Winter is Here...

...and it arrived with a vengeance in Iowa this week! With a foot of snow, and ridiculous windchills, what's a mama to do with a little boy, but stay cozy at home! And all this home time recalled to mind my serious lack of commitment to this blog! Here's a quick recap of what's been going on with the Pitmans over the last month, as we get ready to head into the bustle of the holidays.

Neil and I celebrated our fourth anniversary on November 12th, and the day was almost as balmy as our actual wedding day! We stayed overnight at the newly renovated Hotel Julien (highly recommended!) and it was a great chance to relax, reminisce and think about the future.

Hurrah for four great years!

In a slightly unconventional move, we took Iain along on our romantic anniversary trip! We figured that this was the only year this would ever be possible, it seemed easier than arranging an overnight babysitter, he is a faithful sleeper and early-to-bed kind of guy, so we knew we'd still have plenty of alone time....and, as Neil so succinctly put it..."He's Iain!" He's such a fantastic little boy...we just love having him with us! Even on our anniversary!

Iain, enjoying the king sized bed! Also, check it out...this baldy is finally growing some hair! Neil and I can't figure out how two people with copious amounts of hair produced this thin-haired wonder, instead of the afro-baby we were expecting, but we still think he's pretty cute!

Family shot...getting ready to enjoy the pool and hot tub! Not sure if anyone else has a baby that LOVES hot water...but this guy sure does!

In other news, we've been traveling a lot, as usual, and when I counted up the nights spent away from home in the last two months, I was somewhat chagrined to see that there were more than the ones spent at home. Iain is a great traveler, but we're ready to he home for a while, I'd say! We've been in Canada (twice), Omaha, Chicago, Minneapolis and Iowa City in the last couple of months, and had a ton of fun spending time with family and friends, but at the same time, it's kind of strange to think that our six month old has been in eight states, and one province, and spent almost half his little life away from home! There are way too many pictures from all of our trips to post right now, but maybe if this cold keeps up, I'll do a "back post" of our Pitman vacations!

Iain has started eating solid food, and has taken to it with great gusto! He loves oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas, applesauce, avocado, and green beans. We are getting ready to try mangoes and peas next, and he loves the wonder of sitting up at the table with us during meals. He has six (yes, SIX!!) teeth already, and it's hilarious to see him gnawing on his rice rusks, just like a "big person". He hasn't been too fussy with his teething, even though the four top ones all popped through within a few days of each other over Thanksgiving, but every time he gets new ones, it just changes his entire face, and it makes me conscious of how fast they "grow up".

Trying out some sweet potatoes with Uncle Brett at Thanksgiving!

His doctor checkups still are going well-he's growing great, and although he's only 75th percentile for weight, he is in the 95th percentile for his height, which means that although he has a ways to go before he's too heavy, he has reached the height limit for his infant carseat, so we are researching the next step. Any recommendations?

We don't need to go back to Iowa City for checkups until next spring/summer, so we are thankful for that! We continue praise the Lord every day for his care and provision in Iain's life, and while we know that hurdles may arise in the future, we are so thankful for the great progress we've seen. Iain is just like any other six month old-he sits up well, rolls over, scoots backwards (across the entire room!!) and tries to crawl, babbles plenty of words (like mama!), and is the friendliest, happiest, most curious boy you'd ever meet! Sometimes we wonder "what if" they'd never seen an anomaly on that first scan? "What if" those ventricles had been 1/2 a millimetre smaller? "What if" we had declined that follow up ultrasound? But we know that there is no happenstance in God's plan, and while the uncertainty and fear was difficult, it has certainly been a faith-grower, and a good reminder at how fragile, miraculous, and wonderful these precious ones are! It has made us love and appreciate Iain even more, and made us far more conscious of celebrating each little milestone he meets. It has made us far more thankful to the Lord for his love, healing, provision and comfort, and far more grateful for our community of friends and the prayers lifted up on our behalf!

On behalf of the Pitman clan...stay warm!