Nanny's going Home ......
It's been a terrific two weeks with Nanny visiting from the UK. Ian has really enjoyed spending time with her and Barbara and I have enjoyed the extra pair of hands too! (Thanks, Mum!). Ian has officially graduated out of his 'Preemie' diapers and is now into 'Newborn' diapers, which start at 7lbs as he is now 7lbs 4oz and doing ever so well. He's drinking his milk in ever growing quantities and he is sleeping long enough to allow Mom and Dad to get some reasonable sleep time ourselves. Our photo's this week show how Ian is now starting to fill out and a few of his facial expressions are beginning to show that there is character there starting to build! Have a wonderful week everybody!!!!

Gooooooaaaaaaal!!
Tonight Ian celebrates Arsenal's historic win in Spain against Villarreal to go through to the European Cup Final on May 17th. This is the Gunners first ever appearance in the final and thanks to our neighbor Mike, Ian was able to wear his 'preemie' sized Gunners gear, specially made for the occasion (they don't sell Arsenal stuff that small yet!). Thanks Mike! And thanks to Arsenal's goalie, Hans Lehmann, for saving a penalty 2 minutes from time!!!

Spring is in the Air!
What a beautiful week it has been. Nanny has been hanging out with Ian this week and along with Mom they have made several trips about town. Several evenings this week have been spent on the front porch drinking wine (Ian had milk!) and you'll see a photo of Barbara feeding Ian in the spring sunshine. Dad's feeds have been more inspirational with Dad using Ian's 'Millionaire in Training' bib to instill the early concept of financial independence (let's hope it works for our young man!). Dad also got to spend the day with Nanny (my Mom) and the Bugaboo, which continues to draw many comments of adoration. It really is a cool piece of baby-kit!!!
Our bathtime shot this week shows Ian with a cheeky little grin .... but hey, he's getting a full spa-like treatment from Mom so I guess I'd be grinning too it that we me!

Have a great week everybody!

The Prebble's

Fat Boy!!
Ian's Nurse visited him today and weighed him. He officially clocked in at 6lbs 12oz!! That's a gain of 14 oz in just over ten days - Wow! To celebrate, Ian gathered his favorite ducks and posed for a photo. Pictures with Nanny will appear this weekend!

Settlin' In!
Ian has spent the week settling in. He's really enjoying his new surroundings and has developed a nice 3 - 4 hour rountine of sleep/eat/sleep etc. etc.! He has even had a few trips out, though we are still keeping him away from the crowds. Nanny arrived from the UK on Wednesday night and Nanny (my Mom!) and Barbara have already taken Ian out and about around town. Ian even had one of his feedings in the car outside the hairdressers (where else would they have taken him?!). Nanny has knitted Ian some booties and is working on a hat and I am sure there'll be lots more things before she leaves at the end of the month. Ian hasn't had any Nurse visits this week so we are estimating his weight at 6lbs 4oz. He get's weighed again on Tuesday so we'll post a special weight update and photo with Nanny on the Blog on Tuesday night!

Enjoy the photo's of Ian from this week. In the meantime, Happy Easter to you and your families.

Barbara, Steve and Ian

Mommy's Boy
Barbara is cleary enjoying having Ian at home. He loves to snuggle with his Mom at any opportunity and he enjoys the skin-to-skin sessions that we are encouraged to maintain for his growth and development. We'd do them anyway because the connection one can get to your child is never closer than this.

Einstein baby!
Ian has been a very lucky boy indeed. He's already got lots of toys ready for when he can play with them. One of his current favorites is his Baby Einstein play center. It's quite easy for him to enjoy as he simply lies on his back and looks at the dangly toys and pretty colors! It won't be long before he figures out how to press the buttons that make noises, blips, whizzes and whirs and then Mommy and Daddy's peace will be shattered.

Needle Time!
Ian had his first visit with his Paediatrician on Friday. He was given a once over including weight check (5lb 14oz), length measure (18 inches) and head circumferance (36cm). Ian is small for his age even as a preemie baby. He is in the lower percentiles of weight and length though his head is in the upper percentiles. This of course means he's going to be a very smart baby! April 6th marked Ian's 'real birthday' - his original due date. He is now given a corrected age, so by all accounts he is actually 2 days old now! His doctor visit included 3 vaccinations, which resulted in Ian spending all day Saturday somewhat sleepier than usual. He was very brave for his shots, though we can report that he is able to scream very, very loudly!

Blue is the Color!
Baby boys wear blue. It's a rule. Ian has lots of blue clothes and each day that he grows the more of his clothes that begin to fit him. In fact, one of his preemie suits is now too small for him. Ian has grown this week ..... he's now 5lbs 14oz as of yesterday. So in 75 days, he's put on 4 lbs. By my calculations of this percentage growth rate he'll weigh 85lbs by Christmas!!

A Red Sox Baby!
Yes, the baseball season is upon us again. Ian will be a Red Sox fan just like his Dad (he has no choice in the matter!). I couldn't resist this shot of Ian with the first of his Sox regalia on the eve of the new baseball season. Check out Ian's cheeky grin - I suspect he is thinking ahead to the many Yankees/Red Sox battles this summer where he and I can get to hang out and watch some exciting ball games! Just think, I'll have a milk bottle in one hand and a beer bottle in the other!

Mommy Time!
Barbara now gets to spend quality time with Ian and the daily trips to the NICU are a thing of the past. Most of all Barbara has realized how much fun it is to decide what to dress Ian in each day. I somewhat think he'll always be a fashionable young man, probably sporting a few name brands every now and again! The photo here shows Mom taking an afternoon break with a sleepy Ian.

Road Trip!
Ian still has to stay at home mostly to protect him from viruses and RSV that he could easily pick up due to his prematurity. We have to limit guests to the house for a couple of weeks and avoid crowded places but as soon as he is in the safe zone, he'll be welcoming guests at home for sure as well as being seen out and about in Boise. However, we can take him out in his stroller and here we see Mom pushing his 'Bugaboo' around the roads in Hidden Springs.

Our first week as a family at home
It has been five days since we brought Ian home and it has been a terrific week. We've been adjusting to our new routines. Fortunately Barbara and I have have opposite sleep/wake cycles. By that, Barbara tends to get a second wind late at night while I am an early bird. This has worked out well for us as we are able to meet Ian's 3-hourly feeding demands and still each get a decent nights sleep by working in a shift system. We are not as sleep deprived as we thought we'd be and this will hopefully allow us to function quite normally. Ian now eats like a bandit and has made a nice transition to his home environment. Here we see him wearing blue, a color we feel suits him well. He has lots of clothes for the future but few that fit well today on his 5lb 6oz frame. His blue cardigan was hand-knitted by Joan and he looks quite cute in it if we say so ourselves!! Ian also gets a Nurse visit him at home every second day and to weigh him. Here we see Ian on the official scales in our kitchen, registering a 3 ounce gain in only two days. way to go!