The Pumpkin Patch

We took Ethan to buy a pumpkin and to get the standard "baby in the pumpkin patch" picture this week. I don't think he was nearly as excited as were were. As soon as we sat him down, the straw took up all his attention. And even with Chris' best song and dance routine, we still couldn't get him to smile. Oh, well..."pensive in the pumpkins" works too.

Bath Time

Ethan's new favorite bedtime activity is bath time. He gets so excited when he sees that water running that he tries to push out of my arms into the water...he's getting rather strong, so I could be in trouble soon. He enjoys laying on his back and kicking as fast as his little legs will go - splashing water EVERYWHERE. He just giggles and sticks his tongue out as we attempt to dodge the waves.

How you doin'?

This picture just makes me laugh... It's a mix of Joey-meets-Senior-pictures.

Crawling

It's been hilarious watching Ethan's personality come out while he's been learning to crawl. The poor little guy gets so frustrated that he can't quite make it all work. For awhile he would just scream because he was so mad, but just yesterday he started breathing heavily out of his nose and pursing his lips. (you can click on the picture to get a better view of his new "I am mad" look) I am sure seeing me laughing and snapping pictures while he was hard at work didn't help things...

Another fun month.

September was another fun month in Ethan's life. He was in Oklahoma 3 out of 5 weekends, he watched his Uncle Josh get married, he developed an unknown food allergy, he learned that he can climb out of his swing, that he can scream and get people's attention while shopping with mom, that walking (with assistance) is much more fun than "tummy time", and that a little scooting/crawling across the floor will cause parents and grandparents to do very funny and strange things (like victory dances and weird cheers).

Another cousin for Ethan...

Jon and Katie sent us this picture last week. Jack has no idea how much his life is about to change... My life stopped being fair the minute Jon was born. :)

A new toy...

One of Chris' co-workers gave Ethan a toy of her son's that he'd outgrown. I really thought it was too big for Ethan, but we sat him down in the chair and he LOVED it. He pushes the little light and it sings to him and turns on/off. Ethan has been sitting in the chair every chance he gets with his hand propped up on the light...laughing. Ah, he's so fun.

7 Months Old

It's really hard for me to believe that the E-Train has been around for 7 months now. I can hardly remember life without him. (Well, I can vaguely remember being able to sleep in..) It's been another eventful month in his life. We've been to the creek and to several pools; started eating solid foods only to develop a food allergy that wreaked havoc on this face; taken several trips to see family in OK and Alma; fallen off the bed for the first time (if he survives me, it will be a miracle). We've found our feet and love trying eat them, and we're getting this sitting up thing down to a fine art. He's also VERY chatty and his babbling continues to make me laugh and my heart melt. (ask me if him asking "why" 13 million times a year or so from now elicits the same response..) I really didn't think that having a kiddo could be this fun...Okay enough gushing.

A Good Cousin

We had lunch with my family on Sunday, and Ethan and Jack were naturally thrilled to see each other. (okay, so there were more indifferent at first, but they warmed up to each other) I am not sure what it is about babies, but it seems like as soon as you sit them down in front of each other they start poking at each other's face. Well, true to form, as soon as Jack got close to Ethan, he stuck his finger right in Ethan's mouth. (better than his eye) After recovering from the surprise (as seen in the above picture), Ethan went to town sucking on it. Both boys didn't seem to understand why everyone got suck a kick out of the gesture...

Weekend with Grandma Debbie

We went to Oklahoma this weekend so we could attend Grandma Debbie's annual company party. The company had a cookout at the Bricktown ball park, which was a great idea if weren't SOOO hot! (what happened to our beautifully mild summer???) In spite of the heat, we all had a great time. It's hard not to have fun with cousins around!

A Chew Toy

Ethan has to be teething. He's chewing on everything in sight....including his Dad's nose. Anytime he's near Chris' face, he latches on. It was hilarious at first, but I think Chris is getting a little tired of drying his face off every time.

Maggie

Last weekend we were in Stillwater. We got to see Ethan's new girlfriend, Maggie. They hadn't seen each other in about 5 months, so they had a lot of catching up to do.

"Swimming" with Tater Tot

The boys "swam" last week in Tate's little pool. I really need to get Ethan out more...his skin is still glowing.

A Morning in the Square

We had a fabulous time with my family in town two weekends ago. We all walked down to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and had breakfast at a local coffee shop. I am not sure how it happened, but both Jack and Ethan ended up in just a diaper in the fountain. Jack LOVED getting his face put in the water streams...Ethan wasn't as big of a fan. I am sure we all looked hilarious with our cameras while we stuck our half naked babies into a city fountain.

Expressions

The little man is getting more and more expressive - especially with his eyebrows. We had gone on a walk and I had gotten distracted with a small project in the yard. Rather than yelling to get my attention, he just stared at me with these big puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately for him, it didn't get him out of his stroller faster. Instead, I had to run and get my camera. After about 15 pictures and some time laughing, he finally was rescued.

Yumm, Rice Cereal....

We had our first attempt at "solid" foods this week. (I use the word "solid" very loosely) I think we ended up with more cereal on his bib than in his belly, but it was entertaining watching him try to figure out what to do when the stuff hit his mouth. I am sure that Chris and I were pretty entertaining too, running around with the camcorder and the camera getting this experience in as many different angles as we could. Yes, he's our firstborn, if you didn't know.

4th of July

For the 4th we went down to Mulberry to relax on the river with some of Chris' fam. Ethan was able to sport his new swimsuit, his OSU cap, and his VERY pasty, white skin! He seemed very indifferent about the water until one of his cousins, trying to help cool him off, poured water on him and scared him. After one scream, all was well. It was a great way to spend the 4th, but I have a feeling next year will be a whole lot more entertaining...

Sitting Up

It's getting exciting around here as the E-Train is starting to sit up on his own. He's still pretty top-heavy, but he seems to get stronger and stronger every day. We're finally putting the boppy to good use as it cushions his crashes...

The "Big" Cousins

We headed South last weekend to hang out with Chris' family for Father's Day. Ethan was able to hang out with his big cousins, aunt, uncle, Granny and his grandpa. I think Ethan enjoyed being the center of attention and having his every need catered to. (wait, he gets that all the time..) Papa David, the brave man, even watched his four grandkids while we went out to dinner and a movie with Chris' brother and his wife. Of course Papa David did a great job, but I am thinking if we add a few more kiddos into the mix one of these years he may have met his match...

5 Months Old...

Things are getting fun around here. Ethan's personality is starting to show more and more, which has been so fun to watch. He's pretty "chatty" - babbling with anyone who will pay attention to him.. He must get from his Dad. :) His new trick of rolling over has dominated most of his time (sleeping and awake). His 11 hour stretches of sleep at night have been interrupted with him waking up on his stomach, in the corner of his crib unsure of what to do. Some yelling to wake mom seems to do the trick. He's also started to giggle when being tickled - I think it's the sweetest sound I have ever heard.