Ethan is ONE!

It has happened, our baby boy is now a ONE YEAR OLD! People really aren't joking when they tell you that life flies by when you have kids. (It really does!) Below are some of the details about our precious Ethan at a year!

Ethan had his one year check-up with Dr. Wallace today and here are his stats:
Weight: 20lb 7oz (34%), 31.5 inches long (96%), and 46.5cm head circumference (62%). He was actually in between 31.5 and 31.75, but the nurse picked 31.5. Mike took a look at Ryan's stats and he was 32 inches and almost 3lbs heavier. It is interesting to see how alike and at the same time how different our two little boys are built. Ethan is wearing size 3 diapers and still in size 12 month clothes. Some clothes seem to fit perfectly and others are still big. However, I think we will be heading into 18month pj's in no time! I am personally ready for some cooler temperatures because I feel like Ethan has been wearing most of the same clothes for 6 months and I am ready for a change!!

My children obviously develop their personality and preferences/opinions at an early age. Ethan has always been our good little eater, but he is definitely starting to show his preferences these days with regards to eating. (Bummer!) I am still trying to offer things I know he will toss off the tray and expose him to new things when I can, but I am truly shocked at how quickly he seemed to transition from eating basically anything I offered to even shunning a few of his favorites. Some things he will never turn down include: YOGURT! oatmeal (baby kind, still not a fan of adult kind- I tried), cheese, mashed potatoes, crackers/bread, oatmeal bars/cereal bars, apple sauce, almost any fruit with the exception of apples and pears (must be a texture thing). His favorite fruit seems to be strawberries, blueberries, grapes & peaches. Bananas, which used to be an absolute favorite have become hit or miss. He will either eat almost an entire banana at once, or no bites at all! He is also beginning to show an aversion to messy hands as his brother did and he will wipe mess on his tray, his hair, or sit and play with his messy fingers with a look as if to say "what is this mess on me?" Foods he won't even try anymore and tosses includes: carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, avocado (used to love this!), and squash. He is a pretty good meat eater and will eat turkey lunchmeat and chicken from our dinners pretty routinely. Sometimes he will eat hamburger meat, other times not really a fan. New foods this month included peanut butter (loves) and cow's milk (not sure about).

Ethan is still nursing 3 times a day (wake up, mid afternoon, bedtime). I have never really had to fully wean a child as Ryan pretty much gave up on it on his own a few weeks before turning one. At this point it isn't much of a time commitment or inconvenient for me so we are kind of just taking it one week at a time. Ethan will have his first 3 nights away from me in another week as Mike and I are traveling to South Carolina, so we will see how he does with that and how he responds when I return. I am attempting to cut out the middle of the day feeding this week and replace with milk in a cup. Our pediatrician today suggested offering it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and perhaps mixing cow's milk with some breast milk to help him as he transitions. Nursing is such a special bonding time for me and Ethan and since we are in no rush to add to our family at this point, I guess I just haven't quite set a "stop date" in mind, but it will be kind of nice in some ways to be past this phase just for my own freedom. As you can see I go back and forth on the whole issue so time will tell.

New accomplishments for Ethan this month include learning to "high five", nodding his head yes, basically almost running at this point- he is walking great and ALL OVER THE PLACE! The first of his 1 yr. molars came through on 9/12 two days before his birthday! The molar is the top right side and though it doesn't seem to be disturbing his sleep much overnight, he has been more cranky in the daytime and is hating us brushing his teeth currently (which he also used to love!). I think his poor mouth and gums are just sore and sensitive. New words for Ethan this month include "yeah" as he shakes his head yes, "ball" (which includes balloons), "up", "buh" (book), "buh bah" (when asking about Ryan, brother I guess?), & "ow" (not sure yet if this is actual pain or for the cat as he has used it in both references). He also opens his mouth big and says "Ah" when referring to a snack and when I ask if the "snack" is what he wants he nods and says "yeah". Haha! He is trying his best to communicate what he wants.

Ethan is a sweet little cuddle bug, but certainly has some "spunk". I have a feeling he will certainly stand up to his older brother when he needs to. When things aren't going his way he occasionally will still fall to the ground in frustration, or sometimes he will walk and back up into a wall and bang his head gently against it (this is rather entertaining). It must be so frustrating to know what you want and not always be able to communicate it to people. After learning to "high five" he now seems to hit sometimes, but no biting (yet) like brother did. He still deals with some separation anxiety and cries when Mom or Dad leave him, but this Sunday I let him walk into his classroom instead of handing him over to a worker and he went right on in to play without a tear! (HOORAY!) I guess we will have to continue trying this way.

Ethan is currently sleeping closer to 11 hrs uninterrupted overnight, sometimes 12. (7:30pm-7am it typical) His nap schedule has been pretty wacky lately because of Ryan starting back to preschool and just us being busy overall. I am nervous about us losing our afternoon nap so early, but some days he manages with just the one nap and then is in bed by 7pm. We really try to stick to our schedule on non preschool days in which case he naps around 10am and then again around 2:30/3pm. He really needs the two naps to function properly and not fall apart in the evening. On a one nap days (Sun/Tues/Thurs) he naps for 2-2.5hrs, on two nap days it is 3 hrs sometimes a little more. Ethan sleeps with his green frog lovey, blue and white lovey, horse lovey and a blanket though often he will toss things out of his crib, but always keeps one item which is often the green frog Ryan picked out before he was born.

Ethan loves all things Mickey Mouse, loves cats and dogs, loves books (for brief moments- he picks one and backs up and sits in my lap), LOVES big brother Ryan, loves throwing things including balls/cars, adores our play kitchen and emptying out my Tupperware cabinet, and he absolutely is happiest when he is OUTSIDE!! (The new patio addition this month and play house for his birthday are a HUGE hit!)

We are so blessed to have you as part of our family, Ethan Robert Campbell, and we all LOVE YOU so much! Thank you God for the blessing of our sweet son! We are eternally grateful as we learn about you and continue to grow as parents along the way.
~Mommy