Walking Man!

Ethan and his bear take a snooze

Ethan and Grandpa

Enjoying the Fall weather

Ethan is Barley's best friend... when it's meal time

Pushing the Cozy Coupe is hard work!

Peek-A-Boo!

Playing in the leaves

Wrestling with cousin Dylan

Ethan is very taken with things in the sky (notice the new kicks!!)

The big news this week is walking, walking, and more walking!!  Ethan took his first steps a few weeks ago and hasn't looked back!  He is a walking man!!  At times, he even tries to run, but his legs can't quite keep up with his brain... yet!  I had always heard that toddlers had exhausted Mamas - now I know why!  Ethan is a busy little boy and likes to explore everything, and now that he can walk, a whole new level has been opened up for him!

With these new walking abilities, we've been spending a lot of time outside, discovering new things in my parents' yard (we are staying here for a few weeks).  Ethan loves trying to climb up the hill in the side yard; he has pretty much mastered that.  Going back down the hill is a whole other story. He tumbles every time.  My parents dug out the old Cozy Coupe that my siblings and I played with years ago.  Ethan has enjoyed pushing it around the yard, sitting in it and beeping the horn.  He hasn't quite gotten the hang of pushing himself forward, but he's got going backwards down.

Because Ethan is now an official walker, we thought that getting "big boy shoes" was an important step!  My mom and I took him to the shoe store and had him fitted.  The second the saleswoman put the shoes on Ethan's feet, he squirmed out of my arms and proceeded to do laps around the store to try out his new kicks.  I think that he likes them because they make a stomping sound when he walks - such a big boy!

Ethan continues to try out new sounds and words.  They still seems to be on a rotating cycle. He'll use a word a lot for a few days and then we won't hear it again for weeks.  This week, he is loving to quack like a duck, and he likes to repeat me when I say, "Naaa", which is definitely my favorite.  He has uttered "Mama" a few times, but still infrequently.  It pretty much melts my heart when he does say it - maybe he knows this and is reserving it for when he really wants something!!

We've also noticed that Ethan is exhibiting some fear lately.  He never really expressed fear of any sort up until now.  We watch Baby Einstein videos in the morning when he wakes up and has his morning milk.  At one point, there is a Chinese Dragon puppet that pops up on the screen.  On two occasions, Ethan let out a yelp and jumped into my lap when it came on the screen.  We're not sure what it is about that dragon, but boy does he not like it!

 The other incident when Ethan showed that he was totally freaked out happened a few weeks ago.  We were in CT and visited our local dairy store, Stew Leonards.  They have lots of animatronic puppets and interactive farm animals for the kids who are walking through the store.  On the wall near the milk, there is a cow. and if you push a button, the cow moos.  Ethan took one look at that cow and grabbed on to me for dear life! And once that thing mooed... boy, did he scream!!  Then a few weeks later, my dad and I needed a few things at Stew's, and we took Ethan.  We were still in the parking lot when Ethan began whine and reach for me.  Amazingly, he already knew where we were just from being in the parking lot!  Needless to say, it was not a pleasant walk through Stew's, even though we tried to scurry past the cow on the wall - more screams and tears!  We will not be visiting Stew's again any time soon!

It continues to amaze me how much Ethan learns every day.  He remembers people and things that I would never imagine that he would or could.  Seeing the world through his eyes is incredible and we are so lucky that we get to experience each new adventure with him!

Winter is Coming!


Playing Peek-A-Boo with Grandpa


"Balls!"

Little Bee's stinger!


Such a big boy at dinner


Bumblebee


Our Jack O' Lanterns (great job Grandma!)


Ethan couldn't get enough of this big pumpkin


Snuggling with Grandma


The Crew


My Little Bee


Ethan loved helping Daddy push the wheel barrel


Daddy will never have to do yard work alone again- or at least until Ethan is oh, 15!


Ethan determined to walk back and forth as many times as it would take to fill the garden box

Giving Barley a bath

Here are a few pictures from our Halloween weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Yarusavage came to stay with us for the weekend. We had a great time visiting a farmers' market to pick out some carving pumpkins, or as Ethan calls them, "balls!" We walked around a pumpkin festival, where 5,000 pumpkins were lit, up and down the streets around LL Bean, and we carved pumpkins! Ethan had a great time taking in all of the activity and was very taken with the jack o' lanterns that filled the sidewalks.

On Halloween, we spent some time visiting cousins Jack, Maddie, and Marshall, and then we did some trick or treating in downtown Freeport. Ethan was excited to get balloons, and Daddy was excited to get candy! Overall, we had a really fun weekend and can't wait until next year when Ethan (hopefully) actually likes dressing up- he HATED his costume this year! You'll notice that in most of the pics with his cousins he is eating- crackers to keep the little bee happy with his hood up!

Our newest and most exciting news is that Ethan is walking! He was taking a few steps here and there, but suddenly, over the last week, he has gotten steadier and steadier on his feet and boy is he proud of himself. We love watching the little drunkin' sailor teetering across our living room floor- absolutely adorable!

Anyway, I'm going to keep this one short, as Ethan's naps have been short this week- teething!

Thanks for reading!

Farm Animals, Acadia, and New Puppies!

Ethan meets the sheep at Sweetser Farm.











Meeting little Gunner for the first time.
































A few shots from Acadia National Park- Jordon Pond.













Ethan's first taste of popovers from Jordon Pondhouse... more please!









Checking out the pumpkins at Bishop Hill in CT.
























It's been a few weeks since I was able to get on and write. We've been busy, busy with visitors, a last minute trip to CT, and a few days away at Acadia National Park. Ethan has been a trooper through all of our activity- in fact, I really think he enjoys seeing all of the new people and places.

We just got back from spending three wonderful days in Bar Harbor/Acadia for Pete's birthday. The weather was a little chilly but Ethan loved hiking in Acadia, strolling around Bar Harbor, and taking in the sights. Pete and I marveled (again) at what a big kid Ethan is becoming. He ate off of the 'kids menu' twice while we were away, even eating the rice and beans that came with his quesadilla and drinking out of a kid's cup with a straw. It was so strange for us to see our little guy sitting with us, and eating off of the menu rather than having us spoon feed him baby food from jars!

Pete and I have been visiting Acadia every year since we moved to Maine, and one of the highlights of our trip is to hike around Jordon Pond, and then eat at the Jordon Pond House and enjoy their famous popovers. We decided that the trip would not be complete if we didn't introduce Ethan to our tradition- boy did he love those popovers! He couldn't get enough! Pete and I kept saying that we knew we loved Ethan because we were willing to share our popovers with him!

Once we were back home, we were excited to go meet the newest addition to our family. Uncle Ken and Auntie Melissa got a new puppy named Gunner. Ethan had a fun time crawling around in the yard with the new pup. I think that he was a little surprised to discover that he was real!!

After spending time with Gunner, we headed to Sweetser Farm. Uncle Bob and Auntie Margo volunteer their time at a local farm -- feeding the animals, mucking the stalls, and doing other farm chores, so it's a great opportunity for Ethan to get up close and personal with all of the farm animals that we read about in our books. He couldn't stop smiling as we met the geese, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, and horses. He loved Charlie the horse so much, that he actually tried to give him a hug! I'm sure as Ethan gets older we'll be spending a lot more time at the farm and Uncle Bob may even put him to work!

Ethan continues to amaze us with what he knows and what he is able to do. The other day we were playing in his room, and he picked up one of his books, put it on his little chair, and then proceeded to climb into the chair on his own, open the book, and read it!! I was blown away! He does this every time we are in his room now- it is adorable!

While we were hiking, Pete asked Ethan if he wanted his juice, and clear as anything, Ethan looked at him and said, "Yes." Pete and I looked at each other, wondering if we'd really just heard what we thought we'd heard!

Ethan is still taking tentative steps every now and again, but nothing reliably yet. I've noticed that if there are things to "cruise" along and hang on to, he'll spend more time upright rather than crawling. I'm not sure when he decide that he's ready to be a full time walker, but it seems like it could be any day now.

Ethan has perfected the "point"! He'll point out what he wants. He'll point out things he finds interesting in his environment. He'll point out who he wants to pick him up. He has definitely learned that pointing has power! I much prefer the point to the 'grunting whine' that he used to make to get his point across. We are working to match up words to whatever it is that he is pointing at just so he doesn't get too used to pointing without eventually having to name what it is he wants. I'm not too worried about Ethan not using his words though- he talks all day long!

Finally, my most favorite thing that Ethan has been doing lately is really snuggling. He has always been a snuggly kid, but lately he has been seeking us out when he needs comfort. The other day he was playing and then suddenly crawled over to me, climbed right into my lap, and laid his head on my chest to cuddle- melted my heart! I'm pretty sure that they don't get much cuter than my little guy!!

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!"