Baby on Board!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Hello Again!

It's been awhile since I posted because, quite frankly, we haven't been doing much! And we've been without internet for the last week. The last two weeks for the kids and I has been super low-key. We've made trips to the grocery, Target, library, park, lunch with Papaw and Ginka, lunch with Grandpa Joe, etc. The cooler weather has us searching for fun indoor activities. The past two weekends we've had quick visits with the Smith family. There's never going to be a dull moment when those three boys are together! Kristen and I can hear the tattle-telling now..."Mommy, ___ hit me," "Mommy, ___ won't share." Love it.

Who knows what's going on in this picture.
Emerson is doing well. She's still, on a day-to-day basis, having good days. It seems like her comfort zone is next to nothing...take her to an unfamiliar place or if she sees an unfamiliar face and it's game over. Some lady was trying to talk to her the other day at the grocery saying how cute she was and Emerson just lost it. Some days she does great if I take her to lunch, some days she screams. Sometimes she likes to be wrapped up when we go somewhere, sometimes she gets upsets and prefers to be out of the wrap. It's still a toss up for the most part =) We had her four month appointment on Monday and I will be updating everyone on her stats/growth next week. How cute is she?
 
 

Ethan seems to be mastering a new word almost every day now - it's so much fun! Although it definitely makes Eric and I realize we need to be careful about what comes out of our mouth =) Some of his latest words include: boat, bridge, fish, truck, bus, book, chip, help, please, church, happy, cheese, mouse, and rock. How cool is that? We got some of his newborn/infant toys out for Emerson and he found a kitty stuffed animal that he really likes. He's been carrying it around the last couple days taking such good care of it - he brushes his hair with a comb, goes "shhhh" and puts him in Max's cat bed when it's time for kitty to nap, makes kitty dance, gives kitty milk from his bottle, and even tries to feed kitty a piece of Max's food. It's pretty stinking adorable.
 

Ethan has asked to hold Emerson twice in the last week...he'll stick out his arms and point to her. He's been very gentle with her and only tries to poke her eye out occasionally! The other day I laid her next to him and ohhhhh my, the cuteness that unfolded was enough to make your heart melt. Needless to say, these staged photo shoots will be happening a LOT more now =)))




Happy to report things are going well - just enjoying my time with the kiddos! Emerson's four month update should be up on the blog next week!

 


 

Friday, October 10, 2014

All About Ethan!!

Ethan's wondering why the heck the monthly updates stopped when he turned two!! =) So this post will be all about my little man. He is awesome. Every single day. How many times have we said he is just the easiest, most laidback kid? He is so much fun to be around and we absolutely love seeing him grow and develop all the time.


I wish I could bottle his voice up when he talks and just carry it with me the rest of my life. We love when he goes on and on about something and we have absolutely NO idea what he's saying. Ha ha. We totally egg him on and say, "Ethan, tell us about the airplane you saw" and he will dive into this long monologue about the airplane in the sky and how it "flew away." We try our best to restrict the paci to just car and nap/bedtime because obviously when it's not in his mouth he is a talking machine. His favorite words are still lawnmower (mo-mower), ouch, broke, and milk. He went from saying "uh-oh" a hundred times a day to now "ouch." That's his new favorite word of the week...everything is "ouch." He also likes to say house, flower, and park.

Two fun things Ethan has started doing is going to the Wonderlab (a little Children's museum here in town) and open gym at a local gymnastics place. Ethan has been to the Wonderlab with Eric and Papaw and I love hearing what he's interested in - mostly the bubbles and the water table. We've been to open gym three times and it's a blast. He likes to run on the trampoline track, jump in the foam pit, and hang from the bar. I've been meaning to snap some pictures of him doing all this so I can post it - too cute!

His weekends have been full of family and football - exactly what the Fall is all about! A couple weekends ago we headed to Bedford to spend the day with Mamaw and Papaw and watch the IU game. Ethan got to ride the lawnmower with Mamaw and he was in heaven. Last weekend, Ethan attended the IU game with Papaw and Ginka, Aunt Kristen, Uncle Jeffrey, and Jayden and Kaleb! I was smiling ear to ear when I kept getting pictures and videos on my phone of all the cousins. I can't even put into words how much Ethan adores Jayden. All he does is squeal and laugh around him...well and hit, but we're working on that =) I swear that was the best day of Ethan's life - his smiles were SO big!!

 
 
His eating habits are pretty hit or miss. We've gotten into the (potentially) bad habit of feeding him out of his highchair. While he's playing around the house or while we are out doing something, I'll feed him "on the go" and give him bites as he walks by...haha - sounds silly as I type it, but you wouldn't believe how much he'll eat for me when I do it this way! He needs to be totally distracted in order to get a good meal in him. He will whine and start throwing a fit sometimes if we try and use the highchair (or even booster seat for that matter) so it's just easier to keep feeding him while he's playing. Most days I feel like he's getting a pretty well balanced assortment of food with grains, meat, fruit, and dairy.

Here are some of my favorite things about Ethan right now:
  • He loves to draw on his art easel. I will ask him to go draw a dog and he'll scribble a line and say "woof, woof." Then I'll ask him to draw a cow and he'll make a mark and say "mooooo." He can "draw" airplanes, lawnmowers, mommy, daddy, Max, etc. and does the corresponding sound with each picture...it's hilarious. And he's sooo proud of himself too!
  • We ask him to call for our kitty, Max, and he says "Mugsyyyy."
  • Emerson has been sleeping until 8:15am so I've been able to have a little mommy and Ethan time in the morning while he's drinking his bottle. We will snuggle on the couch together while he drinks his milk and it's perfect.

  • Every noise he hears is either an airplane or lawnmower.
  • Saturday mornings is his favorite day because that's when our grass gets mowed. He literally stops whatever he's doing and runs to the door and windows to watch. Last week he even waved at the guy.
  • I love that he's so into reading right now.
  • A couple weeks ago, Eric took Ethan to a local Crossfit gym where Ethan saw guys squatting weights, raising the bar over their head, throwing it on the ground, and then everyone clapped. Now Ethan is a weightlifter and will take the vacuum attachment, squat down, press it over his head, throw it down, and clap...it's the cutest thing ever.
  • He has started to jump in his crib every time we put him down for a nap or bedtime. It's hard not to laugh, but we aren't trying to encourage the behavior. Maybe it's because Papaw and Ginka got a mini trampoline out at their house?
  •  He wants me to kiss his boo-boos because they are "ouch."
  • When he wants to be interested in Emerson, he will get right in her face and with a high pitched voice say "hiiiiiii." (guess that's what we sound like?)
    My sweet, sweet boy. He is just wonderful =)

Monday, October 6, 2014

{Three Months Old - Emerson!}

Hi Family and Friends!

I'm already three months old - how did that happen?! I think you'll be quite happy with my update this month. If you know anything about me, you know I had a pretty rocky start to life. I was always upset and unhappy and my doctor said it was because of colic. Mommy and daddy tried everything to help soothe me and make me feel better. They started giving me special drops the doctor recommended. I get five drops once a day. I also started seeing a chiropractor this week. Chiropractic care can help reduce colic behavior and I had my first visit yesterday. Dr. Houze was very nice and gentle. He held me underneath the armpits and let my legs dangle down like I was a puppet. He was stretching me out. Then he took his thumb and very gently pressed it up and down my spine to "adjust" me. He must've done something right because I pooped five times after my appointment! I've been on my very best behavior and am on a streak with all the good days I'm having. I hope it continues because I like it when I'm happy. Let me tell you about some of the things I've been up to:
  • I am officially sleeping in my own room! I sleep in the newborn sleeper that sits on top of the pack-n-play...it's so cozy. My next transition will be to the crib, but for now I am just happy to be in my pretty room that mommy decorated for me.
  • Speaking of sleep, I love it. At night, I sleep from 10pm-8am! Then I will take a morning nap (45 min to a hour), cat nap through lunch if we're running errands, long afternoon nap (2-3 hours), and then sometimes a quick early evening nap (30ish minutes).
 
  • I've discovered my hands and they taste yummy! They are in my mouth at all times and I make a really loud smacking noise when I suck on my fingers. It's not uncommon to see me sucking on four fingers at once although most times it's just two.
  • This is big news: now that I'm feeling better, I finally like my activity mat and bouncy seat! Last week was the first time in three months mommy's been able to put me down and I've played without crying! She says it's such a big help when I can sit in my seat or lay on the floor so she can get other things done. Playing is fun...who knew?
 
  • I took my first big road trip this month to Kentucky. I knew mommy and daddy were anxious about how I would travel in the car (because I don't really like the car...at all), but I was an angel. I slept almost the entire way there and back. When I was awake, I would hang out with my friend Squirt.
  • Y'all need to know Squirt. He is my very best friend...well besides mommy, daddy, Ethan, and mommy's milk. He sits right next to me and we stare into each other's eyes. He's also the funniest turtle I know.

  • Another thing I discovered this month was the ceiling fan. Wow. Who would've thought five little blades spinning around in a circle could make a girl so happy?
  • I attended my first IU football tailgate!
     
  • Mommy does such a good job getting me to fall asleep. She knows one of the things I love is the rocking chair. When Ethan takes his afternoon nap, mommy and I rock for a long time until I'm asleep.


  • I am starting to find my voice and I like to make cooing noises. I love talking to my daddy.
  • Mommy nurses me four times throughout the day and then I get a 6 oz. bottle from daddy for my last feeding.

  • I always wake up from nighttime sleep and naps with a smile.
Keep your fingers crossed that my good behavior continues! I am ready for colic to leave me alone! I'm ready to be a happy baby and make fun memories with my family. I want to thank you for all the prayers and good vibes you've sent my way the last three months...I think they are working! I can't wait to grow and learn more in the next month - I hope you'll check back and keep in touch!