Partying With Grandma

Ethan attended his first Lia Sophia Jewelry party today! What fun for a 6 month old boy. He got to meet lots of Grandma Mary's friends, and he took a nap, so overall it was a good day. Mom bought a couple cool necklaces and enjoyed a delicious ice cream bar dessert made by grandma . . . . It also put mom in "school mode" as everyone there will be her coworker in the fall! It will be good!
While we were shopping for jewelry with grandma, Grandpa Mike got out of the house and went shopping for a new fishing pole. Here is Ethan showing it off!

Hit Counter

Ethan has added a hit counter to his blog! We are very excited to have figured out how to do this! Just a note that the counter is beginning on July 30 . . . I am so curious to know how many hits we've had so far, but this will have to do!

Ethan's big weekend!

Ethan spent all day Saturday with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Mike while mom went to her friend Carrie's wedding. He even got to have a sleepover with grandma and grandpa which meant it was his first night away from mama! He handled it very well and I think mom missed him much more than he missed her!

Today Uncle Luke and his friends came to visit grandma and grandpa after they had gone camping at Great Grandpa Glenn and Grandma Lue's house. Ethan had fun playing outside with them.
Grandma took him over by the llamas. He loved them! You can see the Llama, Cruz, giving Ethan a kiss here.

Mom, grandma, and Ethan went to hear daddy play with his band at an outdoor "gig." It looks like Ethan will be ready to be a featured soloist in the near future!
I think daddy will also have him playing guitar in no time!

Teething . . .

We were so excited when the Dr. told us it would be OK to give Ethan teething biscuits (the box says 10 months and older so we weren't sure . . .). He is at the stage where everything goes in the mouth and we figured he would love these. We also hoped they would offer some relief for his sore gums.
Ironically, after one little nibble, he decided he did NOT want to put this in his mouth and instead wanted to bang it as hard as he could on his high chair tray . . .
Oh well . . . We also were excited to get the go-ahead with cheerios and other small finger foods that will melt in his mouth . . . this has not been going well either, and mom and dad are scared to death that he is going to choke. I think we'll stay with the pureed foods for awhile longer.

I spent some time in the kitchen last night making him some homemade baby food. Today will be the test to see if Ethan approves . . .I steamed and blended vegetables and put them in ice cube trays. I figured it to be a savings of about $10 just from last night's project.


We had lunch with mom's friend and coworker Brad yesterday - How nice of him to let Ethan borrow his hat!

A Tough Night . . . .

Ethan has . . .
1.) a tooth coming in (the Dr. said he could see it when he shined his light on it!)
2.) a runny nose, sneezes, and coughs (we did check with the Doc about his alleged "fake" coughing and he said that it is very common for babies his age to fake cough! Who would have guessed!)
3.) a hot nursery (no air conditioning in his room)
4.) sore legs from his shots yesterday. . .

All of these things are a recipe for a pretty sleepless night for baby and mama. Hopefully he will take lots of naps today; and mom will drink lots of diet coke!!

What a Big Boy!

Ethan had his visit with the Dr. today for his 6 month check up. He had 2 shots and did a great job - hardly cried at all. Mom and Dad had bets on how much he would weigh - Mom guessed 23 lbs and Dad guessed 22. He weighs 22 lbs 15 oz so mama wins! He is also 28 inches long. He's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight . . . The Doc told Mama that Ethan is a very healthy and content little boy! Yeah! It's great to hear that good news.

Sofia and Miriam

Today Ethan and mom went to visit Jennifer, mom's good friend from high school, and her two daughters, Sofia and Miriam. Sofia is 2 1/2 and Miriam is 7 weeks. Sofia and Ethan had so much fun playing - She helped him by getting his toys for him and sharing her toys also - what a nice friend!
Here is baby Miriam - she is so adorable and sweet and a really good baby! Mama had fun cuddling with a little baby again!
Sofia thought Ethan would enjoy wearing her tiara. I don't know if he was too thrilled with the idea . . . .
Ethan is 6 months old today! He has his Dr. visit tomorrow so we'll let you know how he's doing. I think he will be proud to have the above picture as a memory of his 6-month birthday!

"Mama!"

Ethan said "mama" today. Now, before you get too excited, it wasn't like a nice, lovey "mama" with a big smile. He's said it a few times while he's been really mad and crying. So it's more like, "I'm really mad and it's all YOUR fault, MAMA!" Oh well, I was still GIDDY to hear it.

We worked in the nursery this morning for VBS. Ethan got to play with two adorable little girls, Faith and Greta, and they had so much fun! He didn't get his morning nap, so hopefully he is down for a long time now.

6 Month Pictures

We took Ethan to Sears today to get his 6 month pictures done. We are so happy with them! Ethan was such a good boy and cooperated really well! Here are a couple samples from the photo shoot . . . .

Oliver turns 1!

Ethan had a blast at his Cousin Oliver's First Birthday Party! Oliver is so cute and such a big boy! We can't believe how fast this year has gone. Ethan was pretty jealous when Oliver got to dig into his cake and eat all that good stuff . . . mom assured him that his time will come . . . in only 6 months!

Here are mama's boys in their Hawaiian shirts. Daddy is getting ready to play with his band at a wedding.

Bob, Carol and Orion

Uncle Bob, Aunt Carol, and Cousin Orion came to grandma and grandpa's house for a visit. Ethan had so much fun with them playing outside in the grass. He loved watching Orion blow bubbles and Bob and Carol made him laugh by making funny faces and playing with him. Aunt Carol even fed him his oatmeal and peas - what a treat!

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

Ethan got to spend some time with Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Les today - they came over to babysit. He had fun showing them all his toys, especially his exersaucer. He had fun imitating them and laughing with them. We are so lucky to have both sets of his grandparents so close!

Madison

Ethan had a great time in Madison yesterday! He went to Olbrich Gardens with mom and grandma and saw all the beautiful flowers.

Then we met Lynn, mom's wonderful friend from high school, and Uncle Luke for supper at a Laotian restaurant. Ethan was mad that he didn't get to try any of mom's curry squash (YUM!) but he had a blast with Lynn and Uncle Luke.

Ethan's Cow

Ethan had to show you these pictures with his new stuffed cow. . . . He is so proud and excited about his new friend!

Up and Running!

Thanks to mama's good friend, Theresa, we are now able to transfer pictures once again. Here are a few from the weekend . . . . Jane and Theresa holding Isaac and Lily . . . . (How cute are those outfits?!!!!) - I meant the babies' outfits, although Theresa and Jane look fab also!


I know I already posted a pic of Ethan sandwiched between the twins, but I just thought this one was so cute because if you really look at it, it looks like they are all performing a dance of some kind!

Technical Difficulties . . . .

Our camera still won't transfer pics! I hope it starts working because Ethan has a big day planned visiting Uncle Luke and mom's good friend Lynn in Madison.

He has been "Mr Independent" lately! When I feed him, he has to hold his own bottle (most of the time, until something more interesting distracts him) and he also likes to help me spoon feed him. It helps somewhat to give him his own spoon to play with while I feed him, but sometimes he insists on helping me with the spoon I am using . . . it gets to be a messy venture . . . too bad I can't show you the cute pic I took yesterday!

Ethan is officially in his big boy car seat and will be making the Trek to Madison today in his new van. I think he is feeling pretty good about it and is NOT embarrassed to be seen riding in it (like some of mama's friends have said they would be!) In fact, I think he's excited to show it off to all of his baby friends!

On Sunday Ethan got to spend some quality time with mom's friend, Jane, and also see Theresa and the twins again! He also got a new stuffed cow which is totally adorable and bigger than him. He loves it because he can put the ears in his mouth! (check back for picks of Ethan "riding" his new cow!)

Frustrating!

Ethan has some super cute pictures to post from today, but unfortunately his camera is not cooperating! The pictures won't transfer from the camera to the computer. Argh. Well, check back to see what he's been up to! Hopefully they will be up soon!

A Day with Daddy

Ethan and Daddy spent the day together yesterday. They went to some thrift sales, Best Buy, and Borders. They had so much fun together while mama was tubing down the river for a bridal shower!

Twins!

Theresa, Isaac, and Lily came to visit us! They brought their new van which is a twin to our new van! We bought the Town and Country, and Theresa and Bryan bought the Caravan - they are "sister" vehicles - and we got the same color! They look identical. I guess when you are friends for a long enough time, you develop the same taste in vans. Who knew??

Ethan was so excited to finally get to meet Isaac and Lily, who he has heard so much about! He was a good host and let them borrow his toys and changing table! Here are Mama and Theresa feeding the twins.

Isaac and Lily enjoyed borrowing Ethan's baby gym . . . .

Here are the three babes hanging out. Ethan looks like he is having a blast being in a twin sandwich!

Ethan can't wait to grow up with the twins- Theresa and mom have decided that they are going to be best buddies!

We took the plunge!

Ethan is now the proud owner of a Town and Country mini-van. He's giddy with excitement. Check back for some pictures!

Mini Van

Ethan thought that since we got him a new car seat, we should also get him a new car to go with it! He helped mama look for vans today and we are test driving one right now . . . well, not as I type this, but it is sitting in our driveway. It is just so huge! Mom doesn't know if she can give up her little Alero, which makes her feel somewhat young and hip, and move to a big family van. Did I mention it just looks soooo big sitting in our driveway! It would be convenient since daddy barely can squeeze his long legs into the Alero, and it would be nice to have more space and sit up higher . . . .Hmmm . . . We'll keep you posted on our decision . . . .After all, mom is turning 30 soon . . . . I think that is a sure sign that it's time for a mini van.

Lunch with Grandma and Grandpa

Ethan and mom met Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Les at their favorite restaurant today! Ethan had a great time - grandma and grandpa made him smile and laugh! He loved looking at them and listening to them make funny noises!

Here is Ethan being a little "ham" with grandma. He definitely had the attention of our neighbors in the cafe - whether he was crying (mama was just too slow feeding him!) or showing off his big smile!

Cousin Oliver

Ethan's buddy Oliver came over to visit this morning. They had fun playing together and listening to music. Mama had fun entertaining them and at one point was clapping and marching around the living room to the music to keep them entertained! It was quite a site I am sure!

Oliver liked to share Ethan's exersaucer with him while standing up all by himself! He was such a good sport because Ethan thought it was fun to grab his hair and pull - Oliver didn't even wince!

Great Grandparents

Ethan had fun visiting Great Grandma Lue and Great Grandpa Glenn today. He showed off all of his new tricks like sitting up and saying "MMMMmmmm" when he eats his cereal. He was a smiley and happy boy and loved visiting with grandma and grandpa.

Ethan liked to look at Grandpa and laugh! He must think Great Grandpa is a pretty funny guy! Great Grandpa likes to call Ethan his "Birthday Present" because they share a birthday!

A Hot Day

It was a very hot day today! Even though we didn't leave the house, and we just sat in the air conditioning all day, Ethan was not in a very good mood . . . he was very whiny. The only way we could make him happy was to put him in the tub and let him play with his rubber duckies. . .

He also enjoyed reading stories with daddy!

Dinner With Jane

Ethan and Mama went to meet Jane for dinner today, but before we went Ethan needed some alone time to enjoy his book!

We went to Babies R Us and bought a car seat. Ethan is very excited about his big boy seat, although it was a challenge getting it into mama's tiny Alero. We had to take it out of the box and set it next to Ethan in the back seat. While we were there shopping we had about 3 different people comment on what a happy baby Ethan is! That made mama very proud!

We decided to meet at the Machine Shed to eat. Ethan enjoyed looking at the festive decorations of tractor pictures, farm machinery hanging on the wall, and a bright red tractor outside. He was a very good boy throughout supper and had a fabulous time making Jane pick up the toys he continuously dropped on the floor. Mama had a wonderful time chatting with her friend!

Extra Adorable

Ethan is being extra adorable today. He and mama are having a laid back day at home. He has taken 2 naps, 2 hours each and is in a very good mood - full of smiles and jabbering. Although we had a nice day at home, we are hoping daddy will take us to the mall when he gets home from work. We like to get out of the house at least once a day!

We are looking for a new car seat for Ethan as he is quickly outgrowing his infant seat. We are looking at convertible seats. If anyone has recommendations as to which kind to get, please let us know . . .doing the research online has consumed most of my day and is very overwhelming!

Dirty Baby!

We had yet another afternoon up at the lake today. By the end of the day Ethan was so dirty (He didn't have a bath last night either) that I had to give him a good old fashion camping bath. We had to boil water and bathe him in the kitchen sink in the camper! It was totally worth it because when we were done he had that wonderful clean baby scent once again!


Here is Aunt Jenny entertaining Ethan (He thought she was HILARIOUS!) earlier in the day! Ethan has so much fun hanging out with his cousins also. Ben who is 3 was great at entertaining him by dancing and hopping around. Oliver and Victor are his little "baby buddies." It is so fun to watch! On the way up to the lake, Ethan and mama listened to a CD that dada made. He wrote and recorded a song for Ethan! It was so touching that I started crying. Later, Grandma Mary cried when she heard it as well. So sweet. Ethan continues to say DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA quite a bit! It is very cute. . . . . . But mama is getting slightly disheartened. . . . .Not to worry: Speech Therapist Grandma says that "Mama" takes more muscles and is more difficult to say . . . that makes mama feel a little better!

Ethan's First 4th of July!

Ethan had a super-duper fun first 4th of July! He and mama drove up to the lake with Aunt Michelle and Victor, and met the rest of the family there. One thing that made it an extra-special day is that Ethan got his first boat ride! Grandma and Grandpa bought a new pontoon which they are so excited about. As you can see, Ethan enjoyed his ride after SCREAMING when mom put his life jacket on. (I can't blame him - it looks pretty uncomfortable!!)

Here is a picture of Ethan and Mama in their festive red shirts enjoying the day . . .

Thank Goodness for Grandparents!

We started out the day going for a walk with Carrie. Ethan was in a much better mood today . . . until he got hungry and we were still on our walk (a recipe for disaster. When this kid is hungry he needs to eat NOW!) . . . .luckily mama was prepared with a "bottle on the go."

Later today, Grandma Mary stopped by to see Ethan and took him to her house for the afternoon and evening. Mama had a nice break to nap and catch up on housework and errands.
Mom and dad even got some alone time and went out for dinner and did some much needed shopping. Of course Ethan had a wonderful time with grandma and grandpa! I don't think grandma wanted to let him come home!

Insomniac

I'm pretty sure Ethan is has taken it as a personal challenge to himself to see how long he can possibly keep mama up at night. I think he came close to his record tonight with an hour and 45 minutes. It's 4:45 and we've been up since 3. Not sure what the deal is - is he teething? More hungry? Going through a growth spurt? Has a bet with another baby to see who can make their mommy more tired? I tell ya, this parenting thing is one big guessing game. . . .

Baby-Sitting

Mama baby-sat for Cousin Victor for a couple hours this afternoon. She had a GREAT time, as you can see what both boys did for the whole 2 hours! In fact, she had such an easy time that she was ready to declare that caring for 2 babes is a piece of cake - and inform Trav that she is ready to have another!!!! However . . . .

Ethan was a little stinker during his waking hours today! When daddy got home from work he told him that if he keeps up his whining he will have to go live with a nice Amish family to learn his manners :)

But, for now, we tried the teething ring and that seemed to do the trick for a little while at least!