All About Ethan

Bowling Shoe Envy

2011-03-07T17:44:00.000-05:00

I have bowling shoe envy. There...I said it. Marc and I were bowling a few weeks ago and a girl a few lanes over had on the cutest pink, black, and white bowling shoes. I remember having the envious thought and then immediately thinking "Do I really have bowling shoe envy?"

We started bowling regularly about two months ago. We have always loved to bowl, it just wasn't something we thought to do on a regular basis. In December, Ethan was invited to a party at the bowling alley for his friend, Tyler. A few weeks later, I got in touch with Tyler's mom and another mom from school and we set a bowling date. And that's how it all started.

Now we bowl at least twice a month with the Shelnutt's...Tyler, his sister Savanna, mom Jen, and dad Brian. We are considered regulars at the bowling alley and most of the staff knows us. The adults all have our own balls and shoes. The kids don't want to use bumpers any more. Other people cheer on our kids. It's like our own version of the show "Cheers." Smack talk and high fives fly frequently as do dancing fingers and the happy dance. It's the one sport that Marc and I can participate in together and he doesn't totally annihilate me. I can (and do) actually hold my own and put up a score to beat. I love it! My child is learning patience, determination, and frustration. But he's also learning courtesy, sportsmanship, and respect.

I get made fun of at work for owning my own ball and shoes. And I have actually had to add "bowling" as a category to our budget. I love my sparkly ball and pink and white shoes (complete with a flame on the side) and wouldn't trade them, or the time we spend together bowling, for anything!

We Are Too Young For This

2011-02-25T19:30:00.000-05:00

We are too young for this to happen to us. My friends shouldn't be loosing their parents. We are not built for this or ready for this. But then again, how would I know? I am a rarity. Of course I wouldn't be ready. I still have 3 of my 4 grandparents. I'm almost 33 years old and I don't know anyone else my age with THREE grandparents. So how could I be ready? And how could I think that one of my friends is ready? I live in this little bubble that isn't normal. It isn't reality. But it's me.

I lost Papa, my dad's dad, when I was a freshman in college. Can you even believe that? I was 18 before I didn't have 4 grandparents! I still remember the day he died. And I like to think that it was exactly on his terms. He knew that most of the family would be together. And we would be there for the ones that weren't as strong and needed someone to lean on. Everyone had someone. And we laughed that night. Or at least I did. When the nurse brought out the bag with his personal items, his teeth were on top. If you knew Red Olvey, you knew he NEVER took out his teeth. The irony of that moment had perfect timing. I remember being strong and holding it together at the funeral until the service was over. As we were walking out of the chapel, I saw my best friend. And two minutes later he hugged me so tight and so hard that it felt like the saddness was being squeezed out of me.

Everytime I hear "Far Behind" by Candlebox, I think of my cousin, Clayton. We lost him a little over a year after my grandfather. And I still remember the call from my mom. I was a sophmore in college living on campus. I was on my way out of the dorm when she called. I got halfway down the stairs before I lost it. I stood in the stairwell crying my eyes out. I drove home the next day and hated myself the whole way home. For the last few years, I was...not mean...but not nice. I can't think of the right word and it still bothers me. Everytime I hear "Far Behind" on the radio, I stop surfing. No matter how much of the song is left. And I think about Clayton. I'm trying to remember a time that he wasn't smiling, and I can't. He was the kind of person that really would have made a difference in this world. He was one of a kind.

Clayton is on the far right, behind our grandfather's truck, with his brother Vance, Uncle Van (my dad), and his father Mike. This was taken about a month before he died.

In the past 14 months, I've lost another cousin and an aunt. Both sudden and both equally as saddening. Two women that absolutely were making a difference in this world. Two women that spent most of their lives on different paths that eventually crossed and they both touched so many people.

So while I have lost some absolutely amazing people that I think about all the time, I haven't lost many. So how can I understand what one of my best friends is going thru? And what a few other friends have gone thru recently? We are too young to loose our parents. And it's not fair. So the best I can do for my sweet friend is to do whatever she asks me to. And let her know that I'll be there to hold her hand, give her a hug, and hand her a tissue. All she has to do is say the word.

Packing Up

2010-01-03T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today I packed up all of Ethan's clothes that he's outgrown. I was excited and sad all at the same time...excited because it means he's growing up, and sad because it means he's growing up.

Over the weekend we bought the makings for Ethan's BIG bed. The mattress is being delivered on Wednesday...stay tuned for those pictures!

Happy New Year's!!

2010-01-03T21:36:00.000-05:00

For dinner, we have jambalya (yum)!!

Ethan didn't make it...he fell asleep around 9:15

We hope you had a peaceful New Year's, just like we did!

A Tear and a Smile

2009-12-31T12:10:00.000-05:00

As 2009 draws to a close, a poem keeps popping up in my head. It's called "A Tear and a Smile" written by Kahlil Gibran.

I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart
for the joys of the mulititude.
And I would not have the tears that sadness makes
to flow from my every part turn into laughter.

I would that my life remain a tear and a smile.

A tear to purify my heart and give me understanding
of life's secrets and hidden things.
A smile to draw me nigh to the sons of my kind and
to be a symbol of my glorification of the gods.

A tear to unite me with those of broken heart;
a smile to be a sign of my joy in existence.

I would rather that I died in yearning and longing than
that I live weary and despairing.

I want the hunger for love and beauty to be in the
depths of my spirit, for I have seen those who are
satisfied the most wretched of people.
I have heard the sigh of those in yearning and longing,
and it is sweeter than the sweetest melody.

With evening's coming the flower folds her petals
and sleeps, embracing her longing.
At morning's approach she opens her lips to meet
the sun's kiss.

The life of a flower is longing and fulfilment.
A tear and a smile.

The waters of the sea become vapor and rise and come
together and area cloud.

And the cloud floats above the hills and valleys
until it meets the gentle breeze, then falls weeping
to the fields and joins with brooks and rivers to return
to the sea, its home.

The life of clouds is a parting and meeting.
A tear and a smile.

And so does the spirit become separated from
the greater spirit to move in the world of matter
and pass as a cloud over the mountain of sorrow
and the plains of joy to meet the breeze of death
and return whence it came.

To the ocean of Love and Beauty ---- to G-d.

Life is a precious balance of good and bad. I am a firm believer that you have to have both in order to live a truly fulfilled life. 2009 had some dark spots in it for us, but that only made the bright spots shine brighter. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

The Jewish Family's Holiday Tree

2009-12-30T21:24:00.005-05:00

At the beginning of December, we made our way to the local Christmas tree lot to get our 2009 Holiday Tree. Since we moved here in 2003 we have ALWAYS visited this lot in the winter for a tree and then in the summer for pine straw. As we get out of the car, the gentleman approaches us and tells us about the tagging system and where we should look for what we want. We in turn tell him the story of our many years at this lot. About 10 minutes later we flag him down and point out the tree we will be taking home (this was a record, by the way. It usually takes me AT LEAST 30 minutes to pick out the perfect tree). Can you only imagine his surprise when we tell him we are Jewish!?!?!

As most of you know, I grew up in a "mixed" family...mother is Jewish, father is Christian. For as long as I can remember we had a menorah on the mantle and the tree in the corner of the living room. And for as long as I can remember Christmas wasn't really about religion. It was about a time to spend with and celebrate family.

When Marc and I bought this house, there were a lot of discussions and compromises in our future. One discussion...winter holiday time! He knew that I would want a tree and was obviously a little hesitant at the idea. Once I explained my point of view, he was a little more at ease, but still not totally sold. That first year I swear we had the older brother to the Charlie Brown tree. But it was our tree none the less.

Over the years the collection has grown, along with the tree. Our theme is blue, white, and silver with snowflakes and snowmen...a true representation of the SEASON of winter for us.

This year Ethan got to help decorate the tree. We even made a few ornaments at Nana's company holiday breakfast.

My favorite ornament

2009 Holiday Tree

We hope the holidays, however you choose to celebrate, was a memorable one for you!

My, how you've grown...

2009-12-30T20:35:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what can happen in a year.

The Next American Idol???

2009-12-21T18:31:00.003-05:00

Ethan's version of Train's "Hey Soul Sister"

So Long Surfer Dude

2009-12-21T12:46:00.000-05:00

For almost two weeks, Ethan was bugging us to cut his hair. He kept saying "I want it short like Carter's." Marc and I both LOVE the long California surfer dude look. We finally caved, deciding that it really wasn't fair to him to keep it long if he didn't want it. Poor kid was constantly having to brush the hair out of his eyes.

Ethan and I made our way to our favorite haircut establishment, American Haircuts. When he sat in the chair, Robert asked what he wanted. I told him that Ethan requested it to be short so he could spike it. I can't get over how different he looks! At first, it was just odd. I remember thinking, "You sound like my kid, but you sure don't look like him!" It has taken some getting used to, but Ethan loves it, so that's all that matters.

Ice Skating

2009-12-21T12:35:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we decided to take Ethan ice skating. He's been dying to go ever since we let him try on Marc's old skates one day. We got to the rink and Marc took the skates into the Pro Shop to be sharpened. The guy thought it was so cool that the skates were 30 years old!

Once we got all suited up and stepped into the rink area, Ethan wasn't so excited. Can you see the terror in his face?

After a lot of coaxing and some good old fashion trickery, we finally got him out there. I was holding him and we would just gradually take a few steps closer to the ice. When we were next to the door leading onto the rink, I distracted him as I stepped onto the ice. Mind you, I don't skate well, so being on skates AND holding a wiggly 35 lb. toddler could have spelled disaster, but I am proud to say I kept my balance! Once I was able to put him down, we convinced him to let Daddy take him to the door on the other side of the rink. As soon as they got to the door..."Daddy, let's do it again!"

My apologies for the blurry pictures (and the demon eyes). I was trying to get a good one when I was told that I wasn't allowed to take pictures on the ice.

Trip to Richmond

2009-11-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago we took a short but very sweet trip to Richmond, VA to visit my mom's family. Gram, Ethan, and I flew out on Thursday night and Marc joined us on Friday after work. This was the first time flying that Ethan had his own seat and of course, he wanted to sit by the window.

On Friday, Ethan and I spent most of the day with our cousins Faith and Sander. Sander is a year older than Ethan and they got along so well! The day was going great until Ethan took a tumble down the stairs and ended up with a bloody nose. Poor kid...from then on out if he could hurt himself, he did. It was a very clumsy weekend for him to say the least!

Here he is playing at Sander's house in his BBUs after the fall while his clothes were in the wash.

Saturday we had family pictures taken at Caston Studio. I cannot wait to get those back!! Then that night we had a great dinner at Lee and Faith's house. Ethan had a blast playing with Ali.

Sunday afternoon after brunch, we headed home. Before we left, I had to get a picture of Ethan with Uncle Macaroni and Aunt Wheezy (Ronnie and Louise).

Then he promptly fell asleep in the car on the way to the airport...

And decided he wanted apple juice on the plane...this time giving me the window seat :)

Halloween

2009-11-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

For us, Halloween actually started on Friday! Ethan got to dress up for school and have a party. As you can see, he decided to be a Georgia football player. We already had the jersey and helmet from last Hanukkah and he got the football pants and cleats for his birthday this year. All that was missing was pads. No problem! We took Marc's old hockey pads and voila! Instant football player!!

Here are Ethan, Jordan, and Audrey during the parade. They gather ALL of the students and one class at a time, they start walking the circle around the entrance to the school. There were some really clever costumes this year!

Here is Ethan's class, along with Pre-2. See Spongbob?! That was probably the most creative costume I've seen! London's mom made it from felt and a cardboard box. She was so cute...the only problem was that she couldn't sit down like everyone else!

On Saturday, our friends the Parkers came over to trick or treat with us. You might remember Gabe (aka Batman)...he's Ethan's best friend. His older brother, Dilyn and younger sister, Sadie came too. The kids had a great time, despite the nasty weather.

And here is Ethan with his neighborhood friends...Carter, Colby, Emerson, and Ben

Soccer, Movies, and Waffle House!

2009-10-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday we had our first lazy weekend day is a LONG time...and it felt so good!! Sunday was a different story.

Our first venture was to watch Marc play soccer. I love going to the 11:00 games because the park is awesome and Ethan can run around and be...Ethan. There is a rather large area in between the fence and the field, so Ethan took the opportunity to kick the ball around. Notice he's sporting his new cleats he got for his birthday!!

The we decided to go for a ride on the trail around the field. I really wish we had something like this in our area.

Our next adventure took us down to Newnan. We needed to grab some of Marc's old hockey gear for Ethan to wear this weekend for Halloween, so we went by Nana and Papa's house. Then we took Ethan and Casey to see "Where The Wild Things Are." This is one of Ethan's all time favorite books and it was Marc's favorite childhood book. I was a little worried that Ethan would say that the movie was too loud, but he didn't. He LOVED it! About 30 minutes into it, he did get a little antsy so he switched off between sitting with one of us or standing up.

After the movie we headed out to one of our favorite places to eat...Waffle House. There's nothing better than breakfast for dinner!

Weekend Getaway

2009-10-20T15:20:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, Marc and I took a short trip up to Indiana and Ethan spent some time with Gram and Meme. A great time was had by all!!

We arrived in Indiana LATE Friday night to meet Marc's cousin Jason and his girlfriend Jen. Saturday we headed out to Bloomington for a party hosted by Jen's parents and some friends. On the way there, we made a quick stop in downtown Bloomington to surprise my friend, Felicia. She moved from Georgia a few months back and I haven't seen her since. I got together with her boyfriend (also named Marc) and we surprised her at a restaurant called Opie Taylor's. It was so great to see her again!!

After lunch, we headed out to the Pachynski's property. Jen's parents share 70 acres with two other couples and it is some of the most beautiful land I've seen.

This is the view from their back porch

And this is from the front. The leaves had just started to turn and the colors were breathtaking.

The name of the property is...

and their motto is...

Jen's dad, Dan, and the two other guys on the property, Tom and Larry, are in a band...hence the name Band Camp. Each year, they host the "Fall Ball" and a few bands, including their own, play. I had forgotten how much I enjoy live music, especially local bands. Dan's bank, Another Fine Mess, closed the show and they were awesome!!

Here's Dan on the bass...

And some other pictures...

While we were in Indiana, Ethan spent Saturday and part of Sunday with Gram and the rest of our long weekend with Meme, Casey, Jacob, and Uncle Mike.

Gram took him to the Apple Festival in Fayetteville

And had fun playing with playdough

When Ethan was with Meme, they went to Jacob's baseball game and it was so cold, they ended up watching the game from the car!

We all had such a great time this weekend. It was easy for Marc and I to relax knowing that Ethan was in such good hand!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-10-20T14:29:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my baby is 3...and I can't believe I'm so behing in blogging about it! I had this great post planned out for his birthday and it just didn't happen. Oh well. No use dwelling.

We had Ethan's party the Saturday before his birthday. He decided a few months ago that he wanted an UGA cake. For those of you not familiar with college football (for shame!) Uga is the mascot for the Georgia Bulldogs. I had such a hard time trying to figure this one out. I knew that I wanted to make the cake again this year, but Uga is a copyrighted image. You cannot buy a pan in his likeness and there is no way I am artistic enough to create something that would closely resemble him. I ended up finding edible cupcake "picks" with Uga's picture on them! Thank goodness!! Nothing worse than letting a 3-year old down on his birthday!!

Luckily, the weather held out for us and the kids were able to play outside for a while and the adults watched the UGA v. UT game. I only wish the game had gone as well as the party! Ethan had a great time with his friends! After everyone left, Uncle Jimmy and Hailey stuck around for a while. The weather turned chilly so we bundled up under a blanket that Ethan got for his birthday. It was a great day and he are so proud of our little man!!

These were taken the morning of his birthday before school. He's getting so big!!!

I had the day off work so I made cupcakes and took them to school for their afternoon snack. Here's Ethan with his birthday crown and his friend, Jordan.

After Marc got home from work, we went to Chick-a-lay for dinner and some ice-dream. YUM!!

Hello Fall...

2009-09-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

Oh, how I've missed you! While I am sad that the pools days are over, I relish this time of open windows and snuggling under the blankets. Today is the first day that Ethan has worn pants to school in a loooong time. Fortunately, Aunt RaRa got him a few pairs of pants a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, these are a 4T and the length is perfect. I only say that it's unfortunate because I was really hoping that these pants would get him through the season, and now I'm just not sure! This was taken on our way to school this morning. Looks like we will also be retiring the dino hoodie which I know he will not be happy about.

Speaking of growing, we think Ethan just went threw a spell of growing pains. For a few nights in a row, he woke up complaining that his legs hurt. Not to mention he has been eating like a bottomless pit!! A few weeks ago he ate 2 foot-long corn dogs in a matter of 30 minutes and said he was still hungry! Looks like it's time to measure him again.

Football Fun

2009-09-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

After being stuck inside for more days than I care to think about, the rain finally stopped, the sun came out, and we were able to go outside and play with our friends. Ethan was so excited!!! Carter, Ethan, and Joey enjoyed a game of football in the mud.

And Colby wore some baseball gear that was just a little too big for him.

We live in such a great neighborhood and we truly love our neighbors. Every day when we turn into the neighborhood Ethan immediately starts asking if he can go outside when we get home and play with his friends. When we turn the corner onto our street he gets so happy if he sees the boys (and Emerson) outside. Luckily we don't live on the main road so the kids can play in the street without having to worry about too many cars.

On a side note, so people have asked me if we were affected by the rain and how things are in our area. Monday was a little crazy to say the least. Marc and I went to work and Ethan went to school. I heard from Nancy that the police were closing streets right near our house and then that portions of Hwy 92 were closing. Since this was my way home, my boss let me leave early. I picked up Ethan and we headed home without a problem. Marc wasn't so lucky. He had to turn around twice on his way home and finally found a back way that wasn't closed. One report said that our area got almost 20" of rain in 3 days!! Thankfully, our house and neighborhood were not damaged by the rain and everyone is safe.

Always Remember...

2009-09-11T12:58:00.000-04:00

And never forget. I just hope and pray that our children never have to experience an event like this. Godspeed to those still out there fighting and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones.

Two Birds

2009-09-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

I'm going to kill two birds with one stone in this post! The first and most important part of this post is to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated to Ethan's Mini-March for Cystic Fibrosis. He raised over $200!!!

The second item on the agenda is Ethan's new haircut! We went to American Haircuts on Saturday and Ms. Cindy cut Ethan's hair. I was a little skeptical when she came to get us and had a bright pink cast on her arm, but she did a GREAT job especially considering my (lack of) instructions. I told her that we loved it long, but it was a little too long. We loved the curl, but realized that would probably have to go. Well, she knew exactly what I was talking about and gave him a great cut! He is no longer having to sweep hair out of his eyes every 5 minutes.

Here's Ethan with Sabo

And a close-up of the hair

The Noodle

2009-09-03T14:31:00.000-04:00

According to http://www.wikipedia.com/ a noodle is "food made from unleavened dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid. Depending on the type, noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking." I must politely dissagree with the writers at Wikipedia...they must not have kids.

According to Amanda Spector, noodle is "the standard move amoung all toddlers where the arms and entire body go limp while a parent is trying to maneuver said child in a manor they do not condone at that time."

Every parent knows (and loathes) this move. Ethan demonstrated the noodle perfectly last week after school. We were at the car and after some debate about where he was going to sit, I informed him that there was no choice in the matter and he needed to get in the car. In true toddler fashion, he fell dramatically to the ground and started the pout. I put my hands under his armpits and then it happened. The arms went up and the body went limp.

One would think that it would be easy to put 35 pounds of absolutely dead weight into the car, but not so much. Getting him off the ground was the tricky part since it now required me to grab him around the torso and the waist. I have a fear of lifting him by his arms after I read a story of a child whose arms were dislocated after being lifted by the arms. OUCH!

Redecorating

2009-09-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

With fall swiftly approaching, I thought it was time to do some blog redecorating! Hope you enjoy it!

It's Time

2009-09-02T13:57:00.005-04:00

After this disaster of a haircut, we've been a little hesitant to have Ethan's hair cut...and this was done in January!!! Don't get me wrong, it's not that bad, but we just love the shag and the curls.

But it's time. Here is where we are now, after two overall trims at the salon and a few bang trims by yours truly. Thank you to my neighbor who gave me the instructions on how to cut the bangs! And forgive the lip-poke. Ethan fell at school the other day and bit his lip.

We are now at the point that Ethan is actually asking for a haircut. Poor kid is forever sweeping the front out of his eyes. When his hair is wet, the back goes past his shoulders.

Saturday we will be going to American Haircuts for a trim.

And Cindy will be cutting his hair

I have taken him to American Haircuts once before and I really loved the place (although a bit pricey). They coin themselves as the New American Barbershop and only cut men's hair. I love this warning that appears on their website:

WARNING:
AMERICAN HAIRCUTS® is NOT politically correct. If you are easily offended, there is a good possibility that you will be offended here. In our barbershop, the conversation is real and our barbers and clients don't hold their tongues. So, if someone says something that rhymes with "other trucker" don't be surprised.

We are also an "Idiot Free" Zone. We don't put up with people who are rude, pushy, arrogant, or those who can't loosen up and have a little fun. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, especially if we think you're a great big jerk. We strive to keep our shop an "Idiot Free" Zone at all times, so if you're acting like an idiot, we'll be sure to let you know, right before we throw your ass out.

Stay tuned for pictures. Ethan says he doesn't want to shave his head like Daddy's, but you never know!!

Think, Wonder, Question

2009-09-01T10:08:00.013-04:00

Last night, Marc and I were talking about Ethan and the kind of person he'll turn out to be. It's a little daunting to know that we will be held responsible for the adult he becomes. Makes me think back to being pregnant and not knowing if we were having a boy or a girl. I used to listen to this song by Marc Cohen called The Things We've Handed Down from my Mad About You soundtrack

Will you laugh just like your mother

Will you sigh like your old man

Will some things skip a generation

Like I've heard they often can

Are you a poet or a dancer

A devil or a clown

Or a strange new combination of

The things we've handed down

As I was driving I would contemplate what this little person in my belly was going to look like and act like. Lots of wishing and hoping going on then, and I think we got the best combination of us in Ethan!

Anyway, back to my conversation with Marc...I think kids rebel when their parents have an ideal and are unwilling to bend, regardless of what might be best for the kiddo. It's kind of like putting peas on the plate even though you know kiddo won't eat them. Why not just switch it up for another veggie?? It's that whole "adapt and overcome" mentality.

Marc and I aren't afraid to change up the game plan whenever necessary. No written plays here...we go with the flow, and it seems to be working for us (have I just jinxed myself??!!)

We talked about the difference between teaching him what is right and wrong versus teaching how to decide what is right and wrong. I think the answer lies in the second choice. Life is all about making the right choice at any given moment. Create a thinker, wonderer, questioner...that's our goal.

When your child asks you "why" how often do you say "because" and leave it at that? I'm totally guilty. I once challenged myself to NOT use "because" in my answers to him. I know what you are thinking, and yes, it's just as hard as you think! Try looking up "because" in the thesaurus and you don't get a whole lot of choices that would make any sense to a toddler.

I have to remind myself that it's fantastic that he's asking the questions and not just taking our word for it. Marc is great at this and answering his questions. Shows we are creating that thinker, wonderer, questioner. Don't believe everything you hear and always ask questions...ALWAYS!!

Everyone has their moment

2009-08-31T12:28:00.002-04:00

Ethan is going through a phase (I hope) of not listening to Mommy. Doesn't seem to matter how I ask or what I say, he will either totaly ignore me or say "NO!" Needless to say, after a few days of this my patience has worn fairly thin.

A few days ago, Ethan was in the shower and I was trying to get him to stand under the water to get his hair wet.

Mommy: Ethan, you need to get your hair wet, please

Ethan (while playing with his rolly soap): In THREE minutes.

Mommy: No, now, please.

Ethan: I need to wash my body first (he's been playing and rolling the soap for 5)

Mommy: Ethan, put down the soap and get your hair wet so I can wash it.

Ethan: I said in a minute.

In walks Daddy

Daddy: Come on buddy, get your hair wet.

Ethan: Ok!

Really? Do you see how frustrating this is??!! I can't win!! After the shower was over, Marc was still in the bathroom. I wrapped Ethan up in a towel and lay down on the floor. Ethan came over and snuggled on top of me, putting his head on my shoulder. Marc looks over and says, “He might listen to me more, but I don’t get that right there.”

So now when he doesn’t listen and I want to yell, I just try to remember those little moments…and they make it all worth it.

Happy Birthday Harrison!

2009-08-17T11:51:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we loaded up the car and headed out to Madison, Alabama for Harrison's birthday party. Harrison is the son of my oldest and dearest friend, Cindy. We met in 6th grade and while most of our friendship has been long distance, we are still as close as we were back then.

Harrison turned 2 on Saturday and we were excited to be able to go this year to celebrate! Cindy and Kacey had this awesome water-fun setup in their backyard. The kids had a blast and the weather was perfect! I was having so much fun taking pictures of the kids that I forgot to take any of the adults.

After a day of water-fun, pizza, cake, and presents, the kiddos sacked out and we got to have some much needed adult time before we headed home on Sunday morning.

Ethan
Harrison

Olivia (Harrison's older sister)

Happy Birthday Harrison! We love you!!!

Movin on up!

2009-08-17T11:43:00.002-04:00

It's Friday afternoon and I am so happy that the weekend is here! I leave work and hop in the car to go pick up Ethan and enjoy the next two days with my boys. Well, imagine my surprise to walk into Discovery Point and have one of the managers tell me she needs me to sign something. Uh-oh...what has he done? Bite? Hit? Throw? Usually the only time we have to sign anything is if he gets hurt or if he does the hurting to someone else.

Much to my relief Ms. Bettina tells me that I need to sign a release form that will allow Ethan to move on up to the Preschool-2 class!! They need our permission since he isn't 3 yet and we have to approve for him to be in a class with 3-year olds. I have to say that I was a little sad because we love his teacher Ms. Tina, but I am glad that he will be in a class with other boys again (right now he is the only boy in a class of 10).

Starting today, he will visit Ms. Carolina's class for a few hours each day and hopefully he will move in there full time next Monday.

Way to go, buddy! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of our smart boy!!!

Roam the Dome

2009-08-10T12:20:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday Marc, Uncle Jimmy, Ethan, and Hailey went to the Georgia Dome for the Falcons pre-season "Roam the Dome" event. The newspaper describes this event as "...a very family friendly affair that allowed the kids to run around and enjoy themselves, concessions were open, and there were games and activities after the scrimmage." Unfortunately, they never made it down to the field, but here are some of the pictures Marc took from the day.

Thanks to Marc and Jimmy for taking the kiddos! Hilary and I got a TON of scrapping done and the kids had a great time!!

We Are Not Above Bribery

2009-08-10T12:18:00.000-04:00

Someone asked me the other day if there was ever a time in my life when I had to throw out everything I thought about the way it should be and realize that I was wrong. The answer is simply...Of course...I have a child!!

I swore that I would never bribe my child. There will never be a need I told myself. Commence your giggling now. I know I was WRONG!!!

When we started potty training, we rewarded (bribed) with stickers. Then we moved to matchbox cars, then onto candy we went. Once Ethan got the hang of it, we removed the reward. Easy enough, right? Yeah, ok, sure.

Ethan has been having troubles realizing when he needs to poopy in enough time to make it to the potty. This has been especially problematic at school since they are always playing, not to mention there are 9 other kids in his class. We finally gave up control this past weekend and let him know that it was totally his decision...to potty or not to potty...to wear a diaper or BBUs. It was all up to him. I took a lesson in reverse psychology, and boy did it work!! He decided he was going to use the potty on Sunday...YAHOO!!!!

Monday after work, I went by WalMart and picked up the Fisher Price digital camera that Ethan's been wanting for quite a while. That night, we showed it to him and said that when he decided it was time to use the potty completely at school, the camera would be his! Until that time, it sat out in plain view in the see-thru package just tempting him. I told his teacher about our little bribe and she was on board!

On Tuesday, when I picked him up, he had an accident. He told me "Mommy, I had an accident in my pants. I don't get my camera today." Same goes for Wednesday. Then the glorious day finally came. On Thursday, when I arrived to pick him up, he was sitting in a chair holding a bag of ice. Oh lovely. Turns out he had fallen right before I got there and hit his nose and it had bled a little. Once he told me all of that, he says "MOMMY! Guess what? I just went poopy on the potty at school and I get to have my camera!!!" Oh happy day!!

As soon as we walked thru the door he was itching for that camera to come out of the package. I felt bad because we really needed to get him cleaned up and his clothes changed. He was a trooper and held patient until it was time. I made sure we had batteries on hand, but who knew getting the batteries INTO the camera would be such a challenge. I had to keep repeating "Be smarter than the toy" over and over as to not chuck the camera across the room. The camera is waterproof, so the battery compartment is on lock-down...literally.

After many long minutes of struggles, we were in business. Ethan started happily snapping away and chanting "Mommy, say cheese!" Sabo, however, would not say cheese, much to Ethan's disliking. And I am happy to report (and now feverishly looking for wood to knock on since I am probably jinxing myself) that we have not had an accident since!! YIPPY!!!!!

Stay tuned for some of Ethan pictures to be posted soon. That camera sucks batteries like I have never seen before and they are already dead!!

It's a Strike...It's a Spare...It's Ethan's First Bowling Trip!

2009-08-04T13:56:00.000-04:00

Thank the heavens above that my child takes after Marc when it comes to athleticism. He can hit a baseball, throw a football, shoot a basketball, and kick a soccer ball. He has all but mastered the Wii Sports (with the small exception of tennis) and his coordination surpasses mine. Yes, the child has been blessed with all of the athletic bones that passed me by. YAHOO!!

We decided on Saturday that it was time. Time to throw him into the world of REAL bowling...not just bowling on TV (the Wii). And I must say, to no surprise, he did great! Once Marc showed him the fine art of the granny-role, he was in business! And we were not allowed to help. He would let us stand with him, but we could NOT touch the ball. Oh no.

Game 1, he bowled a respectable 45. Of course we had the bumpers up, but we quickly learned that this does not mean that you are guaranteed to knock down pins every time. The bumpers stop short about 2 feet from the pins...just enough room for the ball to squeeze by. Nice. Game 2, he rose up to a 71!!! I know it doesn't really count, but in the 8th frame, he missed all the pins on the first ball and then got them all with the second...so that's kind-of a strike, right? Well, at least it is for a 2 1/2 year old!

We were also lucky to have a nice family in the lane next to us. They were taking their time and didn't mind that we were taking our time as well. They even cheered for Ethan when he did well. Ethan did keep trying to bowl on their lane though...he'd put the ball down and we'd all yell out "NO!! Not that one!" and one of us would run up there to point him in the right direction.

After we finished, we had dinner at where else but Chick-a-lay! All day Sunday he kept telling me "Mommy, I so had fun real bowling with Daddy and with you Mommy!"

Kitty's New Do

2009-08-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

I know it's supposed to be all about Ethan, but I couldn't help sharing these pictures of our cat, Samantha. As most of you know, she is quite the fluffy little beast (or "Fat-Rat" as we affectionately call her) so once or twice a year we have her shaved. I have to say that while she does look a little silly, we can tell that she feels so much better. She hates being brushed and her fur can get completely unmanageable, so the vet suggested the "lion shave." They leave the hair on her head, bottom half of her legs, and the tip of her tail. Ethan didn't seem phased by it at first but now wants to pet her more often.

July "Stay-cation"

2009-07-23T15:17:00.000-04:00

We took our first "stay-cation" this year to spend time with Marc's family when they came into town. We surprised my brother-in-law Mike on Saturday for his 50th birthday. He was under the impression that we were just having a family reunion and I am happy to say that we pulled off the surprise!

I have to say that I felt like a tourist that week! We packed in a LOT in a short amount of time and we even did some things I've never done before. We went to Cleveland to Babyland General (the birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Kid) and Helen for some shopping on Wednesday.

Caught this while we were waiting to see the birth of a cabbage patch doll...

We found a doll names "Ethan Hunter"

Ethan, Jacob, Hunter, Ayden, Casey, and Abby

Me, Ethan, Susan, Ayden, Shelley, and Abby

Then on Thursday we took a trip down to Pine Mountain for an animal safari and then some of the adults enjoyed a relaxing night at the Braves game.

Friday we relaxed and spent some quality time with the family. We always have such a great time when everyone is together. Saturday was party day! We spent the mid afternoon at the hotel pool and then it was off to the party at my in-laws' house.

The kids

Their parents

On Sunday Papa (my Father-in-law) set a stone in the pond in their backyard and let Reece and Ethan "fish." The boys had such a great time with their home-made fishing poles (string and stackable rings tied together). I absolutely love the picture of their backs.

Monday we took a trip to Zoo Atlanta. I tried not to take too many pictures since we were just there a few months ago, but it's hard not to capture the kids...they loved it so much!

Ethan, Reece, Ayden, and Noah

Tuesday we headed out to Stone Mountain in the afternoon to hang out on the lawn and watch the laser show. Reid, Nicole, Ethan, Noah, and I took the Sky Bucket to the top of the mountain and walked around a little. I really wish I had snapped a picture of the Atlanta skyline while I was up there.

Don't fear...Nicole was behind the wall holding Baby Noah up!

Marc and I headed back home on Wednesday evening since we had to work Thursday and Friday. Ethan stayed with Aunt Meme those two days and we came back down to Newnan on Friday night after work. I have to admit...at first the thought of taking time off to stay in town sounded a little silly. But we had such a great time I would absolutely do it again!

What a weekend!

2009-07-06T14:46:00.001-04:00

I take back what I said in the last post about Ethan not sleeping past 7:00 am. Saturday and Sunday we all slept until 8:15 and it was GREAT!! Most days during the week I am up at 5:15. What a shocker to wake up to the sun shining!

Ethan's 4th of July shirt. I know it's not traditional, but I couldn't help myself!

Saturday we spent the morning around the house. Gram and Mr. Tom came over and we spent the afternoon at the pool and then joined some of our neighbors for fireworks. Thanks to the Faletras and Stokeses for inviting us to join you!

Ethan and Mommy

Yummy cupcake goodness...and another shot of the great t-shirt!

Gram and Mr. Tom

Marc and I

Ethan and Jonathon Faletra

Ethan on the trike and Marc on the clown bike

I wasn't sure how Ethan would handle the fireworks, but as you can see by the look on his face, he LOVED them!!!

A tad but unsure at first...

Squeals of joy over the fireworks

Like father, like son

What an exhausting day!

Sunday morning was pretty lazy. The weather was overcast and rainy and I was hoping it wouldn't interfere with the Bermans coming over. Ethan was excited for Hailey to come swimming with him. Luckily, the rain held off and we got to go for a dip. Hailey is just getting the hang of the floaties and was doing such a great job of swimming by herself! After the pool we came back to the house for dinner and then the kiddos went to sleep. Ethan let Hailey sleep in his bed and he slept in ours for a while.

If you listen really closely you can hear them saying "Come on Mommy!"

Ethan and Hailey helping Hilary pull the wagon o' stuff.

Caught snackin

Ethan showing Hailey the fine art of jumping off the stairs

Hailey and I makin faces at each other

They are so cute!

Marc reading Hailey and Ethan a story before bed time

TGIF and Happy 4th!

2009-07-03T08:40:00.001-04:00

Here I sit at work while my boys are at home. Boo. They are spending the day at the pool and going to Chick-a-lay (as Ethan calls it) for lunch. I love how excited he gets about going to Chick-fil-a. His little face light up and he gasps in excitement!! And the funny thing is that now I find myself saying it the way he does.

So they just called me. Ethan told me that he stayed in Daddy's bed until 8:15 and that they were going to mow the lawn. Exciting!!! I love hearing him tell Daddy that he wants to talk to Mommy...my not so little face lights up :)

Last night we went to the pool and there were a ton of people there. We live in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors! Ethan has fallen in love with an older woman...Alex is 14 and she is the resident babysitter. The moment she walked through the gate he was following her around the pool. But much to his disliking, she had another little boy with her that she was playing with. It was extremely evident that Ethan was not a happy camper. His finger went into his mouth and he started the great pout of 2009. He would barely even hug her when we left.

As much as I hate to see him upset it was pretty cool to watch him experience a new emotion. His first encounter with jealousy! Alex promised to give him her full attention at the pool today.

Let the summer begin!

2009-06-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

He was supposed to helping give Sabo a bath

I love this picture of my boys

Congrats to Marc's soccer team on winning the championship!!

The summer started out on a better note than we ended last summer at the pool. Ethan spent last summer on the steps of the pool and wouldn't budge! Part of me thinks it was his fear of the unknown and the other part thought he was just being stubborn (wonder where he gets that from). The weekend my Dad, Marc, and Rich built the deck - picture below - I took Ethan to the pool for the first shoot at the water.

I'll post a completed deck picture soon. It's awesome!!

Grassy dirty stinky little boy feet

I was pretty apprehensive. I didn't want to feed his fear or intentionally frighten him, but Marc and I both LOVE the pool and want the same for Ethan. Much to my surprise, he was OK. And by OK I mean he would come off the stairs but would not release the death grip both his arms and legs had on my body.

A few weeks of the same pass. If we tried to push him away from us, he would totally freak out and inevitably end up with a mouth full of lovely chlorinated water. I bought him the coolest Speedo water wings - didn't matter. His friends were all jumping in and swimming on their own - didn't matter. We tried bribery - didn't work. UGH!!

Finally we went to the pool on a day when just a few people were there. This was it...our chance to let him scream without protests from others. And we (read Marc) totally seized the opportunity. Marc put Ethan in the water and let him go. About 10 minutes later, the screaming was over and Ethan was paddling along like he had been doing this for years. Amazing the light switch that is a child's mind.

Fast forward one week and he is full on jumping in on his own. "Don't help me Mommy. I do it myself." Now we all can sit back and enjoy the company of friends at the pool without the screams of this 2.5 year old! Ah, sweet relief!

Notice the infamous leg kick. It never fails. EVERY time he jumps in he kicks his leg back.

From the mouth...

2009-06-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

I swear Ethan is the funniest kid I know, and I'm not trying to be biased. He really does say some of the funniest stuff. Here's the conversation that ensued at the dinner table last night after Marc gave Ethan his monkey-shaped vitamin...

Amanda: "Ethan, what does a monkey say?"
Ethan: "OO-AA"
Marc: "What does a monkey eat?"
Ethan: "BANANAS!"
Marc: "Do you eat bananas?"
Ethan: "Yes, I do. YUMMY!!"
Marc: "So, if a monkey eats bananas and you eat bananas, what does that make you?"
Ethan: (thinks for a second) "Full"

As most of you know, Marc shaved his head a few months ago. When Ethan asked him where his hair was, Marc said "I don't know!" So Ethan thinks it's lost. Well, a few weeks ago we are walking up the stairs and Ethan sees a clump of Sabo hair on the landing. He yells to Marc "DADDY! I found your hair!!" Fits of giggles ensue.

March 2009

2009-05-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of March, we took a day trip up to Dahlonega (where Marc and I went to college...and more importantly, where we first met!) Marc participated in the North Georgia alumni soccer game and then we strolled around the square and got some sweet treats.

Ethan and I waiting for the game to start

Hard to believe, but this was Ethan's very first ice cream cone! We've tried to give him ice cream in the past, and he didn't want any part of it. Now he loves it! He'll take a bite and act like his shivering and say "Mommy, it's really cold!"

Our nephew Hunter came and spent a weekend with us. Ethan is one of Hunter's biggest fans. They always have such a great time together and Hunter is awesome with Ethan! Here they are playing the Wii. Ethan wanted to do everything Hunter did.

Part of our daily routine is to go play with our friends when we get home after school. When we drive into the neighborhood, Ethan will say "Mommy we need to see if my friends are outside playing." If they are, we grab a snack and juice to share and out we go.

Emerson, Colby, and Ethan sitting on the curb

I made them move closer together and Ethan wasn't thrilled

One weekend we spent the day at Nana and Papa's house. I don't remember why we were there, but whatever we did wore Ethan out! We were hanging out in the living room and he just plopped down on the floor and fell asleep with his car in his hand.

Interview With a Toddler

2009-03-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

I recently had the chance to sit down and interview the legendary Ethan Spector. Interesting little guy to say the least. Here's what he had to say...

It's been a while...what have you been up to?

In November I had another set of tubes put in my ears and this time they also took out my adenoids. I wasn't thrilled when I woke up that they still have the IV in my arm. In January I moved up to the Preschool 1 class at my school. It's been a lot of fun and I've made some great friends. Had a great holiday season and got to see a lot of the family. And I've grown! I was 36.5" in November, now I'm up to 37.5". My dad read that you can take a child's height at the age of 2 and double it and that is how tall they will be. If that holds true, I'm looking at 6'!!

What is currently on your TiVo?

I am totally addicted to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, and Tigger & Pooh. Really anything from Playhouse Disney. I just can't get enough of that stuff! Genius!

Is there a particular piece of clothing that you couldn't live without?

Right now it's my White Sox hat and my soccer ball pajamas. I do change my mind on things a lot, but these two have become standards that I don't think anyone should be without.

Stranded on a desert island...what 3 movies do you bring?

The movies of the moment for me are Lion King, Peter Pan, and Shrek.

What are some of your quirky little habits?

I can't stand to leave a room without closing the door. It just goes against everything I know is right! And please, do NOT leave a light on.

You've just gotten home from a hard day at school. What's the first thing you do?

Well, after we get the mail, I love to say "Honey, I'm home!" when I walk in the door. Then I really need a snack. Usually some grapes, cheese, or crackers. If the weather is nice, we'll go out and hang with the neighbors. Or I might stay in and work on my baseball swing on the Wii.

What do you do when you hang out with your buddy Gabe?

We love to play Wii baseball and tool around on our 4-wheelers. You know, just a couple of guys hanging out, drinkin milk...not a care in the world. That's the life!

Do you consider yourself more of a shower or bath kind of guy?

I really couldn't say either way. Just depends on my mood and what else is going on in the house. I do love to swim in the tub, but there are some days when playing ball are just more important so you need the quickness of a shower.

Are there any projects you are currently working on?

I'm trying my hand at using the potty. Forgive me, but it's hit or miss. Some days, I just don't feel like sitting there. Bribes just aren't working right now...I'm just not that into it. When I do sit on the potty, I get to wear these awesome pull-ups with Mater and Lightning McQueen on them so that's cool.

Tell me about your weekend. What did you do?

Friday night we went to school for a Chili-Cookoff/Bingo contest. As usually, we came up short in winning the bingo games, but it was fun. Saturday I partied with my friend Brooke for her birthday. We got these awesome gift bags on our way out. Sweet! Sunday was just a lazy day. The weather was nasty, so we just took it easy around the house. I helped clean up a little.

Anything coming up that you are looking forward to?

My cousin Ayden is coming to visit in a few weeks, so that should be a great time! In April my parents are celebrating their 5 year anniversary and Nanny and Poppy are coming to visit. Then in July some folks are coming into town that I haven't seen in almost year and I am super excited about that.

Do you have a nickname?

The one that has stuck is peanut. My parents tell me that before I was born, I reminded them of a peanut, so there you go. The owner of my school calls me mouse.

What names do you hate to be called?

I hate being referred to as a baby. I am not a baby, I am a big boy.

Are you more of a cat or dog person?

The cat is pretty cool, but she's real moody. I try to be nice, but she usually hisses at me and runs away. The dog is awesome. He lets me do just about anything to him. And it's my job to give him his treat every day. I tell him "Sit. Easy. Good boy." He's my buddy!

What's the one thing that you do that your parents can't stand!

I ask "Why" a LOT now. Sometime I really am curious, and sometimes I do it just to get under their skin! They've come up with some pretty creative answers though. I'm impressed.

Take us through a typical day for you.

I get up around 6:30. Not totally a morning person, but it's not too bad. The parents try to get me to sit on the potty. Usually I say no. Mommy picks out my outfit...sometimes she gives me a choice...and then she helps me brush my teeth. Daddy gets me dressed and buckles me into the car. Then it's off to school. When I get home we play for a while, eat dinner around 6:30, then it's bath time and off to bed around 7:30 to 8:00. I try really hard to get them to let me watch TV, but it usually doesn't work.

Anything else going on that you want your fans to know about?

Not really. Just taking life one day at a time and trying to learn as much as I can. I've got my colors down, now I'm working on numbers. My dad got a new job which is AWESOME!! We are doing good!

If you'd like to submit questions for our next interview, please send them to aspector424@gmail.com :)

August - Busted nose, playdates, and a bath in the sink!

2008-09-15T11:05:00.000-04:00

August started with a bang...literally!! The day after my car was involved in an accident (no one hurt!!), Ethan tripped in the back yard and went face first into the fence. Luckily, I was not outside to witness the happening, but I heard the crying and when I came downstairs, Marc was holding a paper towel to Ethan's nose that was covered in blood. Once the bleeding finally stopped and we cleaned him up, there wasn't even a scratch!! His nose did, however, almost double in size over the next 24 hours!

A few days later, we went to the doctor just to have everything checked out. The swelling was still pretty bad and the bruising was even worse! The doc told us that we didn't have to worry about a broken nose because at his age, the nose is still soft. He did recommend that we go for a CT scan to check for a possible deviated septum. I wasn't sure what to expect and was a little nervous.

We headed across the street to the imaging center and waited our turn. When Ethan's name was called, we walked back into a huge room with a table and the scanner. Thank goodness it wasn't a closed in tube type scanner. This one was a big circle about 6" wide. Ethan wasn't as pleased as I was. Asking him to stay still for any amount of time is like torture. The nurse told me that I could lay with him and that seemed to help. After a few passes through the machine, we were done!

A few hours later, the doctor called and told us that everything checked out fine with his nose, but he did have a sinus infection and he wanted us to follow up with the ENT. Marc took him for that appointment and Ethan got to take a hearing test. I was told it was a little spooky and Ethan seemed a bit uneasy. We learned that both tubes were completely out and there was more fluid in his ears. If the fluid is still there when we go back in October, we will discuss inserting tubes again.

Ethan's new toy for being such a trooper at the doctor's

Ethan had two play dates this month. Gabe and the Parkers came over and of course they had a great time. Then we went to a neighbor's house for a cook-in and Ethan got to play with Joey.

We spent the day at Nana & Papa's house and Gram came over, too. Ethan had fun helping Papa feed the fish, playing with Gram, and chowing down on spaghetti. After dinner, Nana gave Ethan a quick bath in the kitchen sink.

We have started potty training again. Ethan wears pull-up diapers at home and loves to pick which one he will wear...there are race cars and baseball! While Ethan sits on the toilet, we read "Click Clack Moo." No luck just yet, but we're trying!! In other news, we've converted the crib into a toddler bed and his pacifiers are no more!!! I have to admit that taking away the paci was so much easier than we thought it would be.

July - Trip Up North

2008-07-28T10:25:00.002-04:00

At the end of July, we took a trip to Illinois to visit family and to attend Reid and Nicole's wedding. We had a great week hanging out with the family and meeting the new members...Athena, Ayden, and Abby. The wedding was fantastic and a lot of fun. Marc served as one of the groomsmen in the Hawaiian themed wedding, and Nana was the officiant!!

Ethan had a great time at the airport. He was excited that we got to take a bus (van) to the airport, then we got on a train, then a plane!! As usual, he slept the entire way there and for most of the way home.

On the "bus" to the airport

Our cousin Athena (with cousin Shelley)

Cousin Ayden

And cousin Abby with her mommy

Ethan trying to tell Reece something

Wearing Reid's White Sox hat!

Getting ready to punch Daddy in the nose

Got em!

Family photo before the wedding

The Spector Clan

Ethan and Hunter on the getaway golf cart at the wedding

Hunter, Ethan, and Jacob

Reid, Judi, and Nicole

The new Mr. & Mrs.

Ethan being...Ethan

Tearing it up on the dance floor

June - Father's Day, Potty, Haircut, and More New Toys!

2008-07-02T16:18:00.001-04:00

Playing with Buzz...this used to be Hunter's

Daddy makes a comfy chair

June was a busy month! We started the month off buying Ethan his very own potty!! He's started telling us when he goes (sometimes) so we thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and get him used to the new potty. He's also moved up to the Toddler class at school and they have a really potty (just miniature sized) and they get the kids to sit on it at every diaper change. Occasionally he'll ask to sit on the potty, but it only lasts for a few seconds. But it's still progress, right?!?!?!

I know he'll kill me later for this picture, but I can't resist!!

Father's Day started a week early for us. Grandpa and Jimmy came to visit for the weekend. We had fun swimming at the pool and watching Marc's soccer game. On Sunday, almost the entire family came up for a cookout. Ethan had a great time playing ball with Jimmy and Grandpa. He can even say "Grandpa" now!

My Grandma, Grandpa (my dad), Ethan, and Me

Ethan playing catch with Jimmy

On Father's Day, we went to Aunt RaRa's house to hang with the Spector clan. We had a relaxing day swimming and teaching Ethan how to hit a baseball (new toy #1 for the month). Ethan is still not loving the water. But we are still working on it! He did get in for a few minutes with Aunt MeMe, but it didn't last long.

Daddy teaching Ethan to swing the bat

The following weekend we took Ethan to get his haircut again. And I am pleased to say that this time he did so much better than last. The stylist let Ethan play with her water bottle which kept him happy and occupied and got her all wet! It's a cute cut, but I have to admit that I miss the shaggy hair.

Before the cut

And after! He looks like a big boy!

Ethan's other new toy is a basketball hoop. He's not quite tall enough, so he'll use his little step stool to shoot. He definitely takes after Marc with his athletic abilities!!

This past weekend Ethan and I took a trip to Alabama to visit my friend Cindy and her family. Ethan was a little shy and timid at first, but he seemed to turn around on Saturday. Cindy's husband Kacey wrangled the kids all day on Saturday so Cindy and I could work on our scrapbooks. Ethan had a great time with Olivia and Harrison. I could tell though that he was happy to be home. He ran like crazy for about 2 hours and then crashed out on the couch.

Ethan and Olivia

Crashed out on the couch at home after a long weekend

We hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th!!!

May - Mother's Day, Play Date, and a New Toy

2008-06-20T14:48:00.000-04:00

Everyone will be wearing their shorts on their head in the future...

The hat that was saved from being sold in the garage sale!

At the beginning of May, we thought that Ethan might have an ear infection, so I took him to the doctor just to be on the safe side. I am happy to say that there was no infection and Ethan did MUCH better at the office this time.

I want to be just like my daddy!

Ethan also got a new toy this month…a slide from Gram!!! He loves it! He’s mastered the stairs and the slide and can even climb up one of the “rock wall” sides.

Waiving to the airplane

Ethan is becoming a big help around the house. He absolutely loves throwing away trash, helping with the vacuuming, unloading the dishwasher, and helping Marc mow the grass. He’s also really good about cleaning up his toys when we ask. And don't think about leaving a door open!! Whenever he leaves a room, he has to close the door behind him.

Doing chores in your skivvies is fun!

Helping Daddy mow the grass

Mother’s Day was awesome this year! We spent the day at Judi and Barry’s and my mom, Grandma, and Aunt Susan came over. We had a great day just relaxing and eating great food. Grandma brought Ethan my old tricycle back from Florida. My dad did some work on it and now it’s ready for Ethan…too bad his feet don’t quite reach the pedals just yet.

Grandma, Mom, Me, and Susan

Ethan and I on Mother's Day

Ethan's attempt to ride the trike

He was bound and determined to go somewhere!

Climbing the steps in Nana and Papa's backyard

While this doesn’t have anything to do with Ethan, my birthday was this month…the big 3-0. It was great!!! Ethan went over to Gabe’s house and we had dinner with Felicia, David, Megan, Jeremy, Staci, and Michael at an awesome restaurant called Chow Baby. Thanks to all for the gifts, laughs, and memories!!!

Megan, Felicia, Me, and Staci at Chow Baby

We had another play date with Gabe, Sadie, and their parents. We took the kids to the pool. I am sad to say that Ethan is still not very fond of the water. He likes to hang out by the stairs, but if his feet don’t touch, he’s not happy. We thought that him seeing Gabe in the water would help, but no such luck. We’ll keep trying!

Hmmm....what can we do with these?
You be on the lookout while I hide the tennis ball!

It's exhausting being so cute

18 months

2008-05-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

Sorry it’s been two months since I’ve done an update! March was pretty calm. We ended the month with Ethan’s first birthday party. Hailey turned 1!!! Ethan had fun at the party. For a while, he was the only boy and he loved all the ladies!! A few days after the party we took Ethan to the doctor and he had a sinus infection and sore throat. After a few days at home and some antibiotics, he was fine.

At Hailey's party

Playing the drums at Aunt RaRa's

Being a rockstar is exshausting!

Since April 14th marked 18 months, Ethan had to go for a check up. I think he’s starting to realize fear of the unknown because for the first time, he HATED the doctor’s office. He cried almost the whole time we were there. Poor kid. The doctor said it’s normal at this age. He checked in at 33” tall and 29 pounds…still tall and thin for his age.

Mowing the lawn with Daddy

Being silly in the bathtub

Ethan had his first hair cut on the 19th!!! And just like the doctor…he hated almost every minute of that as well! I really don’t know how Yumi got his hair cut, but she did and it looks great! I do have to admit that it took me a while to get used to it…I missed his long hair! But it really does look cute and now the hair isn’t hanging in his eyes anymore.

Before.....

I'm not really sure what's going on...

Maybe this isn't so bad...

Ok, wait...I don't think I like this!!!

Thank goodness it's over!!!

Ethan had his first play date with Gabe…one of his friends at school. Staci brought Gabe and Sadie over one Sunday and we took them to the playground in my neighborhood. The two of them played for 3 hours!! They both slept really well that night!!

At the playground waiting for my buddy Gabe

Gabe playing peek-a-boo

Ethan wants in on the peek-a-boo fun, too
Two peas in a pod!!!

On the 26th we had family pictures and Ethan’s 18 month pictures taken. He was awesome and we got some really cute shots. Here’s a link to the pictures.

http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/my/images?tk=8e94fa47-6441-4539-a2c9-ab3ca4b91478&CMPN=EmailAlbum

While we were waiting for the pictures to be uploaded, we took Ethan to the play area in the mall. He had such a good time! The entire area is soft and sqishy and I think he really enjoyed kinda being on his own. We helped him figure out some of the climbing and sliding, but once he had it, we let him go.

School is still going really well! When I dropped Ethan off the other day his teacher said that he's starting to speak in complete sentences. They were playing outside and he came up to her and said "Ouch, I fell down." We are also working on counting. The other night in the bathtub he counted to 5 all by himself!! So proud!!!

February 08

2008-03-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

February was a fun-filled month!! Lori, Karl, Reece, and Aunt Debbie came to visit a few weeks ago. We spent the weekend down at Nana and Papa’s…Ethan and Reece had a great time together! Saturday, we went to a pageant and then to Hunter’s soccer game. Alyssa and Lexi won their divisions and Hunter played a great game! Sunday we took Ethan and Reece to have their picture made together at Target. Ethan wasn’t very happy, but we got some good shots.

Ethan and Reece in the tub

That Monday we went to Pine Mountain for the Wild Animal Safari. We all piled in a van with no windows and Aunt Meme drove us through the park. The animals would come up to the windows asking for food. Ethan wasn’t too sure about it at first, but then he got into it and really seemed to enjoy himself. The highlight of the day was when one of the giraffes stuck his head through the drives side window to get to Judi sitting in the passenger seat. It really was amazing to have this huge giraffe head right in front of your face!

Marc and I both have new jobs. Marc is now a consultant for Software Link and I am working for Synovus Financial as an Accounting/Tax Associate doing AP work. It’s so awesome to work 15 minutes away from home. I get to sleep later, get to work earlier, and pick Ethan up about an hour earlier than we used to. I love having the extra time in the evenings, especially now with the time change.

One of his favorite meals...SPAGHETTI!!

Ethan seems to be learning something new everyday. He repeats just about anything we say, so we really have to be careful!! He can now say: Mommy, Dadda, Nana, Papa, Meme, RaRa (that’s what he calls Robyne), banana, ball, bat, hat, juice, milk, shoe, out, down, please, thank you, night night, Mickey (for Mickey Mouse), Pooh, Manny (Handy Manny), bottle, yellow, purple, blue, green, red, eat, two, eye, belly button, baby, book, bath, Sabo, dog, duck, fish, agua, otter, giraffe, up, owl, bib, beep beep, cookie, more, no, sit down, drop it, bear, waffle, apple, and mine. I'm sure there are a few more words that I've left out.

Now Ethan points at the cat and says “Meow” and he can tell you what a chicken says (bak bak), what a rooster says (doodle do), what an owl says (hoo hoo) and what a duck does (he’ll flap his arms and say duck duck). He’ll point out Marc and I in pictures and anyone that’s smaller than him is a “baby.” Occasionally, when you ask him what a monkey eats, he’ll say “banana” but not consistently.

He’s almost mastered doing a somersault on his own. His new favorite thing is to climb onto our big green chair, lie on this tummy, and flip off the chair. We’ve been working on catching a ball and he’s have a blast kicking the soccer ball. Ethan is also picking up on commands really well. He likes to put all of his books on the floor, but we’ll tell him “pick up your books and just bring one over here” and he’ll do it. It’s really amazing how quickly he’s picking up on things.

Marc and Ethan reading "Little Spot of Color"...the book of choice for the moment

This is why Ethan won't be moving to a "big boy bed" anytime soon! He'd fall right out!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-29T13:23:00.000-05:00

What a crazy year this has started out to be!! We spent New Year's at home with Ethan. He went to bed around 8:30 and at midnight, we gave him a kiss in his crib and back to sleep he went!

Doing the Hokey Pokey

"Row row row your boat"

I didn't do it, I swear!

The surgery to put his tubes in went great!! The doctors and nurses were wonderful...we couldn't have asked for better. Gram spent the night with us the night before and Aunt Meme and Nana met us at the surgery center. They took us back into the waiting room and explained how everything was going to go. Then they put me in a gown and I walked Ethan back to the surgery room. He wasn't thrilled with having the mask on his face to help him drift off into la la land. But just like that, he was asleep.

At the ENT the week before surgery

I went back to the waiting room, and about 10 minutes later, the doctor came out. She said that everything went really well. There was a lot of fluid built up in both ears that she drained before putting the tubes in. About 10 minutes later, he was awake and we got to go see him. Honestly, you would have never known that they did anything. He was acting just like his usual self. Gram, Aunt Meme, Ethan, and I went home and Marc went to work. It was just like any other day!

After surgery in the recovery room

At home after surgery
Ethan's cool orange ear plugs

Hanging with Gram after surgery

We took a trip to see Doctor Heaven last week. Ethan's up to 33 1/4" tall and weighs in at 26.5 lbs. He's still in the 95% for his height! And you know what that means? We've had to buy a new wardrobe!! Ethan's stylin in his new duds from Aunt Megan!!

We go back to the ENT on Thursday for the 3 week followup appointment on his tubes. Everything looked great at the pediatrician, so hopefully they will say the same thing!

Ethan had a run-in with a toy box at school the other day...and the toy box won! I had just gotten to school to pick him up and was talking to the owner when it happened. He didn't act any worse for the wear, but that shiner looked painful! The next morning he woke up and looked like he was wearing purple eye shadow.

The bump (and red face from crying)

Another look at the shiner starting to come out

A little over 24 hours later. The swelling went down and the purple came out

Whoever said that the brain is a sponge wasn't kidding! This child picks up on just about everything. He can show you his belly button, his eyes, his nose, and his ears. He also knows that his shoes go on his feet. We've added a few words to the ever expanding vocabulary: "No more", "Sit down", "Mine", "Meow", "Dog", "EIEIO" (he'll say this when you start singing Old McDonald had a farm), "Belly Button", "Eye", and he can tell you what a monkey says. It's amazing!! Ethan has also learned how to brush his teeth and take his shirt off.

Brushing his teeth (and holding a tape measure)

At school playing with Olivia

One of Ethan's best buddies...Gabriel

December 07

2007-12-28T08:21:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that this year is almost gone, but as they say, time flies when you are having fun. This has definitely been one of the best years of my life and I am excited to see what the next year has in store for us.

Using the spoon to eat peas and carrots

We rescheduled Ethan's tube surgery to January 10th. It appears we will be having a little party that day! Gram, Nana, and Aunt Meme are all coming up to spend the day with me and Ethan after his surgery.

Hanukkah was a lot of fun this year. Ethan had a great time opening his presents and playing with his new toys. Aunt Robyne and Uncle Rich bought him a Radio Flyer scooter. He's not quite big enough for it yet, but he stood on it and waited for someone to push him around.

Ethan opening his lawn mower

A few weeks ago we spent the day with Jimmy, Hilary, and Hailey. Ethan and Hailey had a great time together. Ethan would try to give her a hug, but it looks like he was falling into her. Hailey is almost 9 months old and is already almost as tall as Ethan!! She's going to be a heart breaker for sure!

Ethan giving Hailey a hug

Look how tall she is!

Me and Hailey

This past weekend Ethan and I flew to Florida to spend Christmas with Grandpa, Lulu, Christine, and Jimmy. The weather was so nice compared to Georgia. The days were in the 70s and Ethan had a great time playing outside in his shorts. One Sunday, Lisa and I took the kids to the zoo. Ethan got to feed the goats and didn't seem the least bit interested in the elephants. He went on his first train ride around the zoo.

Ethan & Lulu feeding the goat

Looking at the really big turtles

Ethan, Jimmy, and Christine in the car on the way home from the zoo

Grandpa bought Ethan an old metal firetruck pedal car. Ethan loves to climb in and out, but his feet can't quite reach the pedals. He also had a great time trying to ride my old tricycle.

Flying was interesting to say the least. The airport was packed and our flight was delayed an hour on the way to Florida. Ethan lost it for a few minutes right before takeoff, and then fell asleep. On the way home, the plane was only about half full, so Ethan got his own seat by the window.

Ethan's vocabulary is rapidly expanding. He can now say: no, yeah, more, bye bye, night night, mama, dada, nana, boo, oh boy, and Sabo (at least that's what it sounds like). He is also using sign language for "more," "please," "hat," and "done." Our current favorite dancing tune is "Hokey Pokey" and he loves to sing "Baby Bumble Bee," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "The Ants Go Marching."

Using sign language for "more"

He ate two bananas with breakfast

We hope everyone had a fantastic Hanukkah and/or Christmas and wish everyone nothing but the best in the New Year!

2007-11-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

Ethan in his rocking chair...this was my chair when I was little.

What a busy month we’ve had! I thought things would calm down after Ethan’s birthday. Boy was I wrong!!

The weekend before Halloween Ethan was part of a parade in the neighborhood. All of the kids get together and walk through the neighborhood. That night, we went to a block party. Ethan had a wonderful time playing with the other kids on our street. Our neighbors’ have a son, Carter, who’s almost 2. He and Ethan got along great throwing the football.

Halloween was a blast!! Ethan was Yoda and got so many compliments on his costume! He wore his costume to school and they had a parade and searched for pumpkins. We took him to a few houses on our street. He was a little confused about what was going on and just wanted to run around in the street. Then we came home and Ethan helped Marc hand out candy.

We went back to the doctor at the beginning of November and it appeared that the ear infections had cleared. A week or so later, Ethan was really sick so we took him back to the doctor. He was so stuffy he could hardly breathe at night. Turned out that the ear infections were back, so we made an appointment at the ENT and he went back on another antibiotic. The antibiotic made him so sick. Every side effect that was listed, he had. Poor thing.

We went to the ENT on Wednesday and the good news is that the infections are clear. He still has a good amount of fluid in his ears, so she suggested tubes. She explained to us that the fluid is almost like what is in a blister and it can muddle hearing and speech. The real danger with ear infections is how long it takes them to clear. The longer they carry the infection, the more scar tissue that can build up. The more scar tissue, the more damage to the ear.

Dr. White also told us that the tubes don’t totally prevent infection, but they are less likely to happen and easier to treat. She said that the surgery would take about 10 minutes once Ethan is asleep. They use a gas to make them sleepy. Once he’s out, she’ll make a tiny puncture in the ear and insert the tube. By the time we walk from the room to the waiting area, she’s done! The tube allows air to get into the ear which decreases infection. Ethan would come home that day and could go back to school the next day. If he does get another ear infection, we would use drops in his ears to treat it instead of the nasty medicine he’s used to.

We just scheduled the surgery for December 13th. They do the procedures by age, so right now he is first in line at 7:30 am. We have a pre-op appointment on Tuesday to make sure everything checks out.

The weekend of the 10th, Ethan spent the night with Nana and Papa while Marc and I had date night! We went to pick him up the next day and had dinner with the family. Ethan decided that he only wanted corn for dinner…

Marc’s birthday was on the 14th. We went out to eat that night and then went to see The Police the following Saturday with Felicia, David, and some other friends. What a great show they put on! Ethan stayed home and Gram and Tom came up to baby-sit.

We spent Thanksgiving at the Spectors’. It was also my mom’s birthday. We had a great day hanging out with all of the family. We spent the night and Judi and I went shopping the next day. We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out around the house.

Casey, Ethan, Alyssa, Jacob, and Hunter

I swear Ethan’s brain is a sponge!! He can show you his nose and ears and he can tell you what a cow says. He fill also make a fishy face when you ask what a fish says. His new thing is to give a “big squeeze” and it’s hilarious! He puts both arms around me and squeezes and makes a little grunting noise. I love it!! Last night he finally got the hang of drinking from a straw. And don’t get me started on the appetite!! That child can pack away some food!! The only thing he won’t eat is olives. Other than that, it’s getting eaten.

Ethan’s favorite activities are throwing a ball (and anything else for that matter), dancing (the child will tear up a dance floor), helping Marc feed the fish, opening and closing the cabinet doors (and any other open door), and playing with the phone.

Ethan loves his blanket that Aunt Bernice made!

We hope that everyone had a very happy Turkey Day. Until next time, be happy and stay safe this holiday season!

Ethan's 1!!!

2007-10-16T21:02:00.000-04:00

We started here...

And are now here...

Ethan turned 1 last Sunday and what an eventful weekend! Friday they celebrated Ethan's birthday at school. The kids had cupcakes, donuts, cookies, and chips and the teachers decorated the room and let him wear a special hat!

The party table

Gabriel, Ava, Ethan, Olivia, and BJ

Ethan and his cool hat!

Saturday, we had Ethan's pictures taken at Picture People. When I made the appointment, they told me to bring in a little cake and they'd take pictures of his digging in. I was a little hesitant at first, but now I'm really glad I had them done! And of course, he had a blast making a mess!!

Saturday afternoon, we had lots of house guests! Grandpa and Christine were waiting for us when we got home. A little while later, Cindy and Kacey got here with Olivia and Harrison. There was definitely a houseful, but we had a great time!!

The comes Sunday...party time!!!! Ethan was certainly the life of the party in his "Birthday Boy" shirt. He was blowing kisses and giving High 5s left and right! When it came time to open presents, he dove right in tearing up the paper and reading the cards with Daddy.

But nothing could top the cake. Oh, that chocolate cake!!! I was a little spectacle because it was chocolate and I knew it would be messy. But my cousin Mitzi said "Don't worry. Most kids don't get into it. They just play with the icing a little." Boy was she wrong!!! After there was no cake left she told me that she'd never seen a child go that nuts with the cake! But I must say, it wasn't messy! It was all over him of course, but there were just a few little globs of icing on the floor. But rest assured, there was NO cake left on the tray. He either wore it or ate it!

As soon as the cake was gone, we threw Ethan in the tub for a quick bath. He was still having a ball!!

The day was wonderful and we were so lucky to have so many friends and family members join us to celebrate!

Last Monday, we went to the doctor. Ethan now weighs 24 lbs (50%) and is 31.5" tall (90-95%). He got shots for Chicken Pox, Prevnar, and the Flu and we discovered that once again, he has a double ear infection. The doctor wants to try one round of antibiotics and if they don't clear, we will go see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor.

Ethan at school...maybe he'll grow up to be like Cousin Reid!

Ethan is still learning so many new things and is imitating us a lot as well. He tries to say "Book" but is sounds a little like "boo" and he says his version of "dancey dancey dancey" while he gets his groove on. He also loves to play peek-a-boo and run circles around the house with his popper...or just to chase the cat. He's also mastered going up the stairs, and Marc is working on teaching him how to scoot down them. My favorite is him blowing a kiss or giving a kiss. He's such a little ham!!

A few weeks ago we went shopping and Ethan got his first real tennis shoes. We discovered that he wears a 6W and here we were trying to squeeze his poor feet into 4s!!!! He loves his new shoes!

That's the update for now. Sorry it's a little late. We wish everyone a safe and very Happy Halloween!!

Love: Amanda, Marc, and Ethan

11 Months Done...1 More To Go!

2007-09-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

It is so hard to believe that Ethan will have been with us for a year in 1 month! Time really does fly when you are having fun. We are in birthday mode...planning a party that he won't even remember, but hey, that's what you do!

Ethan's new ride...

And the new toy he's already mastered

This past month we have been busy building on what he already knows. Ethan can stand up on his own now without help from anyone or anything. He still loves to eat! Last night be tried cheese rice and, just like his mom, loved it. I still don't think he's tried something he didn't like. Right now we are making the transition from formula to whole milk. So far, so good. We've started doing a half and half bottle and he doesn't seem to know the difference.

Ethan's first "big boy bath" without the duck

Over Labor Day weekend, Ethan spent the weekend with Aunt Meme, Casey, Jake, and Uncle Mike while I went to the beach with the girls and Marc did stuff around the house and watched football.

So tired after a fun weekend
Sporting the red and black...GO DAWGS

This weekend Marc and I are going to work on decorating Ethan's room. The plan is to paint some images of Curious George doing different things around his room. We've rented an overhead projector from the library and Gram is coming up to watch him while we tackle this project.

Still loves those cups

This past weekend we had the pleasure of having Helen and Hal over to the house on Sunday. It was great to catch up and spend time with them. Gram came up and we all went to Outback for dinner. In true form, Ethan ate all of his dinner...a grilled cheese sandwich and a ton of green beans. He also had his first piece of steak.

Using Sabo as a slide

Other than that, we are just enjoying our time together. I'm still getting used to being home every night and on the weekends. It's working out really well. Ethan is at school Monday - Friday and seems to be enjoying himself. One bit of funny news...we had Samantha shaved. Her hair was just too long, and she seems to enjoy the new look!

Samantha's new do

We would like to wish our Jewish friends and family a very happy New Year and to everyone else, be well!

Love,
Amanda, Marc, and Ethan

Chicago Trip

2007-08-23T11:21:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't you know that as soon as I send out the last blog, more teeth pop out! Ethan now has 4 on top and 3 on the bottom!! He's also learning a TON at school. They are teaching him sign language. He can (on occasion) sign "More" and "Please". Ethan is also singing. Well, his version, at least! We say "La la la la la la" and he'll repeat it back, but it sounds like "Ra ra ra ra ra".

Ethan has mastered walking, now we are working on standing up without holding onto anything. The only time he crawls now is if he falls and needs to get to something to help him stand up. He's tried walking in shoes a few times, but ends up tripping on the toe. I bought him some shoes from StrideRite that are supposed to help him walk. They have a rolled toe so he won't trip.

On the 16th, we headed out for Chicago (Winthrop Harbor, actually). What a trip! We were running late and missed our flight, so we got to hang out at the Atlanta airport for a few hours waiting for the next flight. Ethan spent his time walking around the gate and making new friends of course. The next flight was delayed due to an oil leak, but once we finally got on the plane, the captain offered free drinks! Ethan had a ball looking out the window.

Thursday night we met the family for dinner at Portillo's (Italian beef sandwiches...YUM!) and then went to the track to watch the horse and buggy races. We had a great time, and so did Ethan. Such a great time that he didn't go to sleep until 11:00 Chicago time (midnight here!!).

Friday the men went off on the boat while Lori and I took the Ethan and Reece shopping. They racked in with some great buys for their fall wardrobes. That night we met up with the family again for the rehearsal dinner. It was wonderful for Ethan to finally meet everyone...most hadn't seen him since the day after he was born.

Reid's idea of funny...and it was! Laundry basket over Ethan's head

Saturday was the wedding. It was beautiful...unlike the weather! The ceremony was outside and it started raining right before it started. Luckily the bridal party was under a canopy. We weren't so lucky, but it was still beautiful. After dinner, we danced and then Ethan fell asleep. We put him in the stroller and he slept right through the rest of the reception.

Ethan at the reception in his big boy outfit

Ethan, Mommy, & Daddy

Reid and Ethan

Sunday we had brunch with the family and then went to Shelley and Ryan's house to play Wii. While we were waiting on Reid, Marc, and Niki, Ryan and Ethan took a little snooze. Then it was Wii time!! We had so much fun playing...now we want one!! We met up with the family for dinner and Ethan decided he didn't like what he was wearing. Flying had messed with his digestive system and it finally corrected itself that night while out to eat. And of course, I didn't bring him a change of clothes, hence the diaper and jacket look.

Ethan and Ryan taking a snooze

Ethan and Shelley

The aftermath of the explosion

Monday we took a trip to the Jelly Belly factory. We took a ride on a train and learned the history of the bean and how they are made. Did you know that it takes 7 days to make a Jelly Bean? Afterwards, we drove up to Lake Geneva and walked around. We went to the pier and Ethan didn't like it when he couldn't see cousin Reece. That night we had dinner at Lou Malnati's...deep dish Chicago pizza...doesn't get any better than that! Ethan decided to feed himself the mastacioli. The sauce was a little spicy, but he didn't seem to care.

Marc and Ethan waiting in line at Jelly Belly

The Jelly Belly Car

Ethan and Reece playing "Ah Butz"

Ethan and his newest cousin, Reece...two peas in a pod!

Lori, Reece, Ethan, and I at Lake Geneva

The Spectors at Lake Geneva

Ethan and the mastacioli

The flight home was uneventful. Ethan fell asleep right after takeoff and woke up when we landed. The passenger in front of us commented on how well behaved he was. All in all, it was a great trip, but we are glad to be home. Ethan was thrilled when he saw all of his toys and Sabo and Samantha.

In other news, I started my new job yesterday. So far, it's going pretty slow, but I really don't know what I'm doing yet. Tomorrow I will get some training from another Office Manager, so I'll be in good shape.

Until next time...hope everyone is happy, healthy, and well.

Love,

Amanda, Marc, and Ethan

Ethan's Walking!

2007-08-06T10:52:00.000-04:00

So much has happened since the last blog. Right after I posted the last one, we got a note from school that Ethan was moving up to the "Beginners" class on August 6. Today is his first full day in his new class. It started off a little rough, but once he found out it was snack time and they were having bananas, things started looking up!

His last day in the Infant class with Ms. Juana and Ms. Ashley

First day in Beginners with Jordan and Maddison

Our trip to Florida was so much fun! Ethan did great in the airport and on the plane. I never realized how much easier things are at the airport when you have a baby (strange, I know). We didn't wait in line for anything. They have a special security screener just for strollers and wheelchairs, so we by-passed all the long security lines. It was great! As soon as we got on the plane in Atlanta, he fell asleep and didn't wake up until we landed. Same thing on the way home.

While we were in Florida, we swam with Grandpa, Chris, and Jimmy. We also took a walk to the lake and watched Grandpa and Jimmy fish. They caught a few, but threw them all back.

While we weren't swimming, Ethan enjoyed taking naps with Grandpa...

And making a mess with his cookies...

On Sunday, July 29, we went to Hailey's baptism. It was wonderful to spend the day with our "extended" family and celebrating the occasion with them. Ethan did great in church. He hit his head on the pew and the congregation "Aww"ed for him. Here we are at the Bermans' that afternoon.
Last Tuesday, Ethan started walking...and he hasn't stopped! He started out taking a few wobbly steps then falling and crawling the rest of the way. Before long, he'll be running! He's still a little wobbly, but he's doing great catching his balance and keeping on. We also have a 5th tooth! So Ethan now has 3 on top, and 2 on the bottom.

In other news, my last day with Disney is this Friday (technically). When we get back from Chicago, I'll start working as an Office Manager for Dixie Homecrafter's Roofing company. Marc and I will be working in the same building, so we'll get to carpool together. We are thrilled that I don't have to work nights and weekends anymore! More family time!

Last Thursday, I went to visit Heather and little Rhiannon. For those of you that don't know them, Rhiannon was born 11 weeks early. But whoever said that good things come in small packages was right. Rhiannon is absolutely precious and totally holding her own! Heather looks fabulous and everyone is doing well.

Next week, we are off to Chicago for 6 days. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Love,

The Spectors

9 months

2007-07-13T11:34:00.000-04:00

Diggin through the toy basket

Such a boy...loves the remote!

First taste of a "biter" biscuit

And this is after eating the biter biscuit...MESSY!

Cruising along in the walker

Just being cute

It's hard to believe that there are only 3 months left until Ethan is 1!!! We just got back from the doctor for his 9 month check-up and there is good news to report...NO EAR INFECTIONS!!!!!! Both ears are all clear. I can't remember the last time we've been to the doctor and not had to make a pit stop at Eckerds on the way home for anti-biotics. What a relief!! Ethan is now measuring 29 inches and weighs in at 20.14 pounds.

Our new nickname for Ethan is "speed demon." Whether he is crawling or in the walker, the boy moves with some speed. He is "cruising" along the couch and coffee table, moving oh so gracefully from one end to the other. And in the past few days, he has started standing on his own for a few seconds. At school, he stood and clapped his hands a few times, then fell on his butt.

Speaking of school...I went to pick him up the other day and the teacher told me that he was climbing the bookshelf!! Looks like we have one fearless little boy on our hands.

We also have a very healthy eater. Ethan is also totally off of baby food. We have moved on to the bigger and better foods...carrots, peas, green beans, corn, pancakes, waffles, yogurt, bananas, peaches, pears, pineapple, chicken, mashed potatoes...you name it, he'll eat it.

Our favorite summer past-time is going to the pool. Ethan absolutely loves the water and being outside. Yesterday he crawled around in the grass for the first time when Aunt Meme, Casey, and Jacob came to visit.

Next week, Ethan and I are heading out to Florida. His first plane ride...we are hoping it will be uneventful and easy since he doesn't have an ear infection. We will see you when we get back from Florida!

8 Months and Mobile

2007-06-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

"mamamama"

Kissin Daddy

On the go...no stopping him now!

Daddy pushing Ethan around in the laundry basket

Trying to get the hang of the sippy cup

Peek-a-boo!

Shaking his head "NO!"

Swimming
Well, here we are at 8 months and boy, have we been busy! The last month has been full of new things are lots of firsts for Ethan...and us for that matter!

In the last month alone, Ethan has learned to crawl (all hands and knees now, no belly!), pull himself up on the coffee table, clap, say "ma ma ma" and "da da da", and go from laying to sitting by himself. He also went swimming for the first time on Memorial Day and he LOVED it!!

In the last month, Marc and I have learned that nothing is sacred...it all goes in the mouth. We kinda knew that before, but now we can add shoes to the list. We've also learned that there can be nothing within arms reach on the coffee table, and drool looks great on the couch!

We started the month with bad news...Ethan's ear infections were back. We've tried a different antibiotic and go back to the doctor Wednesday to find out if we are all clear. If not, we'll start thinking about tubes. The good news is that the infections are all inner-ear, so we don't have to worry about swimming and getting water in his ears.

Another first this month...Ethan's first bruise! We knocked his cheek on the coffee table and out came the bruise. It's hard to let him fall and get hurt, but I know he has to learn. And I think he is. He's been a lot more careful lately about letting go of the table.

Last weekend, Ethan and I took a road trip to Alabama to visit Cindy, Kacey, and Olivia. They are expecting a little boy in August, so we went for the baby shower and had a great weekend. The picture of us swimming was taken at Cindy's parents' house.

This past weekend, the day care had a cookout for Father's Day. Marc and Ethan went and had a great time (I had to work). They won a dance contest and played the night away. On Sunday we went to Robyne's for Father's Day. Ethan had a blast swimming and wore his "My Daddy is a Super Hero" shirt.

We hope everyone is well and had a fantastic Father's Day. See you next month!!

7 months

2007-05-18T12:13:00.000-04:00

Ridin my car from Nanny and Poppy

Just being cute

My new seat!

White Sox fan already!

Takin a bath in the duck

Toolin around in my walker
The last few weeks have been fun-filled for all of us! Cousin Shelley came for a visit. We went to see Casey and Jacob play ball and went to the local Mexican place for Cinco de Mayo. That weekend Marc and I also went out with Jimmy & Hilary for a "parents' night out." Our neighbor Nancy watched Ethan and everyone had a great time!

The week of Mother's Day there was an art show at Ethan's school (daycare). Each class made different art for the parents and we had a picnic dinner on the playground. We got a picture of Ethan with a hand and foot print. They also made a magnet for us. We also got Ethan a new car seat that weekend. He's pushing the limits on the old seat, so we've upgraded to what I like to call his "Lazyboy" seat. It reclines and everything! Hopefully he won't outgrown this one in 7 months like he did the last!

We spent Mother's Day in Newnan with Marc's family and my mom. It was a great day of relaxing outside on the porch and eating some great food! Skirt steak, corn, potatoes, chocolate cake...YUM!!! A meal fit for a mother!!

On Wednesday, Hilary and Hailey stopped by for lunch. Hilary and I celebrated our birthday with homemade pizza and baby talk. Hailey is so cute and already getting so big! We can't wait until they can play together. Ethan thought she was adorable. Every time he'd see Hailey, he'd smile and giggle.

Today we went to the doctor to check up on the ear infections...ALL GONE!! She said that everything looked great and we don't have to go back until July for his 9 month checkup. He now weighs 19 lbs. 10 oz. and we got the go-ahead to move to stage 2 foods and yogurt. Today we have Bananas and Mixed Berries for lunch and keeping with the past, he ate every bite. We still have yet to find a food he doesn't like. Dr. Heaven also told me that the top side teeth will probably come in before the middles do.

Tonight Ethan is staying with Aunt Mimi. Marc is going to the race with Jimmy and I have to work, so she's taking him tonight and tomorrow he'll spend the day at the ball field before coming home.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mom's and those to be. We hope everyone is well.

6 months - April 07

2007-04-26T08:07:00.000-04:00

We've reached 6 months...I can't believe it! Ethan went to the doctor yesterday. We found out that he weighs 18.09 pounds, is 28 3/4 inches tall and has a double ear infection...again. The good news is that we had no idea about the ear infection...he hasn't been cranky or out of sorts, so it doesn't seem to bother him that much.

Ethan still loves to eat! He's had all of the veggies and loves all of them. He's also had pears, bananas, and now we are on peaches. The doctor gave us the go-ahead to add yogurt, finger foods (puffs, steamed veggies, fruit cocktail), and juice.

This past weekend was our first weekend away from Ethan. Marc and I went to Tennessee for an anniversary weekend and Ethan stayed with Aunt Mimi. From what we heard, he had a great time! They went to the ball field to watch Jacob play, took a bath, read books, and sat up by himself for about 10 minutes! That's awesome considering he doesn't really like to sit. This kid wants to stand! He's also started rocking on his hands and knees.

We visited the Bermans and their new addition, Hailey. She's precious and Ethan had a great time playing airplane with Jimmy. I'm sure Ethan will have a lot to teach Hailey when they get a little older. Nanny and Poppy came to visit us this month. They brought Ethan some goodies and we had a great time with them. Cousin Shelley is coming to visit next weekend, and then the pool opens the weekend after that. May is going to be a busy month!

5 months

2007-04-05T08:10:00.000-04:00

Month 5 has been full of talking, rolling, eating, and laughing.

Ethan is talking up a storm!! "Aba" and "ba" are the most popular, but he also says "abwa" and "ow". He's also started laughing more. Not just a giggle, but an actual laugh. Right now he is in the Excersaucer talking to the lion and laughing at himself. Oh, and let's not forget the raspberries. That is our all time favorite. One day he started doing it and I called Marc to find out if he taught him. Nope...just something he picked up. So don't get too close or he may end up "showering" you with raspberries :)

He has now mastered the art of rolling over, although for the most part he only rolls in one direction. He loves sleeping on his stomach and rolling all around the crib. We put him towards the bottom and he ends up at the top with his back against the rails. I have a feeling we are going to be chasing after this kid when he starts walking.

FOOD!! Ethan LOVES food. We've tried carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, squash, and peas and he loves them all. I've heard a lot of people say that most kids hate peas, but not this one. He loves his veggies...just like his daddy. On Monday, we start on fruits with bananas!

Ethan also loves school (daycare). His teachers say that he is probably the happiest kid in the class. He has also become attached to his Curious George. George now goes every where with us.

That's about all for now. We go back to the doctor at the end of April for his 6 month checkup. I really can't believe he's almost 6 months old. Time really does fly when you are having fun!

On a Roll

2007-02-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are at 19 weeks and everything is going great! Ethan and I just got back from his 4 month checkup. He's now 26" long (I mis-measured last time) and 16 lbs. Only 5% of babies his age are taller than him. He definitely takes after his momma!! He also had 3 shots today and did really well. He cried for a few minutes, then was totally fine once we got in the car. Now he's playing like nothing ever happened!

In the past few weeks, he's learned how to roll from his back to his stomach and can (at times) hold his bottle. He is eating rice cereal from a spoon, and we have to ok to start him on some veggies.

His teeth are still making their way out. Judi spent the night and could click one of her nails on a bottom tooth. It looks like he has three that are trying to make an appearance.

Ethan has also discovered his hands and is working on the feet. I swear this morning he was trying to put his foot in his mouth. His hands are his favorite snack right now. Gotta love all the drool!

16 Weeks

2007-02-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

Boy, what an interesting few weeks we've had!! The weekend of January 19th, we (Ethan, Marc, Mom and I) went to Virginia to visit my family. It was a great weekend, even though the weather was a little crappy on the drive up. We decided to drive overnight since it was Ethan's first car trip and we wanted him to sleep! It worked out fairly well. Marc drove most of the way while one of us stayed awake chatting with him and the other slept. We got to see almost everyone on our trip up there which was great.

But of course, all good things must come to an end and when we got home, Ethan and I were both sick. I took Ethan to the doctor to find out that he had a cold and a double ear infection!! We got some great medicine and are both just fine now. I took him back to the doctor on Friday to check his ears again. He now weighs 15 1/2 lbs. and is about 27 inches long. And to top it off...he's cutting two bottom teeth!!!! Holy cow, the kid is growing like a weed!!!!

Ethan's personality is REALLY starting to show. For the most part, he's a happy baby. He smiles and laughs a lot and loves people. We went to Felicia and Dave's last night for the Superbowl and Ethan had a blast with everyone. We definitely don't have a shy child on our hands! I think he has mastered rolling from his stomach to his back and he loves to stand up. Marc and I joke that he will walk before he crawls, and I'm starting to think that might be reality. Ethan is also mimicking sounds. If we make a noise a few times, he'll usually try to make the same sound.

Bath time is now a fun time. He HATED baths at first, but now he love them. He's even started splashing a little and doesn't mind water in his face. Good thing, since Marc give him a "shower" to rinse him off. We turn on the bathtub faucet and stick him under it to get all the soap off.

More exciting news...we get to start on baby food in a few weeks!!!! Right now we are adding rice cereal to his bottles, and in the next few days, we will start feeding it to him with a spoon. We go back to the doctor on the 23rd for his 4 month checkup and then we are on to solids!

Right now we are looking forward to a visit from my dad and step mom in two weeks and are just trying to make it through the winter and get ready for spring!!

3 Months Old!!!

2007-01-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Ethan will be 3 months old!!! Time has really flown by fast!! At our last doctor's appointment, he weighed in at 12 lb. 5 oz. and measured 25 inches long. I weighed him on our home scale today, and he's not tipping the scales at 14 lbs. 2 oz. He is growing so fast. He also had his first round of shots. He did really well!! He left the doctor's office with a Garfield band-aid and a neon orange one.

Ethan's personality is really starting to shine. He smiles and giggles and even "talks" to himself now. He's learned how to control his hands and they are forever in his mouth. His new favorite toys are the ExcerSaucer (thanks Shelley and Ryan), the Jumparoo (thanks Dad and Lisa!), and his Bumbo sitter.

Daycare is going well. One of the teachers constantly talks to him in Spanish. Who knows, maybe is first word will be "Hola!" I think that daycare has taught him to be independent. He seems to enjoy spending time by himself in the swing just talking away and chewing on his hands.

Nights are also getting better. We had one night last week that he didn't get up at all!!! I woke up around 6:00 and had to make sure he was still breathing!!! We are starting to add Rice Cereal to his nighttime bottle in hopes it will help with sleeping through the night.

That's about all for now. Hope everyone had a fantastic New Years!!

7 Weeks

2006-11-30T11:35:00.000-05:00

Well, we are almost to the 7 week mark. And it's strange...I can't really remember my life without Ethan. I love it! I love being a mom. I can't imagine life any other way.

The week before Thanksgiving, we all came down with a cold. Ethan and I had it a little worse than Marc did. But the doctor gave us some medicine and we are all just fine now.

On our last trip to the doctor, Ethan weighed in at 10 lbs. 9 oz. WOW!! He's growing so fast and his personality is starting to show. He has started smiling and he's even rolling over!!! Marc swears that he will walk before he's 1. I can't even imagine!!

I went back to work this week which means Ethan started "school." His first day went well. They said he was very calm...just taking it all in. The next day was a little different. He was pretty cranky most of the day but he did sleep in his crib for 2 hours!! YAHOO!!!! Leaving him wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I know he's in good hands and he seems happy when he's there.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!!

20 Days

2006-11-02T14:08:00.000-05:00

A lot has happened since we came home. For starters, I've learned how to do a lot of things one-handed...like typing for instance. Right now I'm typing with two hands but I have a 9 lb. baby balanced ever-s0-carefully on my chest (this is one of his favorite sleeping positions).

Yesterday we went to the doctor for a weight check. Ethan has gained 1 lb. and 3 oz. since he was born. He now weighs in at 9 lbs. 4 oz. The doctor said that everything looks great. I'm excited because we no longer have to wake him up during the day to feed him. YAHOO!!!!! There's nothing worse than waking a sleeping baby.

On October 21, we had the Bris. From what I am told, Ethan handled it very well. I will admit...I am a wimp and didn't watch the procedure. I stood in the hallway and and heard the crying...that was about all I could handle. Ethan was also given his Hebrew name that day. Eilam Rishon means "eternal first." We picked those two names for obvious reasons...he will forever be our first born, no matter how many more we decide to have.

Ethan is doing well at night for the most part (night before last excluded). Usually he will sleep for 3-4 hours at a time, wake up, eat, and go right back to sleep. Every now and then (like the other night), he didn't want to go back to sleep. Marc walked laps with him through the kitchen and dining room singing "100 Bottle of Beer On the Wall". Ethan finally fell asleep with 57 bottle of beer left on the wall.

Parenthood is a total trip! I love it!!! For the first few days, I felt like a tourist taking pictures and video taping everything! Now we spend our days running errands, napping, and cleaning the house. It's amazing how quickly the place gets trashed. My new favorite past time is washing bottles. Oh, the joy of washing, sterilizing, and drying. If I had a nickel for every bottle I've washed in the past two weeks, I wouldn't have to go back to work.

Right now we are working on sleeping in the crib. For a while the only place Ethan would fall asleep was in his swing. After trial and error, we found out that the sheets in the crib were too cold and he had to be swaddled, but only on the bottom half. Ethan does NOT like to not have control over were his hands go. Probably because he likes to sleep with them on his face or over his head.

On Halloween we went to visit Gram (my Mom) and her work friends. Ethan had three different outfits to wear that day and somehow, we managed to wear them all! Thanks to Heather, Christine, and Gram for the cute outfits!!

Introducing Ethan Ryan Spector

2006-10-16T17:32:00.000-04:00

Ethan is here!!! And he came into the world with a bang! Here's the recap...

I started having contractions around 5:00 Saturday morning. At first I wasn't really sure if they were contractions so Marc got me a Tylenol and I tried to sleep...no luck. I was just really uncomfortable. Around 7:00 am I started timing the contractions but there wasn't really a pattern to them. I kept this up for about 2 hours and then decided to call the doctor. The midwife told me to try to relax and take a warm bath. If the contractions slowed, we were ok. I called her back around 10:30 and told her that they were getting stronger and longer. She told me to go ahead and make my way to the hospital and they would call her when I got there.

Meanwhile, Marc was out running errands. Luckily we had family staying with us and Shelley kept me company the entire time. We called Marc and told him to come back to the house and then we started getting a few random things together. By the time we left the house, the contractions were probably less than 2 minutes apart. My water broke in the car right before we got to the hospital and not pushing was not an option. I tried my best to breathe, but it just wasn't happening. My body just kept screaming "PUSH!!"

We got to the hospital at 11:50 am. Marc helped me into the waiting room and the nice ladies kept telling me not to push. Well, they changed their tune when they saw that my water had broken. A nurse put me in a wheelchair and ran me into the delivery room. At 12:13 pm, Ethan was born. Yep, a whopping 23 minutes after we pulled up to the hospital. Needless to say, there was no time for a epidural or anything for that matter. There was only time to push. After about 12 pushes, he was here! Fast and furious!!

We spent the next two days in the hospital and now we are home. Marc is off for the entire week which is awesome! So far, the routine is pretty easy. Ethan eats every three hours and sleeps for most of the time in between.

Now it's time for Mom to take a nap before Ethan wakes up...

39 Down, One More To Go

2006-10-13T14:36:00.000-04:00

Well, I wish I had some exciting news, but there isn't any just yet. I went to the doctor yesterday and I've made a little progress, but still not enough! I'm ALMOST 3cm dilated and still 50% effaced and at a -1 station. The doctor hooked me up to the fetal monitor when I told her that Ethan was less active than normal the past few days. I got to sit for 15 minutes and listen to his heart beat and press a button every time I felt him move. Everything was normal! She told me that if I haven't delivered by next Thursday, they will plan on inducing me the following Monday...October 23. So by October 24, we'll officially be parents!

Lately, every time I call someone I have to start the conversation with "No, it's not time yet!" Understandable, considering he could be here any day now. Samantha (our cat) was not a happy camper for a few days when we took "her" chair out of the living room and moved it to Ethan's room. For 3 years, that gliding rocker has been all hers, and now it's gone. We find her sleeping in the most random places now.

My nights are getting more and more restless as the days go by. Rolling over isn't an easy task these days and Marc is constantly waking me up because I'm snoring. Yep, that's right...I snore. I never thought I could say those words, but there they are. Luckily, that should stop very soon!

It's hard to believe that D-day is right around the corner. My bags are packed and in the car. The phone tree has been made. The nursery is pretty much done. The only thing missing is Ethan. I look at my belly and think "Wow, soon that won't be there." Crazy...but I know someone wonderful will take it's place.

Making Progress

2006-10-09T07:04:00.000-04:00

Well, folks, we are making progress...in more ways than one! The nursery is almost done!! A few decorating touches, and it's finished! We received the new crib parts on Friday and now Ethan has a place to sleep. Marc also installed the curtains this weekend. There are two decorative pieces that don't fit the crib, but at least the rest is done! Now we just need to frame a few pictures and hang them up.

My nesting instinct kicked into high gear last week. Thursday morning I was up at 4:30 am sorting through baby stuff making piles of laundry and trying to figure out just how everything works. So everything is washed and put away...now the closet looks like a closet and not the place where you shove everything away that you don't want people to see when they come over!

Friday I went to the doctor. I am now 2 cm dialated but still 50% effaced. So I've made a little progress. My mom and a few others don't think I'll make it through the week before he's here. One of my coworkers keeps telling me "He's just waiting for his birthday!" I can say that we are ready for him now. The only thing I have left to do is install the car seat base in my car, and we are ready to roll!!

3 Weeks and Counting

2006-09-29T07:52:00.000-04:00

This week started out with a bang! Monday I woke up with a nasty sore throat and cough. I called the doctor and was told that I could take Robitussin and Halls. Tuesday, we had the nursery painted and we bought a new car!! I am now the proud owner of an 07 Honda Pilot. As Marc says, we traded the Go-cart (Saturn) for the Baby Buggy (Pilot). I love it!!

On Thursday, I had an ultrasound. The first thing we did was confirm that yes, we are having a boy. Ethan weighs 6.5 pounds and is expected to gain a half pound a week from here on out. So we are looking at having an 8 - 8.5 lb. baby if I go full term. I got to see his face and we have pictures. I don't think he was too happy with the ultrasound because he was yawning and squirming big time.

Thursday night we started putting the furniture together. One piece down, two more to go. Marc is going to do the other two pieces tonight, so tomorrow night after work, I plan on unpacking the closet and getting the room together. I can't wait to see it all put together!!

I went to the doctor this morning. No new progress. I'm still 1 cm dialted and 50% effaced. So he may not be coming early after all. The new estimated due date is October 19. She did say that he is in a good position...head WAY down. Oh, the pressure!!! At least his head isn't on my bladder anymore!

Home Stretch

2006-09-23T08:42:00.000-04:00

Month 9 started with a bang!! Tuesday I went to the hospital after becoming extremely overheated and having a panic attack. I've never been to the ER before...first time for everything, right? They did a bunch of tests and everything was fine. After about 4 hours, I went home with nothing more than a paper bracelet with my name on it.

Friday I had a doctor's appointment and found out that I am still measuring ahead of my due date. I'm also 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced. SOOOO...we are having an ultrasound done this Thursday to find out just how big this baby is. My doctor (midwife) doesn't think I'll go full term, so I'm guessing we will have a baby in the next three weeks.

The room still isn't ready, but we are getting there. Someone is coming to paint this week and we have all the furniture (it's the right color now!) and I bought the crib mattress this week. His room should be ready by next weekend! In the mean time, I'm going to get my bag packed and pick out a pediatrician and a day care this week, so mark those things off the list!! Marc has already installed a carseat base in his car, and we are going shopping for a car for me today. YAHOO!!!

I'm getting really excited, but that's hard to see sometimes since I'm just a little...ok, a lot...uncomfortable. He's in a head-down position and we think he's dropped, so there's a lot of pressure in my lower abdoman that makes walking and standing for long periods of time pretty uncomfortable. It seems that I can't get enough sleep or fluids. If I'm not sleeping, I'm drinking whatever I can get my hands on. Milk and water are the drinks of choice lately. And spicy food...yummmmm.

The picture above of me, Olivia, and Cindy was taken on August 20 at my house. It's amazing how your stomach can grow in a month!! We just got our digital camera back, so I'll have some recent pictures next week.

34 Weeks Down, about 6 more to go!

2006-09-08T16:15:00.000-04:00

We've bought the paint and ordered the furniture for the nursery...now it's time to put it all together! Hopefully Marc will paint next week so we can get this show on the road and our child can have his own room!

I went to the doctor today and met the midwife (Renee) who will do the delivery. Ethan's heartbeat was 142 and she said he's measuring a little big..."no peanut baby" for me, she said! She wants to do an ultrasound in 3 weeks to make sure he's not getting too big too fast. Who knows...he may surprise us and be here early! All the more reason to get the nursery done!!!

The house is starting to take on baby-form. Last weekend, Marc put the highchair, walker, and swing together. That along with the bouncy seat and stroller are now taking over the living room. And Faith gave us some great stuff that fits right in to the living room's new decor. It's definately turning into baby central!

Week 32

2006-08-30T09:30:00.000-04:00

Marc finally felt the baby last night!! He had an extreme case of hiccups after I got home that lasted for about 30 minutes and Marc finally got to feel it! I'm glad he's finally able to experience what I have been for a few months now.

I'm in month 8, and there are only about 8 weeks left to go and so much to do. We finally found the nursery furniture that we want...what an ordeal that has been! So hopefully that will be here in a week or two and we can start putting the nursery together. I'll have to skedattle for a weekend while Marc paints, then the nursery is mine for the decorating! I can't wait. Right now everything is shoved in a closet.

As for me, nights are starting to get a bit restless. Maneuvering this belly is a little tougher than it seems and with his head resting on my bladder, the bathroom is my new best friend. We now sleep with two extra pillows that are supposed to keep me from sleeping on my back, but that doesn't always work. Marc makes sure to wake me up if he sees me sleeping on my back. I miss my ankles immensely but know that they will be back soon. I do love the nice glow that I have. I've only been out in the sun once, but I have more color this year than in previous years. All in all I would have to rate this as an excellent pregnancy. But I have to admit, I can't wait for it to be over...only because I want Ethan HERE!!!