Teething and Tantrums

Ethan fell in love with this big elephant at the indoor play center that we visited with Grandma and Grandpa Y

Loving the slide

Playing with Daddy

Looks like Grandma and Ethan are having a good time!

What to do on a cold winter day?  Finger paint with chocolate pudding of course! 

Happy Valentine's Day!  Ethan is clearly telling me to put down the camera so we can go for our walk!

Valentine's Day lollipop

We were so happy with the warmer temperatures this week, that we rushed to our local beach- it was a mud fest, and Ethan loved every minute!

Freedom!

This is how we are battling teething these days- homemade popsicles

We have continued to keep busy.  We had a really nice visit last weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Y.  We visited a local indoor play studio and Ethan just couldn't get enough of it!  He bounced from activity to activity, but by far his favorites were the big stuffed elephant, and the slide.  Ethan loved having his Grandma and Grandpa here to entertain him- he was certainly tuckered out after a weekend of lots of activity!

Ethan has begun tried and true temper tantrums this week.  All out crying fits where he throws himself to the ground when he doesn't get his way. Pete and I are hoping that if he's starting the "terrible twos" early, maybe he'll be finished with them early too- we can dream, right?  We're thinking that teething is contributing to these crying fits too.  He'll put his fingers in his mouth and just cry.  We've been trying to keep him as comfortable as possible, but it's so hard to know what helps when he can't tell us.

So last week I posted pictures of our potty arriving at the house.  Since then, every night when Ethan is getting undressed to get into the bathtub, I ask if he wants to sit on the potty. Over the weekend when Colleen and I were getting him ready for the tub Ethan sat on the potty, and then stood up and proceeded to pee on the floor right next to it!  I think that he's trying to tell me to put the stinking potty away until he's ready!

Thanks for reading!

Little Helper

Ethan and his friend Mia hold hands

Another haircut! Note the chocolate on his chin- who knew M&Ms were so necessary for haircuts?

Helping Daddy feed Barley

Ethan loves his pup

Our new potty arrived in the mail- Ethan was not so sure about it.

Investigating

I guess eventually this will work...

Ethan didn't really want to sit on the potty, so he decided to give Elmo a ride instead

Finally figured it out!

Ethan loved eating the mini snowmen that we built while taking a break from snowshoeing

I can't believe how quickly the weeks are flying by!  Ethan will be 18 months next week, which completely blows my mind!!  We are having lots of fun this winter playing in the snow, and finding creative activities to do indoors when it's too cold to go out, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm dreaming of warmer days!  Ethan is so mobile and curious about everything and so I can't wait for the change of seasons so we can go out and explore our yard, watch things bloom, and most importantly (to Ethan!!) not have to bundle up in order to leave the house!

To keep busy indoors, I've been enlisting Ethan to help me with chores around the house.  It is the most adorable thing to watch how proud he is of himself when he helps.  He helps me take laundry from the washer and put it in the dryer, and the other day I was carrying a laundry basket and he ran up and grabbed one side of it to help me carry it into the living room- cute!  He helps clean his high chair tray by picking up all of the pieces of left over food, and then wiping the tray with a wash cloth.  He loves to help feed Barley by pouring his kibble into his bowl.  All of this seems so simple, but to me, it signals that my little guy is growing up sooooo quickly!  It's amazing how much he changes from month to month! 

Ethan's vocabulary is growing by the day. If he falls down, or he drops something, he'll say, "Boom, boom."  He says "Go, go, go" and he'll say the initial sound of a lot of words- "B" for bird, Barley, and "Beh, beh" for Big Bird.  He's got great inflection- when we are leaving he'll wave and say "Bye, bye" in a high pitched voice.  He has his own language, complete with hand signals to tell stories about events that are happening around him. 

Recently Ethan has started taking notice of his clothes.  I ordered a new pair of shoes for him and when they arrived I put them on his feet.  He was thrilled to see that they had dogs riding in cars and proceeded to run from room to room (we were staying at my parents house) showing everyone his new shoes.  That evening, when we were getting undressed for bath, Ethan tried to put his shoes back on his bare feet.  He is beginning to look at the patterns on his shirts and pajamas and is especially pleased when it's something he loves- cars, trucks, or trains!!

As you can see from the pictures, we recently got a potty for Ethan.  I know that we have a while before we start official potty training, but over the past couple of weeks, Ethan has been telling us when he has poo in his diaper.  I figured that having the potty in the bathroom, and allowing him to get comfortable with it couldn't hurt.  So for now, if it provides a place for Elmo to hang out, that's just fine, and if Ethan wants to try and use it, that's great too!! 

17 Months Old!!

Sam and Ethan hard at play

Taking a snack break

Checking out the fish tank at LL Bean

Ethan loves the Gendrons!  Snuggling before bed.

Our little guys have grown so much!  This picture was taken last November 2009

Pushing the babies in the stroller at Grandma and Papa's house is one of Ethan's favorites

Driving the bus at Stepping Stones Museum

Ethan loved the water room at the museum

Playing with the shapes

We had so much fun playing in the snow (even though Ethan doesn't look so happy in this shot)

 Last weekend Ethan's friend Sam (and our friends Andrea and Joel) came to visit us.  The boys are only a couple of weeks apart in age, and we've been getting them together since they were just months old.  Each time we get them together, we are all so amazed at how alike they are, and how much older they have gotten since the last visit. 

This time, they interacted more than ever before.  Ethan was very intrigued by having another person that was his size around.  He inspected every part of Sam from the hair on his head (literally) to his toes (again, literally).  At one point, when Ethan and Sam were having apple pieces for snack, Ethan decided that he would take care of his buddy by putting his apple piece in Sam's mouth- awfully cute!  The boys had a great time playing trains and running around at LL Bean.  It's so nice to know that Ethan has a great friend to grow up with!

Pete, Ethan, Barley and I came down to Connecticut on Wednesday.  We had a free day before Pete left for work, so we decided to check out a local childrens' museum with Grandma and Grandpa Y.  Ethan had a fantastic time running around from exhibit to exhibit, but his favorite by far was splashing around in the water room. It's a good thing they had smocks available! The museum was great, and watching Ethan play and discover was pretty cool.

Ethan is adapting more and more to the cold weather and is actually beginning to enjoy it.  We got more snow today and so we took the opportunity to suit up (far less painful today) and go out and play.  Auntie Sarah and I sledded down the small hill in our yard, taking turns with Ethan on our laps. He seemed a little uncertain, and we're still not sure how he felt about it.  On some trips down he had a definite smile, on others he seemed apathetic. Next time we'll try a bigger hill, which might be more fun for him... or terrifying. Ethan was happy to help shovel and brush the snow off of the cars, but his favorite activity was definitely eating endless amounts of snow. 

Tomorrow Ethan will be 17 months old!  It has flown by!  Everyone told me that the time would go quickly and it definitely does.  We are loving our little toddler despite the beginnings of temper tantrums and screams to get his way!  He is such a little character.  He loves to dance and has a variety of "moves" depending on the music.  And he is funny!  He will do anything to get a laugh- make silly noises, spin around, or be a goof with his juice (he thinks he is hysterical when he lets it drip down his chin!)  I know that I am repeating myself, but we are loving watching this amazing little person blossom a little bit more every day.

Choo Choos and Snow!!

This has been a BIG week for trains, and Legos!

More Trains!

Typical morning these days in our house- Ethan relaxing in his new chair, drinking some milk, and watching Elmo

My Snow Bunny!

Sledding with Mama

We all love playing in the snow

Especially Barley!

We can even swing in the snow!

Ethan needed some help from Daddy balancing in his big snow boots

This week has been all about trains!  We've had a snowy, cold week, and so we've had lots of time indoors to crawl around on the floor, laying track and playing with our train cars.  Ethan has loved every minute!  No surprise here- it's in his blood!! 

Today we had an opportunity to go outside and play in the snow.  This time was much more successful than our snow play in CT.  Ethan still screamed like crazy when we got him dressed to go outside, but once he was out there, he discovered how much fun the snow really is.  He loved walking around and exploring the yard (the parts where he didn't get buried).  He had a great time riding in his sled and swinging in his swing.  When it was time to go inside and warm up, Ethan cried because he didn't want to stop playing outside.  This was a HUGE relief to Pete and I, as we both really love winter and enjoy playing in the snow.  Now that Ethan is on board with the whole snow thing, I guess we can keep him!

Christmas 2010 and Snow!

Grandma Y helps Ethan with his new trucks

Trains! 

Ethan's new chair- he immediately crawled in with his new book with wheels

Trying out his new dump truck

Auntie Sarah made Ethan his very own duck

hanging out with cousin Jack

Waving out the window at Papa, Daddy, and Uncle Ken as they shovel the driveway

Ethan hates being bundled in so many layers- eventually he gave in and enjoyed riding his sled

Ethan and Daddy

Trying out Marshall's fort

Cousins!

Ethan loves his trains!

 Practicing our coloring.  Ethan can't decide if he'd rather color with or eat the crayons-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families.  Ethan embraced all things Christmas- the tree, decorations, the cookies, and of course the gifts!  He quickly learned that under all of those pretty wrappings, were fun toys!  Cars, trucks, trains, and books, were among his favorites.  I loved preparing for Christmas this year!  Knowing that we were creating a magical experience for our little guy was pretty cool! 

The day after Christmas, we had a huge snow storm.  Connecticut got 16 inches.  So, needless to say, we spent much of the week in CT in our jammies, playing games, watching Elmo, and playing with cousins Madeline, Jack, and Marshall.  Ethan loves playing with his cousins, and as he's gotten older, he's even trying to wrestle a bit with Jack and Marshall!  I guess boys will be boys!

The day after the storm, we ventured out to play.  It was a little stressful getting out the door as Ethan hates getting winter layers on.  It's so hard for him to understand why he has to wear big clunky boots, lots of layers, a hat, and mittens -- and boy does he let us know that he HATES it!   Once we were out and about for a while, and Ethan observed his cousins playing, he began to enjoy the snow. He liked riding in his new sled. but wanted nothing to do with walking around in the cold stuff.  I'm really hoping that he'll grow to love the snow, otherwise, we may have to move to California!

We've noticed that Ethan is understanding more and more of what we are saying to him and asking of him.  He can show us where his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, belly, hands, fingers, feet and toes are.  And he is learning more and more animal sounds.  He cracks us up when he doesn't know one of the sounds and makes one up.  For example, if we ask what a frog says, he'll growl- interesting!  The other day we asked him what Mama says, and he replied, "No, no, no!"  He's a real comedian!

When Ethan was smaller, parents used to always come up to me and tell me what their favorite age was.  "Oh, 9 months was great because they finally sleep"  Or "12 months was great because they are getting more independent."  I have to say that I have enjoyed every single stage and age thus far.  Some have certainly been more challenging than others, but I am just loving this ride so very much.  Every day brings something new to smile about.  This little guy brings so much complete joy to our lives.  I've never been much of a resolution girl myself, but if I had to make one, it would be to take time each and every day to count my lucky stars that I've been blessed with such an amazing family!