More Summer Fun

"Hey Dad, what's for dinner?" Side note, this was one of the first meals that Ethan ate the same dinner that we ate- fish, squash, sweet potato, and corn!

My little Scholar

Helping himself to some juice

Ethan's new favorite toy- Chuck the Truck!

Playing with his second cousin Kelly

Watching the garbage truck at Grandma F's house

Lunch with Grandpa

Pool time

Sharing a snack with Auntie Sarah

New Hampshire with Grandma and Grandpa

Ethan's first time in a bouncy house at Uncle Ken's birthday party

More splashing!

We're back! We were away for a couple of weeks visiting with family and friends. Over the span of 3 weeks since I last blogged, Ethan has changed so much! First off, he's now got 4 teeth on top. Ethan has discovered just how useful these teeth are, and likes to take small bites out of everything- it's so strange to hear him crunching away!

Ethan is starting to understand so much more of what we are saying and is trying to mimic us. The first time I heard him do this, he was playing with his cars and trucks with my mom. She said, "Vroom, vroom, vroom" and clear as day, he repeated her! Now we've noticed that he'll try to repeat some of the words that we say- ball, puppy, moo, etc. One of my favorite new words that Ethan now says on a regular basis is, "Mama" I LOVE it!! And over the last day or so, he's been beginning to work on saying,"Dada" as well. I can't wait to hear what else Ethan has to say!

Ethan has begun waving. He started out by making a big sweeping movement with his whole arm to wave, but now he waves with his hand. This too, is pretty darn cute! He doesn't quite understand that we wave hello and goodbye, so he'll wave at everything, anytime, but that's fine with us- we just like watching him do it and he is so happy when we wave back.

Over the last few weeks, we've spent a ton of time near water. Ethan LOVES to splash and swim. We've taken him to beaches, lakes, and pools and he has enjoyed them all. In fact, he'll splash and splash until his face is completely covered in water and it doesn't phase him even a bit. If anything, I have to hold him back a bit from getting too overzelaous in the water. He tries over and over to put his face in the water, which makes his daddy especially nervous! Maybe we have an Olympic hopeful our hands...

What else? We've begun child proofing- guards on the drawers and cabinets. Ethan is so quick, that it seems nothing is safe anymore. The second he hears to fridge door open, he bolts to get in, and more often than not, he gets there before we can move him out. He loves trying to get up the stairs and if he sees us coming to get him, he tries to go up even faster. He loves it when we crawl around and chase after him. He started this game in CT with Auntie Sarah. The funniest part about it is, that he'll get so giggly as he is trying to flee, that he loses coordination and begins to collapse in fits of laughter and anticipation. It is really amusing!

Over the past few weeks, we've noticed Ethan really playing with his toys. His favorite toys are his cars and trucks and he'll wheel these around from room to room. I've also noticed him becoming more and more interested in books. In the past, if he found a book, he'd pick it up and naw on it (many of our books look good & chewed!!) but recently he's been taking books, and turning the pages to study to pictures all on his own. He loves it when we read to him, and he knows that his job is to turn the page.

Another bedtime routine that we have begun is brushing teeth. I hadn't really ever thought about adding this step to our bedtime until he was older and could do it himself. But one night, I was holding Ethan and brushing my own teeth. Ethan was very curious about it, so I put the brush in his mouth and he got a real kick out of it. The next day, I went out and got him his own toothbrush and paste. He loves it (I think that he thinks it's a bedtime snack) but I figure it's never to early to sart the habit and perhaps we'll avoid having this be a battle when he is a little older. Besides, who wouldn't love brushing their teeth with apple banana flavored toothpaste?!

I could go on and on about all of the new, cute, funny, amazing things that Ethan is doing, but I think I'll end it here. Yesterday marked Ethan's 11th month. I cannot even believe that so much time has gone by and that next month Ethan will be a whole year old! I am so in awe as I observe his growth and development. It's a pretty amazing process to watch this little person that we created become more of a capable human being each day- I just wish it would slow down, even just a little!!