Four Months Old

Month Four

(November 20th - December 20th)

Our little guy is growing like a weed :) This past month has been quite eventful as well...

On Ethan's First Thanksgiving we went over to stuff ourselves and spend time with the Ackerman family.

The following weekend (December 2-6) we took Ethan on his first plane ride to Texas to surprise Great Nana & Grandpa, see Uncle Winston and to meet Great Aunt Laurie & cousin Derek & Kelsey. It was lots of fun! Ethan was a great little traveller and though we got the worried looks from our fellow plane passengers... they were pleasantly surprised. Some even commented that they didn't even know there was a baby sitting by them :) Yay Ethan! I hope it stays that way since we like to travel and plan to take lots more trips in the future.

Ethan has been having lots of fun with his little friends at Little Oaks (his daycare). He's "made" some very cute projects getting ready for Christmas and had fun at the holiday parties with all the kids and their families. It's very cute to see him watch older kids in his class that are more mobile than him. "Don't worry bud...you'll be toddling around with them soon enough." He'll be starting there full time in a couple weeks.

*The milestone this month*... Ethan rolled over for the first time (from back to tummy)! YAY! It's so cute and fun to see him growing and developing... I'm a very proud momma :) However, I'm ready for him to be able to roll back over on his own now... right now he loves rolling over and gets all proud of himself but then needs us to roll him back over so he can do it again... he gets very impatient if we're not right there ready to help lol. It's crazy to think that he's going to be mobile soon... yikes! He's more alert and loves exploring and checking stuff out so he's always wanting to be moved or played with. It's so much fun :) Definately starting to keep us on our toes.

We're excited for Ethan's first Christmas this weekend! I know he won't remember it but I'm excited to start all of our little family traditions and I will of course be taking TONS of pictures :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Stats: He'll be going in for his next appointment in a couple weeks and I'll update weight and length then.

He eats 4oz every 3 hours still.

Three Month's Old!

Third Month

(October 20th - November 20th)

Ethan is now 12 weeks and 3 days old. I know I say this every month post but wow... that flew. He's growing so darn fast! He's a solid boy that's for sure. We don't really notice how much he grows until we look at pictures or if we hear it from others. He's wearing 6 month clothing already...

This past month was filled with a great milestones. He started 'school' three times a week in November at Little Oaks. They do all kinds of activities with them so he's usually exhausted by the time we get him home. He even did his first art project that we proudly put on the fridge :)

He's a pro at holding his head up now and when we have tummy time he's able to hold his head and shoulders off the ground...such a strong boy! Won't be long now before he's mobile! He loves to play the 'sit-up/stand-up game'. He gets a big smile on his face and gets so proud of himself. So cute. He LOVES sitting up and chillin' with us on the couch and loves to stand up with our help. I think we're going to be in trouble when he's able to move around...

Ethan was dedicated to the Lord on October 24th. All our friends and family came to see him at church, even Great Nana and Great Grandpa from Texas! It was a great day! We're so blessed to have him and all of our wonderful family and friends in our lives! Thank you to all that were able to be a part of his special day!

He was a banana for his first Halloween. So darn cute! Look at the First Halloween post for details and pictures.

He's very talkative now, making all kinds of babbling and cooing noises. We LOVE it! We've even gotten a few giggles...mostly when he's tickled since he's SO ticklish...poor guy. We're just waiting for the full baby belly laughs. He definitely recognizes each of us and gives us a big smile when he sees us.

We're still working on his hand/eye coordination so he's not quite grabbing at his toys yet but he wants to so bad lol. But he has discovered his hands this month and CONSTANTLY has them in his mouth and rubbing his face.

Ethan absolutely LOVES bath time... splashing and giggling and getting all excited. And just yesterday we all (Dave, me, Grandpa Hills & Uncle Cameron) took him for his first swim in a pool! It was very cute...he LOVED it! It was a riot...

(haha)

We're so blessed with Ethan. He's such a happy and content baby. He only cries when he needs something. This next month is Christmas season!!! YAYAYAY so crazy excited! I LOVE Christmas anyway, but this year is going to be so much fun with Ethan. :) So I'm excited for the next two posts ... stay tuned!!

Stats:
(These are estimates)
15-16 lbs
25" long
Eating approx. 4 oz. every 3 hours = 28oz per day

First Halloween

Yep... he's a banana!


Monkey Friends! My First Trick-or-Treating!

Chunky Monkey!!

Stat update:
14 lbs 2 oz.
24 inches long

So our little guy has gained 4 pounds in 1 month! I knew he was getting bigger but dang!

His appointment went well. He's in about the 90th percentile for his age...

We love our little chunk-a-monk! :)

Two Months...

Second Month
(September 20th-October 20th)

Our little man is 8 weeks & 5 days old.

Last month we started our new life with a baby, learning the ropes and following the advise I took from fellow moms and a few books that I had read. And though I was insured that "I would be just fine", I prepared myself for the worst so that I couldn't be disappointed lol ... and... there was no need. We were blessed with a wonderful easy-going baby (though I have been warned that doesn't mean our next one will be so kind. But that's fine I'll take what I can get ha!). This month has been filled with fun developments. Ethan isn't the 'sleeping all the time' newborn anymore. :) He's getting very fun!

Milestone #1: On Becoming Baby Wise was our reference of choice. It taught us to employ a 'parent directed' schedule of Eat, Wake, Sleep. He took to it like a pro. The book emphasized that a regular nap schedule during the day would allow for more sleep at night and eventually after 5 weeks sleeping all the way through the night without a feeding. And what do you know... the book was right! Ethan blessed us with our first full night of sleep on September 23rd (Our 3rd anniversary). Happy Anniversary to us! I will admit that I went into panic mode the next morning wondering why I wasn't woken up and rushed to make sure our little guy was still breathing...but there he was...sleeping like an angel :) Yay! Milestone met! However... my hopes were then deflated the next night. We then had to figure out the best bedtime schedule for him and a few nights later we found it. So we're good now :) Milestone #2: I got my first "Hey that's my Mom" smile on September 26th... it was so awesome! Dave then got his later in the day and we both were so excited.... we now try to make him smile constantly. :) So sweet. It melts my heart. And now he does recognizes our voices and smiles at us(and others) all the time...it's awesome!Milestone #3: His clogged tear duct finally cleared up... Praise the Lord! (so maybe not so much a milestone...but whatever I was happy).

Milestone #4: He can hold his head up for the most part. He still has the bobble-head motion going on a little bit but he's getting there! :)

Some other things that have happened this month:

* I heard my first half laugh about a week ago ... so cute... I'm just waiting for those belly laughs!

* His favorite thing is to just lay and kick and coo and smile. He LOVES his changing spot in his nursery that's usually where we get the best smiles and excited kicking punching Ethan. But he also loves his play mat/gym where he talks to his Octopus friend (who we have yet to name). Were trying to incorporate tummy-time into his daily play times, but he's not a huge fan. So we just do some pull/sit ups to work out those neck muscles.

* We took him out to get his first pumpkin at the pumpkin patch :) That was fun :) * I officially started back to work full-time this past Monday :( So he spends his days with Miss/Nanny/Aunt Nicole. I did better than I thought...but I miss him VERY much throughout the day. But I'm so thankful for my job...so I try not to complain. And I know he's in very good hands. Now just to get use to the new adjustment...

* He got to meet his Great Nana and Grandpa this past weekend who came in from Texas! So glad they were able to fly into town to meet him! We miss them.

Ethan is also becoming quite the chunk. Hehe I love it. He's gained about 2-3 lbs (we think...) since his 1 month appointment. His 2 month appointment is the 26th so we'll update you all then. He has outgrown most of all his 0-3 month clothing and is now in 3-6 months (though some are kinda big one him).

This coming weekend (October 24th) is Ethan's dedication...so we'll be posting pictures from that!! :)

Love you all!

Stats:

13lbs??

24 inches long??

Eating approx. 4 oz. every 3 hours = 28oz per day

The First Month

One Month Down!

(August 20th - September 20th, 2010)

I can't believe it... time has FLOWN by... and I know it doesn't have any intention of slowing down any time soon. :( So we're soaking up all we can...

As you know I had a c-section... and I'm very happy my recovery has been much better than I thought. I was walking around a lot sooner than even my nurses in the hospital thought I would be... so mobility hasn't been an issue at all. I stopped taking pain meds after about a week too so yay me! I did however have a tiny set back last week with a couple of my stitches opening...but I'm back on track now :) I've lost most of my water weight I think by now but by no means am I close to where I want to be... just waiting for the 6 week mark to start working out again.

Ethan is doing great :) He's the cutest little guy ever and we couldn't be happier. The first month with him was easier than I anticipated actually. He slept most of the time those weeks which actually allowed for rest and getting stuff done. We got him into the schedule of eat, wake, sleep and then just skipped the wake portion at night time. He went 2.5-3 hours between each feeding and ate like a champ... no issues there. He loves his food...Must take after both of us :) We put him in his crib from the first night and has done awesome. After the first week he started sleeping about 3 hours and then waking up for food and would go right back to sleep. Now he sleeps 5 hours and then goes right back down and wakes up the next time usually when we wake up... so I'm thankful he lets me get some rest.

We had some professional pictures done earlier this week and can't wait to see them! Thanks Coop!!

To all of our friends and family that has come to visit bringing gifts and food... THANK YOU SO MUCH!! All of your help has been VERY appreciated! Love you all!

We're so blessed and happy to be Ethan's parents :) He's a blast. It's crazy to compare his hospital pictures to his pictures now... He had his one month doctor's appointment today and he's 10 lbs 2 oz. and is in the 80th percentile for growth... my growing boy :)

Stats:
10lbs 2 oz
22.25 inches long
Eating approx. 3oz 8x per day = 24 oz per day

POOH!!

Officially THE cutest thing I've ever seen!! Thanks Nana for the outfit!! :)