8 Months - A Little Delayed

Well, the month of May has been interesting.  Ethan turned 8 months old almost 3 weeks ago, but we are just now getting to the blog post!  May has been a month full of sickness for little E.  We started with a cold, then developed an abscess, then a double ear infection and sore throat, then hives, then a very swollen abscess which led to a Children's Hospital visit, and then finally a ruptured abscess that is finally starting to heal.  Needless to say, I am ready for a month of healthiness!!  But through it all, Ethan was a trooper and still very smiley!  

8 Months

Despite being sick a lot of this month, we have also had some great developments.  

-  Ethan loves to give high fives!  

- He has also been starting to pull up to a stand.  He starts in the sitting position and then will grab your fingers to pull himself up.  He thinks it is hilarious!

- Current favorites include:  Yogurt, "I'm a Little Teapot", his singing star frog from Grandma and Aunt Katie, his buzzy teething toy, rolling around on the floor, and playing with his blocks

- Ethan really loves to read books.  He especially loves Five Cheepy Chirpy Chicks right now.

- Ethan and I took Parent/Tot swimming lessons which I think really helped Ethan get comfortable in the water.  He even went underwater a few times!

Grandma came out to visit this month too!  We had a fun week even though the first few days she was here, Ethan was feverish with his double ear infection.  Grandma got to babysit for a little while Zach and I went out to lunch.  Grandma also got to be here over Mother's Day!  

I am sure there is more that I am forgetting, but Ethan is on the floor trying to eat the cat, so I probably should go!!

Fun with Pictures

We had a fun weekend just hanging out!  We also got some good pictures!

I think this will make a good embarrassing picture sometime in the future!

How cute is he?!?!

Ethan was playing with his train set!

I think this is one of the best pictures we have of Gini!

And now for a message from Ethan:

 VB CXC V CVJ HJHJTYVBRTR 

The End! 

7 Months

7 Months!  Seriously?  Where has the time gone?  Ethan continues to grow like a weed and it is awesome to see his personality developing.

What's new this month:

- Ethan has really mastered the art of sitting up.  We still have to help him get to the sitting up position, but then he has great balance!  He absolutely loves sitting up and interacting with the world.

- Ethan also learned how to roll from his back to his tummy this month.  He has now put two and two together that he can get across the room by rolling!

-  He is still a bucket full of smiles and giggles.  Not only is he extremely ticklish, but he is really starting to laugh at funny faces and peek-a-boo games.  He especially likes when Daddy hides and then pops up to say boo!

-  Ethan is really starting to get a lot of hair, even though you can't really tell because it is super blond.

- E has a wide variety of sounds now including ma, da, gee, eee, ba, (however you spell the radio static sound), giggles, laughs, wee, woo, etc.!

- Ethan also loves to stand up.  He can't balance yet, but he loves holding onto fingers and standing.  For some reason, standing really makes him want to talk!

- His pincer grasp is really starting to develop so he is starting to pick things up with his thumb and forefinger

- We still only have 3 teeth.  I think this is a good picture of his 3 bottom teeth:

- The exersaucer.  Oh, the exersaucer.  Ethan LOVES his exersaucer!  He can stand up in it and he has really mastered "playing the piano", moving the beads, and spinning the whale and crab.

- Last weekend we had a playdate with Derek, one of Zach's co-worker's son who is 6 weeks younger than Ethan.  Derek and Ethan sat facing each other and playing with each other's toes for hours!  Ethan thought Derek was great and kept smiling and laughing at him.

- I got brave enough to leave Ethan in the rec center nursery for the first time.  The ladies said he had a blast and was really good!  I only cried a little when I left him.

- Ethan's favorites right now:  carrots, "You Are My Sunshine", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", the "Amy, What You Gonna Do" guitar solo played by Daddy, the cat, playing with his shape sorter, reading books, and his Sophie teething toy

It is so fun watching Ethan's personality develop.  He is a really happy go-lucky kid who loves to laugh, play, and snuggle.  E is almost always in a good mood unless something is bothering him.  Then all we have to do is fix whatever is bothering him and he's back to his carefree self!  I can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Ethan in a rare moment of seriousness:

Weinermobile

Ethan and I found the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile today!!  We just had to stop and get our picture taken.

Because how many times do you really get to see the Weinermobile?!?

That is all.

Happy Easter!!  

We just got back from a fun weekend at Nana and Papa's!  Ethan had a crazy and fun weekend playing with Nana, Papa, Nunky, and Aunt Naomi.  It seemed like he had a special love for Aunt Na!  I was really proud of Ethan because he would sit and play with everyone and stay happy for quite awhile.  Yesterday, Ethan went on a nap strike as to not miss a single bit of the action.  He was WOUND UP when we got home!!  Thankfully, a bath settled him down and he was able to sleep pretty well.

We finally got another family picture, too.  This was after church so Ethan was starting to get tired.

Zach and I also were brave and took our first adventure without Ethan.  We left him in the very capable hands of Papa and Aunt Naomi and headed out for some coffee.  We just went into Green Mountain Falls and walked around the "lake" with our coffee for about a half hour, but it was good to have a little time with just the two of us.  Papa said Ethan did well, so that is good!

Ethan continues to grow like a weed and is chomping on everything.  He especially likes his Sophie the Giraffe teething toy from Aunt Laura and Uncle Jason right now.  

Now we are off to take a nap!

6 Months

I can't believe it!  Ethan is a half year old!  This past 6 months have really flown by, but at the same time it seems like we have had Ethan as part of our family forever.  As I type, Ethan is sitting on my lap, banging on the desk, and supervising this post.

6 Months

By the way, the bear gets more and more interesting every month...

What's new:

- Ethan was 17 lbs, 7 oz (50%) and 26 3/4 inches (60%) at his 6 month check-up

- E loves to pound on EVERYTHING

- He also found his toes and loves to suck on them (gross)

- E wiggles and crawls all over your lap when you hold him

- Gini and Caedmon suddenly exist!  Ethan loves to watch both of the pets and really likes to "pet" them as well.  Caedmon is a fan.  I don't think Gini knows what to think.

- He is getting good at sitting unsupported.  Although he hasn't figured out how to get into a sitting position by himself yet.

- E is really enjoying books these days.  He laughs when I open a book and start reading.  He likes to look at the pictures, too.  I think he is in the "consumption" phase because it is very important to eat the book once you are done reading it!

- Ethan is an eating machine these days.  He loves avocados, sweet potatoes, and peas especially.

- I think Ethan is starting to develop a little separation anxiety.  When I leave a room, he tends to scream.  This will be a fun stage. :-/

- We are getting good m, d, b, and g sounds now!

- Ethan is in the process of cutting his third tooth - another bottom one on the right side!

Ok, the blogging assistant says it is time to stop writing and time to go play.  Off we go!

So, I think Ethan may be the smiliest kid I know!  I love it!  He is all smiles (most of the time).  He is also VERY ticklish.  In February, Ethan turned 5 months old!  (See... I have it up before he turns 6 months old... with 4 days to spare!)

5 Months!

Just for fun:

Heehee... 1 Month!

Here's what is new:

- Our little man is very giggly!  He loves to be tickled and other people's yawns are super funny too!

- Ethan went on his first mountain adventure for the annual Bauer/Hanson ski vacation.  He didn't ski this year.  :-)  I am sure he will be skiing sooner than I realize!

- On our way up the mountain, Ethan learned to take a pacifier!!  On a last ditch effort, we tried latex pacifiers recommended by a friend.  Magic!  I think this changed my life.  :-)

- I think we *hopefully* are on the upswing from a major sleep regression around 4 months.  I hear it happens again at 9 months.  I am not excited.

- Still enjoying his "solid" foods.  We are up to two meals a day!

- Swimming!  Zach and I took Ethan swimming for the first time at the rec center.  He really seems to enjoy the water.  We will be taking parent and tot swimming lessons soon!

Also, in February, we had Valentine's Day!  Here is our little sweetheart!

Whew!  Now we are caught up!  Time to breathe for 4 days...