Ian flees the country...

Ian's had a pretty big month, so I thought I should perhaps post an update on some of his exploits of late.  The passing of my grandmother-in-law forced our hand in seeing exactly what type of flyer Ian would be.  I am proud to say that he did awesome.  We had stops both ways from Denver to Puerto Rico and back... Four four-hour flights... and barely a peep the whole time.  Not even the typical "my ears are popping and there's no way to console me" fit.  He pretty much slept on my wife's lap the entire time.  Minor side note: we brought him as a "lap infant".  How is it safe for Ian to be in my lap on an A-330, but not in my car?  Is it just the fact that his car seat isn't rated against a flaming ball of death dropping from 27,000 feet?  Meaning he might as well just roll into the cockpit door as we smash nose first into the ground?  Not that I think he should sit on my lap in a car, but I'm not really understanding the logic; but I digress.  A terrible reason to make the trip to P.R., but a good excuse to stay so Ian could meet some of his family on my wife's side, including his Abuelo, who seemed super excited to say the least.  Ian was in a constant state of introduction for almost a whole week and he did not falter.  He took it in stride with a little smile on his face as he was passed from unknown person to unknown person.  He had his first trip to the playa in Luquillo, which is a more beautiful beach than many Americans will ever see in their entire life.  He listened to Salsa music, watched cartoons in Spanish, and heard the song of the Coqui as he slept.  It's debatable as to whether any of this had any impact on such a developing mind, but I'd like to think so.  The trip was fruitful for all of us, and I look forward to telling Ian about his first trip to the island of his ancestors...once he's old enough to know what I'm talking about.

... Let's get some shots!..

Today was Ian's 4-month wellness appointment, and I was a little nervous.  I knew he was scheduled for shots, and the wife has been harping on and on about how traumatic it was the last time he had shots, which I wasn't present for.  Since I didn't make it the last time, I made every effort to make it there this time.  I took him to the sitter in the morning, picked him up in the afternoon, drove him to the doctor's office where we met up with his mother, and I even had to find someone to cover my shift at work since I was, of course, scheduled this afternoon.  I think I mainly needed to be there to catch my wife's head before it hit the floor after she fainted rather than for Ian's benefit.  I am aware that he has no idea where he's going or for what purpose, but I think even if he did, I'd still be more worried about my wife's wellbeing. Apparently I was to expect a happy little baby to turn into some kind of "Exorcist" outtake the instant the needle broke the skin.  Well, I guess Ian just needed his daddy there, since he cried for all of about 8 seconds, which was amazingly about the same amount of time it took the nurse to poke him in the thighs  4 times. After that, he was just fine, even smiling again within 5 minutes.  He's a tough little buho, and his daddy is proud.