A Big Help.

For those of you who know how not prepared we were when Ethan made his early arrival two years ago, you'll be super impressed with how prepared we are this time around. We've gotten all of Ethan's baby clothes washed, sorted and either hung up or folded. The crib is ready...nursery done (other than finishing the glider)...diapers purchased... Now all we need is a baby. Of course Owen will probably go past his due date.

Anyway, Ethan has been a big help getting everything ready. He's loved going through all his old hats and shoes and trying them on. He played in a tub of baby socks for 15 minutes straight. And his old Halloween costume provided a lot of entertainment too. The only problem is when I try to explain why we're putting all of the things in Owen's room, he melts down with a string of "mine"s. Lovely. It's going to be quite an adjustment for us all with a new little person around!

Funny.

It's pretty entertaining what people feel like they can say to a pregnant woman, that they probably wouldn't ever say otherwise (or at least I hope). Today I was asked how much longer I had till I was due. When I said March, the response was: "Wow. By looking at you, I would have guessed any day." Really? After I recovered from the laughter, I tried to let the well-meaning man (who is married with children) know that that's not something a pregnant lady wants to hear! That got me thinking about some of the better comments I heard over my two pregnancies...

"You look fluffy." (yes, fluffy)
"You're really starting to gain weight in the hips."
"I could have sworn you were having a girl b/c you're carrying it so widely."
"It's okay you're showing early - your stomach muscles are shot from your last baby."

Ah, the entertainment.

Two

I can't believe my little guy is TWO years old! It's truly amazing how much Ethan has grown and changed in just two short years. We've been watching some old video of him as an infant...then learning to walk, crawl, eat, talk, and develop his own little personality. I have loved watching him become passionate about balls, goals, drawing, and guitars. He seems to thrive being around other people (and of course performing for them). And his sensitive spirit to others makes me smile and worry all at the same time - I am not going to handle him getting his feelings hurt very well! My favorite things that he's doing right now are his random out bursts in dance and singing, his unexpected hugs, and his sweet voice saying "HOLDEE (hold me), MOMMA!". The thought of loving another little guy as much as I do him boggles my mind. I know it will happen, but I sure am nuts about my first born!

Stuffed Animals

Oh, how I love this age! (I think I say that a lot...) Ethan's imagination is really taking off, and it's been a blast to watch. He's really started to play with his stuffed animals. It started with Jenny, my dog that I had when I was his age. He's put his OU jersey on her and tucks her in at night "snug bug" (aka "snug as a bug in a rug"). I caught him the other day throwing her down the stairs and then asking her if she was okay. Luckily she was. Last week he started changing his animal's diapers (this could come in handy with a baby on the way...), and this morning he lined his animals up on his bed and told them to watch him play basketball. They're a great captive audience!

And we're back!

I finally broke down and bought a camera last week. We still haven't found our other camera with all our Christmas pictures on it...so very sad. But it was great having a camera to document our trip to Mulberry for Alyssa's birthday party.
We were able to spend Saturday afternoon with Grandma Debbie and Nanny. I am not sure who got a bigger work out - Ethan or Grandma - that afternoon. They chased each other in circles, played air guitar and tickled each other a lot. Ethan crashed that night with out a sound.
Ethan also got some serious bonding time with Uncle Greg. Once Ethan decided that he wasn't that scary, he talked Greg into helping him do numerous pull ups, and they took turns flipping each other over. (that's what Ethan is doing on his back) Uncle Greg also took him on a walk to see the horses, which was a big hit. Sunday started bright and early with Ethan waking up at 5:45. His first words were "Papa" and "ball". Pretty standard. That afternoon was spent celebrating Alyssa's 10th birthday. Ethan was sure to be a big help with opening her gifts up and helping her eat her cookie cake. He also enjoyed chasing Adam around the house (I didn't manage to get a picture of Adam being stationary...). And I think the highlight of the day was family Rock Band time, where Alex let Ethan help him play the drums. Ethan crashed within 5 minutes of being in the car on our way home...

Just like Dad

I still can't find my camera, but this is one of the pictures that I had already gotten off my camera before Christmas.

Ethan adores Chris and that adoration has translated into a love for anything OU. (that's the only logical explanation, right?!) Chris wore his OU shirt and stocking cap to run in one day. Ethan promptly went to his room, got his OU shirt and hat to match. I never thought that I would think my child wearing OU garb was cute, but I have been wrong before...

Lost

I have lost my camera...the camera with all of our Christmas pictures on it. I hardly know how to blog without pictures to post. I am pretty sure we made it to the car with it on our way back home, but I can't figure out where it went from there. Sorry grandparents! Hopefully I will find it soon!