Happy 1st Mommy's Day to Me!!!

As predicted, we woke up for Mother's Day to pouring rain!! So, I decided to opt for Dave to cook the breakfast in the comfort and warmth of our house instead of going out in the elements. Dave did a GREAT job; he made bacon, egg and cheese biscuits, pancakes and more eggs for the side!! Mmmm, it was a great way to start off the morning!

The chef at work...
Mommy and her little boy (now, remember...this was pre-shower, so don't mind my appearance..ha ha)

The magical meal!!

Ethan got me a real nice gift...a picnic basket so we can do some meals in a park this summer...if this weather ever gets nice!! We also went out after Ethan's morning nap to get a new bike for me, as well as a trailer for Ethan to sit in and be pulled around in like a little prince! :) Come on summer!

Visit with Grandpa Hickman

Saturday evening we invited Dave's Dad over for some steaks on the grill for dinner. Dave's sister was in the hospital for a few weeks with pnemonia and is thankfully home and recovering, but his Mom has been out in PA helping with our niece and so we figured that Bert could use some company!! Ethan showed Grandpa how he's a big boy now and sits up all on his own to play with his toys....(although he still needs help with balancing sometimes, because shortly after these pics Ethan rubbed his eyes and lost his balance and conked his head).

Grandpa, you're so wise!! (I love this shot, because Ethan seems to interested in Grandpa)

Hi Mom...just playing with my puzzle

Afraid of heights?

Last weekend we borrowed scaffolding from the neighbor and Dave put up our ceiling fan in the family room as well as the curtains I've had for the tall windows for almost a year now. Let me tell you that there is no way I would've gone up to the top unless Dave ABSOLUTELY needed me!! But, enjoy some pics of Dave in action











Posing for the camera...

Ethan giggling

This is from probably a month+ ago, but I just now uploaded it...love those giggles!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Dave's birthday was yesterday and normally Ethan is ready for bed by 6, but he actually took a really long nap and didn't wake up until 4:15, so we took advantage and went out to dinner as a family! Ethan was a GREAT boy and was up until 7:30 for the big event! He got many compliments on how cute and smiley he was! Dave wanted to go to Famous Dave's for some ribs, so that's where we went...Ethan even had some mashed potatoes!! For dessert, Dave and I shared a cookie from his 'cookie bouquet' that Ethan and I sent him to work.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Sasha Trick

This is a trick that Sasha taught me...you put the toy in your mouth and people laugh at you!

Playing with Daddy

I'm a ham and like to smile for the camera now!

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?!!