9 months in.. 9 months out!

Where has the time gone?? ( I'm sure I'll be saying that for many years to come).. today Ethan has been out of the womb for 9 months!

Here are some current stats (we went to the doctor on Thursday for his 9 month check up)

He weighs 23 lbs. 10 oz and is 29 inches long.  95-98 percentile for weight and 75th percentile for length. 

His head circumference grew just slightly and he is now on the "normal" curve, but at the 98% tile.  This is exactly what we expected and hoped for, since previously he was greater than 98% tile.

As far as development, this month he made huge leaps forward.  He now crawls on his belly, pushes up to all fours sometimes, can pull up to his knees regularly and has pulled to standing one time.

Last week he got his first tooth!

He now babbles mama, dada, baba, gigi and makes a range of other noises.. including laughing, screaming, and moaning.  He does not "call" us mama or dada.

He can feed himself somethings, but the pincher grasp is still a work in progress (this is picking things up with pointer finger and thumb).

Now for some random facts.. he loves applesauce, peaches, and nectarines.  He also will eat watermelon and cheerios.  He tolerates bananas, but its definitely  not his favorite.

His favorite time of day each day is when his father comes home.. he lights up like a Christmas tree everyday.

The number one thing people comment on? His smile! Everywhere we go people ask us "is he always this happy?" and comment, "what a beautiful smile" or "I have never seen such a happy baby".  We are so blessed to have a happy and social baby! He brings much joy to our lives.

Ethan Crawls!

this last weekend Ethan started army crawling! he moves on his belly and can't get up on all fours but he sure does move!

I also let him feed himself bananas for the first time and he did really well.. here is a picture from the Ipad of him eating.

Busy Times

Its been a whole month since I posted an update.  Sorry for the absence.  This month Steve made an unexpected visit to New Hampshire to be with his family when his uncle died unexpected the week before Memorial Day.  While he was gone I stayed 4-5 days in Hampton. 

This last week I was in Chesterfield my sister a few days and in Hampton for a few days.  I have really been enjoying time with my family, but both of those trips have been without Steve. 

This month Ethan hit a new milestone.  He now sits up all on his own.  He is into EVERYTHING he can reach now (and some things he can't).  He isn't crawling yet, but when he is on his stomach he pushes himself around a little bit.  He can push himself backwards and side to side, but he doesn't get up on all fours yet. 

We love watching him explore the world around him.  Each day he is more aware and more interested!

I am loving this age and enjoy each day the Lord gives us with our precious son.

Mothers Day

We had a lovely mother's day weekend.  Saturday we did some shopping and enjoyed some family together out for a nice lunch at a local sandwich shop.  On Sunday we went out for a nice dinner.  I love spending time with  my two boys and it was a great way to celebrate the special occasion.  Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

mothers day dinner

Saturday

6 Month Pics



This was about two weeks ago.. his first tastes of solids.  He spit most of it out.

We were in Hampton last weekend.  This is a recent cousin picture with Meme.



6 Months - May 4, 2011

6 Months

Wow! That happened fast.. 6 months of Ethan's life have been completed.  He is now half a year old.. hundreds of diapers and many sleepless nights have passed, but we love being parents and love our little guy.  I think the last month has been my favorite so far.  He has started to laugh more (but its still usually just a squeaky laugh) and he interacts more everyday.  He is sleeping better.  In the last week he has become more vocal about what he wants.  He has started to whine more and go after toys more.  It is amazing to watch him discover the world around him. 

Here are some of the milestones he has met:

-Can roll both ways, but prefers to roll from back to tummy.  He was doing this all the time, but recently I noticed it stopped for a bit.  Once he masters something he stops it for a while and focuses on something else. Often he gets fussy when on his tummy for too long.

-He can reach for something, grab it, and put it in his mouth! - Dangerous!

-He can splash in the tub.

-He holds his head when pulled to sitting.

-He can sit with just a little support, and sit without support for a few moments, but then falls over.

-This month he learned to blow his lips and blow rasberries.. of course, once he got really good at it he stopped. :)

-First prescriptions (had pink eye about two weeks ago).

He LOVES to smile at people.  He is very social but smiles for his mom and dad the most.  He lights up when he realizes one of us in the room.  His way of saying hello to someone is to give them a big grin! (Older ladies in the grocery store LOVE him).

He enjoys daddy time, especially when Steve kisses him and tickles his face with his his beard.. We love listening to his giggles.
He sucks his thumb when tired and is usually not a fan of the pacifier but will occasionally take it.

He has no teeth yet.

This month we also introduced solids for the first time.  We have tried mashed up bananas and mashed up avocado.  He spit most of it out.  He was fascinated with the spoon but wasn't too excited about the strange taste on the spoon.

Next week we go for his 6 month doctors appointment... we are really looking forward to finding out his current weight, but we are not as excited about immunizations.  Shots are never fun.

We are very excited to see what the Lord brings us during the next six months!

Recent happenings

We are almost done with Ethan's six month of life! this month has been one of my favorites. His sleep is better. We still have occasional difficult nights with him waking once or twice but most nights he does well. On an average week I get about 3 nights with him sleeping 8 to 10 hours! this month has brought some exciting changes.. He rolls from back to tummy all the time!! However, he has trouble getting back on his back and usually ends up crying. He has moved from a squeakily laugh to a light giggle.. One of the first times this happened was when he started splashing during bath time! Me, Steve, and Ethan all thaught it was hilarious! This last week he started making new noises by blowing bubbles his his drool and spitting.. It's super funny! His growth has slowed down some. Last week we had our first major sickness with Ethan having pink eye! We got prescription drops and now everything is better. I love Ethan and every time he smiles he brings such joy to our lives. What a special blessing the Lord has given us!