Rite of Passage

Today Ian went to see John's barber, Mike, at the place called "Barber Shop." (Yeah, try looking it up in the phone book.) So, it was time for the milestone first haircut. (Well, I guess the timing is debatable, but I had a few comments recently that he was a girl. Come on, people, do girls wear blue sports jerseys?)


Here is the "before" shot... gotta love those baby curls. Bye, bye curls!


For the most part, Ian did really well. At one point, he did get a little unsure of things and needed to sit in his daddy's lap for the rest of the cut. We got a "first haircut" certificate and his little locks of hair for a keepsake.


Here's the "after shot."


Family, I've got another 58 photos to add to our johnandkaren.com site (give us a day or so to get them uploaded) and among those are more pictures of the haircut. The rest of the story involves Ian's fascination with the hunting trophies on the wall and how Puppy Dog came to save the day at the end. After the haircut, we went to blow off some steam on the nature trails at the Arboretum. Man, it's cold today! Where did this weather come from? We were in shorts yesterday.

Park Ponderings

We try to go to the park every Friday. There is one within walking distance of our house. This week, we also went to the park on Monday and Thursday. Ian loves being outside and going to the park. And let's face it, when the weather is 86 degrees in February, why not? (I do look longingly at Ian's cute sweaters in his closet that he will likely never wear.)

Every time we go to the park, Ian tries something new, and it is so fun to watch him explore and learn. Of course, he has loved the swings for months now. A few weeks ago, he could barely walk around in the gravel... now he can walk just fine and even manage the edges and steps. Last week, he started climbing on things. This week, he enjoyed picking up sticks and dragging them through the rocks. And he wears this expression of wide-eyed wonder the whole time.

I do wish, however, that he would stop trying to eat the rocks. And I wish the smokers would quit littering the park with their cigarette butts, and the people with dogs would clean up after them. Oh, and here's a message to the people we met at the park today: if you say your dog doesn't like strangers, put him on a leash! My son wants to play with your dog. So, I have to control my son, while you neglect to control your dog.

I have also noticed that boys and girls play different. Yes, this is an well-known fact, but it is interesting to observe. I have seen children of all ages playing at our park. Of the toddlers, the girls seem less inclined to swing or climb... and a little hesitant to play with the rocks, in fact. Now, I overheard a mom scolding her little girl for picking up the rocks, so I wonder if some of it has to do with what the parents encourage or allow. An 18-month-old girl expressed fear about climbing on the park toys, and her mom even warned her to be careful. But Ian just marched right up there and climbed away while the little girl stood back and watched.

Of the older kids' play, I notice the boys just rough-housing and tumbling about, often bragging about what they can do... slide down backwards, hang upside down, etc. The older girls (as in elementary school age) tend to hang around on the swings and talk. If the boys and girls are playing together and things get too rough, the girls say something like, "I'm not playing anymore!" I love to watch the drama. The silly boys who say, "I'm not playing with her," and the girls who shriek, "Don't touch me!"

Ian loves people. Stranger anxiety? Nope, we have the opposite. He waves to nearly everyone he sees. He plays peek-a-boo with people in the grocery checkout line. He is fascinated by the people at the park. So, our park trips are win-win. We get out of the house, get a little fresh air, go exploring, and meet new people. No wonder my son often stands at the back door begging to go out.

Oh, did you want to see a picture? Well, how about two?

My Coordinated Child

Last week, I discovered two new children's clothing stores, both of which I need to stay away from if our budget is going to survive my little baby clothes spending habit. But, in my defense, we didn't have much for Ian past size 12 months, so he was due for some spring and summer clothes. Plus, all the winter stuff is on sale right now, so I stocked up a little for next fall and winter, too.

First, I hit Smarty Pants, a resale shop here in town. Oh my. I got everything pictured below for $70! The most I spent on any one item was $8 for a pair of overalls, but most everything else cost $2-4 each, and there are some nice, name brand things in there!

The other store I discovered is Gymboree. Oh my. If only shopping for myself was this easy! They have everything in a section: dogs, cars, baseball and then everything that coordinates perfectly: polos, button-ups, tees, shorts, pants, overalls, shoes, hats, etc. Of course, I was drawn to the dog section because of Ian's love of dogs... and so was Carolyn and her friend Wanda while shopping the same week in Missouri! (Side note... are other children this fond of dogs? I mean, seriously... we saw two at the park the other day, and I thought Ian was gonna leap out of the stroller with excitement.)

Speaking of dogs, Ian got a dog crib sheet handmade from Grandma Largent for his birthday. He also got college cash AND some cute clothes. Below is a picture of the birthday loot... the Gymboree stuff is on the right. It didn't help my addiction when Gymboree gave me coupons and "gymbucks" to use at a later date. They're not cheap... so maybe I'll go hunting for Gymboree at the resale shop. (They gave me coupons, too.) Oh, but they're not organized, which makes shopping a little stressful. Oh, the dilemma! Stay away, Karen, stay away!


Apparently, the coordination of baby things is more important to me than I realized. Not only does it thrill my soul to have his clothes perfectly match, but I also find myself trying to match his pacifier to his pjs, his spoon to his bowl, etc. The only time I have ever had a critical thought about my husband performance as a parent was when he dressed Ian in mismatched clothes!

Is there a condition for this? Um, do I need help?

Pictures and Such

Here is the link to more birthday pics.

And we've updated our photo album on johnandkaren.com through Valentines. Not sure why the sub-albums are out of order date-wise, but this is for family members who might want to view, download, or print pictures we've taken since the last time we updated in October.

Ian Walking and Other Stats

Just got back from Ian's one-year checkup. He weighs 21 lbs. 15 oz. (25th percentile), his length is 29.25 inches (25th percentile) and his head circumference is 18.25 inches (50th percentile). So, he is right on his growth curve. Everything else checked out just fine!

The video below is 7 minutes long. It shows the progression of Ian learning to walk... and my very amateur video editing skills.

Big 12 Stats

25 guests in attendance at the party
28 mouths to feed (adding in John, me, and Ian)
3 babies (including Ian) and 4 on the way!
1/2 cupcake consumed followed by a sugar rush and then a 2 hour nap
2 cartons of Blue Bell in my freezer that I forgot to serve with the cake! (Whoopsie!)
$396.12 and more on the way for Ian's college fund! Hooray!
2 tired parents about to put 1 tired baby and ourselves to bed... er, after we eat a bowl of ice cream!
250 pictures taken. Here are a few to whet your appetite.

Today's the Day!

Happy First Birthday, Ian!

Corner Stores

Hey, if you live in my city or plan on visiting, I've got a recommendation for you. If you are shopping for gifts, mainly for babies... and if you have a lot of friends having babies like me, you'll appreciate some creative ideas. I spent an afternoon shopping in this particular "corner" and found the options to be quite fun and favorable! So, here are the "corner stores" I'm talking about:

First you have Cookies by Design. I have actually never purchased anything here, but I love to window shop. They seem like such cute, delectable, and personable gifts, though!

Hop on over to Practically Pikasso, a pottery painting place. Here you can make a personalized gift for almost any occasion... it has that special, handmade touch, too!

Then there's Jan's Perfect Presents which has the most exquisite and adorable (translation=expensive) baby items. I didn't even bother looking at the rest of the store, because hey, let's face it, babies consume our lives. However, it did look like a neat specialty gift shop.

Next is Crop Paper Scissors which is a great place to buy a gift for a scrapbooker you know. Or make an album to give as a gift. My favorite part is all the themed paper you can buy there.

And then stop by Pics-n-Gifts which used to be over by Baylor but has recently moved. When I was in college, I knew this as the place to go buy sorority stuff. However, they have a good selection of baby stuff that can all be personalized. And, here's the best part, Baylor fans... they have, BY FAR, the best selection of Baylor baby clothes I have seen in town. Prices are comparable to the bookstore and Spirit Shop, so, yeah, the stuff ain't cheap, but you gotta have at least one cute BU item in your baby's wardrobe. Seriously, their stuff is super cute! Give them a week or so to get everything out on display, though. They just moved, and I had to go through plastic bins to shop for baby stuff.

That's it, folks! Happy shopping! I suppose you could also take advantage of Mardels for more gift options. If you're hungry, Jason's Deli and On the Border are right there. And if you just need a little mid-shopping snack, I recommend Marble Slab. Sweet cream and strawberries... yum! Call me up to go eat ice cream, er, I mean, shopping sometime!

Hmm, interesting

So, I made a few onesies for Ian with the iron-on transfers. I saw this one on another blog and decided to make my own version. Here is the design.


And I thought Ian looked like he might even be saying, "Arrrrrr!" in this photo.


But it turns out that the iron-on transfers don't stand up very well to drool.


But the weirdest thing is that a lot of the black streaking came out in the wash! Why didn't it all just streak away when it got wet? Now, the iron-on transfer itself doesn't withstand the wash and dry cycle all that well anyhow. So, to whom I have given my handmade onesies, I apologize for the limited wear they offer. Although I don't feel too bad... with the way babies grow, they can't wear any particular size for very long!

Happy Valentines Day!

So, we did a Valentines photo shoot with a onesie that I made for Ian. He was a little cranky and not incredibly compliant. I took 137 shots and only had a handful of really good ones. I also find it increasingly difficult to take STILL shots of my little walker. I had so much fun editing Ian's walking video (to be unveiled at a later date) that maybe I should just take "action" shots more often. I've been eying the new iLife09 if anyone needs a birthday gift idea for me. This post could be alternately titled, "Fun with the Lasso Tool in Photoshop." Coincidentally, I've also been eying CreativeSuite 4. Gotta get me some software upgrades! So, without further ado...

Here is Ian's GQ shot of the onesie I made.


Roses are red,
Candy is sweet,
And I can't resist,
These cute little feet!


Valentines is always better spent with a friend.


Or lots of friends!


Or sometimes the only thing that will make a baby feel better is his pacifier, although his mama is trying to break up that little love affair.


Happy Valentines Day!

Pups and Plug

Ian loves dogs. Stuffed dogs. Real dogs. Dogs in books. Dogs on TV. Yesterday, there was a dog on TV for a split second, and Ian saw it, immediately dropped what he was going, and walked over to the TV, pointing and saying, "Dah!" He kept waiting for the dog to come back, but sadly, it never did. So, when I saw a cute dog blanket on a friend's Etsy site, I had to buy it. (This is the plug, by the way. You should check out her site. She just added some really cute stuff.)

It should go without saying...

So, which Big 12 school will Ian be sporting at his first birthday party? Well, none other than his parents' alma mater, good ole Baylor U! Of course, there is no pressure for him to go there. Heck, if we don't get a good start on his college fund, we won't be able to afford to send him there with the way tuition has skyrocketed!


Yeah, I know the hat's not his size. I bought the hat for ME to wear to the party! But I certainly don't look as cute in it.

12 Days Until the Big 12 Months

In twelve days, my son will turn 12 months old. For his first birthday party, we are celebrating tailgate style with the Big 12 theme. We are taking donations for his college fund. I tried to come up with a song, "The Twelve Days Before Ian's Birthday," to the tune of the Twelve Days of Christmas, but then I remembered that pregnancy fried my brain. Can I still use that excuse a year later? I'm still not sure what happened to this past year, in fact.

Happy Sunday?

Today we noticed the emergence of another tooth. That makes TWO new ones for this week! Two new teeth on top... for a total of FIVE altogether. Don't know if that makes for a happy Sunday, though. Like I said, teething stinks. But having teeth, that's pretty cool, I guess. The better to eat pancakes with!

Happy Saturday!

Happy Friday!

Today's Trio

Never blow raspberries on the belly of a baby with his diaper off. Nuff said.

Teething stinks. Period.

One of the best sounds in the world is the sound of your own baby's laughter.