New House!

At least it feels like it! Jim and I have been in our house going on 4 years now. We've been wanting to replace the carpet for almost 4 years! We did put down new carpet in the bedrooms about 3 years ago, and knew we wanted to put down laminate in the living/dining room. 2 years ago, we looked into it, and it was going to cost about $5600. So, we waited. About a month ago, a new floor store opened up in Bonita, and we stopped in to see what was up. It is a factory outlet store for Mohawk flooring. We found laminate we liked, got a rough estimate and bit the bullet and bought it. And the cost was about 1/3 of what the original cost was going to be.

Jim and I also had been talking about replacing the living room furniture, as well. Partly because the furniture we have is 12 years old, and partly because, in thinking ahead, when baby #2 comes along, we'll be turning the guest bedroom into another baby room. Then, we'd lose our guest quarters. So we were really looking to get a sleeper sofa for those occasional visitors. 2 weeks ago, we went and looked at Rooms to Go, a store down here that offers 3 years no interest. Needless to say, we walked out with a new living room set.


Everything culminated on Saturday. The guys came to install the floor (we weren't about to test our marriage over this) and the furniture was delivered. Jim, Ian, the doggies and I were holed up in our bedroom for about 7 hours while the guys put our floors in. Everything looks so nice! And our house has that nice, new home smell. The tables that we ordered are not in stock until March, so we're still using our old tables. I also need to get an area rug for the living area. New curtains and hardware are also in the plans. So, please enjoy the lovely pictures!

Kite Flying

It was a beautiful day in Florida today! Jim had off, so we had big plans to do NOTHING! Jim was outside switching out our car seats, (the forward facing car seat is now in my car), when Jim got the idea to get out the kite. I'm not sure how long the kite has been sitting in our garage, or that Jim even remembered we had a kite, but out it came. Unfortunately, while it was windy, it was GUSTY, which didn't make for good kite flying conditions. However, I think Jim and Ian (and me) had a great time trying to get the kite to fly (and watching the results). Enjoy the pictures!

My Daddy in Ian

So, most of you who read this blog know that my Daddy died in March 2008. I got pregnant with Ian in April, 2008. It was really upsetting to me that Ian and my dad would never meet this side of Heaven. After Ian was born, I really saw a lot of me in him. As he's gotten older, I see a lot of Jimmy. However, at Ian's birthday party, Joanna took a picture of Ian that almost took my breath away. I think Ian looks so much like my Daddy in this picture, except for the frosting.

Teeth

Here's a good picture of Ian's top two front teeth. He has his two bottom teeth, as well, but they're harder to show. And, that's chocolate on his face from his pre-birthday cupcake!

Ian's 12 month stats!

Ian's Stats

Height: 31.2 inches (90th %ile)
Weight: 22 pounds (50th %ile)

(Weight/Height: 25%ile)


Needless to say, Ian is long and skinny! We have now upgraded to a forward facing car seat, and have switched from formula to whole milk. He loves milk! Also, we have completely skipped a sippy cup. He never could figure out how to use one, so he just skipped to a straw or a regular glass. Needless to say, both require supervision with anything other than water.

Ian does still have an ear infection. He was on an antibiotic for 10 days, and when we went back to the doctor, one ear had cleared up, but the right ear was still infected. So, we started another, stronger antibiotic. However, because of this, it has given him a nice case of diarrhea and diaper rash. It doesn't seem to bother him, but I've already changed 2 outfits today.

Ian moves up to the one year old room on Monday. I think he will love it. They get to do a lot of crafts and go outside. He's been going over there a couple of hours a day over the last week, so hopefully the transition won't be too hard.

I guess that's about it. Ian's sleeping right now, so I really should go finish up the laundry! Ugh...a wife/mother's job is never done!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

My baby is a year old today! We celebrated by going to work and school, then coming home for dinner of home-made chicken nuggets, broccoli and birthday cake! Publix, the local supermarket that Jimmy works for, has a deal that for your first birthday, you get a free smash cake. So, it was amazing watching him start out timidly and then really get into it. Needless to say, I had cake on my walls that I needed to clean up! We go to the doctor on Friday, so I'll give you the stats then. Please enjoy the pictures!

Merry Christmas!

I know I'm a little bit late, but Merry Christmas to everyone! We had a wonderful Christmas this year, much better than last year. Last year, I was 38 weeks pregnant and miserable and with no family! This Christmas, I have a wonderful baby boy and my mom was able to be here, too.

My mom came in on Monday, December 21 and stayed until January 1. It was so nice to have her here, and it really helped with Ian. I know he really enjoyed having his Neena's undivided attention! Everyone got some really neat gifts, and of course, Ian came out the winner on the spoiled rotten front. He wasn't a big fan of unwrapping presents, and didn't really show any interest in tearing the paper, but he LOVED what was inside the boxes. He ended up with a lot of toys, and now my living room looks like a toy store.



Tuesday, December 29th, we all went to the Naples Botanical Gardens, and enjoyed walking around in the sun and plants. It was a really nice day and Ian enjoyed playing in the Children's Garden. Unfortunately, during the holidays, both Ian and my mom got sick. Ian with an upper respiratory infection, bilateral ear and eye infections. My mom ended up with a throat infection. Ian is definately feeling better, and I'm thinking my mom is on the mend.



It was very nice having family here for Christmas. Jim's parents are coming on January 2nd, and will stay for a week, to celebrate Ian's first birthday. I can't believe he's going to be a year old! Where has the time gone???