Not so Winter Storms!

Playing with his exersaucer!

Tasty!

Loves this toy! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Fowler!

I was pondering what I would write about in my blog this week. It has been fairly uneventful- lots of hunkering down at home due to bad weather, and just general chores and errands. But, much to my dismay, yesterday's storm brought a new adventure to write about!

As we all slept, snugly in our beds, we could hear the strong winds (60 mph) and rain pounding our poor little house- then suddenly- no power- ugh! No power and baby equals no fun!! Luckily, we were able to camp out at Ken and Melissa's house yesterday. Maddie, Marshall, and Jack were thrilled with the impromptu visit from their baby cousin Ethan! And Ken was thrilled that we had to use up stuff in our freezer before it thawed and went bad- lasagna for all! After 31 hours of no power, Mom and Dad were at their wits end! Ethan seemed none the wiser, and enjoyed sitting at home with us, watching the fire, and snuggling together in bed to stay warm. I'd say he came through his first power outage with flying colors!

Our big boy had his six month check up yesterday. He weighed in at 18 pounds 14 ounces, and 27 inches long. This puts him in the 75th percentile for height and weight. His head is still in the 25th percentile- guess he inherited his mama's head! Doctor Jen reported that Ethan was right on target developmentally for everything, and that our newest assignment is to begin to help Ethan to sleep through the night on his own. This should be very interesting! Right now, Ethan sleeps with us, and wakes numerous times throughout the night to eat. Doctor Jen has instructed us to stop feeding him at night. We'll see who wins that battle- Ethan's need to eat or Mama's need for sleep!

Next week, we are heading out on our first family vacation! Pete's company has generously paid for a four day cruise for all of us to enjoy! I'll fill you in on our voyage, when we return! Pete and I consider ourselves to be seasoned travelers, but having Ethan in tow will provide us will a whole new set of challenges and fun!

6 Months Old!

Already a Chili Peppers fan!

Ethan and Daddy

Valentine's Day pizza slices with Mama in Portland

Sam and Ethan hanging out in Portsmouth

Teething!

Best friends

Sitting up!

Ethan will be six months old on Monday. I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone by. I can hardly remember what life was like before Ethan arrived. He brings us so much joy every day. Pete and I are constantly amazed at how intensely we love this little baby and how that love grows stronger and stronger every day.

As a nearly six month old, Ethan continues to grow and develop by leaps and bounds. Our newest adventure this week is the discovery of a little tooth coming through his bottom gums. This has made for a very exhausting week for both Mama and baby. I could tell something was up Monday morning when Ethan had slept poorly the night before and was just generally crabby! I peeked in his mouth (though he HATES this!) and discovered the beginnings of his first tooth! Needless to say, sleep has been difficult, with Ethan waking every couple of hours throughout the night with discomfort. This too shall pass, and I am reminding myself, though very sleep deprived, that someday I will miss these nights with my baby boy.

We are continuing to work on sitting up and Ethan is getting stronger and stronger. I can sit him up and put his Boppy pillow behind him (for a soft landing if he topples) and he plays independently in this position. In another week or two, I think he'll be fully independent. Pretty cool!

As Ethan gets older, he is beginning to be able entertain himself more easily. Up until now, in order for me to shower, I'd lay Ethan on a blanket on the bathroom floor and race through my routine. Last week, I peeked out at him and discovered that he had scooted himself over to the toilet and was investigating the bottom of the toilet bowl! Needless to say, his days of floor duty were over. I have been pleasantly surprised at how content Ethan is to lay in his crib, watch his mobile, chatter to himself and play with his toys while I shower. Of course, at this point his crib is strictly for entertainment and NOT sleep!!

Today Ethan and I traveled to Portsmouth to meet my friend Andrea and her son Sam for lunch. Andrea and I were discussing how challenging being out and about with babies can be. Each of us had brought along our "bag of tricks" loaded with toys and fun things to chew on in hopes of occupying our sons during the meal. Ethan was not at all impressed with any of my tricks. So, I picked him up. As I took my first bite, Ethan grabbed my full water glass and dumped it all over my lap! All I could do was laugh! Ahh! Parenthood!!!

Even with the sleepless nights, the wet laps, and the interrupted meals, we are so thankful Ethan has entered our lives. What an incredible six months it has been!

Entering Blogsville!

Food!

Discovering my Toes

The Lean

Am I Cute, or What?

Thank you Auntie Sarah!

So, here we are- entering blogsville! I love the idea of documenting all of the wonderfully amazing events that occur weekly with Ethan. This format will not only allow us to remember all of these great moments, but now we can share them with our family and friends far and near!

So, let's see... Ethan is 5 months and 3 weeks old. Everyday is a joy with our little man! I love that at almost six months, Ethan's personality is forming more and more every day. He is such a little lover! One of his favorite things to do is snuggle! He loves to laugh- especially when we tickle his neck and belly.

Our newest adventure has been solid foods, and boy does Ethan take after his parents! He LOVES food! Some favorites so far are sweet potatoes, avocados, butternut squash and peaches. We really haven't come across anything that Ethan doesn't like- as I said- he is quickly becoming a "foodie" just like his mom and dad!

We have started attending baby storytime at our local library. Here, we sing songs, listen to stories and play hand games. Ethan loves watching the other babies and moms-a great activity for long winter days!

Some of Ethan's favorite activities these days are laying on his back hanging on to his feet and putting his toes in his mouth. He also loves playing in his doorway jumper. For a while he would just sort of hang there, but now he has mastered the art of jumping and is so proud of himself! Ethan is working on sitting up on his own- he is mostly there, though I still like to stay close just in case he starts to topple over! I've also noticed that Ethan is talking more and more. He babbles on and on- rah, rah, bah, bah! When he is frustrated he really starts talking- he always seems like he is giving me the business and putting me in my place! Ethan is also exploring cause and effect. He loves the "drop my toy and you pick it up" game. He is also learning about mimicry. When he is sitting in his bumbo seat, he leans to the side and loves it when we copy him. He doesn't quite understand why Barley and his stuffed animals won't copy him and looks a bit disheartened when they won't participate in his game!

I have so many favorite moments on a daily basis with Ethan, but waking up with Ethan laying next to us in the morning remains in the top ten. He is in such a sweet mood and will just lay there, kicking his legs, grabbing my face and babbling. Such an incredibly happy way to start each day.

Please feel free to comment on our blog! I will try to keep up with it on a weekly basis! Happy Valentine's Day!