First Steps!

Ethan loves the fridge and will pick out all of the food he knows belongs to him!


















A few shots from our day in Ogunquit with Uncle Adam


Over the weekend, Uncle Adam came for a visit. We hadn't seen him in about 6 months, as he was in school in Italy. The last time Adam had seen Ethan, he was still pretty immobile- boy has a lot changed! We had a nice weekend playing, sightseeing, and most importantly, eating! (Adam was studying Italian cooking)

Our biggest news from the week, is that Ethan took his first steps! I think he surprised himself a bit. We were playing with his toys, when suddenly he stood up, looked at me, and took three steps over to the couch. That was last Sunday and he hasn't taken any more steps on his own since then, but it's still official- he definitely took a few unaided steps! I think it's only a matter of weeks before he's getting around on his own.

Ethan has added "bubble" to his list of words. When we blow bubbles for him, he says, "Bub, bub." He continues to say mama, dada, and pup. He says other things that sound like words to us, but we don't think he has attached meaning to them yet- he certainly is a chatter box though- so much in fact that it draws comments from other moms!

My newest attempt to get Ethan to sleep more soundly at night has been limiting him to one nap per day. This has been kind of fun for us as it opens up the whole morning for us to attend activities that are offered in the community. We went to story time here in Freeport on Tuesday morning. Ethan was doing wonderfully listening to the books as they were read, participating in the rhymes and songs, and watching the other babies- until they brought out the snacks!! Each child got one graham cracker. Of course, Ethan was finished with his cracker before the basket had even gotten around the room! For the next 10 minutes, all Ethan could focus on was the fact that the other children had cookies and he did not! He talked all about it, pointing to the crackers in his neighbors' hands for the rest of story time!

We also attended a weekly playgroup at the Community Center. There were a lot of the same babies at story time, and the playgroup so I think this will be a great way for Ethan to connect to some other local kids. As long as I keep Ethan well fed, I think that he will really enjoy making new friends!

Happy Birthday Marshall!

Uncle Ken and Ethan

One of Ethan's favorite spots is on Daddy's shoulders

Jack and Ethan take the convertible for a spin

Off into the sunset

Grandpa and I discussing the ins and outs of Fort Williams

Ethan, Uncle Ken and I at Fort Williams

Ethan and his fashion diva cousin Madeline

Over the weekend we spent lots of time with family. We spent Saturday at Fort Williams, having lunch, playing games, and taking in the views. Ethan loves being around his cousins and just sort of watches them in awe. He was content to spend the day sitting on a blanket, rolling his cars around, and hitching a ride on my back to look at the lighthouse, fort, and ocean views.

Sunday we celebrated cousin Marshall's 7th birthday. There were lots of kids there, playing with trucks, having tea parties, and running around. Ethan got right into the mix, and had a blast playing. He would crawl right up to the kids and "talk" to them about whatever toy they had at the moment. The younger ones didn't quite know what to make of Ethan's language, and would sort of blankly stare at him, but Ethan was oblivious, and was certain that he had passed on some key information!

We suspect that Ethan is getting closer and closer to walking. This week he is easily balancing himself on a wooden push toy we have and will walk across the living room and kitchen. He does it with no effort! At times when he has pulled himself up on a chair or couch, he'll let go and can stand for a few seconds. He has no real interest in holding our hands and taking steps. He'll take a few steps, but quickly realizes he can move much more quickly if he drops down and crawls. We are certainly in no rush, but all the signs point to Ethan walking in the next few weeks!

Much to my dismay, this week Ethan has been sleeping horribly at night! Once I think that we have the sleep thing down, Ethan changes! He has been taking really long naps during the day, so I'm wondering if he's so well rested, that he can't stay asleep at night. We are trying to tweak this now and wake him up if his afternoon nap goes too long. I hate waking him up when he is sleeping so peacefully, but I hate staying up all night with him much more! We'll keep chugging along and trying to figure this out! I know that eventually he'll sleep... right?!

Thanks for reading along and keeping up with our adventures! Till next week!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

We've had a fun-filled week! Friday night, the Childrens' Museum in Portland had $1 admission, so we headed down to check it out. Ethan was beside himself when we let him loose in the toddler room. His face turned bright red, as he looked around at all of the cool things to play with and all of the kids that were the same size as him. We had a wonderful time rolling around on the soft floor, playing with the beach balls, and what we think was Ethan favorite exhibit at the museum, checking out the Oakhurst cow- he hugged the life size plastic cow as though it were his long lost friend, and got the biggest smile on his face!

We spent Sunday with Bob, Margo, and Dylan. We picked apples at an orchard up the road from them. Ethan was very proud that he could hold and eat an apple all by himself. Just a year ago, we visited the same orchard, and Ethan was tiny- about a month old. Amazing how much can change in a year! We rode on a wagon pulled by horses at the orchard as well. Ethan didn't take his eyes off of those horses and after the ride was over, we got to visit the horses and pet their huge snouts. Ethan was unsure at first, but eventually decided that it was okay and pet the horses a few times. I think we may have a budding farmer on our hands!

On Labor Day Monday, we packed up and took a little road trip down to Ogunquit beach. We ended up having such a wonderful time there, and Pete and I kept remarking on how we felt like we had stepped into a vacation. The weather was gorgeous, and Ethan had a fantastic time splashing in the water, playing in the sand, taking in the views during the ocean walk that we did, and of course, eating ice cream! It was a great day- I guess one of the last true days of summer!

We are having more and more fun with Ethan as he is able to do and understand more. He is a little ham to the fullest! He adores Barley, and has now realized that the best way to keep Barley close, is to share his food with him. Somehow, Ethan knows that Barley loves cheese. Whenever I give Ethan cheese, he inevitably offers it to the dog. Very cute! This week, they are beginning to play together a bit more. Barley will drop the ball for Ethan and Ethan will toss it for him. Eventually, they will become the best of friends!

Ethan is everywhere and into everything! He loves opening cabinets and pulling out their contents, he loves climbing the stairs and boy is he getting good at it. If the gate isn't up, he'll crawl over to the stairs, climb up a stair or two, and then wait for someone to discover him. Once he sees that you see him, he tries to climb up those stairs as quickly as he can!

These days, Ethan is loving bath time. He'll go into the bathroom even when it's not bath time and try to climb into the tub! When we are having our nightly bath, Ethan happily sits and plays with his fish, boat, and other toys until his little fingers and toes are prunes. I have to admit, bath time is one of my favorite times too. As I sit and watch Ethan playing, I realize what a big kid he is!

We are sad to see summer coming to an end, but know that fall brings all sorts of new and fun activities! We are looking forward to experiencing fall through our little guy's eyes! We are discovering that everything is more fun with a baby- and it's a great excuse to do all of the fun "kid stuff!"

Good time with Friends!

Ethan takes the driver's seat to break for lunch on our journey from Boston

Ethan and Sam

Sam and Ethan

Playing Peek- A-Boo at the park

Next they are going to look under the hood!

Ethan's love of cars and trucks continues

Bath time

Cooling off at Range Pond

Sand!

What a week! We spent some great time in Boston visiting Andrea, Joel, Sam, and Otis. We had so much fun playing with the babies (and dogs). Ethan and Sam are interacting more and more- each time we visit, they seem to notice each other a little bit more. It is so much fun watching them play, and noticing the likenesses and differences in their personalities. Andrea and I thought we'd need to have some plans for the Monday that we spent with the dogs and babies while Joel and Pete were at work, but we realized quickly that the boys were happy to just play with each other and all of the toys at the house. Between naps and playtime the day had flown by before we knew it! We did have time to head to a playground designed with toddlers in mind. Ethan loved crawling around, playing with the various play structures and toys there. The boys were filthy by the time we left- a definite sign of a good time! I love the fact that Ethan already has a good friend to grow up with!

We returned to Maine, only to discover that the high temperatures were not just reserved for the Boston area. It has been HOT here this week. Ethan and I have been spending a lot of time at beaches and ponds this week. As I was getting our lunch packed one day, it struck me that my baby boy is quickly turning into a little boy! I was deciding what to make us for lunch- gone are the days of pureed baby food- I packed a peanut butter sandwich for each of us, a yogurt to split, and some grapes. Either I'm eating more like a baby, or he is turning into a real kid!

My favorite new addition to Ethan's repertoire of cute things that he does, is his ability to have a conversation in his own little language. It is adorable! He points out things around him and then has this long discussion about it. He uses all sorts of inflection and changes his tone and facial expression. Every time I try to get it on video, he stops talking, but at some point, I'll catch him and post it- it's too darn cute!!