Crawling!

Trying to stay cool

It's hard work being the big brother

Tub Time

What a crazy week it has been! Last week we noticed that Ethan was not sleeping well at night, was irritable during the day, and was running a low-grade fever. I just assumed that he was starting to get more teeth. By Friday, Ethan's behavior wasn't changing and he still had a fever. We decided to have the doc check him to rule out any infections. No infections found, just red, irritated throat. We were told to continue Tylenol and Motrin and to give him lots of fluids.

Grandma and Grandpa Y came to visit on Saturday. We had a nice time despite Ethan's ailment. Monday morning the fever had finally broken, and we noticed a strange rash all over Ethan's forehead and chest. Luckily, Grandma was here and said that it looked like Roseola. We looked it up and sure enough, all of the symptoms matched up. Happily, the rash is gone, and for the most part, Ethan is back to his old self again. It's definitely heartbreaking having a sick baby- all I wanted to do was take his pain away and make him feel better!

Yesterday Ethan had his nine month check-up. We described Ethan's rash and Dr. Power confirmed Grandma's diagnosis. Ethan's newest stats are as follows- he is weighing in at 21 lbs. and 4 oz. putting him in the 75th percentile, he is 29 and 1/2 inches long- 90th percentile, and his head is 17 and 1/2 inches putting him in the 50th percentile. The doctor reports that he looks great and is right on target developmentally.

Our newest and most exciting news is that Ethan is mobile! He started officially crawling across the floor yesterday. Previously he had been taking a few shuffles and falling, but now, he is cruising! It's amazing to me how quickly everything came together for him- and boy is he proud of himself!

Almost There!

Nothing is safe anymore!

Love those big blues

Loving the playground at Bradbury Park

Auntie Sarah hikes Bradbury with us

Up on all fours

Hmmmm, looks interesting

Almost there...

Water bowl

This is fun!

We love having visitors! This week Auntie Sarah came from Connecticut to play with us. It so interesting to watch Ethan's reaction to people that are not present in his everyday life. He gets shy and gives an adorably cute little coy smile. He watches the new person but makes sure that Pete and I are still close by. He warmed up to Auntie Sarah in no time when he discovered that she would roll around with him on the floor, make funny sounds, and build blocks with him. We had a great visit! One of the highlights was taking Ethan on his first hike. We have a small state park very close to our house called Bradbury State Park. It is the perfect place to take a short hike and reach a beautiful summit. They also have a great playground and Ethan loves the swings. We put Ethan in our baby backpack, and he was completely content to take in all of the wilderness views. A great day had by all!

Ethan is so close to crawling! In fact, last night he took four crawl steps and then fell to his belly, but we haven't seen him do it again since. Any day now, he is going to be taking off! He has mastered the art of combat crawling to get what he wants, as evidenced in the pictures of him getting into Barley's water bowl. We can't take our eyes off of him for a second! He is also beginning to realize that not only are there fun things on the floor, but there are surfaces above him that contain interesting objects as well. He is beginning to pull himself up on furniture or at the very least teeter on his knees to check out the higher elevations around the house. This week I've had to save the computer, camera, and a water bottle- all items that I thought were safely stowed and out of reach!

In food news, we've discovered a new, healthy favorite. Ethan loves Quinoa! It's a grain that is high in protein. I've mixed it with fruits for breakfast and veggies and cheese for dinner- he really enjoys it in any form.

We are so very close to Ethan really getting moving- check back for videos of the real deal when it happens!

Low Key Week, Just the Way We Like It!

Playing after bathtime

My babies...

Ethan and I on Mother's Day

We've had a great week. Grandma and Grandpa Fowler came up to visit for Mother's Day weekend. My mom treated me to a Mother's Day massage on Saturday so Ethan got to have

some "guy time" with Daddy and Grandpa. It was nice for me to be able to relax knowing that Ethan was in such good care- and Pete and Grandpa knew that if all else failed, and they couldn't console Ethan, that Ben and Jerry's was right down the road! Saturday afternoon we had my brothers and their families over for dinner. Ethan had a great time playing on the floor with his cousins, and they had fun playing with all of his toys!

Sunday we celebrated my first Mother's Day. We had a nice relaxing day, and I recieved my very first artwork from Ethan. Too cute! Pete went out and got crayons and let Ethan color in a card for me. Pete reports that he was really getting into it and is convinced that he is left handed. Maybe we have an artist on our hands!

Ethan is moving more than ever. His newest accomplishment is that he can go from laying down to sitting up on his own. He is also working on a bit of a combat crawl- if he really wants to get to something, he will either drag himself on his belly over to it, or he'll roll to it. Needless to say, we can't take our eyes off of him for too long, because he is qiuckly discovering the benefits of mobility!

Last week we were concerned over a reaction that Ethan had when we gave him eggs. I've spoken with the pediatrician and she says that it sounds like an egg allergy. She gave us the option of going to an allergist right away, or waiting a while (until he is 1) to try them again. We have opted to wait it out and just stay away from eggs altogether for now. Geuss I'm going to have to look for recipes for an eggless birthday cake once August rolls around...
Other than having our weekend visitors, we've had a pretty low key week. We've taken some walks, played in the yard, and swung in our tree swing. Yesterday we met a friend at a nearby state park and played on the playground. It's been so nice to be able to get out and enjoy our yard and the local parks.

I'm so lucky that I get to be home with Ethan. So far, spring has been wonderful! We are really looking forward to summer when everyone else will be out of school and available to play!

Fun Games and Good Friends

Hanging out in my swing

Teething biscuits- we generally need a bath after one of these!

Double Duty

Beach!

The Whole Gang

First game

Barley enjoying the shade in the stands

Walking the field before the game

"Hey, I know you!!"

The Fam

What a fun week! Whatever was troubling Ethan last week has passed- and no new teeth! We really have no idea what was bothering him. He is back to his pleasant old self and is mostly sleeping through the night again, with generally one feeding around 3 or 4 in the morning. I'm not sure what the problem was, but am glad that Ethan is my happy little guy again.

Over the weekend we had our friends Andrea, Joel, their baby Sam, and their dog Otis come to stay with us. We went to Bark in the Park. It's a fund raiser at out local minor league baseball stadium. Fans get to bring their dogs, walk around the field before the game begins, and sit in the stands with the pooches. It was a beautiful day, and we all had a great time. Barley and Otis were happy to once again, like old times, before babies, be the center of attention! I think that the babies had fun too, watching all of the people and pups.

We had a great weekend. It's so nice having friends who are at the exact same point in their lives- 8 month old baby, 3 year old dog- very cool! We all enjoyed watching the babies play and interact. We are hoping that Sam observed some of Ethan's eating habits, and that Ethan got some pointers on crawling from Sam!

Ethan continues to try and move. He is getting more and more curious about the things around him, and therefore, more and more motivated to get moving. He continues to lean forward from a sitting position, but most times can't get his leg out of the way to get up. Yesterday, for a brief moment, he did however get up on all fours and move himself backwards a bit before flopping down. He's on his way!!

In food news, we are thinking we may have a potential egg allergy on our hands. I've given Ethan egg before, but he hasn't eaten much of it in the past. On Monday night, I scrambled an egg with a little milk, and some cheese. As he was eating, I noticed little red spots all around his mouth. About twenty minutes after he was finished eating, the spots were gone. I've put a call into the pediatrician, and am waiting to hear back. For now, we are steering clear of eggs!

This weekend we will celebrate my first Mother's Day. I feel so lucky to be a part of "the club." Since becoming a mom, I have felt more joy, and love than ever before- it truly is an amazing experience...