Ethan is 11 months!

Ethan is 11 months!! It is hard to believe. It has been a busy month with a busy little boy. Here is the latest:

Shoe size 4, diaper size 3, clothes 12 month some 9month separates. Ethan is more slender built than brother was so he seems to fit in clothes a little longer. His hair is really starting to grow which is blonde and adorable, just a tad bit of wave currently.

He got a new tooth last month number 8- bottom left one over from middle July 20th.

New foods:
Tuna, nectarine, asparagus, hot dog, cottage cheese, graham crackers, raspberries, & catfish. (He liked them all except the asparagus). He eats fruits, grains, dairy, and meats very well, but isn't a huge veggie person (shocker), we are still working on this. Ethan currently nurses when he wakes up around 8am, right before lunch, after his afternoon nap (4ish), then again at bedtime. He eats 3 meals a day and occasionally a snack, but typically due to nap time schedule and his afternoon milk, he doesn't seem to desire much in the form of snacks. He does generally eat very well at meal time.

 Ethan is sleeping through the night 7:30pm-7:30/8am though often stirs or fusses in his sleep for 10-15min at some point between 4-6am. He naps twice a day about 3 hrs total. Occasionally only 1 late morning nap- 2.5hrs long, but we are trying to stick with 2 naps. He enjoys tossing out his blanket and loveys when he first wakes up or when trying to delay napping.

On July 1st he took his first 3-4 steps alone from Dad to Mom. Then, July 24th took off across the room about 15-20 steps on his own! Now he is confidently walking all over the house often with his arms out or up, which is adorable.

He is stacking rings on a stick now rather than only taking them off and throwing them (though he does this too because throwing is fun!). Favorite toys are walking toys, things he can chew, balls, cars, and especially things in the play kitchen. Oh yes, and KAZOOS (obsessed!!). Ethan doesn't have many new "words" this month, other than "Ah-NN" he seems to call Ryan. It is mostly sounds this month, "oof oof" for dogs, "ah ah- oo oo" for monkey, a high pitched "Aaaa" is what he calls Toby. It is a particular sound and always used for him, but not quite "cat" or "meow", ha ha. For everything else he will point and sign "please" to get what he needs.

Ethan "organizes" my Tupperware cabinet many times daily. I find these items scattered through the kitchen and living room and stowed away in the play kitchen too. He is becoming pretty clever with his hiding techniques. He has also discovered small trash cans around the house and enjoys putting toys inside, so now I have to be careful not to throw away toys!

Separation anxiety seems to be in full swing and Ethan is becoming quite the "Mommas boy".  He will happily smile or laugh at any stranger, but you want to hold him?? No thanks. He has his select pick of people including grandparents mostly that this is allowed. He cries when we drop him off at the church nursery, but I just walk away quickly because I know once I am gone he will play and have fun. Love seeing his face when he sees me return too! :-) He is also quite the snuggler which I love. I enjoy his sweet hugs and love pats. He also loves blowing kisses when we say bye bye to just about anyone.

This month I plan to begin offering whole milk once a day and reducing nursing from 4 times a day to 2-3. Ideally Ethan will need to be weaned two weeks after his first birthday since Mike and I will be leaving on a trip, so I am trying to take it slow and we will see how it goes. It is hard for me to believe we are on the home stretch to his first birthday! His party will be on his actual birthday this year and preparations are underway. I am using the same theme I did for Ryan's "friends" party because I had so many things left over from it. Therefore, I only had to order the invitations and food this year. I will make the cake a day or so before as well like I did for Ryan. I am also going to be making some decorations, but pretty simple. We have decided to keep it to our close family this time versus any large parties or parties with friends, just so it is not too overwhelming for Ethan. We will likely plan a "family/friends" combo next year. I just wanted to explain as I have had some sweet friends asking me about the date for the party so they could put it on their calendar. You are so kind to think of us and him. Enjoy the photos from Ethan's 11 month snapshots! (So glad I only have one month left of these to take because it is becoming increasingly challenging)

The last is my favorite and best depicts him- Always on the go!!
~Emily

Ethan is 10 months!

Ethan is 10 months old!

Getting ready for the flash!

Ethan loves to blink at the flash so I have about 20 various "squinty" photos

This one you can see all those teeth!

Happy baby

Standing and starting to walk!

Precious boy

I love this sweet face!

Sweet 10 month old!

Well, I am about a week late in getting this post out there, but things are busy around here as we prepare for our family vacation to Breckenridge, CO. Ethan is such a character these days and really growing quickly. Here are some of the latest in "Ethan's world".

Ethan wears size 9 & 12 month clothing, although I am beginning to weed out many of the 9 month items. Ethan wears size 3 diaper & size 3 shoes, but hopefully will be in a size 4 shoe soon so he can wear his big brother's early walkers.

Ethan still naps two times a day generally around 10am and 2:30pm. There are always a couple of days a week that we get out in the morning for an activity (or church) and his nap suffers and he has to go down around noon or 1pm (if he can make it). So, he has made it through a few days decently with one nap which always means he and brother don't nap at the same time. (bummer) Total nap time is around 3-3.5 hours usually. If he only gets one nap though it is usually only 2.5hrs. I am definitely not pushing the only one nap thing yet, I will enjoy those 2 naps as long as he will take them! Ethan sleeps around 11-12 hours every night and this month has made big strides in sleeping through the night again. I am generally only in his room once or twice a week now over night as opposed to once and sometimes twice a night! Yay Ethan! Mom is enjoying the extra sleep for sure. Ethan is also still breastfeeding full time and nurses 4 times a day and occasionally 5 times if we are out at a late night activity I will nurse him right before bed. A typical day though is nursing 7:30am, 11:30/12, 4pm, 7:30pm.

New Foods this month:
Wheat crackers, French toast, mango, animal crackers, Chick Fila chicken, ground beef, oranges, red and green bell pepper, Hawaiian sweet rolls, pancakes, french fries, mushrooms, turkey sausage, homemade ice cream, squash. Pretty much if we are eating it, he wants it! He will get very upset if we are eating something that he is not allowed to have (so I try not to eat things in front of him that I won't share).

Ethan has pretty much mastered the sippy cup at this point although he can still make a mess when he plays with it. He is generally just offered water out of it, but he can have breast milk out of it as well when needed.

Ethan is beginning to enjoy books, but certainly has his favorites. These include almost any touch and feel or lift the flap. He often brings me his "That's not my..." books, Peek-a-who?, "Where's Mommy?", "Eyes, Nose, Fingers & Toes", a variety of Sandra Boynton books and "Bubbles Bubbles".

Ethan loves climbing stairs and is trying to climb just about anything he can including step stools, fireplace, window ledges, etc. He has actually lifted himself up in his crib where he is leaning up on the railing and feet in the air already which is scary to Mom because she doesn't want him climbing out. (yes, the mattress is at its lowest setting already...) However, his brother was able to get out of his crib by 18 months and hey, that is only 8 months away! (WOW!) I am not ready to think about toddler beds again just yet. Although, Ryan is anxious to have Ethan move into his room, which I think we will talk about around the time Ethan turns 2.

This month Ethan has taken his first couple of steps alone to Momma. He started doing this around July 1st. He has taken about 7 steps in a row several times and will sometimes take 3-4 steps over to a toy or from a table to a couch or something on his own. He is not venturing everywhere on his own just yet, but I imagine that will all change by his 11 month post.

Ethan enjoys giving kisses and even makes the "mwah" noise sometimes when you say "kiss". So cute! He has started learning how to "blow kisses" too and puts his whole hand in his mouth and says "mwah" and flings his arm (and often some drool) in your direction. ;-)

Ethan is a little chatterbox. He jabbers a lot and has lots of new sounds he is trying out and I love to see his facial expressions too. He has a few new words as well. Just this past week: "uh oh", "whoa" and "yay" have become prevalent to add to "Mama", "Dada", and "hi". The word "yay" is always joined with clapping his hands. It is adorable!

I'm amazed at how many words Ethan shows he already understands: no, all done, more, milk, night night, nap, bye bye, hi, yay!, uh oh, book, ball, bear, cat, on/off, light, etc. Children really do soak up knowledge and information so quickly. I know I always take for granted how much young little babies can understand and learn. We have continued with baby signs for Ethan to help him communicate and he currently uses "all done", "more", "milk", and "please". I know "thank you" is another one I did with Ryan, but we haven't done it yet and I will have to look up a few more to teach him after that.

Opinions and preferences certainly begin early. Ethan's small little tantrums have begun already this month mostly over things being taken away from him. Some examples include brother or parents taking away a toy, or him not getting a food item he wants, or taking him away from an area he is not supposed to play. The way he displays his dislike is generally by crying and then laying down face down to the floor ( I have noticed him sometimes biting the carpet too). These little early tantrums are typically very short lived and while I know it certainly won't be funny later it is kind of humorous to me now. Ethan is trying his best to communicate his needs and likes and dislikes and definitely gets frustrated when things don't go as he would like. You would think their little world was ending the way my little ones can be so dramatic sometimes.

That is pretty much Ethan in a nutshell from this past month. What a precious and sweet little boy he is. We are so thankful that God gave him to us and feel so blessed!

~Emily

Ryan's 3 year photos!

Here are Ryan's 3 yr portraits that we took June 6th at Portrait Innovations. They include a few with brother, Ethan "boco" as well. Enjoy!

 

 

Ethan is 9 months!

Ethan is 9 months old! What a fun and entertaining little guy he is. He is full of energy and laughter and is a joy to be around. We visited Dr Wallace for his 9 month appointment yesterday and after the appointment they sent us home with a 'visit summary' which includes common development and issues that pertain to a typical 9 month old. I was actually laughing reading through some of it because it relates to him so perfectly. So, I decided I would copy down the first few paragraphs so I will remember just what he is like. :) The parenthesis are my additions...

9 month old babies are pulling up to stand (yep did this at 7 months and is now cruising around the furniture!). They love to bang things together to make sounds (ALL THE TIME! And he laughs about it). They may say "dada" and "mama" (and "nana" and "lala", occasionally "baba" and sounds like "hi"). At this age babies learn what "no" means. Say "no" calmly and firmly. (Did this for the first time a few weeks ago and got a big lower lip pout and cry. Now he typically just pouts or makes a scrunchy face and protests, but then he is over it!) Take away the item that Ethan should not be playing with  or remove him from the situation. (all day long...) It is a good idea to be both gentle and firm. Encourage Ethan to use his emerging language by talking to him frequently and begin daily regular reading (check!)

Give lots of hugs and kisses (Absolutely! How could I not kiss that precious face?) Peek-a-boo is a favorite game (so is chase, patty cake, and throwing or dropping just about any toy). 9 month olds have a lot of energy and it requires a lot of energy to take care of them (hmm... you are telling me!). Make sure you get enough rest. Ask friends and family for help so you can take a break and rest (this is why I nap a few times a week with the boys). If you are rested, you will be better able to take care of Ethan.

Many infants this age cry when parents leave their presence (this started 2 weeks ago). Such behavior is normal and relates to their cognitive and social development. They are not "spoiled". Infants grow socially from separating from and reuniting with their parents. Short or regular separations are important for teaching infants that when parents go away they also come back.

Pretty neat huh?! So, other news in Ethan's world starting with stats: 19lb 10.5oz (50th%), 29.75 inches (95th%), and head circumference 46.00cms (75th%). He is wearing size 9 month and some 12 month clothing, size 3 diapers, and size 3 shoes (when I can get him to keep them on).

New Foods:
Strawberries, barley, chicken, corn, mild cheddar cheese, tofu, nectarine, re-introduced whole milk yogurt, cheese tortellini, black beans, couscous, tomato, cherries, & toast.

Regarding foods, Ethan is picking up a majority of his meals now. It is rare that he will eat actual baby food, but probably go through one jar every 2 days. He will still eat oatmeal and yogurt on a spoon and loves them both! He is getting so much better with a sippy cup and is IN LOVE with water. I let him try juice two different times and he made quite the face. He does not seem to be a fan, so we stick with water! I wish you could see how excited it makes him to get his water cup. (or to share your water... so cute!)

Ethan has been very busy cutting teeth this past month: 5th tooth- upper middle right appeared May 25th, 6th tooth- upper middle left appeared May 29th, 7th tooth- bottom right one over from middle- June 12th. Poor guy (and poor Mommy's sleep...It has not been great)

Ethan is fascinated with turning on and off lights as well as closing doors. He will crawl over to a door and purposefully close any and every one he sees open, easily entertained... As mentioned above, separation anxiety has begun, but isn't too bad most days. He just started fussing at drop off at church, but doesn't seem nearly what I remember Ryan doing (perhaps that is still in the future). Sibling quarrels seem to start early- if Ryan hugs on him too tight, Ethan will stiff arm him and pull away. If Ryan takes a toy away, Ethan will make a whiny cry and take off crawling after him to get it back. (quite humorous to Mommy actually, Ethan's way of saying "give that back!") Ethan loves throwing things and banging ANYTHING together especially if it makes a noise. Ethan is also startled lately by loud or sudden noises. His brother was the same way, so I am very familiar with this stage. His fear/startled crying occurs generally after cheering, clapping, yelling, screaming, or other children crying. It was probably a positive thing that the Texas Rangers played so poorly at his first baseball game last week so he only cried twice (because we only cheered twice!) ;)

Another change this month is Ethan's dislike for bath time. He used to LOVE to splash around with brother and chew on his duckies, but for some reason the past 4 baths I have given him he just tries to stand or climb out of the bath and cries and fusses for the whole bath (which is as quick as I can manage). I have tried everything cooler/warmer water, with/without brother, careful to not get water on his face, sitting really close while I bathe him, etc. I really don't know what it is other than a (hopefully short) phase. We took him in our community pool at the end of May and it was really still pretty chilly and he did NOT like that. Tried in our backyard kiddie pool one day (also chilly) and he wanted nothing to do with it. So, I wondered if our two pool experiences may have brought about the change in love for bath time. Perhaps? We will try the pool again as it warms up (shouldn't take long) and hopefully he gets back to enjoying it for his sake and ours! (and brother, Ryan misses his bath time buddy!)

Ethan sleeps 12-12.5 hrs overnight, but typically wakes up once after 6-9hrs... sometimes he fusses for awhile and goes back to sleep, but often I wind up having to go in because he is standing and screaming. We are trying to get back to a full night's rest, but just can't seem to shake it lately. (After typing all this yesterday Ethan slept 11hrs straight last night! Yay! Hope it continues) He naps twice a day a total of about 3-3.5hrs. Naps while out running around are becoming increasingly more difficult due to all the stimulation, but he can still fall asleep in the car. Car naps are not preferred as they generally result in only 45min-1hr. When at home he will sleep 1.5hrs in the morning and 1.5-2hrs in the afternoon.

Ethan has begun signing "more" and "all done" though more looks closer to clapping and all done is arms high in the air. Ha! At least he is making an effort to communicate. This past week I showed him "please" and "thank you" and I am still repeating "milk" when I remember. He used to sign "milk" while nursing, but I haven't noticed him doing that recently. Instead, he prefers to stick his fingers up my nose, pull my hair, poke my eyes, or check out my mouth and teeth. Ha! He really doesn't know how to sit still anymore unless he is asleep. Holding on to him is so hard, he would much prefer crawling all over the place or holding on to hands and walking around. He pulls up on anything possible including sofas, tables, bookcases, the crib, and even just the sides of cabinets. I am wondering if he will be an early walker like brother, only time will tell.  Ethan is starting to show interests in his books, other than just eating them (though he still does that). His favorites include the "That's not my..." series (touch and feel) & anything with flaps he can open, but one particular boxed set of 3 where a baby is looking for it's Mommy, and in the others for body parts that are hiding. (I don't recall the specific name) Hopefully he will continue loving books as he grows!

It has been a busy month, but I wouldn't change it for anything. I would prefer a little more sleep, but one day I know I will sleep again. :) Until then, there are always naps and a 2 night "kid free" get away in September that I am definitely already looking forward to!! We love you sweet Ethan and are so proud of all your developments and growth this month. We are getting in all the hugs and kisses and laughter we can while you are still little. It is so hard to believe that you are only 3 months away from being a 1 yr old!

Ethan is 8 months!

Ethan is 8 months old and what a busy little guy he is! I am going to start off with a selection of the (42) photos I took trying to capture one to represent what he looked like at 8 months. As you will see, the photos depict what a mover he is and a complete challenge to get to sit still and smile (and not blink) all at the same time. I was seriously sweating after all this and caught him leaping off the chair 4 different times in the less than 5 minutes he was sitting there. Enjoy the show! Ha!

 



So you want to take my picture, huh?

 



You don't think I am going to smile for that thing do you?




 

 

Ooo, I'd like to touch the camera please!



Green light, means... blink!

 

OK, we can try to take one on the floor



But, I'd rather roll over than lay on my back

 



Back to the chair? Oh, what a nice pillow!

 



I'm done with this chair!



This is how I jump off the chair, Mom!



 

This is what I think of all the picture taking...

 

And I'm off to show how I crawl





Ooo it's my cat, Toby!





I'm here all day, folks! See ya next month!



 

 

More about our busy boy:

 

Clothes: 6-9 and 9 month. We have pulled down a few 12 month sleepers that seem to fit okay too. Shoe size 3, Diaper size 3. Don't have weight or height stats this month, but I'm guessing about 20lb.

 

New foods:
Plums, sweet potato puffs, apricots, green beans, peaches, blueberry puffs, refried beans, cantaloupe, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple, egg yolk, ground turkey, spinach, & watermelon

Accomplishments:
Pulled up in crib- April 19th
First word "Mama"- April 20th
Also says a high pitched "hi", "dada", & "whoa"
New teeth Upper right (one over from middle)- April 22nd

Upper left (one over)-May 2nd (Still waiting on those front upper middle... SERIOUSLY any day!)
Officially knees up crawling forward not creeping or going backward- May 3rd
Clapping hands when say "yay"- May 10th
Waving "hi" and "bye" (Started this in April, but I couldn't tell sometimes if it was just a coincidence, but now I know for sure. Smarty pants!)
Pulling up to stand then letting go trying to balance and stand alone (1-3sec only)- First week of May

I've never seen a kid get so excited over water and cups. We introduced a sippy cup at mealtime this past month. The first semi "fits" he has thrown has been over water being taken away or running out of water. Goober!

Ethan has quite a sense of humor and still finds many things funny. I can't get enough of his precious laugh. Unfortunately, he is already finding humor in dropping or throwing things. At the dinner table sometimes I will just watch him and he will pick something up and then watch himself drop it and repeat this over and over as though he is fascinated with his ability. He also watches to see where toys and things go now when they fall.

Ethan is transitioning to table foods so much faster than Ryan did. It is all I can do to get down between half and one full container of fruits or veggies at each meal. He is much more interested in picking up his own food to eat. The past week or two he will pick up banana chunks, avocado, carrots, peas, scrambled egg, cantaloupe, watermelon and a variety of puffs. This month I plan to introduce tofu, pancakes, and maybe canned green beans as finger foods. The only thing he really seems to enjoy off a spoon anymore is his rice or oatmeal cereal in the morning and apple sauce or yogurt.

Ethan sure is growing fast and is on the move around the house constantly. I am mostly baby-proofed, but finding some areas that still need attention. Basically, he just needs his Momma's attention 100% of the time while he is awake. If I have to leave him for a moment I typically put him in his playpen or door jumper, but he is starting to not be so pleased to be left so tears are usually a result. Every now and then I can buy 15-20 minutes that way to get supper started, finish makeup or use the restroom. Also, with all the standing up he is doing he is already starting to get the first of many bumps, bruises, and scratches that will likely not end any time soon.

 

Happy 8 months sweet boy! I can't believe how big and how fast you are growing! (slow down)

Love, Mom