16 Months!!!

He's getting the hang of using a fork... sort of

Modeling adorable pants made by Auntie Sarah

Front shot of his monster pants

Barley and Ethan

Ethan has begun to "snuggle" Barley as often as Barley will let him

What's this white stuff?

Well, if he doesn't like playing in it. at least we know he likes eating it!  He picked up all of the snow in the entry way for taste testing!

First success with picking up the food on his own with a fork- he was extremely proud of his fork skills

Isn't this how we all feel when there are cookies baking?  Ethan wanted them ALL!!

 

Here are a few shots from the past couple of weeks.  Holiday preparation has taken us away from our weekly blog, but we'll be back at it in the New Year! 

                                         We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday! 

Christmas Trees and Holiday Cheer

Our tree!

Ethan inspected many of the trees as we walked around looking for the perfect one

 Helping Daddy cut down our tree

Helping to decorate

I'm sure Ethan is wondering why in the world there is a tree in our living room!

Daddy teaches Ethan how to turn on the lights

Ethan is extremely taken with our tree

Uh Oh!  He better get used to this white stuff or it's gonna be a long winter!

We are definitely feeling the holiday spirit in our home!  Pete, Ethan, and I have gotten our tree, decorated the house, and enjoyed some holiday cheer in downtown Freeport.  Ethan has been completely enthralled with it all. He loves looking at all of the beautiful lights as we walk through town, and he gets a huge smile on his face when he sees the horse drawn carriages clomping through the streets of Freeport. 

We've had a bit of snow, and he's not so sure about it. I'm not sure if he hates being bundled up and so protests being put down, or if he just dislikes this cold, white stuff covering the ground.  Either way, he's going to have to learn to get used to the bundles, and the white stuff- we do live in Maine, afterall!

We think his most favorite part of the holiday so far though, is our tree.  Every morning when we come downstairs, he lets out "oohs", and "ahhs", over the fact that there is still a tree in our house!  He knows that it his job to turn on the tree lights in the morning, or when we come home from our errands.  He takes his job very seriously!  He has been pretty good with the ornaments so far, only pulling off the least breakable ones.  When he gets really quiet, I know where to find him- hiding behind the tree touching the ornaments that are more fragile!  All in all though, having the tree in the house with Ethan has been more pleasant than Pete and I had anticipated.  We were strategic in our placement of ornaments this year, which has helped immensely!

Other than enjoying the holiday preparation, we've settled back into our routines at home.  Ethan and I have continued attending story time at our local library, and playgroup at our community center.  It's a great way for Ethan to interact with other kids, and maybe even more importantly, for me to interact with other moms!  It's fantastic for us to get out, and after attending these activities, Ethan always seems to be tuckered out enough to take a nice, long nap! 

We are loving December and are aware of how quickly the days are passing.  The holidays are so much more magical when you have a little one to share them with! 

Thanks for reading!

15 Months!

Ethan and Kelly (Ethan's second cousin) checking each other out.  Ethan literally kissed Kelly, which totally freaked her out, but was pretty darn cute!

What a gentleman!

Watching the peacocks at the Bronx Zoo- Ethan looks like he wants to take off and run after one!

Insert "urgent whining" as Ethan waits in line to ride the ferris wheel at Toys R Us in NYC- he could hardly contain himself!

Snuggling the stuffed animals at FAO Shwartz

We did a loop around the toy store probably  5 or 6 times- down the ramp, up the stairs, down the ramp, up the stairs!

Playing on the piano from the movie "Big" Pretty cool!  Doesn't it look like he could be on the Abbey Road cover?

Posing on the piano- I'm lucky I got him to stop for even a second to look at Daddy for a picture!

Hard at Play on Thanksgiving

Daddy, Ethan, and Lego Santa- Daddy is making sure to expose Ethan to legos as much as possible so that they can begin building together soon!

We are back in Maine after spending a few weeks in Connecticut.  We had a lot of fun spending time with family and experiencing new people and places.  One of the very exciting things that Pete and I did with Ethan was take him for his first trip into New York City. I was a bit apprehensive about how we would do now that Ethan prefers walking to be strolled in a carriage, and I was worried about where we would change diapers, nap him, and so on.  Pete encouraged us to bite the bullet and go with the flow, and I am so happy that I took his advice.  Ethan was amazing!  He didn't complain once all day and was content to lounge in his stroller and watch the trucks, buses, and general hustle bustle of the city. 

We brought him to Times Square, specifically to Toys R Us, to ride the ferris wheel.  I thought that he would be mildly impressed, watching the ferris wheel going around, but the minute he saw it, he was practically jumping out of our arms to take a ride!  After riding, we explored the store, making a special stop at Wonka World for Pete! 

We took Ethan to see the Macy's holiday windows, and also to check out the toys at FAO Schwartz.  Ethan had a blast running around the store, practicing going up and down the stairs, and snuggling the huge stuffed dogs.  We couldn't pass up the opportunity to play on the "Big Piano" so Ethan and I threw off our shoes, and did some playing- it was so much fun!  Having kids really does allow the parents to be kids again too!

As many of you know, Ethan is not the greatest sleeper in the world.  He wakes at the slightest sound, and generally does not take naps unless the conditions are just right for him.  Well, at one point we were walking along, making our way to one of our many destinations, and Ethan was in the Ergo carrier on my back.  One second he was pointing and talking and watching the cars and traffic, and literally a minute later, he was zonked out, snoozing on my back- and for that reason alone, we will be making many more visits to the city!!!  All kidding aside, Ethan always seems to surprise us with how able he is to adjust and enjoy his new surroundings.  As a new mom, I'm always cautious and tend to play the "what if" game, but he pleasantly surprises us again and again at his willingness to go with the flow and experience new things.

Another highlight of our time "down south" was Thanksgiving.  We visited with family in New Jersey.  There are lots of kids around Ethan's age.  It is so wonderful to meet every year, and see how the kids have grown and changed and observe them interacting with each other.  Last year, Ethan was just a little guy, so to see the growth over one year is just mind blowing.  Reminds me to be so thankful of the time we have to spend with him and watch him grow.  I am mindful that it goes FAST and so I cherish every single moment.

Ethan is 15 months old now and we are loving this age.  He is becoming more and more expressive about his needs and wants, and we love that we are able to communicate with him and have him communicate back.  When we ask for a snuggle, his puts in cheek right up to ours and wraps his arms around us!  He has mastered the word no, with a head shake and all.  Only problem is that now, he goes around to all of the things that we've said no to, touches them anyway, and says, "No, no, no" repeatedly.  For example, he'll touch the outlets (they are covered!) and says, "No!"  I guess in a way it's a good thing, because it's a tell that he's doing something he shouldn't, and we're able to redirect him.  But he doesn't quite have down the concept that "no" means you stop doing whatever it is that you shouldn't be doing!

Ethan is also saying more and more words.  He'll say, "Boo" for the cow sound, and he's got a great deep throaty "Quack" for a duck.  He says, "Mama", "Papa", "Ball", "Apple", "Melmo", "Ba" for Barley, and of course, as I mentioned, "No!"  One my favorites is "Nah."  He has definitely picked that one up from me, as I'll use that to redirect him to something else.  It's hysterical to hear him repeat, "Nah" when he decides to switch activities!

Last night, we were watching Elmo ("Melmo")- a new favorite of Ethan's- and Elmo started dancing.  Ethan started dancing around the room as well, moving his head, bouncing up and down, tapping his head, and clapping his hands.  He was dancing so passionately that he had to hold on to a laundry basket that was nearby just so he wouldn't fall over.  Pete and I just watched him and laughed at how insanely adorable this little person is!

Lastly ( I know this is a long one!) we took Ethan to the pediatrician for his 15 month check yesterday.  When the nurse measured his height, she thought for sure he'd be off the growth chart, and he nearly was- 33 inches puts him in the 95- 97% for height.  He weighed 26 lbs. 11 oz., which is 75% for weight.  And his head size is still hanging in there in the 50% range. 

Pete and I were commenting on how huge a difference this check-up at 15 months was from the last one at 12 months.  Yesterday, Ethan was walking around the exam room, playing with the toys, flirting with the doctor, opening the door and trying to escape and generally performing for the nurses and doctor. He has such a big personality!  The doctor and nurse repeatedly commented on what a happy, healthy little guy Ethan is- what more can we ask for?  Absolutely nothing!

Walking Man!

Ethan and his bear take a snooze

Ethan and Grandpa

Enjoying the Fall weather

Ethan is Barley's best friend... when it's meal time

Pushing the Cozy Coupe is hard work!

Peek-A-Boo!

Playing in the leaves

Wrestling with cousin Dylan

Ethan is very taken with things in the sky (notice the new kicks!!)

The big news this week is walking, walking, and more walking!!  Ethan took his first steps a few weeks ago and hasn't looked back!  He is a walking man!!  At times, he even tries to run, but his legs can't quite keep up with his brain... yet!  I had always heard that toddlers had exhausted Mamas - now I know why!  Ethan is a busy little boy and likes to explore everything, and now that he can walk, a whole new level has been opened up for him!

With these new walking abilities, we've been spending a lot of time outside, discovering new things in my parents' yard (we are staying here for a few weeks).  Ethan loves trying to climb up the hill in the side yard; he has pretty much mastered that.  Going back down the hill is a whole other story. He tumbles every time.  My parents dug out the old Cozy Coupe that my siblings and I played with years ago.  Ethan has enjoyed pushing it around the yard, sitting in it and beeping the horn.  He hasn't quite gotten the hang of pushing himself forward, but he's got going backwards down.

Because Ethan is now an official walker, we thought that getting "big boy shoes" was an important step!  My mom and I took him to the shoe store and had him fitted.  The second the saleswoman put the shoes on Ethan's feet, he squirmed out of my arms and proceeded to do laps around the store to try out his new kicks.  I think that he likes them because they make a stomping sound when he walks - such a big boy!

Ethan continues to try out new sounds and words.  They still seems to be on a rotating cycle. He'll use a word a lot for a few days and then we won't hear it again for weeks.  This week, he is loving to quack like a duck, and he likes to repeat me when I say, "Naaa", which is definitely my favorite.  He has uttered "Mama" a few times, but still infrequently.  It pretty much melts my heart when he does say it - maybe he knows this and is reserving it for when he really wants something!!

We've also noticed that Ethan is exhibiting some fear lately.  He never really expressed fear of any sort up until now.  We watch Baby Einstein videos in the morning when he wakes up and has his morning milk.  At one point, there is a Chinese Dragon puppet that pops up on the screen.  On two occasions, Ethan let out a yelp and jumped into my lap when it came on the screen.  We're not sure what it is about that dragon, but boy does he not like it!

 The other incident when Ethan showed that he was totally freaked out happened a few weeks ago.  We were in CT and visited our local dairy store, Stew Leonards.  They have lots of animatronic puppets and interactive farm animals for the kids who are walking through the store.  On the wall near the milk, there is a cow. and if you push a button, the cow moos.  Ethan took one look at that cow and grabbed on to me for dear life! And once that thing mooed... boy, did he scream!!  Then a few weeks later, my dad and I needed a few things at Stew's, and we took Ethan.  We were still in the parking lot when Ethan began whine and reach for me.  Amazingly, he already knew where we were just from being in the parking lot!  Needless to say, it was not a pleasant walk through Stew's, even though we tried to scurry past the cow on the wall - more screams and tears!  We will not be visiting Stew's again any time soon!

It continues to amaze me how much Ethan learns every day.  He remembers people and things that I would never imagine that he would or could.  Seeing the world through his eyes is incredible and we are so lucky that we get to experience each new adventure with him!

Winter is Coming!


Playing Peek-A-Boo with Grandpa


"Balls!"

Little Bee's stinger!


Such a big boy at dinner


Bumblebee


Our Jack O' Lanterns (great job Grandma!)


Ethan couldn't get enough of this big pumpkin


Snuggling with Grandma


The Crew


My Little Bee


Ethan loved helping Daddy push the wheel barrel


Daddy will never have to do yard work alone again- or at least until Ethan is oh, 15!


Ethan determined to walk back and forth as many times as it would take to fill the garden box

Giving Barley a bath

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Yarusavage came to stay with us for the weekend. We had a great time visiting a farmers' market to pick out some carving pumpkins, or as Ethan calls them, "balls!" We walked around a pumpkin festival, where 5,000 pumpkins were lit, up and down the streets around LL Bean, and we carved pumpkins! Ethan had a great time taking in all of the activity and was very taken with the jack o' lanterns that filled the sidewalks.

On Halloween, we spent some time visiting cousins Jack, Maddie, and Marshall, and then we did some trick or treating in downtown Freeport. Ethan was excited to get balloons, and Daddy was excited to get candy! Overall, we had a really fun weekend and can't wait until next year when Ethan (hopefully) actually likes dressing up- he HATED his costume this year! You'll notice that in most of the pics with his cousins he is eating- crackers to keep the little bee happy with his hood up!

Our newest and most exciting news is that Ethan is walking! He was taking a few steps here and there, but suddenly, over the last week, he has gotten steadier and steadier on his feet and boy is he proud of himself. We love watching the little drunkin' sailor teetering across our living room floor- absolutely adorable!

Anyway, I'm going to keep this one short, as Ethan's naps have been short this week- teething!

Thanks for reading!