Happy Half Birthday!!

6 months... half of a year. It's amazing to think how fast time has flown by and how much Ethan has changed and developed over the last 6 months. We're having so much fun as parents :)

This month our little guy has hit some big milestones. He can now sit up on his own and roll over both ways. I think this officially is my favorite stage so far. It's so much fun to see him concentrating and figuring things out with his toys and just observing everything around him. I think he's going to be very self amused... which is how I was as a kid... he loves just sitting and playing and figuring out his toys. He has also noticed the dogs recently and I can just see him wishing to be able to chase after them. Watch out Boston and Waldo... lol.

He now prefers to sleep on either his side or back... it's so darn cute :)

A couple months ago he was all about his hands... well now his feet have become his favorite thing to play with and chew/suck on ... but his fingers are still a close second. :)

We've started him on baby food now and he LOVES it. We haven't encountered a food that he doesn't like yet. We're still nursing mainly and the food is just for practice but it's so fun seeing him experience different tastes and textures. Starting solids has extended his feeding time to every 4 hours so that's been nice. But we have encountered the change in diapers... yuck. I know...it's only the beginning.

We've battled some bronchitis this month ... uggg... it was the worst... but Ethan is doing much better now... he's back to his happy self.

We are so blessed to have such a happy baby...I'm SO thankful for that! I hope that doesn't mean we're in trouble... though I do think he's going to be quite a handful once he's mobile lol.

Stats:
About 19lbs
Eating approx. 25 oz. plus 2 meals of solids

5 Months!

Five Months

(December 20th - January 20th)

It's a new year already (still struggling to remember to write 2011 on everything..). I think about the last 5 years and it's amazing how much has happened within that time and how FAST time has flown by. Thinking back I remember differen
t times and thinking, "Geeze time is going so slow!" ... well since our little man was born...I haven't thought that once...if anything it's "slow down!!". Every day these days it seems like I wake up in the morning and I blink and I'm back in bed again at night. I know it's just the season I'm in right now with all of the things I'm juggling...being a mom to an awesome little boy, working full time, spending time with family & friends, working-out, staying involved with church, and hopefully spending down time with Dave and Ethan, etc., etc., etc., and now on top of it musical theatre season as started again lol... AHH! Don't get me wrong... I love my life, I'm so so so blessed... it's just that this season is taking some getting used to. This past week has been an ever-changing emotional week for me. It started by finding out that my dear friend's mom passed away suddenly. That sturred some things within me that I've never had to deal with before. I've gone from last week being completely happy with my life and all of my committments feeling accomplished, empowered and something like a super-woman i guess... to my current feelings : meloncoly, too busy, guilt-striken, missing out on things and wanting to spend more time at home with Ethan and Dave. I know! For those that know me well... this is NOT the usual Lindsey. I realize what a big change of heart that is for me. So amidst this confusion my prayer is to make sure I'm living my life according to what the Lord wants for me...for Him to open doors and make it clear what I should and shouldn't be doing in my life. I'm excited to see what the Lord unveils for me... who knows maybe I'm just going through a weird week and everything should be how it is... but maybe this is the beginning of a huge transition in my life... we'll see! I trust in the Lord and know he'll help me through this.

Okay... AAANNNYWAY...now that my vent/self reflection is over... back to the star of this blog... Ethan!

He's 5 months old... wow. It's crazy how much babies change in the first year...

Ethan's first Christmas was so much fun! It just makes me so much more excited for next year when he's toddling around! yay! We had Dave's family over Christmas Eve and then went to my Aunt Karen's house Christmas Day. So much fun :)

Unfortunately, Ethan started showing signs of getting a cold Christmas Day which we didn't really think a whole lot of because he has had a cold before from being in daycare... but this time it developed into bronchitis which we had to treat with a nebulizer treatment. :( It broke my heart to hear is little cough and not be able to do anything for him... He's much better now and no longer has to get the nebulizer treatments :) Ethan was even so nice to share his cold with us ... sharing is caring ;)

Ethan's little personality shows through more and more as he gets older. I love it. He's becoming more playful now. He laughes (still waiting for that big belly laugh) and coos and talks and his new favorite thing is spitting... haha he loves "giving raspberries" to everyone or even to himself when he's amusing himself in his crib. So funny! He now grabs for everything! Toys, hair, earrings (ouch!) and keeps a death grip on them... so strong! He still LOVES his jumperoo! He definately recognizes us now... I get a huge smile when I get him up in the morning, pick him up from daycare or come home from work and the same for Dave... we love it! I have a feeling he's going to be a little stinker... watch out ! haha

He's such a joy...I can't really put words to it...

We've started giving him rice cereal once a day now at "dinner" time. He's getting better at it but at first he wasn't into it... he face was so funny... you would have though I just gave him a lemon or something lol.

Grandpa Graham & Lady Jack was in town this past week and we took him swimming again at their hotel. Wow our child LOVES water! He actually was swimming... pumping his arms and kicking his little legs... so cute! He was even trying to put his face in the water constantly (though we didn't let him). Our little water baby! We're going to make sure to nurture that ... maybe he'll be a little swimmer like his Daddy :)

I took him to his (late) 4 month check up this past Monday. He's 17.4 pounds and 27.2 inches long (90th percentile for weight and 95 percentile for height). Our cute little brute :) He's still eating 4oz every three hours or so. We've just added the cereal once in the evening.

We love our little man so much...here are just some pictures to enjoy :)

haha

happy baby!
"I want the camera"

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