Close to a year old!

I am sitting here on the couch just watching Ethan as he plays on the floor. Matt is off with a friend, and I am enjoying this one-on-one time with Ethan. Right now he is talking to himself and playing with anything around him. I think I see Matt's earphones going toward the mouth! Lil man is now pulling himself to standing and cruising around the furniture...the first stages of beginning to learn to walk!

I just sat here and read through some of my past blogs of being pregnant and during Ethan's first year, and I cannot believe all that time is behind us now. I found myself tearing up and smiling as I read what I had written about our changing life.

As Ethan approaches his 1 year birthday, here are some things that I will miss about his "baby" days
1. watching him crawl and explore...yet I know he will begin to explore in even cuter ways
2. his baby talk that means so much to him
3. nursing him...I am actually dreading this because he has been such a good nurser. He loves his mommy!
4. his smile with his few little teeth shining through
5. the way he crawls so fast to get to me
6. the way he pulls on my leg to let me know he wants me to hold him
7. his baby toys
8. watching him have the time of his life as he goes crazy in his walker...he will seriously do laps and laugh like crazy

Poor sick baby Ethan

My little man has been fighting with a pretty bad virus the past several days. It all started this past Saturday with a fever. We didn't think too much of it and assumed it was the start of some more teething. Sunday morning I noticed some nasal congestion as I was nursing him, but again, passed it off as teething; this all happened about 2 months ago when his first 2 teeth broke through. The fever continued all day Sunday and Monday. The only way to keep it down was with Motrin. He was so congested that he struggled to eat or sleep, which also meant that Matt and I were struggling as well. I decided to take him to the doctor on Monday. He received a pretty strong anti-biotic shot and he also had a chest Xray done. The doc was concerned that he might have some breathing issues, or possibly pneumonia again. We returned to the doctor the next day as a follow-up. It was a good thing because Ethan had gotten worse, and Matt and I were running on little sleep. I was worried so badly for Ethan. He was not able to get any rest, and it was nearly impossible for him to eat. Here is everything that was going on with Ethan:
*fever of nearly 103 for 3 days
*severe nasal congestion
*white puss pockets on throat
*small questionable area in left lung (possible pneumonia)
*fluid behind both ears
*white blood cell count up (indicates infection)

Poor guy! We left the doctor yesterday with another anti-biotic shot and 3 days worth of an oral steroid. Needless to say, he seemed better within about 5 hours. It seems as if he has done nothing but sleep today. It makes me nervous for what this may mean for tonight, but I don't care. I just want him to be better!

God is so good. This is my spring break, so thankfully, I have been home to take care of him. Matt has been wonderful, as always. But as with any baby, Ethan only wants his mama. I am glad that Matt did not have to deal with him on his own. Last time Ethan got really sick was over Christmas break. God is really watching out for us by allowing me to be here during his sickness. While it does stink for me to spend my break at home and not running errands, seeing friends, and enjoying the outside, the good part is that we are saving money and spending quality relaxing time together as a family!