A Walking Fool

We got this walker for Ethan at the big day-after Thanksgiving Day sale. He's used it some here and there, but in the past week or two he has become OBSESSED with the toy! He pushes it from one side of the living room to the other (and back and forth and back and forth). When it gets stuck, he's learned how to either maneuver it so he can turn it around, or just push it backwards. It cracks me up.

This video is both incredibly boring and incredibly hysterical at the same time. You'll see what I mean...

What we've been up to

I realize I've been a bad blogger lately. I've hardly posted any pictures in the last couple of weeks. So, here's what we've been up to lately:

Church:


A whole lot of reading:


Ice, ice, ice, and more ice - no school for 4 days!!!!!!!! We were going a little stir crazy, but had SO MUCH fun! (aside from losing power for 2 days, having to live at the Grubbs, moving food to and from the Grubbs, etc.)

Lots of hugs, kisses, snuggles, and fun:

Lots of baths in the BIG tub with all his new toys:

And today Ethan got his 3rd haircut! He likes to brush his own hair:

(These pictures would be WAY cuter without food on his face!)

STANDING! Granted, he won't do it very often or for very long, but he can do it!

I've also got a TON of hilarious videos of Ethan being silly. Hope to get those up soon.

Two Milestones

We're halfway through Ethan's eleventh month, and I just didn't want to wait until the 12 month post to write this. Not that it's that big a deal, but I just want it documented. (I don't record anything in Ethan's baby book - I put it on here then transfer it every few months to his baby book. It's just easier that way.)
So...
1. Ethan's started saying uh-oh! I've really only started saying it to him a few days ago, so he caught on really quick! Of course, it's not a perfect uh-oh. It usually comes out as either oh-oh, uh-uh, or oh-oh-oh. But it's cute, nonetheless!
2. Ethan's started signing 'eat.' He now regularly uses 'eat' and 'more.' (You know, the two most important things in life)

Ethan's been back to normal the past week. Back to eating, sleeping, and being playful. Yea!

Pre-Birthday Fun

My WONDERFUL husband turns 30 years old tomorrow. He's old! After I picked up Keira from daycare this afternoon, I was telling her about his birthday. Here's how that conversation went:
Me: Keira, did you know that tomorrow is Uncle Lonnie's birthday?
Keira: Yeah.
Me: Do you know how old he's going to be?
Keira: 3?
Me: No, Uncle Lonnie's a LOT older than that!
Keira: 4?
Me: Uncle Lonnie's OLD!!!! He's going to be 30!!!!

Silence for a minute, then:
Keira: Ethan needs a new Daddy.
Me: What???? (I had already forgotten about the previous conversation)
Keira: Ethan needs a new Daddy.
Me: Why would he need a new daddy?
Keira: Because Uncle Lonnie's tooooooo old!!!!!!!!!!!


Ha! Funny how the mind of a 3 year old works! (Don't worry...I informed him that even though our daddies get older, we still love them and we don't get new ones)

Eleven Months Old

I can NOT believe that in less than one month Ethan will be a whole year old! WOW! It seems SOOO long ago that we were getting up every couple of hours at night to feed this fragile, delicate newborn. It seems so long ago that all he could do was sleep, eat, and fill his diaper. Now he's like a real person with a personality!
Here are the things I want to remember about Ethan's eleventh month:

• The biggest thing that I've noticed the past month is what a THINKER and OBSERVER Ethan is. He has such a calm personality and prefers to just watch what is going on and take it all in. We were at Sam's yesterday for about an hour and he didn't make a single sound the entire time - he sat in the cart and just looked around at everything. I've also noticed when I read to him lately, I can watch his eyes scan the whole page, trying to take in every little thing in the picture. (of course, none of this applies to the hour that we try to keep him quiet during church - complete opposite!)
• He is more into reading now than ever. He'll sit and listen to me read 10-15 books at a time! It's funny though...he also has preferences. He has his certain 'favorite' books. If I pick up a book that is not on his 'favorite' list, he'll crawl down out of my lap, pilfer through the other books, and look at them quitely while I finish reading that one. When I pick up one of his 'favorites,' he'll start listening again.
• He has preferences when it comes to food, too. The boy LOVES lima beans, peas, and pancakes. We bought a bag of peas/carrots combo from the freezer section - when I give him this, he eats ALL the peas first, then eats the carrots. Cracks me up every time. He still loves to feed himself.
• He all of a sudden loves the car. He is so quiet in the back - sometimes we forget he's back there! He just sits and looks out the window.
• He loves the big bathtub. We finally got rid of the little blue tub and actually let him sit in the tub. He loves playing with all his new toys he got for Christmas. He's even started blowing bubbles in the water (completely unprompted!)
• He loves to flirt (but only with certain people). He was giving Rachel and Curt some serious smiles and giggles this morning at church. But if anyone he doesn't know very well comes up to talk to him, he just stares at them. It's actually really funny. It's not like he has stranger anxiety, because he doesn't turn away and start crying. He looks right in their face and just STARES.
• He's just as fun as ever! We love wrestling with him, playing with his toys with him, reading, singing, playing catch, building blocks, tickling him, and laughing together.
• Basic stuff: two teeth, no new words, cruising, standing, crawling everywhere, not walking yet, sleeping through the night still (except when sick!), drinking from a cup, 21 pounds

Sorry, no pictures. I've noticed with him being sick the last week, I've hardly taken any pictures. I'll need to take a bunch in the next week to make up for it. :)

Rough Weekend

Ethan has been sick since last Friday. He threw up three times over the weekend and by Sunday was refusing to drink his milk. I've been pretty nervous about dehydration, and even took him to the doctor yesterday to make sure he wasn't getting dehydrated. Our doctor said he wasn't dehydrated, but he had some white spots and junk in the back of his throat that was probably making him not want to eat. He tested for strep, which thankfully came back negative. He basically said just keep trying to get him to drink! Lonnie stayed home with Ethan today and he started drinking a little bit more. We're hoping he'll recover soon - it's been so hard watching him feel so miserable. Pray for a quick recovery!

Playing Catch

About a week ago Ethan discovered he could throw things. He would usually throw something, crawl to get it, then throw it again. Lonnie decided to join in, so he just sat down across from him and threw it back. And walaa!!!! Dad and son playing catch!!! They've been doing this quite regularly now. It is so sweet to watch and Lonnie has mentioned several times how much he loves that they can play catch together. I LOVE seeing these great Father/Son moments.

Watch out Arkansas Naturals, here comes Ethan!!!!

(You'll want to go to the bottom of this page and find the Christmas slide show and turn off the sound in the top left corner so you can hear the video)

Baby and Me Swim Class

We started our Baby and Me Swim Class at the Fitness Center tonight and we had so much fun! We are so blessed to be in the same class as our friends and Ethan's buddies.

Here's our stud with his "lady friends" Addyson, Addison, and Allison.

He looks like a beach bum already!!!! Just chillin'...

Playing Humpty Dumpty...

Ethan did SUCH a good job - I think he's a natural swimmer. He loved being in the water (it was SO warm!) He kicked all around the pool and didn't mind having his face wet at all. Can't wait for next week!

Big Boy!!!

We could never really get Ethan hooked on a sippy cup, so we just decided to skip that phase and go straight to a regular cup. Total success!!!! He LOVES being able to hold it himself and actually get juice out. It cracks me up how excited he gets just seeing the cup and watching us fill it with juice. (sorry Keira, your cup's been taken!)
He looks like such a big boy!

And speaking of being a big boy, Ethan officially knows another word! He now says 'ball.' He started saying it about a week ago. I think he might know the word 'duck,' too, but I'm not sure if he's really saying it or it's just a coincidence that he makes the 'du' sound when I'm reading his duck book. So, add that to Mommy and Daddy, and we're up to 3, possibly 4 words he knows! It seems so weird that I can actually count the number of words that he can say. I know before long there will be too many to count. My baby's growing up!

A Warm, Sunny Saturday

We just HAD to get outside and enjoy the 60+ temps on Saturday. I took way to many pictures, as usual, and couldn't really narrow them down...

Nothing like the wind blowing through your hair, right?

Ethan did NOT enjoy the dead grass. He sat in it like he was sitting on glass.But he eventualy warmed up to it and tried to eat it.

Yea for sunshine!!!!

Visiting with Grandparents

Ethan had such a fun time visiting with his Grandma and Grandpa from Michigan. They read LOTS of books, played with LOTS of toys, and got LOTS of hugs and kisses!




He still found time to wrestle with daddy, of course! I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!

This is Ethan's new thing. He'll crawl halfway across the carpet, then just lay down and relax for a few seconds before continuing on. Weird!

Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma and Grandpa!!!