Ian’s First Night In His Room

November 23, 2008 11:09 am | Posted By: rich.dredge | No Comments

Everything went well, he only got up once at 3:30am for a feeding.  We think he really likes the room, his bed is enormous. Who doesn’t like a huge bed?

We are beginning to use the baby monitor (Thanks Chris and Sherrie!).  Its really slick, the coolest feature is the night vision.  I mounted the camera/mic on the wall over his crib, I even ran the wires behind the drywall so Ian doesn’t rip it off.

Moving Ian to the nursery

November 23, 2008 6:02 am | Posted By: marilyn.dredge | No Comments

So we decided to move Ian up to the nursery this weekend.  He took a nap in there this afternoon, and that went well.  The second nap, not so much, but we think he was cold.  All of his stuff is out of our bedroom, especially the pack n play.  It is in the offce.  We felt it best to just do it and commit to it.  So our room is back to being an adult, baby-free zone, which we’re excited about.  No more tip-toeing around late at night.  He’s down for the night, but let’s hope it stays that way.  I’ll let you know how it goes in the morning.

Ian’s First Shots

November 20, 2008 1:13 am | Posted By: marilyn.dredge | 1 Comment

Well I had a horrible and heartbreaking experience today.  I took Ian to get his first round of immunizations, and, as expected, he was not a happy camper.  He was screaming before he even got his shots because he hates when the pediatrician pokes and prods him anyway, but the shots really sent him over the edge.  It took me over 30 minutes to console him enough to be able to leave the doctor’s office.  Once he calmed down, he just looked at me with the saddest expression, like he was thinking “Mom, how could you let them do that to me?”  I can’t believe I have to do that again in 2 months.  On the upside, the doctor says that he is growing beautifully.  He is 25 inches long and weighs 12 pounds 11 ounces.  He is in the 95th percentile in height and the 60th in weight.  He is reaching all of the major milestones on time or ahead of schedule.  Some of these include tracking objects with his eyes, grasping objects, social smiling and laughing.  It is also good that he can hold his head up and turn to look around.  Overall he’s really doing great!  Let’s hope these shots didn’t permanently scar him!!

Thoughts on Motherhood - Mom’s second post

October 13, 2008 6:54 pm | Posted By: marilyn.dredge | No Comments

As I’ve been very neglectful in keeping up my contributions to our family’s website, I thought I should add some recent experiences I have had with Ian.  Motherhood is absolutely wonderful, and I couldn’t ask for a better baby.  There have been several fascinating milestones Rich and I have been enjoying.  Ian is smiling at us more and more when we go to get him out of bed in the morning.  Nothing melts our hearts more than that.  It is especially great when I’m tired and grumpy at 3am, and I look at him and it is clear that he recognizes me and is beaming (mostly because he knows his next meal is near).  He has also been noticing objects around him.  He started staring at the little animals that hang on the mobile above his swing.  He has also begun discovering his voice these last few days and has been making the most adorable baby noises.  Some of them sound like real words!!  He is holding his head up in a sturdier manor and for longer periods of time, as well as seeming to have a better sense of how to use his arms and legs.  It is all so amazing to watch!  Parent hood really is all the cheesy cliches we’ve been hearing over the years!!

Ian goes to Galesburg, again!

October 12, 2008 10:14 pm | Posted By: rich.dredge | 1 Comment

This weekend, our good friends Richie and Amy Burgland were married in Galesburg.  It was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, but more importantly it was Ian’s first time meeting his grandparents who were visiting from Atlanta for the big event.

It was a busy schedule, and after returning home from the big weekend, Ian had a bath and enjoyed his swing in the living room.  He’s happy to be home!

Ian says his first word!

October 5, 2008 3:16 pm | Posted By: rich.dredge | 1 Comment

It was a monumental moment at the Dredge family house this morning.  At approximately 10:46am, Ian’s first English word was communicated with almost exact pronunciation.

I am not one of those parents who thinks their kid is some sort of genius, I think he’s above and beyond genius.  At only 4 weeks, Ian shouts his first word: “HI“!  It was almost as if Ian had been holding this one in for the last few weeks, and was waiting for the perfect opportunity to show off his new skills of speaking “adult”.

Ian is typically a very happy baby in the mornings, and he had quite a morning of pooping, peeing, and yes puking on both mom and dad.  While I was changing and cleaning him, I kept saying “Hi” over and over.  He started smiling, and then I had Marilyn come over quickly so we could watch.  I proceeded to say “Hi”, and after a long pause, Ian smiled and said “Hi” back.

Ian does not typically make sounds like this, and usually when he’s making any sound, its a cry, never makes sounds when he’s happy.  We both were floored, and it made our entire day, we’ll be floating on this “High” for a while, pun intended.

Today, Ian had his first REAL bath

October 5, 2008 1:23 am | Posted By: rich.dredge | No Comments

After weeks of sponge baths, Ian had his first real bath this morning.  He loved every minute of it.

He kept trying to do a dolphin kick, I’m guessing he’s going to be an olympic swimmer.  Look out Phelps, Visa is already talking spokesperson for 2024!

Ian’s 3rd Saturday, Enjoys Washing Windows With Dad

October 5, 2008 1:16 am | Posted By: rich.dredge | No Comments

This post is a little delayed, but last weekend, Ian enjoyed his weekly ritual of spending Saturday morning with Dad.  Getting up at 6:30am, hitting the typical Saturday morning TV shows, then making a run to the coffee shop and jumping to work outside to keep the house in tidy condition.

This week’s chores were to clean all the windows.  Its Fall now, and gorgeous outside.  Ian and I installed all the window screens, and cleaned all the 1st level windows.  Ian complained a bit because, screaming this was in violation of child labor laws, but Dad knew this would only build charecter and a sense of responsiblity.  In the end, Ian didn’t clean a single window, it was very DOT of him.

Other items accomplished that day were cleaning leaves out of the garden, and mowing the lawn.  Ian demands a well groomed lawn, genes he inherited from generations of Dredge lawn junkies.

Ian’s First Road Trip

September 28, 2008 12:05 pm | Posted By: rich.dredge | 1 Comment

Last weekend, Marilyn got a new Honda CRV from our good friend Jim Lindsay.  First stop was Peoria, then onto Galesburg to stay the night with Great Gramma.  Ian was a trooper, but certainly added some extra time to the trip as we pulled over every hour to change or feed him.

Ian loved Galesburg, and particularly enjoyed the coffee runs to InnKeepers.  As usual, we drove by the old Prairie street house numerous times.  Ian wondered why a city wouldn’t maintain such bumpy brick roads.

New Photos

September 18, 2008 11:51 pm | Posted By: rich.dredge | 1 Comment

I posted a bunch of new photo albums from the last few days.  We’ve had many visits to the Dredge family to visit Ian, and he’s really enjoyed the fun!