Playmate for a Day

This past weekend Ethan played with an older woman! :) My girlfriend from high school and her family came over (well, her husband was put to work finishing the drywall in our garage) and we hung out. It was a chilly day, which I was bummed about because I thought it would've been great to take the kids for a stroller ride, etc. But, we basically stayed inside and played with the toys and went around to a few garage sales that were on the court.

Ethan's latest discoveries are eating his toes...before he'd just grab at his feet the minute he was put on his back, and now he's discovered he is able to stick those little piggies into his mouth...mmm, toe jam! :) He also likes to hold a toy and bang it on other things - Dave is a proud daddy and promotes the pounding behavior whenever he can - a true boy thing to do! Ethan also likes to stand and play with his toys. Instead of sitting in his jumparoo or bouncy seat, he'd rather be held in front of it where he can stand and chew on it.

Other progress...we've upgraded Ethan to a big boy carseat that stays in the car. Mommy is definitely excited not to have to lug around the other carseat. We also fed him his first baby food with meat in it on Sunday for dinner. He had a chicken, squash and corn combination. Of corse Dad requested to do the honors of feeding him his first meat. Although Dave wanted to start with prime rib, I suggested a meat that had a veggie taste he was somewhat familiar with. He didn't seem to dislike it, but wasn't completely crazy about it either. I also tried giving him those puff things that supposedly melt in their mouths...I tried one and it didn't melt as fast as I'd like. I broke the thing into 4 pieces even and Ethan choked a bit on it, so I immediately removed them from his tray - I'm not forcing anything here! Finally, starting Monday we have completely transitioned Ethan over to formula. Although this is nice for me to have a bit more freedom, it was still a bit sad.

Quality Time with the Parents

Dave and I had some daycare plans change starting last Thursday when the daycare lady and her family got sick, so we were able to spend some extra quality time with Ethan that we usually don't get. I stayed home with Ethan on Thursday as well as today and Dave stayed home Monday. It was so nice outside that we took him for a stroller ride every day! He's got a nice floppy sun hat thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Hughes, which works out great to keep the sun out of his face. These are a few shots I got of him today when we returned from our walk.

6 Month JCPenney Pics

6 Month Stats

Last night we had Ethan's appointment with the doctor. The poor boy had to get 2 shots..I hate seeing him cry! Again, he almost didn't realize the first one, but by the second one, he was crying. He did stop crying as soon as he was picked up though.

As far as his height and weight, he jumped from the 25% to 50%. He's 17lbs, 12 oz (up almost 4 lbs since his 4 month appointment - he loves his food). He is now 26 1/2 inches (he's grown an average of 1 inch/month). They also measure his head and it's 43cm (an incrase of 2cm since last time and he's now in the 25% from the 10% before).

The doctor said we can give him the second foods that have meat in them now. So, I'll be excited to food shop next time and get a few more varieties. We can also start giving him mashed up fruits/veggies. I'm a bit nervous about this until he has teeth, but we'll try it. Nothing like smashing a banana or some peas..ha ha.

I asked about his teeth coming in and she said they've definitely moved up, so probably in a month or so we might see them. That's about all the exciting news to report. He doesn't have to go back until 9 months now, which is nice and I don't think he'll get shots at that appointment...thankfully!!

Morning Pictures

These are a few pictures we took from Saturday morning this weekend. Ethan's been getting better and better at sitting up on his own. He's still got a bit to go on having complete balance, but he's definitely getting there! Ethan turned 6 months on Friday and we took him to get his JCPenney pictures today. Although he fell asleep the minute we got into the store, the photographer was flexible and we strolled around the store for 20 minutes to allow him to nap a bit. It was a bit rough to get smiles out at first because he was groggy, but I was very happy with how they turned out. I will post those in a week or so, once they are availble online to post.

Ethan's been experimenting with his tongue lately, he likes to stick it out and he'll watch us if we do the same and he kind of tries to mock what we're doing. We have his actual 6 month appointment on Wednesday this week so we'll give an update on his height, weight etc. I'm just hoping he'll be ready for a bigger carseat soon, as it's getting very difficult for me to lug him around in his current car seat.

Note the tongue sticking out...this definitely helps keep balance while sitting up. :)

We also went shopping for a few new toys today at Wal-Mart, as Daddy was just sure that a little boy needed some new things. It was like Dave was a kid in a candy shop once we got to Wal-Mart. I manned Ethan in the stroller and Dave went to work trying out all the noises and spinny things for 6m+ toys. In the end we got a little farm yard activity set that makes noises and a penguin blow up thing that makes noises when it wobbles around. Pictures to come in future posts of the newest additions of toys. As you can see from last week's post I think we need to invest in a toy box next time instead of more toys!!

New Walkway!

Dave and I had a new walkway put in this past week..they tore out the cement and put down patio pavers. They also covered our front stoop with paver bricks and it looks great! To the left of the front door they put in the base for a retaining wall and Dave is going to finish it. They also owe us 2 trees, but because of our horrible weather, the nursery hasn't been able to dig them up yet. We're hoping for them to be planted in the next 2 weeks. After that, Dave and I are going to add in some bushes and flowers in the newly mulched area to make the front of the house look a lot nicer!!

Here's the progress over the few days...

End of Day #1

After Day #2

Finished project

Hanging out on Sunday

I'm a Chevy Boy!

Grandma Linda's Birthday

This weekend we celebrated a family birthday...Ethan was a bit bummed that he couldn't share in the ice cream cake (he opened his mouth while on my lap with each bite I took...gosh I felt bad not sharing). We actually got out both Saturday and Sunday for a stroller ride and took Sasha for a walk. It was so nice to get out of the house! There isn't too much else to report really...Ethan will officially be 6 months on Friday and he has his doctor's appointment next week. I can't believe how big he seems lately. Each time I go up and get him out of his crib, he just looks longer and more like a young man to me. His latest discovery is his toes/feet. Every chance he gets he grabs onto them, which really hinders the diaper changing process...Here are some pics from this weekend.

Sitting on Grandpa's lap (and grabbing my feet)

You mean I just helped sing 'Happy Birthday' and I don't even get any of this cake?!!

GREAT Grandparents

This weekend Dave and I took Ethan down to Champaign to visit the Great Grandparents (they aren't just 'great' grandparents by name, they are truly GREAT!). We headed out early Saturday morning right when Ethan takes his morning nap. It worked out perfectly, he woke up about 10 minutes before we got there! We pretty much just played, watched a few movies and visited. We felt bad Sunday morning because we basically got up, ate breakfast and then left again, so Ethan could travel while he was sleeping. As always when we visit, we had good meals, desserts and company. I always say that I probably put on an extra pound or two just from eating when we go there.

Here are some great grandparent pics from the weekend..Great Grandpa was very playful with Ethan. Note in the second picture Ethan looks reluctant to share his bug...ha ha









Smiling with Great Grandma Lucille













We also wanted to visit Uncle Adam since he's at school at U of I, but he was out of town with some friends. We hope he comes home soon to visit us! I guess we'll have to go visit again next fall when he's down at school again!

Happy Easter

Ethan was fortunate enough to see almost all his grandparents at some point this weekend! I actually had the day off Friday, which meant that Grandpa Rochford lost "his day", so he came over to visit a bit with Uncle Patrick. Ethan left his mark on Grandpa...notice the carrots he spit up on him! ha ha

On Saturday Grandma Hughes came out and went shopping with Mommy to buy me some 9/12 month clothes. Daddy was proud of mommy because she found some cool clothes with cars on them. I'll definitely be a stylin dude this summer! After mommy and Grandma got done shopping I got to play with Grandma for the night because Mommy and Daddy had date night and they had a lot of fun (although missed me very much). Grandma even got me an Easter basket with a new summer outfit, 101 dalmation movie and this soft blue bunny rabbit!

On Sunday morning we made pancakes before Grandma left to go back home. Mom and Dad said I couldn't have any, but I sure did want some....maybe in a few months once I have a few teeth I can talk them into trying a few bites! Sunday afternoon we went to Grandma and Grandpa Hickman's house for a nice Easter lunch. There were some new toys for me to play with over there as well..yipee!!




















Cute little Easter boy!
Grandpa and Grandma love me!

Happy 4 year Anniversary!

Yipee...today is Dave and my 4 year wedding anniversary. About this time 4 years ago I was with all my bridesmaids getting my hair and makeup done!! And, I remember being really, really nervous!! :) One other thing I remember is that I didn't have to wear a coat because it was nice weather outside...um, why can't it be like that now?!

Anyway...congrats to Dave and I. ha ha. We're going out for our official first date and anniversary celebration this Saturday. We're going out to a nice dinner downtown and to see Wicked, which I've heard is marvelous! Ethan gets to spend time with Grandma Hughes while Mommy and Daddy are out!

Of course we can't leave Ethan out of any blog post these days....remember when I thought he was maybe teething or something because he seemed bothered? Well, I took him to the doctor Tuesday and he has a slight case of thrush, so he's on medicine for a week (4x/day we have to rub this medicine on the inside of his cheeks) and he also had a slight sore throat - poor boy! But, he does seem like his normal self these days, so I'm happy about that. He was so cute yesterday when I picked him up from the daycare lady's house and we got home. When I got him out of his carseat, he seemed to reach his hands out to my face...oh, i can't believe my little boy is 5.5 months old!! He also likes playing with my hair lately (well, he does tug on it a bit). But, when I change his diaper and am leaning over him, he reaches his hands in the air and tries to grab my curls and smiles! Of course, I don't like the pulling, but I still let him grab my hair because it seems to make him smile.

Weekend with Mom and Dad

Some pictures from this weekend...I try to take some new ones so I can always update the blog for those of you that log on first thing Monday morning to get your fix of new Ethan pics. I can't wait until the weather is nice and we can get some new outside scenery pictures or pictures while we take a walk in the stroller. I have more faith that winter is finally over, after the weather we got this week. I drove home Thursday and it was beautiful outside...kids were outside playing and I was just in a good mood. I really hope this cold stuff is about done!!

Anyway, this weekend was like most others, we basically stayed in except Saturday we went to meet with a landscape company to talk about a job we might have done this spring. Ethan was a good boy there...he fell asleep in the car and slept for most of the meeting. Here are some pictures from Saturday.

I am such a big boy, I can sit on the couch by myself! Notice the toy on my lap is a favorite of daddy's...he is always making me practice how to drive a car!!





















Do you think Daddy would notice if I slobber all over his remote control?

Not much else to report...I'm a little curious as to whether Ethan is starting the teething process. Today he just seemed to really be chomping on his teething ring and he seems to keep rubbing at his mouth. They say it usually happens around 6/7 months and he's a few weeks away from 6 months, but I think the process starts earlier than when you actually see the teeth pop through. Just a thought...he just seemed out of sorts today like something was bothering him....I guess time will tell!!

All the Flavors of the 1st Foods

Ethan has now successfully tried all the flavors that a baby starting "1st foods" could imagine! We've had pears, apples, bananas, prunes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and sweet peas. Let me tell you, he loves his food! He is now getting fruit and cereal in the morning, veggies at lunch and cereal and either a fruit or veggie at night. The kid can't get enough of it! As soon as he takes a bite, he's already opening his mouth like a little birdy for more! I can't wait for the weigh-in at his 6 month appointment in another month - ha ha! And since the last post I left you with discussed our constipation issue, I'm happy to say we're through that phase and Ethan is blessing us with his poopy diapers again - let me tell you, the introduction of foods definitely isn't as exciting and good smelling when it comes out the other end!! Makes me not as excited to introduce meats...okay, okay - enough poop talk I know!

There isn't too much more to report on Ethan, he's doing great at daycare and we're really happy with the new lady! He still isn't rolling over like crazy, although he really looks like he could flip onto his tummy from his back any day now. He gets basically on his side when he really wants to, so he just needs a little more push to flip over. He can sit by himself for a short period, which is very cute! I honestly can't believe he's going to be 5 months on Tuesday!!

So, here are some pics from the last two weeks. The ones if him eating is his first day with prunes ! (I gave Daddy the honors in case he wasn't thrilled, he wouldn't correlate Mommy with bad food - he he)









Mommy with her little boy!









Daddy, I had so much fun with you last night that I'm absolutely exhausted this morning! Mommy thanks you too, because she went to "Girl's Night" and was able to enjoy some adult time!! This is how I found Ethan this morning - he managed to get almost sideways of how Dave put him down last night to sleep. That's how we find him a lot these days, usually up in the corner of the bumper pad! Such a little angel sleeping!!