Can't stop!

I can't stop taking pictures of my baby!

He's a natural!

just a few

We did it!

Now that Ethan is sleeping like a champ I have much more time to blog and exercise! Hurry back size two... yeah right I wish :)

At Ethan's last doctors appointment one of the questions came up "how is he sleeping?" . I said "sleeping???? What's that ?" Dr. Brown and I bonded that day ...she talked to me about how important it was for Drew and I to sleep to give Ethan the best care . Not only that but Ethan needs to sleep too. She told me she's not a big fan of crying it out, but in some cases (like ours) it was probably worth a valid effort. Drew and I have tried it 2 times now and caved both times because we felt so bad to see him so sad. This time we felt like we had the "OK" to do it and so WE DID IT!!! I don't know how proud I should be that I let my baby cry , but I just felt like it was the best thing for him. We just made sure he had everything he needed before hand , diaper change, food in his belly and a comfy fuzzy blanket to sleep on. The first night I laid him down drowsy and of course he woke up immediately after I put him down. So this time instead of picking him back up again I rubbed him back briefly and told him I loved him and that it was OK. I let him cry for 15min and I repeated what I initially did and left. I went in again after 20 more minutes and told him he was OK from the door. I just let nature take it's course after that. He cried for a total of about 2 and a half hours and fell asleep. The second night only took him 30 minutes to sleep and tonight was only 15minutes. He usually sleeps for 5 straight hours and wakes for a bit and then back to sleep until about 6:00am.. I feel like a new person and I am so proud of myself, Ethan and Drew for getting through this together. Next it's on to nap time!!!! This was my baby blanket that Ethan is laying on. I only have a handful of baby pictures and items from when I was a child so it's pretty special to me that he uses this. My grandma Rose made it for me.I also just got my rocking horse back from my grandma that I loved as a little girl, and I put it in Ethan's room.

Grandma Cyndi bought this Curious George jack-n-the box for him and he loves it. I still get scared every time it pops open, ha :)

I am trying so hard to upload the video of Ethan saying "dada" but it's just not working. Hummm?

Last day of summer.

Drew, Ethan and I went for a stroll this evening after dinner just around our neighborhood. We noticed that a lot of the trees are already turning and loosing their leaves. I LOVE fall, it's my absolute favorite time of year. I'm not sure if it's cause it's around my birthday, anniversary and Halloween(my favorite holiday next to Christmas)or if it's just the weather. Either way I love it!

This is the Mississippi River.

The start of fall.

Daddy pushing the stroller! Ethan really likes walks. Either he will sit back and enjoy or he is sitting up straight and making sure he notices EVERYTHING.

By the way Drew hates this picture of himself... he said he's going to start a blog and post pictures of me I don't like on it. haha. Too bad that will never happen. Drew is truly a character. Sometimes he makes me laugh so hard it actually hurts. Most of the time I just can't breath I'm laughing so hard.

Laughter and faith to me is really what makes a marriage strong.

6 month wellness

Ethan and I just got back from his 6 month appointment and all is well. He weighs 18lbs and is 50th percentile for weight. His head is also 50th and his height is 27 1/2 inches which is 75th percentile. Our little Monkey is getting tall!! He got 4 shots, 2 in each leg and one oral shot. One of those shots was a flu shot (just in case). Drew and I will get our first ever flu shot this year as well to help prevent Ethan from getting it .When Ethan had his 4 month shots he cried for almost 2 hours later that night so I'm praying that it doesn't happen again. He only cried for a minute when he actually got the shots this time, he did so well. The doctor commented on what a well natured baby he was so that made me feel good:) He has all the makings for starting to crawl, but we just wonder when that will be.

His new favorite toy!He could spend hours in this if we let him. He's gettin some air in this picture. I'll post some video of him jumping later on when I get a second to edit it as well as a video of Ethan saying "dada".

Chicks Dig Scars.

I had a little photo shoot in our family room this morning. I just found this cute outfit for Ethan at Target the other day . It has a monkey on the front and it says chicks dig scars, along with band aids covering the knees and elbows. It was too perfect because of the monkey and because Ethan had his first boo boo the other day. Of course (on accident) when I was getting ready for work I dropped my brush on his head. He was in his jumper and the comb slipped out of my hands and well... you can imagine the rest.Bad mommy! You cant really see it but it is a red scrape on his sweet little forehead. Silly!

You're my best friend!

blue eyes

I was just playing around with some editing and I really liked this one so I thought I would share.

6 months old

6 MONTHS

Today marks the 6th month anniversary of Ethan's birth. What a beautiful and crazy day that was. All in all he is here now, healthy and happy. Here are some things that Ethan is doing now.

*He says baba and dada, go figure. I knew it wouldn't of been mama. Either way it's super cute.

*Ethan cut his first TWO TEETH today! They are sharp to the touch and I know he is in pain. I feel bad for the little guy.

*He can sit up on his own for a few brief seconds.

*He can crawl backwards.

*He can sit up on his knees and push up on his hands and kinda rocks back and forth--ready to crawl.

*He can roll both ways.

* He is eating solids and we think his favorites are bananas and sweet potatoes.

* He weighs 18lbs and 5oz. I'm not sure of his height and percentile yet we will find out on the 17th on his 6 month wellness appointment.

If I think of anything else I will post it as I remember:)

Ethan is such a happy baby and I cannot believe how much I love him. God's gifts are truly amazing and beautiful. I thank him everyday for Ethan, Drew and my entire family.

I saw this monkey cake on the Martha Stewart Show and I had to try it . Gotta love that Martha chick. I plan on making this cake again for his 1st birthday I just wanted to try it out beforehand.

So I know it's quite strange to celebrate a 6 month old birthday ,but I don't care we had fun.

Anytime you can have an excuse to eat cake is a good day in my book.

This is a preview of his Halloween costume, you guessed it a Monkey for our Monkey

Hi mom!

Yay! Big boy can sit up alone... for like 10 sec :) He is getting there though.



Always a smiley boy!

Doesn't he look like he is just relaxing in his little hot tub. This is new big boy bath tub, so far so good! I think he likes it?



We just picked up this bumbo tray and he likes to bang his keys against it.

G.G's House

On Saturday Drew went over to Grandma Shannon's house to mow her lawn and asked me if I would stop by with Ethan :) Of course I had to bring the camera. Grandma Shannon has the most beautiful yard. After Drew was done we walked around her yard and got a few neat shot. We're really starting to get a hang of this new camera and having A LOT of fun with it. We also bought Adobe Photoshop so I'm learning how to do some cool editing as well. A friend at work took graphic design in college so he is going to show me a bunch of fun new things. I can't wait! Here are some that I edited so far... enjoy!

This is the most beautiful tree. It almost feels alive the way it moves and the sounds it makes when the wind blows.

It wouldn't be a real photo of Ethan unless there was some drool involved.

Ethan

Grandma Cindy and Ethan.. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Chunky little legs .

"I wonder if I can eat this green stuff?"

I think he's sticking his tongue out at Grandma :)

I love these next two pictures. He looks so satisfied and full . His bib really expresses what he looks like when he eats.

"Oh daddy...no more carrots "

He loves to hold his spoon and tries to feed himself ,which is the reason for the mess.

Smiley Monkey on the way home from Auntie Amy's and Uncle Bill's house. First road trip and he did VERY well.

AWHHHHHH!!! kiss me you stinky breath dog.

I think he looks like Drew in this picture. This is one of the only shots he doesn't have a glob of drool on his chin :)

Giving love again.

This is my newest fav. Look at Ethan's face ..priceless.

Playing Mario Cart with Daddy!

"PEAS? ehh I don't know about these"

Drew thinks that because he doesn't like peas neither will Ethan. I beg to differ.

Everyone loves a Polish Boy. Especially mommy!

Great Grandpa Larry . We love you pops!

"These are way better than the peas!"MoNkEy & MoMmy!

"Prunes, now those I like"

"where's the airplane? The hanger is open for business!"

Yum, Yum