I am often amazed how much these little people can absorb. We never know how much he actually gets, until little moments like this:
Last night we were watching TV when Ethan's bedtime rolled around. We randomly do count-downs when we're going to turn things off, or move on to the next activity. This time, I did it in French to see his reaction. He looked at me funny and said "takabaf?". Michelle decided to play along and started counting in Spanish.
Mommy: "Uno, dos, tres..."
Ethan: "Tatro!"
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Free Bath
In these hard economic times, even water is a luxury. Use this great penny-pinching tip to keep the kids clean and the wallet fat: introduce them to public fountains.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Updates are way overdue!
Ethan is awesome! He's a little sponge and quite the parrot. He's talking up a storm now, and it's lots of fun to have crazy little conversations with him. He sings all sorts of songs to himself, and he climbs on EVERYTHING. He's pretty much going non-stop, which is great for him but exhausting for Mommy and Daddy! He's getting better about sleeping on his own, but he's still getting up a couple of times a night. Sometimes he'll go back to sleep with his blanket and his Nemo and it's all good, but usually he'll work himself into a frenzy and start screaming if we don't go into his room to reassure him that it's ok to lie back down. He has several friends that he's always asking for. I just think it's so cute to hear him ask to see Vivi or Jannah or Eliza! He has buddies! I love that!! :o)
Anyway, I have been awful about updating this because we had some family...drama. We started trying to have a baby in January and were delighted to find out in late January that we were expecting. But in mid-February, we started experiencing problems and we had a miscarriage at the end of the month. To add insult to injury, I got horribly ill with a bad stomach flu the day after the miscarraige and I ended up in the emergency room later that week. So, we're just kind of scrubbing February 2009 from our memory. There were highlights and good things, like Ethan's big cognitive growth spurts and some really great bonding moments between me and Jim over all of the stress. Having such a cute toddler and amazing husband has really made the loss so much easier to face, and I know that we're so lucky to have the wonderful friends and family that have been so supportive through all of this.
So, we'll try again for a baby brother or sister for Ethan later this year. In the meantime, I'll try to be better about updating this blog and will try to post some pics and maybe even some video soon!
Anyway, I have been awful about updating this because we had some family...drama. We started trying to have a baby in January and were delighted to find out in late January that we were expecting. But in mid-February, we started experiencing problems and we had a miscarriage at the end of the month. To add insult to injury, I got horribly ill with a bad stomach flu the day after the miscarraige and I ended up in the emergency room later that week. So, we're just kind of scrubbing February 2009 from our memory. There were highlights and good things, like Ethan's big cognitive growth spurts and some really great bonding moments between me and Jim over all of the stress. Having such a cute toddler and amazing husband has really made the loss so much easier to face, and I know that we're so lucky to have the wonderful friends and family that have been so supportive through all of this.
So, we'll try again for a baby brother or sister for Ethan later this year. In the meantime, I'll try to be better about updating this blog and will try to post some pics and maybe even some video soon!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
What can Ethan do?
Ethan will be 18 months old in a few days, so I thought it'd be a good time to make a list of the things that he can do at this point. This is not an exhaustive list because I'm an exhausted Momma and am sick with a chest cold, which is NOT helping. Still, I'll add what I can remember and will update this if I remember anything particularly cool later.
Motor skills: He can...
walk, spin, clap, dance, give kisses, give high 5s, climb up and down things (including the stairs), tiptoe, tiptoe while walking, walk backwards, run very clumsily (but cutely!), feed himself with a spoon (though he still prefers his hands), throw lots of things (with distressingly accurate aim, unfortunately for Daisy), roll a ball, sometimes kick a ball, bounce on his bottom, and today he learned how to stomp. Many of these actions are accompanied by his narration: "I bounce!" "I stomp!" "Spinning, Spinning!" "Down stairs!" "Stomp!"
Other skills: Ethan knows (and says)...
the full capital letter alphabet (he points out letters every time we're out and about), a handful of lower-case letters, numbers 0-9, how to count to ten (and he can tell us how many fingers we're holding up for him to count), most basic shapes (star, oval, heart, circle, square, diamond, cross, etc.), names of people he sees often, his own name, most farm animals and their noises, lots of other animals, names of the foods he eats and many that he still won't touch, lots of verbs, nouns
Songs he sings (only partially, still):
Old Mac Donald
ABC song (he gets almost all of it right!)
My Bonnie
Itsy bitsy spider
Hello Song from music together class
Still working on:
Adjectives, colors, jumping, eating a variety of foods, patience. Ethan has a low tolerance for frustration right now, and he gets really upset when he wants to have/do something that he can't have/do. I know it's just a stage and that he'll learn how to deal, but it can be very trying sometimes. But he'll get there. :o)
Motor skills: He can...
walk, spin, clap, dance, give kisses, give high 5s, climb up and down things (including the stairs), tiptoe, tiptoe while walking, walk backwards, run very clumsily (but cutely!), feed himself with a spoon (though he still prefers his hands), throw lots of things (with distressingly accurate aim, unfortunately for Daisy), roll a ball, sometimes kick a ball, bounce on his bottom, and today he learned how to stomp. Many of these actions are accompanied by his narration: "I bounce!" "I stomp!" "Spinning, Spinning!" "Down stairs!" "Stomp!"
Other skills: Ethan knows (and says)...
the full capital letter alphabet (he points out letters every time we're out and about), a handful of lower-case letters, numbers 0-9, how to count to ten (and he can tell us how many fingers we're holding up for him to count), most basic shapes (star, oval, heart, circle, square, diamond, cross, etc.), names of people he sees often, his own name, most farm animals and their noises, lots of other animals, names of the foods he eats and many that he still won't touch, lots of verbs, nouns
Songs he sings (only partially, still):
Old Mac Donald
ABC song (he gets almost all of it right!)
My Bonnie
Itsy bitsy spider
Hello Song from music together class
Still working on:
Adjectives, colors, jumping, eating a variety of foods, patience. Ethan has a low tolerance for frustration right now, and he gets really upset when he wants to have/do something that he can't have/do. I know it's just a stage and that he'll learn how to deal, but it can be very trying sometimes. But he'll get there. :o)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Feedback
Ethan is getting really good at telling us what he's thinking.
Today, during a diaper change, he said "Brrr, cold!" and smiled when I used the wipes on him. They are a little chilly, but he'd never complained before! :o)
We also went to the outlet mall looking for little boy shoes. Ethan was a pretty good sport, but he eventually yawned and said "I tired!". Normally, he'd just yawn and I'd get it and we'd go home, but how cool is it that he can also acknowledge that his yawn means he needs his nap and it's time for us to head home?
He knows his name now, too. He's recognized his name for months, but now he finally says Ethan when we ask him what his name is. And when we ask him someone's name, he usually gets it right...assuming it's someone he sees pretty often.
Anytime we go anywhere, he chatters on at a mile a minute about everything he sees! There are some things that he is just REALLY into, so when we see/hear them, chances are good that he'll comment on them: Fans (anything that spins like one), the sun (circles with lines radiating out), stars, all things Nemo, water (especially fountains), wheeled vehicles (especially trucks and motorcycles...not so much plain old cars), airplanes, guitars, pianos, music of any kind, cats...and SO many other things. I think it's pretty cool that he's so curious and interactive now. When he sees something he likes, he tells us and gets so excited when we let him know we see it, too. Communicating with him is so much fun, and it's really neat that he can express himself to us and unveil more and more of his little personality every day!
Today, during a diaper change, he said "Brrr, cold!" and smiled when I used the wipes on him. They are a little chilly, but he'd never complained before! :o)
We also went to the outlet mall looking for little boy shoes. Ethan was a pretty good sport, but he eventually yawned and said "I tired!". Normally, he'd just yawn and I'd get it and we'd go home, but how cool is it that he can also acknowledge that his yawn means he needs his nap and it's time for us to head home?
He knows his name now, too. He's recognized his name for months, but now he finally says Ethan when we ask him what his name is. And when we ask him someone's name, he usually gets it right...assuming it's someone he sees pretty often.
Anytime we go anywhere, he chatters on at a mile a minute about everything he sees! There are some things that he is just REALLY into, so when we see/hear them, chances are good that he'll comment on them: Fans (anything that spins like one), the sun (circles with lines radiating out), stars, all things Nemo, water (especially fountains), wheeled vehicles (especially trucks and motorcycles...not so much plain old cars), airplanes, guitars, pianos, music of any kind, cats...and SO many other things. I think it's pretty cool that he's so curious and interactive now. When he sees something he likes, he tells us and gets so excited when we let him know we see it, too. Communicating with him is so much fun, and it's really neat that he can express himself to us and unveil more and more of his little personality every day!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Long overdue update
Ethan is quite the talker! He knows most common animals and their sounds as well as dozens and dozens of nouns and verbs. He knows basic shapes (circle, square, diamond, star) and he also recognizes all the capital letters and can count up to 9. We're working on colors right now. He likes the word blue, but I don't think he knows what it means yet.
He can parrot pretty much anything we say, which is pretty scary. :o) But he's actually retaining and building on what he's parroting, which is really cool. A couple of days ago, we were playing at a local fountain and he threw an acorn at it. Then he announced "I throwed it!". I'm *fairly* certain "throwed" isn't a word Jim or I have used recently, so apparently Ethan has learned basic grammar structures and has decided to add -ed to the end of a verb he knows to make it past-tense. Cool, huh?!?
He's also finishing song phrases. This started in the last week or so. I'll sing "Daisy Daisy" or "My Bonnie" and stop at the last word of a phrase, and he'll "sing" the missing word. Not necessarily with the correct rhythm or tune yet, but sometimes he does even get those right. Again, pretty sophisticated stuff for a 17 month old. Today, during bath-time, I started singing "Old MacDonald" and decided to see if he'd pick the animal. He LOVES cats, so I thought for sure he'd pick cat, but he chose sheep. So we baa-baaed and I was so proud of my son for choosing an animal for the very first time, all by his teeny self! He's also got a favorite non-kid song. Coldplay's "Don't Panic". He requests it during diaper changes and sings along while I'm changing him. Hey, whatever it takes to keep him still!!
Ethan is already starting to create basic sentences. Stuff like "I want it" and "I wanna go outside" and "I throwed it!" He's also pretty decent at saying please and thank you. He's not consistent with that yet, but he's getting there. He requests books by name and he can give me nose kisses and puppy kisses...very cute! Oh, and he's learning his friend's names! He knows Mommy, Daddy, Grammy and Daisy, of course. But he also knows Vivi and Jannah and Hamza. It's good that he's starting to care that the other kiddos have names...he's starting to acknowledge other kids as people, not obstacles. Yay!!
Oh, and he's getting really good at narrating what he's doing. He'll spin and yell "Spinning!", run and yell "Running!", splash and yell "Splashing!" All with a big "whoa, check out what I can do!" grin on his face. Ahhh, that grin!! He is SO full of discovery and excitement and wonder at EVERY little thing! He'll examine, explore, or try something, then he'll look at me with this "Ah-Ha! Check this out, Mom!" grin, and I can't help but fall head-over-heels in love with him a million times a day! Ethan is absolutely exhausting, but I treasure every minute with him and am so grateful that I am able to stay home with him and show him all of these things that he gets so excited about all day long. He's a really cool little person, and I'm just so proud of how sweet and smart and yummy he is!! :o)
He can parrot pretty much anything we say, which is pretty scary. :o) But he's actually retaining and building on what he's parroting, which is really cool. A couple of days ago, we were playing at a local fountain and he threw an acorn at it. Then he announced "I throwed it!". I'm *fairly* certain "throwed" isn't a word Jim or I have used recently, so apparently Ethan has learned basic grammar structures and has decided to add -ed to the end of a verb he knows to make it past-tense. Cool, huh?!?
He's also finishing song phrases. This started in the last week or so. I'll sing "Daisy Daisy" or "My Bonnie" and stop at the last word of a phrase, and he'll "sing" the missing word. Not necessarily with the correct rhythm or tune yet, but sometimes he does even get those right. Again, pretty sophisticated stuff for a 17 month old. Today, during bath-time, I started singing "Old MacDonald" and decided to see if he'd pick the animal. He LOVES cats, so I thought for sure he'd pick cat, but he chose sheep. So we baa-baaed and I was so proud of my son for choosing an animal for the very first time, all by his teeny self! He's also got a favorite non-kid song. Coldplay's "Don't Panic". He requests it during diaper changes and sings along while I'm changing him. Hey, whatever it takes to keep him still!!
Ethan is already starting to create basic sentences. Stuff like "I want it" and "I wanna go outside" and "I throwed it!" He's also pretty decent at saying please and thank you. He's not consistent with that yet, but he's getting there. He requests books by name and he can give me nose kisses and puppy kisses...very cute! Oh, and he's learning his friend's names! He knows Mommy, Daddy, Grammy and Daisy, of course. But he also knows Vivi and Jannah and Hamza. It's good that he's starting to care that the other kiddos have names...he's starting to acknowledge other kids as people, not obstacles. Yay!!
Oh, and he's getting really good at narrating what he's doing. He'll spin and yell "Spinning!", run and yell "Running!", splash and yell "Splashing!" All with a big "whoa, check out what I can do!" grin on his face. Ahhh, that grin!! He is SO full of discovery and excitement and wonder at EVERY little thing! He'll examine, explore, or try something, then he'll look at me with this "Ah-Ha! Check this out, Mom!" grin, and I can't help but fall head-over-heels in love with him a million times a day! Ethan is absolutely exhausting, but I treasure every minute with him and am so grateful that I am able to stay home with him and show him all of these things that he gets so excited about all day long. He's a really cool little person, and I'm just so proud of how sweet and smart and yummy he is!! :o)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The latest...
We're sooo far behind on trying to maintain this blog! Ethan is just amazing right now, but he needs me to keep a very close eye on him! He's climbing on everything (including one of his baby gates) he likes to play with the stove knobs (which are no longer on the stove now...we took them off and moved them to higher ground to avoid gas leaks!), and he somehow manages to be everywhere at once. As I'm cleaning up one disaster area, he's busily creating a new one for Mommy to work on!
He's a handful, but he's SO MUCH fun! Kiddo is talking up a storm. He has dozens of nouns, and even a few verbs and adjectives. He's playing pretend. He's curious about everything...one of his favorite words is "what?" He's able to give me a breakfast or lunch order..." milk! Noodle! Cheerio!, Bana! (Banana in Ethan-speak)" He answers "yeah" and "no" to my inquiries. He recognizes a few letters and shapes. He's just so cool!
And Uncle Tom and Michele...he FINALLY started saying "three" the day after we got home!
We just got back from Seattle, and he was such a great little traveler! One guy on the plane home actually commented on his good behavior as we were getting off the plane. He slept well and was just generally good-natured during almost all of the trip. Yay!!
He's also finally started to give kisses. Before, he'd give us his forehead to kiss, but now he's smacking me with his little baby lips...so yummy!! :oD And he's calling me Mommy now. It's one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard!
He's growing up SO fast! Every day brings at least a few new words, and he's just becoming SO smart! And he can walk backwards now, which delights him to no end! He's constantly cracking himself up, silly boy! He is just so cute and so much fun...we're really having a good time playing and exploring and just learning all about the world eight now. :o)
He's a handful, but he's SO MUCH fun! Kiddo is talking up a storm. He has dozens of nouns, and even a few verbs and adjectives. He's playing pretend. He's curious about everything...one of his favorite words is "what?" He's able to give me a breakfast or lunch order..." milk! Noodle! Cheerio!, Bana! (Banana in Ethan-speak)" He answers "yeah" and "no" to my inquiries. He recognizes a few letters and shapes. He's just so cool!
And Uncle Tom and Michele...he FINALLY started saying "three" the day after we got home!
We just got back from Seattle, and he was such a great little traveler! One guy on the plane home actually commented on his good behavior as we were getting off the plane. He slept well and was just generally good-natured during almost all of the trip. Yay!!
He's also finally started to give kisses. Before, he'd give us his forehead to kiss, but now he's smacking me with his little baby lips...so yummy!! :oD And he's calling me Mommy now. It's one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard!
He's growing up SO fast! Every day brings at least a few new words, and he's just becoming SO smart! And he can walk backwards now, which delights him to no end! He's constantly cracking himself up, silly boy! He is just so cute and so much fun...we're really having a good time playing and exploring and just learning all about the world eight now. :o)
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