The Outdoors

We're enjoying the outdoors. Yes, it's going to snow on Tuesday night. Through Thursday. But we are loving spring.

• Last night, our local Great Horned Owl graced us with his presence and song (about midnight. Not 3am. We're thankful for that). I wonder if he's awakened Ian any in his last nights in our room. I don't think you can hear him as clearly in Ian's room.
• The after-dinner walk has been reinstated. If we get out of the house at 7:30, we can get back before bedtime if the short upper loop is clear. The lower loop is 50 minutes if we hustle, best not to attempt after 7:15. Ian loves his walks and giggles for much of them. All smiles, this boy. The only fusses come when we're not moving, for whatever reason. 
• The clothesline is up and out and functioning (have to remember to bring that in tomorrow. Snow on the way). Clothes are crunchy and smell nice.
• Holding Ian as we're getting ready to head up for bed, his hair smells like the outdoors. Not sweat or anything in particular, just that smell of a warm day. So neat.

Newsy: The high chair is boxed up and ready to go. Tonight for dinner, Ian ate a whole cube of Haycorn Squash with blueberries and a whole cube of applesauce, plus 3 tater tots and some beans and peas and cheerios and raisins. I think he's gearing up for a growth spurt - he's been nursing a lot lately and usually eating fairly well. He really seems to enjoy having his own room. We let him roam the floor in there, and he doesn't get that option in our room. So, no wonder he likes it. He slept well last night, except for a fussy bit from 1-3 or so. After that, he did fine. The diapers are fitting a little bit differently - his waistline is decreasing some. Active boy!

Thanks to John for writing up a guest post last night. It was sweet. :)

Rain, Glorious Rain!

Rain today! There was some mass in it at some points during the day, but it really did a number on the remaining snow. Around dusk, these pics were taken.

You can see that the north-facing hills behind the house definitely have a ways to go, but we're really close. More precipitation overnight means probable snow, but that's ok. We have a neat new camping stove (pics soon!) so we're ready for whatever spring weather needs to be thrown our way. The first rain of the spring this year somehow feels like validation that spring really is imminent. You know, being late APRIL and all.

Unpleasant topics: the duct blockage seems to be mostly cleared up. I will continue to be careful with it however, and get lots of rest and fluids to make sure. And Ian had a rather painful poop today. Ouch. He cried and cried. I don't know if it's just that this is the most solid movement he's had, or if maybe something in our diet lately has caused both of us to get a bit stopped up. It seems as if he'll need to do it again in the morning. He wasn't willing to tonight. We'll go heavy on the fiber for a bit, and more water and nursing for Ian, and hopefully it'll all right itself. I'll email a question to the doc just in case.

This is what's required when it's sunny outside!

And his hair must be getting a bit longer, because it's so poofy!