Obsessions of Ethan

It cracks me up to see the things that Ethan absolutely loves. He will crawl like crazy, scream to get our attention, and finally play so contently. Here are his loves:
*the broom--any time one of us sweeps, Ethan has to be a part of the action. I will even give him the broom, and he will mimick the act of sweeping. It is precious!
*keyboard on computer--why buy a kid toys when the grown-up toys are so much better?? Just today we pulled out the old lap top so Ethan can be like us and type on a "real" keyboard. He even knows where the desk top computer is (the office). He will crawl back there, pull himself to standing at the desk, and reach for the keyboard.
*alarm clock--this is a new thing for him this week. He has discovered my alram clock on the night stand. He must like the neon green lights and sounds it will make by pushing the buttons. He will venture off into our bedroom to snatch the alarm clock off the night stand.
*pillows--he loves to crawl over pillows; they probably are like mountains to him!
*any cabinet we will let him explore in. I can easily clean the bathroom, fold laundry, grade papers, etc as long as Ethan has some new things in front of him that he can pull out and destroy.
*pack'n'play--he treats this like a trampoline. He will jump in it and then fall down. He laughs and plays all by himself. This is where Matt will place him temporarily while Matt is on the phone with a customer.
*earrings--he has always noticed my earrings, but lately he will not take his eyes off of them! He finds them so fascinating (especially the bigger ones with little dangling pieces).

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!

Our Little Explorer

So many changes over the past month! Ethan is crawling all over the place; that happened a few days after the teeth finally broke through. People kept telling me that once he was crawling, I would wish he could just sit still again. I beg to differ! Yes, he is everywhere, but it is so much fun! We really give Ethan free reign all over the house. He loves crawling down the hall and venturing into his bedroom. We will follow him back there to find him playing in the floor. He knows exactly where the broom is...for some odd reason he is obsessed with the broom/mop! He is so funny. Sometimes he will go off by himself, while other times he wants us to be right there with him. It is so entertaining to watch him investigate anything in his way. The smallest things bring so much amusement to his little precious mind.

Just yesterday, he pulled himself up to standing! The loook on his face was absolutely priceless; it was as if he knew what he had just accomplished! Only problem now is that he seems to get a little frustrated because he wants to be able to stand completely on his own. Now that it is a bit warmer, we are keeping his socks off--it makes attempting to stand (and soon walk!) much easier since we have wood floors.

I love him more and more each day. I am not wanting to rush his childhood, but I look forward to what is next. Sometimes I wish he could just walk and talk...seems like it would make life much easier at times!

He has teeth!

After many months of drooling, gnawing on anything in sight, and restless sleep, Ethan has 2 bottom teeth! He has definitely discovered them as well; his little tongue will investigate these new items in his mouth. I know we have a slow process ahead of us as they all come in...

Ethan is definitely talking a whole lot more! He is more vocal and is rarely sitting quiet and still. He has all sorts of talking sounds he makes. He started off with the "guh" syllable, and now he does "goo," "gah," "ma,"muh," and many more. At times, it sounds like he is saying "mama," but I don't think he has made that connection quite yet. It is so cool to watch himself play with his toys and talk to himself. When he gets bored, he lets us know. It's like he is making a scene to get out attention; he will yell really loud, and then look around to see if we heard him. Too funny! Sometimes he just wants to get up and change the the scenery.

He is moving all over the place, but the whole concept and art of crawling is still in the making. He will scoot around, and he will move one leg at a time. It should be soon, and then life will really change!

We love seeing all these new changes, but it is also sad to see him grow up!

These are a few of his favorite things...

Ethan is nearly 8 months old, and we are having so much fun watching him grow, laugh, and play! He has such a little personality right now! Here are his favorite things right now:

• cords and strings--we have had him sitting on his playmat with all sorts of toys, and in the midst of all the color and noise makers, he still managed to find a cord that we were letting him play with...the simplest things!
• tags--who cares about the stuffed animal when the tag is so much better?!
• Mommy's hair--he has always loved to pull on my hair
• cell phone--he really loves it when I talk to someone on speaker phone.
• remote control--yes, he loves the TV already! It amazes me how his little hands can pick up the massive remote!
• chip bags--when we are snacking on the couch, he loves the grab the bag and make noise
• jumperoo--he might not ever walk since jumping in this thing is so much fun!
• splashing in the tub--he has never given me any trouble with taking a bath; he loves splashing around and me squirting him with his toys!
• rocking--this is a new discovery for Ethan. When he is sitting up, in our lap, or in his high chair, he has figured out that he can move forward and then backward really fast without falling over. This makes us laugh so hard! He also laughs! It's like he has created his own little ride for himself.

This time is so much fun, and we know the best is still yet to come!

Sick Ethan

It is no fun being sick, and I can atest that it is no fun having a sick child--especially when the child cannot tell you what is wrong. Ethan ended up having a double ear infection, and then a few days later he was diagnosed with a small touch of pneumonia. It all started with him not sleeping at all at night; he would cry anytime I put him down. He was extremely irritable and was not eating. Later on, his nose was constantly running, he could not breathe, had a fever of about 102, and he developed a cough. Luckily this all occurred while I was home from Christmas break, but it surely put a damper on our holiday. He has been on 2 different antibiotics, which gave him a horrible diaper rash! I hate seeing my precious baby boy sick! His schedule is all messed up, but we are managing. Even though he has been so sick, he has still brought so much joy to my heart and keeps us laughing!