Ian had a wonderful birthday. Many thanks to all of you who thought of him on his special day- I hope you enjoy these pix of his birthday festivities.

Ian’s birthday

A smart mom would have made sure his presents were all put together before the big day, but you can see he found creative ways to play with unassembled gifts, so it was all good.

Today is a gorgeous sunny day, not too hot, just enough breeze. It’s also the day that Ian decided he’d like to start walking. What was really fun is that Michael got to see him. As you all know, his “first step” was ages ago, but this morning he stood up unassisted and walked to a chair- about five steps, so not very far in physical space but leaps and bounds in cognitive space! He finally realized it was quicker to walk than to get up, assess the terrain, and then get down to crawl. We figure we’re in trouble now. And, oh yes, another new word today. “Dog” was inspired by a little yellow lab puppy at the park.

Everything else is going just as well. Michael is still feeling challenged and effective at work and I enjoy every minute with Ian and the wonderful friends he and I have made here. We still see an amazing abundance of wildlife in our suburban habitat. Here is one of the most recent visitors to our front yard:

spotted fawn

And woodpeckers! We see at least one variety of woodpecker every day.

We look forward to finding out whether Ian likes fireworks.