Two Months Old!

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm two months old today! It's time for another fun update on everything I've been doing now that I'm two months old. It's been a busy month for me - mommy and daddy had every weekend in October planned! I attended my first IU tailgate, I got to meet my great-grandma Ann, great-aunt Sharon, and cousin Sarah, and this weekend I'm taking my first official road trip to Chicago! Mommy and daddy have a wedding so Aunt Laura, Uncle John, Aidan and Sydney are going to babysit me! I'm excited to see them - I know we will have so much fun!

I get cuter every day. At least that's what mommy and daddy tell me. I am getting really good at sleeping through the night. There are still some nights where I wake up too early, but my parents do a good job of putting me back to sleep. I still eat every three hours. My mommy feeds me throughout the day and then my daddy gives me a bottle around 10pm. That's one of my most favorite parts of my day. He makes me laugh as you can see in this picture.

Here are some other fun facts about me:

• I like to open and close my hands. I'm learning how they work.
• I like to grip the fingers of whomever is holding me. They say I have a strong grip.
• I like to track people and objects with my eyes - I can follow voices when someone is talking to me.
• I like bath time now. At first, I wasn't too sure - but I like when mommy and daddy pour warm water over me and have a warm towel waiting for me when I'm done.
• I am starting to make cute noises. Right now, it's a cross between a yelp and a coo. It makes mommy and daddy laugh.
• I'm starting to smile - although I'll let you in on a little secret - I haven't showed mommy and daddy my smile yet. I smiled at papaw and smiled with my great-grandma, but mommy and daddy didn't see it. I'm secretly waiting for just the perfect time to show them how cute I am.
• I have dimples! And when I "smile" you can see them even more!

I go for my two month check-up next week on Halloween. I have to get shots. Some of my friends tell me not to be scared. They said my mommy and daddy will be right there holding me and making me feel better. I will also get weighed again. According to the scale at home, I weigh 7 lbs. on the dot! Mommy calls me her little man, but one day I'm going to grow up to be tall and strong.

Thanks to everyone for always making me feel so special. I know I'm one loved boy!

Happy Friday!

Will be a short post today as we don't have too much to update you on in Ethan's world! Other than being extremely cute, it's been a quiet week for us! We had a playdate with our friend Cooper, went for a walk, took a bath, snuggled, had lunch with Ginka - ohhh the life of a newborn! We are looking forward to our visit with Great-Grandma Ann, Great-Aunt Sharon, and cousin Sarah this weekend. We also get to see Aunt Kristen and cousin Jayden! Look for Ethan's two-month update next week!

Hoosier In Training!

Let me start off by saying how excited we are that daddy's home from Florida!! Ethan took his first "big" trip to Indianapolis on Friday to pick him up from the airport. He did awesome - slept the whole way there and back! Daddy couldn't wait to get his hands on him! While we did just fine during daddy's trip, it's amazing the difference an extra set of hands can make! (Big shout out to Ginka and Papaw who helped me so much the past two weeks - and every day)!

We took Ethan to his first Indiana football tailgate on Saturday! He definitely wasn't as excited as his parents =) We had a group of friends coming down from Chicago/Indy and they couldn't wait to meet him. Ethan got passed around like a little football yesterday! Everyone couldn't believe how small and well behaved he was. Despite all the loud music, people talking, different smells, etc., Ethan made us proud and was an angel. I wasn't sure how long we would last in the grassy fields, but he was so easy-going and we were out there for 5 1/2 hours! We certainly look forward to all the Saturday tailgates we have in our future! 

We are officially out of premie diapers! Isn't our world exciting?! He's still sleeping really well (especially for seven weeks old) and is clocking anywhere from 7-8 hours a night. Naptime - not so much. Occasionally, he'll take a couple long naps, but usually they are 15-30 minutes. He's like a possum, you think he's sleeping and then next thing you know he's wide awake! Usually, I can put him down for tummy time or in his swing and that allows me enough time to shower, pick up around the house, etc. 

We've got another busy week/weekend ahead of us - Ethan's great-grandma from Kentucky and aunt and cousin from Georgia are all coming to visit on Friday. To say they are beyond excited to meet him and hold him is an understatement =) Can't believe he'll be two months old! 

Six Weeks!

This is my surprised look! 

Ethan must've known that daddy was out of town and he needed to go easy on his mommy because we had a great week! Now's the time for me to brag on my little man - every night this past week he slept 6-7 hours straight! Friday night, he even slept from 10:30pm-8am! It's so nice (and rewarding!) to see a loose schedule taking place. His eating schedule is every three hours - it's funny how he can be napping and he just knows when to wake up and eat. I've been reading a popular book called "BabyWise" that emphasizes the importance of getting into a routine with your newborn. Most experts say a schedule won't start to form until six weeks of age so I'm really pleased with Ethan's behavior so far. I'm halfway through the book right now and so far the main thing I've learned is the feeding/wake time/nap time routine. Most people think a nap should immediately follow a feeding session. However, the older Ethan gets the more he'll be awake. Now, after he eats we do various activities for wake time - lay him on the play mat, lay in crib and watch the little aquarium toy that plays music, tummy time (which I have a funny story about later), etc. Then, I try and put him down for a nap. The book talks about how you should lay them down awake (and sleepy) - not when they are already asleep. This will be my 'experiment' for the next week because right now I've been holding him until he's sound asleep. Today, we had major success with this new concept though. After he played for awhile, I put him in his car seat in his crib while he was sleepy. Even though he was fussy and cried, he eventually fell asleep and took a great nap. Did the same thing later where I put him in his pack-n-play while he was still awake and then he fell asleep for a nap. Hopefully, this trend continues! It all leads to a happy baby that sleeps through the night - and also happy parents!

Who needs exercise?

Tummy time is highly recommended so babies can strengthen their neck muscles and learn to crawl faster. The first couple times we did tummy time, Ethan hated it - cried and cried until I picked him up (was letting him do it for a couple minutes). Well, starting this week he loves tummy time - as in, I lay him down and he falls ASLEEP! Haha, this is supposed to be a stimulating exercise, but not for this boy! He said, "Mommy, I've been strong from day one. I don't need tummy time exercises!" It's the funniest thing. I rub his back and pat his bottom and it's so soothing to him. Last night, he fell asleep in the middle of the floor and was oblivious to everything going on around him! He takes after his mommy who loves to sleep on her tummy!

Me & My Boys!

Ethan had his first play date with his friend Cooper this week. Cooper was born three days after Ethan and it's really fun to have a friend the same age. His mommy Kelsey and I get to compare notes and see all the similarities between the two. He also got to play with cousin Jayden and friend Ella this weekend as well. Ethan's a popular boy as we have two more play dates set up for this coming week with Landon (8 months) and Elijah (5 1/2 weeks)!

Ethan really does get cuter by the day. I've just started to notice how full his cheeks are now and how big his belly is (finally)! He loves to stare into your eyes, he loves to furrow his brow and look like he's so concerned about something, he loves to eat his hands, and most importantly he loves to be bundled up and snuggle with anyone who will hold him! We love him to pieces!