, 2009

Sleeping in the Nursery

Ian has made the transition to sleeping in his crib in his room very easily. In fact, Ian gave Mommy and Daddy a big gift last night: he slept from 8:30 pm-6:30 am. If you ever want to see a hungry baby, come visit Ian after he has slept for a solid 10 hours.

Rock Project Completed

Matt finished the rock project before the Schleichers left for Missouri.
The main reason for laying down new landscaping fabric and LOTS of bull rock was to make the area around our new air conditioning condenser units look better.
As you can see, bull rock comes in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Strike a Pose!!

The men after a large meal at "The Wall"--a Chinese restaurant in Columbia, MO.
It is a little tough to tell, but Ian is carrying on a conversation with the crab on his shirt, asking how he was the only guy asked to be in the picture with all of these beautiful women.
Ian surely looks comfortable in Macy's arms in this picture. Matt is sporting his new glasses in this one as well.
We are still working on getting Ian to look at the camera when cute pictures are being taken.
Ross is assisting Grandpa with the grilling on the night that the Albuquerque Walquists fixed a Mexican feast.

Ian With the Jefferson City Walquists

Great-Uncle Ross had a good time holding Ian.
Great-Aunt Jill and Ian really bonded during our time in Jefferson City. If there were no other volunteers to hold Ian, we knew we could always count on Jill.
Kieron and Great-Grandpa brainstorm how they will teach Ian to throw and catch the orange ball.
Macy had the magic touch and helped Ian fall asleep in her arms. Believe it or not, Rowan is contemplating his proximity to Ian and its connection to his upcoming junior year in high school (...ok, there is no connection, but it probably put a puzzled look on your face).
Rilee is all tuckered out and shows Ian how to take a nap without being wrapped in a SwaddleMe.

Ian With the New York Walquists

Brielle and Great-Aunt Mary made this beautiful, soft blanket for Ian. Here, Brielle and Great-Grandma enjoy a moment with our little guy.
Luke and Great-Uncle Rick attempt to get Ian to smile.
Great-Aunt Mary will graduate soon with her nursing degree. Here, she uses Ian as her model as she explains proper flexing and extending of the knee joint to Great-Grandma.

Ian Meets Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Walquist

What a photogenic group!!
Ian and Great-Grandma hit it off right away. Great-Grandma even sang a few stanzas of "Jesus Loves Me" when she was holding Ian later and he was a little fussy.

Here, Ian is showing Great-Grandpa one of the many saliva bubbles he has been blowing lately.

Fun Times with Grandma and Grandpa Walquist

Grandma and Ian enjoyed looking in the mirror together in the hotel room. Ian slept well each night and was accused of snoring only twice.
Grandpa and Ian enjoyed listening to the chimes on Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Walquist's porch. Ian is surely using his five senses as he learns about the world.

Time with Mike, Karen, and Natalie

We loved our time with Mike, Karen, and Natalie. We enjoyed wonderful food (including the best sweet corn of the summer thus far) and shared plenty of laughs as they kept us on Sunday night. Apparently Ian was too interested in looking at Toby (the dog) and missed the memo to look at the camera. Oh well...

The First Stop on the Trip

The Schleichers stayed at the Hyatt Place hotel in Tulsa, OK on the 18th. As you can see, Ian is not yet interested in eating dessert. Matt and Kim were forced to eat not only their portions but also Ian's as they consumed the chocolate lava cake (and ice cream) from Chili's restaurant.

Off to Missouri

The Schleichers left on Saturday, July 18th for a week-long trip to Missouri. Ian didn't know what he was getting into when he joined this long-road-trip-loving family. Matt did all of the driving while Kim entertained and comforted Ian in the back seat (Kim did a great job with the tougher job).

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Thanks, Aunt Sarah!

A HUGE thank-you to Ian's Aunt Sarah who helped to give our blog a fresh, new look! She designed the header and gave some suggestions for a new background layout. We appreciate your creativity, Sarah, and love you very much!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

New Ways of Getting Around

As Ian's neck muscles have gotten stronger, Mommy is starting to carry him in new ways. Both the Baby Bjorn (above) and the Macsak (below) have come in handy as these two make their way around the house. Watch out, Houston grocery stores, these two shoppers will soon make their way through your aisles.

What Has Ian Learned Lately?

Ian learned that Daddy does not always get it right when instructed to smile and look at the camera. All things considering, still a cute 9 week picture of the Schleichers.
Ian has learned that Eric is good at trying to attract his attention during photo shoots. Lest you think less of us, the bouncer is not generally an object that we hoist above our heads.
Ian has learned that smiling while awake is just a cool as smiling while asleep.
Ian has learned that both Mommy and Daddy love reading to him. Here, Daddy is reading an article from the Houston Chronicle "Sports" section aloud.
Ian has learned that tummy time is not so bad when you have the boppy pillow to lounge on and you have a cute boy to look at in the mirror.

Top Half...Bottom Half

Here is our cute, little guy. Sorry Uncle Jason, but Ian now gets to cheer for Pudge as he plays catcher for the Astros (not the Tigers anymore).
Here is another depiction of the word "pudge." At his two month pediatrician visit, Ian weighed in at 14 pounds, 10 ounces. Gotta love those fatty thighs!

Holding the Monkey's Hand

Activity gym play time is always more fun when the monkey and Ian hold hands.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

4th of July

Ian enjoyed wearing his festive July 4th clothing today. Mommy's idea of having Ian hold a flag worked really well.
Mommy's flag-holding idea worked so well, in fact, that Ian did not want to give it up at the end of the Independence Day photo shoot. Daddy is actually pulling pretty hard on the flag in this picture, but Ian is holding on with an equal amount of force. Ian even put up his right fist, trying to pick a fight. It was a fun day!

Matt's Week Off

In addition to playing FOLF on Wednesday, Kim and Matt had some other highlights from this week when the CLHS office was closed. Matt has put in two days on the "rock" project around the new air conditioning condenser units. He estimates that he is now 2/3 done with removing all of the old lava rocks and pulling all of the weeds in the area. Matt's goal is to have all of the new rocks in place by the time the Schleichers travel to Missouri on July 18.
Ian had a couple of really great baths this week (boy...we really need to get a life with a comment like that). It is always fun to see his silly faces following bath time.
Ian's onesie states the obvious: "Daddy Loves Me."
Kim was able to do some scrapbooking toward the end of the week when Matt was not working on the rock project and was available to look after Ian. She has made tremendous progress on scrapbooking the time in the hospital (at the time of the birth), the time with Grandma and Grandpa Walquist, the time with Grandma and Grandpa Schleicher, and the time with all of Ian's aunts and uncles at the end of May.
There have been a few early mornings this week when Daddy and Ian have lounged on the couch to allow Mommy a few extra minutes of uninterrupted sleep. Daddy/Ian time is great!!

Working On Those Leg Muscles

Although it is tough to tell what is happening in this picture, Ian is standing in Daddy's lap. Mommy and Daddy love the little approval-seeking look Ian gives whenever he is standing on the floor or in a lap.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Here's Smiling at You, Daddy!

Great camera work, Mommy! Ian is truly a gift from God!!

New Cutest Picture Ever

Ian and Mommy were having a sheep-counting race as they snoozed. You guessed it...Ian won seeing as he counted 232,178 sheep to Mommy's 47.

Frisbee Golf Outing

FOLF (or...frisbee golf for all of our non-Billings, MT blog followers) was the activity of choice for Kim and Matt on Wednesday morning. A local golf course also offers three separate frisbee golf courses on their grounds. The starter put us on the "Finesse" course--translation: the holes were not especially long but were heavily wooded. We had a blast! We would love to take you FOLFing the next time you are able to make it to Houston for a visit.
Kristen graciously watched Ian for a few hours as Mommy and Daddy hit the FOLF course. What a blessing that Ian is not wrestling with stranger anxiety (yet). Three diaper changes in three hours--Ian kept things hopping. Thanks, Kristen!

Singing With Ian

Mommy becomes the only female member of the group Go Fish at times when she is consoling Ian. If you listen closely, you might just hear "The Ten Commandment Boogie" as you look at the picture.