Brushing Teeth

Ethan is fascinated with teeth brushing. Unfortunately, it's more interesting for him to watch other people do it rather than have his own teeth brushed. (it's caused a few battles of the will) But on this Saturday morning it seemed liked a good idea to be just like his dad. I had to capture the moment...

13 Months

February has been an interesting month. Ethan and I caught BOTH strains of the flu just two weeks apart, so we've spent most of the month in quarantine. We have had fun moments too. He got into his first "fight" at play group. You think his eye looks bad...you should see the other kid's. (okay, not really) He's started mimicking words and phrases more. My favorite is when he is told "no touch", he repeats it and puts his hands down at his side (most of the time). He loves playing with balls and has started kicking his soccer ball around the house (but only with his right foot). He also loves his stuffed puppy dogs, and patting his belly when asked where his tummy is. He's developed a STRONG southern accent when saying "bye" - it's more Mississippi than Arkansas... And we've also started to see the emergence of a strong will. The other day when he didn't get his way, he walked over to me, got on his hands and knees, and started banging his head on the floor while screaming (it was on the carpet - don't worry grandparents). It kind of took me off guard. Then I couldn't help but laugh, and then I remembered I was the mom who probably should be using this moment to teach him something...but I wasn't sure what to do. This parenting thing is HARD.

Snow

I can't believe I forgot to post Ethan's first play in the snow. (We certainly didn't have to worry about losing him - his orange clothes glowed... Sadly, Chris insisted on balancing out all the orange with some crimson and cream.) Ethan seemed pretty indifferent about the snow. He kept getting frustrated because he couldn't walk in it. Maybe next year will be more fun.

The Kissing Game

Ethan has started playing a new game. From a distance, he'll catch my eye, start laughing, and then run towards me with arms wide open. (oh yeah, talk about melting a mom's heart) Once in my arms, he proceeds to give me a big 'ole kiss. The only thing is that his "kiss" is open-mouth and ALL tongue. With face like this, it's impossible to resist...so I have just had to get used to my makeup on the lower half of my face being completely gone by the end of the day. It's so worth it.

Good times with TP

And we've found the toilet paper roll. It's amazing what common things to us can be so much fun to little ones! Whenever I caught him playing with the TP, of course I had to run and get my camera. I am sure the laughing and picture snapping seemed to encourage this new play toy. Poor kid has to be so confused b/c now that we had a good photo-op, the TP is now "no touch". This can't be good parenting....

Textures

Over the past several weeks, Ethan has become infatuated with soft, fuzzy things. He has a stuffed bunny that he LOVES walking around rubbing on his face. It only poses a problem when things like a wall or table gets in his way. He usually ends up on his back with a puzzled look on his face, but thankfully the bunny is very stuffed and keeps his face protected. He also has fallen in love with a brown blanket that his cousin Alyssa gave to me last year. He pulls it onto the floor and then falls face into it. He'll rub his face on it and smile. (I think I interrupted a moment to take the above picture...) With cold season here and his continuously runny nose, this blanket has been christened with his snot. Now the blanket belongs to him.

1 Year Old

I can't believe my little guy is a year old... The time has flown by! This past year has truly been amazing as we have watched him go from a TINY 5 lb 11 oz baby to a constantly moving and smiling toddler. Chris and I feel so blessed to have this little man in our lives.

It's about time.

It's taken me way too long to get some of our Christmas pictures up. We started the holiday out with a few traditions of our own. The three of us went on a carriage ride in the square and opened gifts together on the 23rd. We were able to see Chris' family on the 23rd as well. We spent the rest of the Christmas holiday with my family in OK and had a fabulous time. Ethan and Jack seemed to enjoy passing each other on the run. Jack wasn't real sure what to think about having another little person around taking away his Mimi and Papi, but he seemed to get used to it. We had a blast watching the little guys play, eating tons of Mimi's amazing food, sitting in front of Papi's fire, opening gifts, and laughing together. I don't think it could have been any more perfect!

An "I am old" moment...

A local gym is offering a free, 21-day trial, so last week I went in for my first appointment. An employee there was taking down my information and proceeded to make some small talk. He asked if I was from the area, and I told him that I was from OK. He said that he was originally from Muskogee, so I thought that he might know a good friend of mine that grew up there. When I asked him and he said no, I realized he might be too young to know her. So I asked his age - he was EIGHTEEN! My quick math skills told me that he was ELEVEN years younger than me!! Of course he wouldn't know my friend - when she was in high school he would be like six. I couldn't stop laughing as I realized that someone 11 years my junior could be a trainer at a gym. I had finally gotten used to the idea that I am a mom, but now I am just feeling old...

The 3 Crazy H Ranch

We spent some time with Pa Pa David a few weeks ago, and Ethan was able to check out some ranch life. A fresh batch of baby goats were born, and Ethan enjoyed playing with one of them. He kept trying to "kiss" the poor goat - which means open mouth with a little tongue. He was also able to see his cousin's new horse, some sheep, cows and ducks. (it was so much better than looking at pictures of animals in books!) Ethan also was really captivated by his Pa Pa's chest hair... Is that weird?!

11 Months Old

I have several other things that I need to post (gotta keep this chronologically straight), but I couldn't help but post this picture taken by my super talented sister in law, Caylee. (she's a photographer for hire...) Anyway, I loved this picture and had to get it on the blog.

While I am here I might as well talk about the E-Train turning 11 months old and what fun last month was. Between being at both grandparent's houses, Ethan has had a lot of room to practice his walking. It still amazes me how well he's getting around. We've only managed to break two bowls and get numerous bruises in the process. He's on a HUGE "Daddy kick" - he cries every morning when Chris leaves for work. Sometimes I wonder if he even likes me...then I remind myself that I have been watching too much "Family Guy". (Stewie is always trying to commit matricide...) Anyway, Ethan is a daddy's boy. We also spent some time at Pa Pa David's ranch where Ethan petted/licked a new baby goat. He attended his first funeral - Chris' grandma passed away. (this does not fall under the "fun month" category) And he was able to spend a lot of time with both sets of cousins. It's been a busy month, and we're looking forward to another wild and crazy year!

Merry Christmas!

Books

Ethan has really started to love being read to. He loves sitting in our lap and listening to his stories. Chris couldn't get him out of his lap the other day and ended up reading "The Fire Truck" about 15 times. "Go Dog, Go" and "Llamas in Pajamas" are other favorites. We find ourselves quoting these books in conversations now... The other day Ethan was playing in his room and got really quiet, (usually a bad sign) but much to my delight, he was looking at his books by himself. I hope that his love of "reading" continues the rest of his life.

The "Bad Ball"

It is the strangest thing...Ethan is scared to death of this OSU ball. If you hit or drop the ball it plays an OSU song and says "Go Cowboys"...nothing too crazy. But even the sight of it causes him to start crying. (I swear Chris must be showing him the ball and pinching him when I am not around.) At first I was hiding the ball under the couch to keep the meltdowns at a minimum. But then I had a stroke of genius (or child abuse)...I put it in front of our dvd player. We have been working on "no touch" - to no avail. However, with the "bad ball" in front of the dvd player, I have not had to say "no touch" in two weeks! It's hilarious to watch Ethan weigh the pros and cons out. He'll stand a safe distance away, look at the ball, take a step or two towards it, shake his head, and walk away. I love it. Does this make me a bad mom?!?

A Saturday on the Square

Last Saturday there was a Christmas parade and events in our downtown square. There were carolers, lights, pony and camel rides, hot chocolate, people dressed as penguins (we're not sure why) and a nice chill in the air. Ethan hung out with baby Jesus for awhile (the glass covering the manger scene apparently tasted really good), and he loved watching the camel walk by. The afternoon only got better when his dad let him "walk" around and talk to people.

And we're off...

It's official: the E-Train is walking. He's been walking with assistance for about two months now, but last week he realized he could take a few steps on his own. This week he's gotten more confident and is taking several steps. The only problem is once he's realized he's on his own, he lunges forward to grab something. Yesterday it was the dishwasher door that was down. He's got a little battle wound to show for it, but he seems pretty unfazed. And my life is continuing to change... (I tried to capture his walking several times with a camera, but he kept lunging for it causing me to get some really good "mid-air" shots. I will keep trying and post when I get a good one.)

Thanksgiving '07

We spent Thanksgiving "down South" with Chris' side of the family. We ate very well and enjoyed time relaxing with the fam. Unfortunately the weekend took a sour turn as our Cowboys lost (again) to the Sooners. I don't know why the game has to be on a holiday weekend...especially since I married into a Sooner-heavy family. I still wore my orange proudly.

10 Months

(I apologize ahead of time for the hat...) It's hard to believe that our little man is getting closer to the one year mark. He's started pulling up on everything so he can stand up, so our house decorations are slowly inching up. Walking isn't too far around the corner either... He's continuing to be a social little guy - he absolutely loves going places and talking to anyone who will pay attention to him. I have a feeling he's going to have the same issue as his dad in school..."He's such a sweet, smart kid. He just talks a lot."

The Entertainer

Ethan has now realized that his "frustrated face" (the pursing of lips and blowing air out of his nose) is funny to his mom and dad. So, with the entertainer blood in him, he's doing it all the time to see what reaction he can get. I am not sure it will ever stop being hilarious...

A little gentleman...