Forgot to mention that Ethan knows body parts now. He started with Ear, and that was the only one he knew for a while. Then came Eye and Nose, and he's saying foot, hand, and he knows Cheek but isn't saying it yet.
What else? He can sort of count to 3. Sort of...he knows the words, but I'm not sure that he "gets" the actual concept yet. But we're working on it!
Especially in the last few weeks, every day brings new words and new discoveries...it's SO MUCH fun!! He is sooo cute, and hearing him name new things in his little baby voice is just sooo adorable. :o)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Update
It's amazing how much can happen in just one month. Ethan has SO MANY words now! He has a favorite shape (star), a favorite household item (clocks), a favorite line from a book ("down, down, down, plop!" from Are You My Mother), and so many other cool things like that. He's not signing much, but he is talking a lot and is definitely communicating with us. Oh, he just started pointing at stuff and asking "dat?" a few days ago. He's so curious about everything! :o)
Some of his names for things are a little off. He calls his toy cow "moo" and his lamb is "baa." But he definitely knows what they are...if I ask him to get his cow, he grabs it and says "moo!" Pretty neat!
Today, he tried to share his water with a Winnie the Poo puppet. He's beginning to pretend!! He laughed when I made the puppet make "drinking" noises.
And today, for the first time, he called me Mama. No doubt about it. He was with Jim and was looking for me and asked for Mama. When I came into view, he looked at me and said it, then pointed at me and said it again with a big goofy grin on his little face. It made my mommy heart soooo happy!!
Also, he nursed for the very last time on July 24th. He wasn't nursing unless it was naptime or bedtime, and I figured he was going to be able to deal with it well enough to stop, so we did it. I cried after the last time, and I still kind of miss nursing him, but he's doing very well. Still waking up a couple of times a night, but he's generally going back to sleep fairly easily unless his molars are bothering him.
Another big event...I left him with a non-familial sitter a few times. I joined the YMCA and left him with their child care center. He did okay with them. I cried the first time I left him, and the staff were all concerned. :oP When I explained why I was crying, they were all really sweet and sympathetic. They'd all been there, too. :o)
Some of his names for things are a little off. He calls his toy cow "moo" and his lamb is "baa." But he definitely knows what they are...if I ask him to get his cow, he grabs it and says "moo!" Pretty neat!
Today, he tried to share his water with a Winnie the Poo puppet. He's beginning to pretend!! He laughed when I made the puppet make "drinking" noises.
And today, for the first time, he called me Mama. No doubt about it. He was with Jim and was looking for me and asked for Mama. When I came into view, he looked at me and said it, then pointed at me and said it again with a big goofy grin on his little face. It made my mommy heart soooo happy!!
Also, he nursed for the very last time on July 24th. He wasn't nursing unless it was naptime or bedtime, and I figured he was going to be able to deal with it well enough to stop, so we did it. I cried after the last time, and I still kind of miss nursing him, but he's doing very well. Still waking up a couple of times a night, but he's generally going back to sleep fairly easily unless his molars are bothering him.
Another big event...I left him with a non-familial sitter a few times. I joined the YMCA and left him with their child care center. He did okay with them. I cried the first time I left him, and the staff were all concerned. :oP When I explained why I was crying, they were all really sweet and sympathetic. They'd all been there, too. :o)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Bird!
Today, Ethan said something that sounded kind of like bird. I wasn't sure if that was what he was trying to say, but then he started doing the sign for bird and kept repeating the word! Yay!
So that's kind of his 2nd or 3rd sign, if you count waving Hi and an occasional "all done" when he's finished eating. He's really resisting using his hands to communicate...he'd MUCH rather try to talk. But if he can manage to do both, that'll really help us figure out exactly what he's trying to say.
So that's kind of his 2nd or 3rd sign, if you count waving Hi and an occasional "all done" when he's finished eating. He's really resisting using his hands to communicate...he'd MUCH rather try to talk. But if he can manage to do both, that'll really help us figure out exactly what he's trying to say.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Stuff our son can do now...
Ethan's behavior has really changed in the last few weeks. They're not kidding when they say that toddlerhood happens fast...!
He's doing a lot more walking and he very rarely crawls anymore. I'll pretend to "chase" him, and he'll walk/run away squealing in delight! I'm sure that game will get old pretty soon, but it's very cute right now! :o)
I noticed a couple of days ago that Ethan's not just swatting randomly at the pages in books anymore. He is actually purposefully turning the pages and trying to separate pages that stick together...pretty cool! He can also tell when he's holding a book upside down. He will look at it funny and then turn it right side up.
On Thursday, we went to Barnes and Noble to go get Harvey Karp's Happiest Toddler book. I was a Momma on a Mission...just wanted to go straight to the parenting section, grab the book, and get out of there. I heard Ethan babbling, but I wasn't really listening...he usually babbles non-stop, and I was focused on finding my book. But when I actually *listened* to his babbles, I realized he was saying "boop, boop, boop." Boop, meaning BOOK. My baby was all excited because there were books all around him! It was TOO adorable!
We've been playing peek-a-boo for a long time now; but just yesterday, he started hiding his eye(s) behind his forearm and hand. He only uses one arm to hide, so sometimes he manages to cover both eyes, sometimes he doesn't. But if he doesn't, he closes the eye that's not covered, so we may as well be gone...good enough! We'll say "Where's Ethan?!?" and he'll move his arm down really fast and look at us and crack up. I need to get it on video...it's so funny, and he is SO proud of himself!
A couple of weeks ago, he discovered that the throw pillows on the sofa are fun to pull to the floor and dive into. He's been yanking them to the ground and he'll get really upset if they're being anchored down by anyone...like Daisy. Now he's also attacking the pillows on his bed. Yes, we have pillows on his bed. Yes, I know the AAP recommends not giving little kids pillows. The AAP hasn't watched our son bang his head into the walls around his bed, either, though! So now, he dives into the pillows we have propped up against the wall on his bed, and he literally bites them and attacks them like a crazy baby, then he looks at us and *grins*! Such a little goofball!
I'm sure there's a lot that I'm forgetting to jot down, but the point is that he's just becoming so SMART. Something happened right around the time he turned 1. He's really a little kid now...my baby is almost impossible to see in this curious, funny, active little boy. He's still squishy and yummy and cute, but he's definitely not a baby anymore.
He's doing a lot more walking and he very rarely crawls anymore. I'll pretend to "chase" him, and he'll walk/run away squealing in delight! I'm sure that game will get old pretty soon, but it's very cute right now! :o)
I noticed a couple of days ago that Ethan's not just swatting randomly at the pages in books anymore. He is actually purposefully turning the pages and trying to separate pages that stick together...pretty cool! He can also tell when he's holding a book upside down. He will look at it funny and then turn it right side up.
On Thursday, we went to Barnes and Noble to go get Harvey Karp's Happiest Toddler book. I was a Momma on a Mission...just wanted to go straight to the parenting section, grab the book, and get out of there. I heard Ethan babbling, but I wasn't really listening...he usually babbles non-stop, and I was focused on finding my book. But when I actually *listened* to his babbles, I realized he was saying "boop, boop, boop." Boop, meaning BOOK. My baby was all excited because there were books all around him! It was TOO adorable!
We've been playing peek-a-boo for a long time now; but just yesterday, he started hiding his eye(s) behind his forearm and hand. He only uses one arm to hide, so sometimes he manages to cover both eyes, sometimes he doesn't. But if he doesn't, he closes the eye that's not covered, so we may as well be gone...good enough! We'll say "Where's Ethan?!?" and he'll move his arm down really fast and look at us and crack up. I need to get it on video...it's so funny, and he is SO proud of himself!
A couple of weeks ago, he discovered that the throw pillows on the sofa are fun to pull to the floor and dive into. He's been yanking them to the ground and he'll get really upset if they're being anchored down by anyone...like Daisy. Now he's also attacking the pillows on his bed. Yes, we have pillows on his bed. Yes, I know the AAP recommends not giving little kids pillows. The AAP hasn't watched our son bang his head into the walls around his bed, either, though! So now, he dives into the pillows we have propped up against the wall on his bed, and he literally bites them and attacks them like a crazy baby, then he looks at us and *grins*! Such a little goofball!
I'm sure there's a lot that I'm forgetting to jot down, but the point is that he's just becoming so SMART. Something happened right around the time he turned 1. He's really a little kid now...my baby is almost impossible to see in this curious, funny, active little boy. He's still squishy and yummy and cute, but he's definitely not a baby anymore.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
birthday stuff and sleep training
I meant to update this sooner, but we've been so busy with birthday stuff and sleep training. Better late than never, though!
We didn't actually do anything too special on the 11th...we were saving it all for his party on Saturday! It was a fairly typical morning...he woke up, we played, and then we had breakfast. After breakfast, we strapped him into his infant carseat (the one he came home from the hospital in) for the very last time, and we drove to Babies R Us. They were having a carseat inspection/installation clinic, and we had a 10:30 appointment. They were running very late, so we played on a blanket under some trees until they finally got to us. They installed his fancy new carseat, but they had to install it rear-facing since he didn't weigh 20 lbs yet, but that's OK...at least he's got more room now! He was tired and cranky by the time we finished, so we got him home and he took a nap.
After his nap, we went to the doctor for his 12-month appointment. He got a couple of booster shots, but I asked her to hold off on the MMR and chicken pox vaccines for right now. He's only in the 5th percentile for weight, which has me worried. Dr. Spellings says that if he continues to fall on the growth charts, we may want to do some metabolic testing to rule out any hidden issues. But she agrees that he looks and acts very healthy, and that he started out as a big baby, so maybe he's just dropping on the charts because he's just destined to be a small person like me and Daddy. Still, better safe than sorry. She recommended that we go ahead and start giving him whole milk, so we have been trying. So far, he is NOT interested. He loves water, so I've tried watering it down for him, and that seems to help a little. Some friends have also recommended trying a different brand of milk, so I'm going to try that, too.
Larry and Carla arrived to stay with Mo on Thursday, so we all went out to dinner at Rudy's that night. It was fun, and Ethan did pretty well, even though he hadn't napped. He finally got pretty cranky, so we had to cut the evening short.
My parents got to Austin on Friday evening. We played with Ethan a bit, then I took him upstairs so he could get some good sleep the night before his party. Jim went to the airport at midnight to pick up Keisha, so when we woke up on Saturday morning, we had all sorts of fun people at the house! Mom helped me finish decorating with streamers and they got Ethan's balloons. Jim went and picked up all the food, and everyone helped with final set-up and decoration stuff while I fed Ethan breakfast.
The party ended up being lots of fun! It was hot outside, and I wish I'd gotten an extra canopy for the back yard, but it was ok. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun splashing in the pools and playing in the sprinkler. We found a bubble machine at Target, and it was a HUGE hit! Mo gave Ethan a kid's picnic table and sand & water table, and the older kids had a blast with that. I felt kind of bad for the parents that it was so hot...but at least the kids were happy. :o)
We gathered the family and sang Happy Birthday to Ethan in his high chair. We tried to light the candle on his cupcake, but it just wasn't going to work outside. Probably a bad idea, anyway! He wasn't so interested in the icing, but he went to town on the cupcake itself! He was a gooey mess, and we have lots of pics.
After cupcakes, we all went inside (air conditioning!!) and opened up presents. He got lots of really cool toys, and a TON of outfits. Ethan is going to be a VERY well-dressed kid for quite a while! The party went way longer than we'd planned, so he was tired and cranky by the time everyone left. But he got to spend some good time with his grandparents and Aunt Keisha, so that was good! Later that evening, we went to dinner at Chuy's with some of Keisha's college friends. One of them is in our playgroup, so she's our friend now, too. :o) They are all sweet people, so it was a nice dinner.
Keisha spent Sunday afternoon with our mutual friend, and we had dinner at Mo's that evening. Jim woke up super-early to drive Keisha to the airport on Monday morning. It always makes me sad when she goes home, and I was sadder that I didn't get the chance to drive her from/to the airport. But Ethan was sleeping during those times, so I didn't get a choice. :o(
After everything finally settled down, Jim and I discussed the whole sleep situation and agreed that it was time to make a change. Ethan needs me to go to sleep, but only because he was used to nursing to sleep. Anytime he'd wake up, I'd have to nurse him back down. So, we decided it's time to stop that. We've been doing it since Monday, and so far, so good! He refused to nap without nursing on Monday, so he was exhausted Monday night. He cried and cried and cried for a couple of hours Monday night, but he finally fell asleep. I was right there with him the whole time, but I just wouldn't nurse him. He woke up several times looking for milk, but I didn't give it to him. He cried, but each time was shorter than the last. I was exhausted on Tuesday, so Jim watched him so I could nap for an hour. He actually did finally nap on Tuesday. He fought it at first, but he finally went down that afternoon and konked out for an hour and a half or so. Bedtime took a while, but he fell asleep with out too much yelling. Since then, he's been pretty good about going to sleep. We read a few books, he cries a little bit, but then he's out. :o) He still needs help lying back down when he wakes up in the middle of the night, but I put him down and he usually falls asleep again without too much of a fuss.
We didn't actually do anything too special on the 11th...we were saving it all for his party on Saturday! It was a fairly typical morning...he woke up, we played, and then we had breakfast. After breakfast, we strapped him into his infant carseat (the one he came home from the hospital in) for the very last time, and we drove to Babies R Us. They were having a carseat inspection/installation clinic, and we had a 10:30 appointment. They were running very late, so we played on a blanket under some trees until they finally got to us. They installed his fancy new carseat, but they had to install it rear-facing since he didn't weigh 20 lbs yet, but that's OK...at least he's got more room now! He was tired and cranky by the time we finished, so we got him home and he took a nap.
After his nap, we went to the doctor for his 12-month appointment. He got a couple of booster shots, but I asked her to hold off on the MMR and chicken pox vaccines for right now. He's only in the 5th percentile for weight, which has me worried. Dr. Spellings says that if he continues to fall on the growth charts, we may want to do some metabolic testing to rule out any hidden issues. But she agrees that he looks and acts very healthy, and that he started out as a big baby, so maybe he's just dropping on the charts because he's just destined to be a small person like me and Daddy. Still, better safe than sorry. She recommended that we go ahead and start giving him whole milk, so we have been trying. So far, he is NOT interested. He loves water, so I've tried watering it down for him, and that seems to help a little. Some friends have also recommended trying a different brand of milk, so I'm going to try that, too.
Larry and Carla arrived to stay with Mo on Thursday, so we all went out to dinner at Rudy's that night. It was fun, and Ethan did pretty well, even though he hadn't napped. He finally got pretty cranky, so we had to cut the evening short.
My parents got to Austin on Friday evening. We played with Ethan a bit, then I took him upstairs so he could get some good sleep the night before his party. Jim went to the airport at midnight to pick up Keisha, so when we woke up on Saturday morning, we had all sorts of fun people at the house! Mom helped me finish decorating with streamers and they got Ethan's balloons. Jim went and picked up all the food, and everyone helped with final set-up and decoration stuff while I fed Ethan breakfast.
The party ended up being lots of fun! It was hot outside, and I wish I'd gotten an extra canopy for the back yard, but it was ok. The kids seemed to have a lot of fun splashing in the pools and playing in the sprinkler. We found a bubble machine at Target, and it was a HUGE hit! Mo gave Ethan a kid's picnic table and sand & water table, and the older kids had a blast with that. I felt kind of bad for the parents that it was so hot...but at least the kids were happy. :o)
We gathered the family and sang Happy Birthday to Ethan in his high chair. We tried to light the candle on his cupcake, but it just wasn't going to work outside. Probably a bad idea, anyway! He wasn't so interested in the icing, but he went to town on the cupcake itself! He was a gooey mess, and we have lots of pics.
After cupcakes, we all went inside (air conditioning!!) and opened up presents. He got lots of really cool toys, and a TON of outfits. Ethan is going to be a VERY well-dressed kid for quite a while! The party went way longer than we'd planned, so he was tired and cranky by the time everyone left. But he got to spend some good time with his grandparents and Aunt Keisha, so that was good! Later that evening, we went to dinner at Chuy's with some of Keisha's college friends. One of them is in our playgroup, so she's our friend now, too. :o) They are all sweet people, so it was a nice dinner.
Keisha spent Sunday afternoon with our mutual friend, and we had dinner at Mo's that evening. Jim woke up super-early to drive Keisha to the airport on Monday morning. It always makes me sad when she goes home, and I was sadder that I didn't get the chance to drive her from/to the airport. But Ethan was sleeping during those times, so I didn't get a choice. :o(
After everything finally settled down, Jim and I discussed the whole sleep situation and agreed that it was time to make a change. Ethan needs me to go to sleep, but only because he was used to nursing to sleep. Anytime he'd wake up, I'd have to nurse him back down. So, we decided it's time to stop that. We've been doing it since Monday, and so far, so good! He refused to nap without nursing on Monday, so he was exhausted Monday night. He cried and cried and cried for a couple of hours Monday night, but he finally fell asleep. I was right there with him the whole time, but I just wouldn't nurse him. He woke up several times looking for milk, but I didn't give it to him. He cried, but each time was shorter than the last. I was exhausted on Tuesday, so Jim watched him so I could nap for an hour. He actually did finally nap on Tuesday. He fought it at first, but he finally went down that afternoon and konked out for an hour and a half or so. Bedtime took a while, but he fell asleep with out too much yelling. Since then, he's been pretty good about going to sleep. We read a few books, he cries a little bit, but then he's out. :o) He still needs help lying back down when he wakes up in the middle of the night, but I put him down and he usually falls asleep again without too much of a fuss.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Our little boy is 1!
Actually, Ethan won't "officially" be 1 until 3:11 am, but I'm not going to be able to stay awake that long! :o)
He has completely turned our world upside down, and we have loved every minute of our first year with him! It seems like just yesterday that I first saw his sweet little face. It's hard to believe that a year has flown by already. But then I compare this walking, talking, laughing little boy to the teeny, helpless little newborn we met one year ago today, and it's even harder to believe how much he's changed in just one year!
Having him in our life has really been one blessing after another. Watching him grow and learn and discover the world around him brings us so much joy, and we love him SO much! I guess he's not really a baby anymore, but he'll always be my sweet baby boy.
Happy Very First Birthday, Ethan! Your Mama and Daddy love you very, very much!!
He has completely turned our world upside down, and we have loved every minute of our first year with him! It seems like just yesterday that I first saw his sweet little face. It's hard to believe that a year has flown by already. But then I compare this walking, talking, laughing little boy to the teeny, helpless little newborn we met one year ago today, and it's even harder to believe how much he's changed in just one year!
Having him in our life has really been one blessing after another. Watching him grow and learn and discover the world around him brings us so much joy, and we love him SO much! I guess he's not really a baby anymore, but he'll always be my sweet baby boy.
Happy Very First Birthday, Ethan! Your Mama and Daddy love you very, very much!!
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