It's been a while since the last blog because Ethan and I both got really bad colds. But we're all better and finally getting back into the swing of things!
Ethan was having issues with his appetite while he was sick, but now he's eating almost anything we put in front of him! He's eating chunks of cheddar cheese all by himself. While I was still sick, we made chicken and veggie soup and a beef pot roast, and he had bits of both meals. We went to Chuy's with Mo on Easter Sunday and Ethan ate some of our beans, rice, guac, and cheese. We had chinese food and he ate some of my chicken and soft veggies. At a birthday party on Friday, he chowed down on bits of my hot dog. He got upset when it was all gone, so I ended up getting a second one so we could share it, too! We went to the County Line last night and he ate some brisket, chicken, smoked turkey, beans, and a taste of potato salad. I gave him some cottage cheese and pineapple that I had for breakfast recently, but he was not happy about that snack. But kiddo is an eating machine, which is great because he burns SO MUCH energy playing!
Ethan is cruising like a champ, and he's starting to let go of whatever he's supporting himself on to see how long he can stand on his own. So far, he's still pretty bad at it, but he does stand a little longer each time he tries! :o) He's also got this hippo toy that he can pull up on and push around. It's so funny to watch this teeny little baby walking behind a big blue hippo! But he's really good at walking as long as he has something to hold on to. He even runs sometimes if he's excited and gets in a hurry...like when he's chasing Daisy!
He's also talking a lot now...sort of. He's been saying something that sounds kind of like "Daisy" when he sees her, but it's not really consistent yet. He's also been saying "Hi", but we can't tell yet if he realizes what he's doing, or if he's just making noises. It kind of seems like he knows he's saying Hi, though, because he says it when looking right at us, and he waved a couple of times while saying it...? Hmmm, I guess we'll know for sure soon enough!
Tomorrow we are going to start his Music Together classes, and we're really excited about that. Ethan looooves it when Jim plays Ukulele, keyboard, or guitar for him, and I'm always singing to him or playing CDs. He also "plays" his toy piano and xylophone all the time. He seemed to really enjoy the free sample class we went to last month, so I think he's going to really enjoy it.
Other than Ethan stuff, we've got a lot of crazy stuff going on over here with Jim's work, my parents' whole drama, and Mo's sale of her home and upcoming move to Austin. There is a lot of change and upheaval in the air right now, so we're just trying to take everything one step at a time and just have faith that everything will work out the way it is supposed to. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we muddle our way through these crazy times!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Oh yeah!
Oh, and as of today, Ethan is no longer a vegetarian. He had chicken and sweet potatoes for dinner. Mmmm, meat! He also had a bit of cookie at the wedding....mmmm, sugar! :o)
Recent adventures
Well, Ethan's schedule has been a complete mess all week because of daylight savings time last Sunday. He turned 9 months old on Tuesday, and we had a check-up at 8am that morning. I didn't factor in the time change, so I woke the poor little man up waaaay earlier than he was used to getting up! He did surprisingly well, though! He's at about 17.5 pounds now...still a little on the skinny side for his height, but he's happy and healthy and doing great. They did a routine blood draw to check for anemia and lead poisoning (thanks, Chinese toys!), and we should get them soon. Doc says not to worry, though. She hasn't seen any lead poisoning in any of her kiddos yet.
As far as mobility, he's crawling all over the place. He climbs anything that stays still (including poor Daisy). He's also cruising like a pro...he can walk around his activity tables, furniture, and along walls pretty darn well. He's stood on his own a couple of times, but just for a few seconds at a time. Then he gets too excited and falls down. But he's working on it. He's also doing well at "walking" by holding our fingers for balance. A couple of days ago, he practically ran down the hall after Daisy, laughing hysterically the whole way!
Ethan's also "talking" much better. He doesn't just repeat the same couple of syllables over and over, or just make gooey noises anymore. Lately, he's been babbling and stringing different sounds together. No words yet, but it sounds much more like people-speak as opposed to baby babbles. We laugh because he's starting to sound like a little boy now...crazy stuff.
I've noticed over the last few weeks that Ethan's attention span is getting much better. He's much more interested in books than he used to be. He actually looks at the pictures and can sit through the whole book now. In some books, he recognizes the pictures...in Goodnight Moon, he always reaches for the mouse on the "Goodnight mouse" page. Every time! He's also watching my hands through all of the alphabet song (I sign the letters to him as I sing it)...I used to lose him around HIJK! He's also getting better at playing with toys. He examines and manipulates a toy until he's got it all figured out...he doesn't just toss it aside after banging on it for a minute or two anymore.
On Thursday, we went to the Blanton museum (UT is on spring break, so perfect time to be on campus!). There were a couple of exhibits that had him absolutely riveted. Our baby likes ART! :oD One exhibit was shaped like a big raindrop filled with water. Air bubbles came from the bottom of the drop and bounced around a bunch of colorful obstacles (kinda like a pachinko in reverse). Ethan LOVED it! It made bubbly sounds, it was colorful, and there were bubbles!! The other exhibit was a big tv screen in a dark room. The artist had mounted a camera above a 5-lane highway and assigned a musical note to each lane. So as a car showed up on each lane, the corresponding note would play as the car drove down the screen. There were lots of colorful moving cars, music, and a big tv. Ethan just sat there grinning for almost 15 minutes! It was adorable!
We were in the museum for a full hour and a half. A couple of the other babies started fussing and getting upset, but not Ethan...he was having so much fun! Besides all the exhibits, the most fun part of our outing was people's reactions to Ethan. The little guy draws attention! Several people came up to us to talk with him because he was smiling at them or just to tell me that he's a pretty or a sweet (or both!) little boy. He got a couple of comments about how great it is that someone so small could already enjoy a museum. I know it's silly, but I just loooove taking him places! He's so sweet, smiley and social, and I just think it's so cute when he engages strangers...he brings out the best in people!
Today, we went to our friend Henry's wedding. (YAY Henry!! We are sooo tickled for him and his wife!!) There were lots of friends there who we hadn't seen in a very long time. Some didn't even know we had a baby! Ethan hadn't napped, but he managed to not get too grumpy and charmed friends and strangers alike! He did get upset a couple of times when the crowd laughed or applauded during speeches...the loud noises startled him. But he settled relatively quickly. They had hired a string quartet, so I took Ethan over to them so he could watch them play. He really liked the cello, or maybe he just liked flirting with the cellist? Either way, he had fun!
As far as mobility, he's crawling all over the place. He climbs anything that stays still (including poor Daisy). He's also cruising like a pro...he can walk around his activity tables, furniture, and along walls pretty darn well. He's stood on his own a couple of times, but just for a few seconds at a time. Then he gets too excited and falls down. But he's working on it. He's also doing well at "walking" by holding our fingers for balance. A couple of days ago, he practically ran down the hall after Daisy, laughing hysterically the whole way!
Ethan's also "talking" much better. He doesn't just repeat the same couple of syllables over and over, or just make gooey noises anymore. Lately, he's been babbling and stringing different sounds together. No words yet, but it sounds much more like people-speak as opposed to baby babbles. We laugh because he's starting to sound like a little boy now...crazy stuff.
I've noticed over the last few weeks that Ethan's attention span is getting much better. He's much more interested in books than he used to be. He actually looks at the pictures and can sit through the whole book now. In some books, he recognizes the pictures...in Goodnight Moon, he always reaches for the mouse on the "Goodnight mouse" page. Every time! He's also watching my hands through all of the alphabet song (I sign the letters to him as I sing it)...I used to lose him around HIJK! He's also getting better at playing with toys. He examines and manipulates a toy until he's got it all figured out...he doesn't just toss it aside after banging on it for a minute or two anymore.
On Thursday, we went to the Blanton museum (UT is on spring break, so perfect time to be on campus!). There were a couple of exhibits that had him absolutely riveted. Our baby likes ART! :oD One exhibit was shaped like a big raindrop filled with water. Air bubbles came from the bottom of the drop and bounced around a bunch of colorful obstacles (kinda like a pachinko in reverse). Ethan LOVED it! It made bubbly sounds, it was colorful, and there were bubbles!! The other exhibit was a big tv screen in a dark room. The artist had mounted a camera above a 5-lane highway and assigned a musical note to each lane. So as a car showed up on each lane, the corresponding note would play as the car drove down the screen. There were lots of colorful moving cars, music, and a big tv. Ethan just sat there grinning for almost 15 minutes! It was adorable!
We were in the museum for a full hour and a half. A couple of the other babies started fussing and getting upset, but not Ethan...he was having so much fun! Besides all the exhibits, the most fun part of our outing was people's reactions to Ethan. The little guy draws attention! Several people came up to us to talk with him because he was smiling at them or just to tell me that he's a pretty or a sweet (or both!) little boy. He got a couple of comments about how great it is that someone so small could already enjoy a museum. I know it's silly, but I just loooove taking him places! He's so sweet, smiley and social, and I just think it's so cute when he engages strangers...he brings out the best in people!
Today, we went to our friend Henry's wedding. (YAY Henry!! We are sooo tickled for him and his wife!!) There were lots of friends there who we hadn't seen in a very long time. Some didn't even know we had a baby! Ethan hadn't napped, but he managed to not get too grumpy and charmed friends and strangers alike! He did get upset a couple of times when the crowd laughed or applauded during speeches...the loud noises startled him. But he settled relatively quickly. They had hired a string quartet, so I took Ethan over to them so he could watch them play. He really liked the cello, or maybe he just liked flirting with the cellist? Either way, he had fun!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Crazy week!
Not sure if I blogged about this already (I think not, but I just can't remember!) but Mo was in town for the last part of last week. We had such a good time with her. Ethan just LOOOOVES spending time with his Grammy! They are so cute together! He just smiles and grins at her (and her dog, Tucker), and Mo's just crazy about him and loves to watch him show off all of his new skills.
On Saturday, we went up to her property in Jonestown and took Ethan and Tucker to the lake. Ethan had never seen a lake, ducks, or geese, so he had a pretty good time. Someone had broken a branch off of a biiiig oak tree, so I took Ethan over to it so he could check out the leaves, branches and bark. He didn't seem to like it, but I'm determined that he's going to like nature, unlike his daddy! :o)
On Monday and Tuesday, Mo and I (mostly Mo while I took care of E) picked a bunch of colorful perrenials, cleaned up my front flower bed and planted the new plants. They look great! I'd been meaning to fill in our bed for ages, but after the bed was created, it was the middle of summer (too hot to plant), then I got pregnant in the fall and was sick, was huge last spring, and then was busy with Ethan last fall. So, I am SO GLAD that Mo was able to help me with all of her gardening knowledge and actual manual labor! She is AWESOME!!! She also gave me lots of ideas for other things to plant, and I'm looking forward to doing that this spring!
In other news: Ethan's first top tooth (3rd tooth) broke through on Tuesday. It was his top left tooth. Only part of it came through, though, so he's been pretty miserable all week. The worst of it seems to be over for now, but his other top tooth looks like it's getting ready to come through, so I'm sure we'll be going through some more cranky days and sleepless nights very soon. He hadn't been eating much because of the pain, but now it's like I can't get enough food into him fast enough...he's ravenous! I'm just taking advantage of this while I can. I hope to help him chunk up before the next hunger strike! :o)
A couple of days ago, I went to the store and got him some Earth's Best Barley teething biscuits and some Mango and Pear baby food. The biscuits were a complete mess, but he LOVED them! He was covered in gunk, but he was soooo happy! And apparently, the kiddo is a big fan of mangos! I'd been having a hard time getting him to eat any fruit but bananas, but he went through the jar of mangos really quickly and kept looking for more when it was gone. It was pretty funny!
All week was pretty crazy with Mo in town, Ethan having fits because of his teeth, and the termites. Yes, the termites. Our house has termites. So, I called around for estimates after Mo left, and inspectors came by on Wednesday and they did the treatment yesterday. It was funny, all 3 companies (Terminix, Orkin, and ABC Pest and Lawn) use the same chemicals and techniques, but ABC was about 1/3 the cost of the two national companies. The guy who did the treatment was very sweet, and he was great about answering all of my questions.
I'm late for Ethan's dinnertime, so I need to sign off!
On Saturday, we went up to her property in Jonestown and took Ethan and Tucker to the lake. Ethan had never seen a lake, ducks, or geese, so he had a pretty good time. Someone had broken a branch off of a biiiig oak tree, so I took Ethan over to it so he could check out the leaves, branches and bark. He didn't seem to like it, but I'm determined that he's going to like nature, unlike his daddy! :o)
On Monday and Tuesday, Mo and I (mostly Mo while I took care of E) picked a bunch of colorful perrenials, cleaned up my front flower bed and planted the new plants. They look great! I'd been meaning to fill in our bed for ages, but after the bed was created, it was the middle of summer (too hot to plant), then I got pregnant in the fall and was sick, was huge last spring, and then was busy with Ethan last fall. So, I am SO GLAD that Mo was able to help me with all of her gardening knowledge and actual manual labor! She is AWESOME!!! She also gave me lots of ideas for other things to plant, and I'm looking forward to doing that this spring!
In other news: Ethan's first top tooth (3rd tooth) broke through on Tuesday. It was his top left tooth. Only part of it came through, though, so he's been pretty miserable all week. The worst of it seems to be over for now, but his other top tooth looks like it's getting ready to come through, so I'm sure we'll be going through some more cranky days and sleepless nights very soon. He hadn't been eating much because of the pain, but now it's like I can't get enough food into him fast enough...he's ravenous! I'm just taking advantage of this while I can. I hope to help him chunk up before the next hunger strike! :o)
A couple of days ago, I went to the store and got him some Earth's Best Barley teething biscuits and some Mango and Pear baby food. The biscuits were a complete mess, but he LOVED them! He was covered in gunk, but he was soooo happy! And apparently, the kiddo is a big fan of mangos! I'd been having a hard time getting him to eat any fruit but bananas, but he went through the jar of mangos really quickly and kept looking for more when it was gone. It was pretty funny!
All week was pretty crazy with Mo in town, Ethan having fits because of his teeth, and the termites. Yes, the termites. Our house has termites. So, I called around for estimates after Mo left, and inspectors came by on Wednesday and they did the treatment yesterday. It was funny, all 3 companies (Terminix, Orkin, and ABC Pest and Lawn) use the same chemicals and techniques, but ABC was about 1/3 the cost of the two national companies. The guy who did the treatment was very sweet, and he was great about answering all of my questions.
I'm late for Ethan's dinnertime, so I need to sign off!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Uh oh!
Ethan's already getting to be a handful! This afternoon, I was sorting mail at our dining room table, and I watched him crawl toward the foot of the stairs. No biggie, I figured. He can't climb them yet, but he likes to pull up on the bottom step. I looked away for a few seconds to open a piece of mail and pull it out of the envelope, then I looked back at the stairs...no Ethan! I could hear him making baby noises, but I couldn't see him anymore.
I dropped the letter and hurried to the stairs. He was on the second step, working his way up to the third one! He learns a new skill every day! He made it all the way up to the 4th step before he decided that he was tired of climbing. We have already installed baby gates at the top of the stairs to keep him from falling, but I guess we need to go ahead and install the ones we got for the bottom of the stairs, too. Kiddo is everywhere. It's amazing how quickly he figures stuff out. Great for him, but scary for Mommy!
Other than that, what have we been up to? His sleeping is getting better, thank goodness. Today, we played outside in the grass (without a blanket) for the first time. He wasn't happy with that. The grass is all winter brown and crunchy, so he didn't like it at all. He also drank out of a cup in his high chair, but I took the lid off the sippy cup and let him make a mess. He was sopping wet, but it was new and interesting to him. He's used to tipping sippy cups over without worrying about a mess, so this was a surprise. We went to a mom group yoga class yesterday. I didn't get to do much yoga, though. Spent most of the time chasing him and keeping him out of trouble. :o) But we still had a good time! Ethan and daddy are sleeping now. Mommy's going to go join them!
I dropped the letter and hurried to the stairs. He was on the second step, working his way up to the third one! He learns a new skill every day! He made it all the way up to the 4th step before he decided that he was tired of climbing. We have already installed baby gates at the top of the stairs to keep him from falling, but I guess we need to go ahead and install the ones we got for the bottom of the stairs, too. Kiddo is everywhere. It's amazing how quickly he figures stuff out. Great for him, but scary for Mommy!
Other than that, what have we been up to? His sleeping is getting better, thank goodness. Today, we played outside in the grass (without a blanket) for the first time. He wasn't happy with that. The grass is all winter brown and crunchy, so he didn't like it at all. He also drank out of a cup in his high chair, but I took the lid off the sippy cup and let him make a mess. He was sopping wet, but it was new and interesting to him. He's used to tipping sippy cups over without worrying about a mess, so this was a surprise. We went to a mom group yoga class yesterday. I didn't get to do much yoga, though. Spent most of the time chasing him and keeping him out of trouble. :o) But we still had a good time! Ethan and daddy are sleeping now. Mommy's going to go join them!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Today
Except for the fact that naptime was a complete mess, we had a great day today! After breakfast (and no morning nap), we met Tatem and her 3-month old daughter, Eliza, for lunch. The kiddos slept through most of lunch perched on the table in their carseats. They were awake by the time we left, so we looked at windchimes at Wild Birds, Unlimited. Then we went to a kids' resale shop where I got Ethan an umbrella stroller, a foam ABC playmat, and BabyLegs since crawling on carpet is tearing up his knees. (BabyLegs are kind of like baby legwarmers, only think less '80's pop chic and more crunchy Austin hippy chic...).
Anyway, after that, we went to a pet store to show the kids hamsters, fish and bunnies. Eliza was less than impressed...I think she was actually asleep?...but Ethan liked the fish. Finally, we ended up at Barnes and Noble and hung out in the kids' book section, where we found a playgroup pal, Eli, and her nanny, Elyse. Eliza and Tatem read books and looked at pictures while Eli and Ethan crawled all over the place, looked at books, and just made weird baby noises...they had fun!
Also, Ethan climbed up a step, all by himself...crazy kid! He just started really crawling, and he's already climbing stuff. Yikes!
We finally left because I could tell E was getting tired. He napped a bit on the way home, but mostly he fussed. When we got home, I tried to get him down for a nap, and he just lost it! He cried for a good 45 minutes...just inconsolable. I thought it might be his teeth, so I gave him some Tylenol after about 10 minutes, but it didn't really seem to help. He finally wore himself out and napped for an hour and a half, poor little guy. He's having such a rough time sleeping right now, but he is an absolute sweetheart angel when he's up and playing.
At dinner tonight, I gave him some avocado. I think he liked it, but hard to tell. Anytime I give him any new food, he makes crazy faces, but he always opens up for more...? He's also had macaroni noodles, kiwi fruit, and black beans this week. Trying to introduce more variety to him. We got a book, Super Baby Foods, recently. It's all about how to prepare homemade food for babies. It's advocating feeding him yogurt and egg yolks, so I asked his doc about it. She recommended no eggs till after 1 year, and said to take it slow with the dairy since I'm lactose-intolerant. She said to start with hard cheeses first since they have less lactose, and just see how he does with those. So, we'll be trying that soon.
Oh! And he started taking baths in the big-boy tub a few days ago! I think tonight was the 3rd or 4th time? He likes it! He cried the first couple of times, but I think he's gotten used to it, and he likes being able to splash and play with more toys now that he has more room!
Anyway, it was a good day! We're going to a yoga class with the playgroup tomorrow...yay!
Anyway, after that, we went to a pet store to show the kids hamsters, fish and bunnies. Eliza was less than impressed...I think she was actually asleep?...but Ethan liked the fish. Finally, we ended up at Barnes and Noble and hung out in the kids' book section, where we found a playgroup pal, Eli, and her nanny, Elyse. Eliza and Tatem read books and looked at pictures while Eli and Ethan crawled all over the place, looked at books, and just made weird baby noises...they had fun!
Also, Ethan climbed up a step, all by himself...crazy kid! He just started really crawling, and he's already climbing stuff. Yikes!
We finally left because I could tell E was getting tired. He napped a bit on the way home, but mostly he fussed. When we got home, I tried to get him down for a nap, and he just lost it! He cried for a good 45 minutes...just inconsolable. I thought it might be his teeth, so I gave him some Tylenol after about 10 minutes, but it didn't really seem to help. He finally wore himself out and napped for an hour and a half, poor little guy. He's having such a rough time sleeping right now, but he is an absolute sweetheart angel when he's up and playing.
At dinner tonight, I gave him some avocado. I think he liked it, but hard to tell. Anytime I give him any new food, he makes crazy faces, but he always opens up for more...? He's also had macaroni noodles, kiwi fruit, and black beans this week. Trying to introduce more variety to him. We got a book, Super Baby Foods, recently. It's all about how to prepare homemade food for babies. It's advocating feeding him yogurt and egg yolks, so I asked his doc about it. She recommended no eggs till after 1 year, and said to take it slow with the dairy since I'm lactose-intolerant. She said to start with hard cheeses first since they have less lactose, and just see how he does with those. So, we'll be trying that soon.
Oh! And he started taking baths in the big-boy tub a few days ago! I think tonight was the 3rd or 4th time? He likes it! He cried the first couple of times, but I think he's gotten used to it, and he likes being able to splash and play with more toys now that he has more room!
Anyway, it was a good day! We're going to a yoga class with the playgroup tomorrow...yay!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
And he's off...!
It's been really hard to post anything lately because Ethan is now officially crawling! Our study is a baby danger-zone, and I can no longer plop him next to me with a toy and reasonably expect him to stay there. Crawling has also really messed up his naps, but he is napping right now, so here I am!
We've had a very interesting couple of weeks! With Ethan learning how to crawl, our bed is no longer safe for him. We fully expected to transition him into his crib by this point, but we didn't anticipate all the sleep problems crawling would cause! Plus, all 3 of us had a cold last week, and now Ethan is getting tooth #3 (his top left tooth!), which means even more fussy nights! So, for the time being, we've got our mattress on our floor.
I personally am going to miss having my cuddly baby in our bed, but we're just not sleeping very well anymore, so it's time for a change. Co-sleeping worked for us, especially in the beginning with all of the constant nursing and his reflux issues. Then we were all just kind of happy with the arrangement, so we kept it up. But it's getting to be too hard to get a good night's sleep.
Sigh. I hear a baby voice from the other room. Well, that was a 15 minute nap...I'll take what I can get! It's way too hard to blog 1-handed (carrying him now), so I'll have to finish this later! And no, still no new pics on Shutterfly...sorry!
We've had a very interesting couple of weeks! With Ethan learning how to crawl, our bed is no longer safe for him. We fully expected to transition him into his crib by this point, but we didn't anticipate all the sleep problems crawling would cause! Plus, all 3 of us had a cold last week, and now Ethan is getting tooth #3 (his top left tooth!), which means even more fussy nights! So, for the time being, we've got our mattress on our floor.
I personally am going to miss having my cuddly baby in our bed, but we're just not sleeping very well anymore, so it's time for a change. Co-sleeping worked for us, especially in the beginning with all of the constant nursing and his reflux issues. Then we were all just kind of happy with the arrangement, so we kept it up. But it's getting to be too hard to get a good night's sleep.
Sigh. I hear a baby voice from the other room. Well, that was a 15 minute nap...I'll take what I can get! It's way too hard to blog 1-handed (carrying him now), so I'll have to finish this later! And no, still no new pics on Shutterfly...sorry!
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