As we approach Ian’s first birthday on Wednesday, I am surprised (and if I’m honest, pleased) to tell you he isn’t really walking yet. He’s done three steps and that’s the limit- he’s busy breaking land speed records crawling after that. He is also making great progress on many other ongoing projects. For instance:

I wanna be a rock star!

Ian still loves music as much as he always has. Here he is at the Columbia Pike Blues Festival on Saturday, keeping the beat!

http://picasaweb.google.com/meghanegray/BluesFestival?authkey=g9PErogty_Y

Project Choppers

Always an ambitious teether, Ian is working on some molars and possibly his incisors at the same time. I guess he wants to be able to eat the good stuff for his birthday. Here he is feeding himself with a fork: http://picasaweb.google.com/meghanegray/UsingAFork?authkey=xWJSbM_V93k
and a spoon: http://picasaweb.google.com/meghanegray/FeedingMyselfWithASpoon?authkey=saBWVS316wg

Architecture and Advanced Legos

Of course, anything you can bang, roll, or build with is now his favorite toy- that means that he and Grandpa have a GREAT time playing with blocks: http://picasaweb.google.com/meghanegray/Blocks530?authkey=Cb7co–V9Sk
And Legos: http://picasaweb.google.com/meghanegray/Legos529?authkey=1BzR7R9res0

SAT Vocab

Ian continues to add new words every day, with a focus mainly on naming and commanding his minions. “Mama” is well entrenched, “Dada” has become “Daddy,” and he’s still working on Grandma (Rama) and Grandpa (Raba.) He’s learned to point and say “more,” and his most recent accomplishments include “uh-oh,” “thirsty,” and “teddy.”

Facial Recognition

More minions- Ian has learned to identify people in pictures. He will point at photos of people he knows if you say their names.

In, out, open, shut

Ever fascinated by drawers, cupboards, and things on shelves, Ian has mastered trashing the house and is starting to work on putting things into, on, or under said drawers, cupboards, and shelves. Unfortunately, I have not yet mastered his opportunistic style of organizing things, so I do spend some time either frantically searching or perplexedly wondering if I’ve lost my mind.

Everest, here I come

I said he wasn’t walking (of course, we all know that, as my mother says, there is no walking, there is only running, but I digress)- I never said he wasn’t building his mobility skills. Ian has learned to climb the couch (yes, up the back too), understands how to turn around when we tell him to get down “feet first,” and climbs onto the fire place regularly. He also thinks it’s funny to climb partway up the stairs at Grandma’s house and then jump off. (Yes, we plan to invest in a set of shock paddles so we can restart my heart from time to time.)

I hope you are all well- obviously we are keeping happy, healthy, and busy here. I’d be hard pressed to tell you what is my favorite part of any day- they are all filled with joy from one end to the next. Please know that even though I may not write as often as I’d like, I think of you all often! One more album and then I’ll say goodbye. Here we all are walking by the Potomac yesterday afternoon: http://picasaweb.google.com/meghanegray/OronocoToTideLock?authkey=5g92dSwjGCo