9 months

Diggin through the toy basket

Such a boy...loves the remote!

First taste of a "biter" biscuit

And this is after eating the biter biscuit...MESSY!

Cruising along in the walker

Just being cute

It's hard to believe that there are only 3 months left until Ethan is 1!!! We just got back from the doctor for his 9 month check-up and there is good news to report...NO EAR INFECTIONS!!!!!! Both ears are all clear. I can't remember the last time we've been to the doctor and not had to make a pit stop at Eckerds on the way home for anti-biotics. What a relief!! Ethan is now measuring 29 inches and weighs in at 20.14 pounds.

Our new nickname for Ethan is "speed demon." Whether he is crawling or in the walker, the boy moves with some speed. He is "cruising" along the couch and coffee table, moving oh so gracefully from one end to the other. And in the past few days, he has started standing on his own for a few seconds. At school, he stood and clapped his hands a few times, then fell on his butt.

Speaking of school...I went to pick him up the other day and the teacher told me that he was climbing the bookshelf!! Looks like we have one fearless little boy on our hands.

We also have a very healthy eater. Ethan is also totally off of baby food. We have moved on to the bigger and better foods...carrots, peas, green beans, corn, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, bananas, peaches, pears, pineapple, chicken, mashed potatoes...you name it, he'll eat it.

Our favorite summer past-time is going to the pool. Ethan absolutely loves the water and being outside. Yesterday he crawled around in the grass for the first time when Aunt Meme, Casey, and Jacob came to visit.

Next week, Ethan and I are heading out to Florida. His first plane ride...we are hoping it will be uneventful and easy since he doesn't have an ear infection. We will see you when we get back from Florida!

8 Months and Mobile

"mamamama"












Kissin Daddy











On the go...no stopping him now!












Daddy pushing Ethan around in the laundry basket












Trying to get the hang of the sippy cup











Peek-a-boo!












Shaking his head "NO!"












Swimming
Well, here we are at 8 months and boy, have we been busy! The last month has been full of new things are lots of firsts for Ethan...and us for that matter!


In the last month alone, Ethan has learned to crawl (all hands and knees now, no belly!), pull himself up on the coffee table, clap, say "ma ma ma" and "da da da", and go from laying to sitting by himself. He also went swimming for the first time on Memorial Day and he LOVED it!!


In the last month, Marc and I have learned that nothing is sacred...it all goes in the mouth. We kinda knew that before, but now we can add shoes to the list. We've also learned that there can be nothing within arms reach on the coffee table, and drool looks great on the couch!


We started the month with bad news...Ethan's ear infections were back. We've tried a different antibiotic and go back to the doctor Wednesday to find out if we are all clear. If not, we'll start thinking about tubes. The good news is that the infections are all inner-ear, so we don't have to worry about swimming and getting water in his ears.

Another first this month...Ethan's first bruise! We knocked his cheek on the coffee table and out came the bruise. It's hard to let him fall and get hurt, but I know he has to learn. And I think he is. He's been a lot more careful lately about letting go of the table.

Last weekend, Ethan and I took a road trip to Alabama to visit Cindy, Kacey, and Olivia. They are expecting a little boy in August, so we went for the baby shower and had a great weekend. The picture of us swimming was taken at Cindy's parents' house.


This past weekend, the day care had a cookout for Father's Day. Marc and Ethan went and had a great time (I had to work). They won a dance contest and played the night away. On Sunday we went to Robyne's for Father's Day. Ethan had a blast swimming and wore his "My Daddy is a Super Hero" shirt.


We hope everyone is well and had a fantastic Father's Day. See you next month!!

7 months

Ridin my car from Nanny and Poppy















Just being cute















My new seat!











White Sox fan already!












Takin a bath in the duck












Toolin around in my walker
The last few weeks have been fun-filled for all of us! Cousin Shelley came for a visit. We went to see Casey and Jacob play ball and went to the local Mexican place for Cinco de Mayo. That weekend Marc and I also went out with Jimmy & Hilary for a "parents' night out." Our neighbor Nancy watched Ethan and everyone had a great time!

The week of Mother's Day there was an art show at Ethan's school (daycare). Each class made different art for the parents and we had a picnic dinner on the playground. We got a picture of Ethan with a hand and foot print. They also made a magnet for us. We also got Ethan a new car seat that weekend. He's pushing the limits on the old seat, so we've upgraded to what I like to call his "Lazyboy" seat. It reclines and everything! Hopefully he won't outgrown this one in 7 months like he did the last!

We spent Mother's Day in Newnan with Marc's family and my mom. It was a great day of relaxing outside on the porch and eating some great food! Skirt steak, corn, potatoes, chocolate cake...YUM!!! A meal fit for a mother!!

On Wednesday, Hilary and Hailey stopped by for lunch. Hilary and I celebrated our birthday with homemade pizza and baby talk. Hailey is so cute and already getting so big! We can't wait until they can play together. Ethan thought she was adorable. Every time he'd see Hailey, he'd smile and giggle.

Today we went to the doctor to check up on the ear infections...ALL GONE!! She said that everything looked great and we don't have to go back until July for his 9 month checkup. He now weighs 19 lbs. 10 oz. and we got the go-ahead to move to stage 2 foods and yogurt. Today we have Bananas and Mixed Berries for lunch and keeping with the past, he ate every bite. We still have yet to find a food he doesn't like. Dr. Heaven also told me that the top side teeth will probably come in before the middles do.

Tonight Ethan is staying with Aunt Mimi. Marc is going to the race with Jimmy and I have to work, so she's taking him tonight and tomorrow he'll spend the day at the ball field before coming home.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mom's and those to be. We hope everyone is well.

6 months - April 07

We've reached 6 months...I can't believe it! Ethan went to the doctor yesterday. We found out that he weighs 18.09 pounds, is 28 3/4 inches tall and has a double ear infection...again. The good news is that we had no idea about the ear infection...he hasn't been cranky or out of sorts, so it doesn't seem to bother him that much.

Ethan still loves to eat! He's had all of the veggies and loves all of them. He's also had pears, bananas, and now we are on peaches. The doctor gave us the go-ahead to add yogurt, finger foods (puffs, steamed veggies, fruit cocktail), and juice.

This past weekend was our first weekend away from Ethan. Marc and I went to Tennessee for an anniversary weekend and Ethan stayed with Aunt Mimi. From what we heard, he had a great time! They went to the ball field to watch Jacob play, took a bath, read books, and sat up by himself for about 10 minutes! That's awesome considering he doesn't really like to sit. This kid wants to stand! He's also started rocking on his hands and knees.

We visited the Bermans and their new addition, Hailey. She's precious and Ethan had a great time playing airplane with Jimmy. I'm sure Ethan will have a lot to teach Hailey when they get a little older. Nanny and Poppy came to visit us this month. They brought Ethan some goodies and we had a great time with them. Cousin Shelley is coming to visit next weekend, and then the pool opens the weekend after that. May is going to be a busy month!

5 months

Month 5 has been full of talking, rolling, eating, and laughing.

Ethan is talking up a storm!! "Aba" and "ba" are the most popular, but he also says "abwa" and "ow". He's also started laughing more. Not just a giggle, but an actual laugh. Right now he is in the Excersaucer talking to the lion and laughing at himself. Oh, and let's not forget the raspberries. That is our all time favorite. One day he started doing it and I called Marc to find out if he taught him. Nope...just something he picked up. So don't get too close or he may end up "showering" you with raspberries :)

He has now mastered the art of rolling over, although for the most part he only rolls in one direction. He loves sleeping on his stomach and rolling all around the crib. We put him towards the bottom and he ends up at the top with his back against the rails. I have a feeling we are going to be chasing after this kid when he starts walking.

FOOD!! Ethan LOVES food. We've tried carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, and peas and he loves them all. I've heard a lot of people say that most kids hate peas, but not this one. He loves his veggies...just like his daddy. On Monday, we start on fruits with bananas!

Ethan also loves school (daycare). His teachers say that he is probably the happiest kid in the class. He has also become attached to his Curious George. George now goes every where with us.

That's about all for now. We go back to the doctor at the end of April for his 6 month checkup. I really can't believe he's almost 6 months old. Time really does fly when you are having fun!

On a Roll

Well, here we are at 19 weeks and everything is going great! Ethan and I just got back from his 4 month checkup. He's now 26" long (I mis-measured last time) and 16 lbs. Only 5% of babies his age are taller than him. He definitely takes after his momma!! He also had 3 shots today and did really well. He cried for a few minutes, then was totally fine once we got in the car. Now he's playing like nothing ever happened!

In the past few weeks, he's learned how to roll from his back to his stomach and can (at times) hold his bottle. He is eating rice cereal from a spoon, and we have to ok to start him on some veggies.

His teeth are still making their way out. Judi spent the night and could click one of her nails on a bottom tooth. It looks like he has three that are trying to make an appearance.

Ethan has also discovered his hands and is working on the feet. I swear this morning he was trying to put his foot in his mouth. His hands are his favorite snack right now. Gotta love all the drool!

16 Weeks

Boy, what an interesting few weeks we've had!! The weekend of January 19th, we (Ethan, Marc, Mom and I) went to Virginia to visit my family. It was a great weekend, even though the weather was a little crappy on the drive up. We decided to drive overnight since it was Ethan's first car trip and we wanted him to sleep! It worked out fairly well. Marc drove most of the way while one of us stayed awake chatting with him and the other slept. We got to see almost everyone on our trip up there which was great.

But of course, all good things must come to an end and when we got home, Ethan and I were both sick. I took Ethan to the doctor to find out that he had a cold and a double ear infection!! We got some great medicine and are both just fine now. I took him back to the doctor on Friday to check his ears again. He now weighs 15 1/2 lbs. and is about 27 inches long. And to top it off...he's cutting two bottom teeth!!!! Holy cow, the kid is growing like a weed!!!!

Ethan's personality is REALLY starting to show. For the most part, he's a happy baby. He smiles and laughs a lot and loves people. We went to Felicia and Dave's last night for the Superbowl and Ethan had a blast with everyone. We definitely don't have a shy child on our hands! I think he has mastered rolling from his stomach to his back and he loves to stand up. Marc and I joke that he will walk before he crawls, and I'm starting to think that might be reality. Ethan is also mimicking sounds. If we make a noise a few times, he'll usually try to make the same sound.

Bath time is now a fun time. He HATED baths at first, but now he love them. He's even started splashing a little and doesn't mind water in his face. Good thing, since Marc give him a "shower" to rinse him off. We turn on the bathtub faucet and stick him under it to get all the soap off.

More exciting news...we get to start on baby food in a few weeks!!!! Right now we are adding rice cereal to his bottles, and in the next few days, we will start feeding it to him with a spoon. We go back to the doctor on the 23rd for his 4 month checkup and then we are on to solids!

Right now we are looking forward to a visit from my dad and step mom in two weeks and are just trying to make it through the winter and get ready for spring!!