Fall Fun at the Corn Maze

A few weekends ago my mom decided to come to town for the weekend and we took her to a fall festival and corn maze. We all had a great time (and no, we did not have to call 911 to come and rescue us...we made it out just fine!)When you park, a tractor comes and picks you up so you take a hay ride into the farm for the festivities

I didn't get too many pictures of Ethan with the animals...here's one of a few animals in the barn though

Ethan wanted OUT of the corn box...he was having none of it!
How cute is the corn in his toes?!

If only my mom had opened her eyes...

The entrance to the corn maze (with the tricycle course to the left)

Ethan's first visit to a corn maze (and Mommy and Daddy's too!)

I made to the overlook midway through the maze...success!

On the move (Ethan wanted to be carried by Daddy for awhile!)

Pausing for a photo op when we finally made it to the 9th post

Eating a snack...we only shared a little of our funnel cake with him since I am sure this is pretty horrible for you!

The barrel train...Ethan will love this when he is big enough!

Ethan watching everything so intently

Ready to ride the tractor back to the parking lot

Beach Trip Pics

So I realize that it has been a LONG time since I've been able to share pictures, so some of these are quite old now. I have a new laptop (hooray...story coming in next blog post) so I'm now going to try to catch you up on the pictures from the past two months. To get started, here are a few pics from our beach trip with Patrick's family (and these are in no particular order...we were there for a week so at worst they are out of order by five days!):

Ethan playing in the living room in true lounge style
Playing in the main pool (where Ethan loved floating around)

Ethan wasn't walking yet when we took this trip, and on the beach he "crawled" in the above pose...it was too funny!

Playing with Daddy in the main pool

The fish fountains were his favorite...he would float over to them and get upset when we took him away from them!

See...he loved them!

This child loves the water

He was too little for the treehouse, but I wanted a picture of it because it looked like so much fun! Maybe next time :)

S'mores night at the campfire! We met some really nice families the nights we went to the campfire

He was crawling like crazy

Taking a break on the beach

Having a mid-afternoon snack of Goldfish crackers (I can't stand these things but he LOVES them)

The pool with the crazy fountains that he could crawl right into

He loved these fountains!

Ethan really liked when the waves came and "got" him!

Taking a nap with Daddy...playing all day in the sand is hard work!

This trip wasn't that long ago, and he has already grown so much since then...is there a way to freeze time and keep him this little forever?!

Early morning on the beach (can you tell it hadn't quite warmed up yet?!)

Ethan - 14 Months

Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this site, huh?! Well, sit back because I have a feeling this is going to be a long post!

Let me start by saying that I have tons of pictures and videos to share, but as my computer died it might be awhile before I am able to get everything uploaded. Yes, my hard drive crashed and evidently by the time you buy a new one and pay for the installation you are looking at just a little bit more to have a whole new machine. Great. Just when my work slows down to nothing my computer bites the dust. Oh well! I now am using a spare c. 1990 machine that is super slow, makes noise all the time, and oh, did I mention that Ethan managed to pull off the "D" key from the keyboard and since this computer is so old it's not one of those kinds of keys that can easily be snapped back into place? I am sitting here typing with a big hole where the "D" is supposed to be and pressing on it everytime I need to use that letter. You might be amazed to realize just how many times I've already used a "D" already in this post. So. Not. Fun. As soon as my work picks back up again I plan to buy a new laptop, but in the interim this workaround is going to have to suffice.

Our outside cat Charlie died this past week. I am so very sad about this. Charlie found us about four years ago, and we've been taking care of him ever since. Charlie never wanted to come inside (we tried many times) and he was a true outside man. He loved our huge backyard, and he played in the woods behind our house and I would periodically see him on the walking trail in those woods. He would sleep in the front bushes beneath our front bedroom windows, and I would always look there for him when I drove up to our house. He took his naps on our front porch mat (or the outdoor heating pad we put out there for him in the winters) and he would be faithfully waiting there each morning for his breakfast. He would let Patrick and I pet him (something we worked up to over the years) but he stayed away from most other people. He would sit under the peach tree when I would bring Ethan out there to read or play, and he purred for me when I would pet him. On Tuesday morning I opened our front door to bring Charlie his breakfast and saw him sleeping on our front porch mat through the glass storm door. He is usually sleeping when I go to feed him breakfast and jumps up as soon as I open the front door. I thought it odd that he hadn't moved and then I noticed that he didn't seem to be breathing. A few panic stricken moments later I confirmed that our precious Charlie was no longer with us. He looked very peaceful, and I am choosing to believe that he died in his sleep. He had been eating, drinking and playing the day before, and gave no indication that he was sick.

I called Patrick in tears and he came home from work shortly thereafter so we could bury our beloved friend. I'm still not used to the idea that Charlie is gone for good. He was such a part of our routine, and I find myself looking for him lounging on the patio furniture, sleeping on the front mat, and most of all when it is time to feed the rest of our brood I miss my little trip outside to take care of Charlie. I miss him so much and I just hope he knew how much he was loved. Our inside kitties loved watching Charlie outside (I think they were secretly jealous of all the great adventures this wild man got to take!) and Spot especially stares out the front door looking for her buddy. A piece of our family is now in kitty heaven and while I knew this would happen one day it still hurts a bunch.

Okay, wipe away tears and regroup....

Okay, I took a break and am ready to continue. We went to the beach for a week with my in-laws a few weeks ago and had the best time. The place was gorgeous and was so family friendly. There were several pools (Ethan liked the one with the fountains best, although there was another one that he could crawl right into that I thought would have been his favorite), grills and hot tubs all over the property, fire pits where we roasted marshmellows and made s'mores, not to mention the beach! It was so relaxing and it was really nice to get away. There are so many pics I have to share from our trip, so I'll try to get those posted as soon as I have access to Patrick's laptop for an extended period of time (there is no way this ancient machine can handle uploading pictures, that's how behind the times it is!)

Ethan seems to have grown up overnight. One of his favorite toys now is his bounce & spin pony. It has a receiver that hooks into the television and when he bounces different characters show up on the TV screen and songs play through the TV speakers. He has learned so much from this toy, and his new tricks are "soooo big" (where he stretches his little arms as high as he can reach), he moos when he sees the cow, and just this week he started saying "duck." I bought this toy at the huge Raleigh consignment sale at the fairgrounds for only $20, and it has been worth every penny!

Ethan still isn't too interested in his baby Einstein DVDs (or TV in general), but he has started doing a few signs. He does the sign for "more" all the time, he can sign for "mommy" and "daddy" and puts his little hands up in an "all gone" motion when he's done eating (but I'm not sure that counts as an official sign.) He will also put both hands on his forehead and shake his head when you say "oh my goodness." What a nut!

It's really fun watching Ethan understand more and more of what we are asking of him. If I ask him to turn on his fridge DJ, he will crawl over to the fridge and turn it on. (He loves, loves, loves this toy! It was a gift from his godsister Morgan on his first birthday.) Ethan responds when I ask him if he wants milk or water to drink, and he definitely understands when I say no...although he doesn't necessarily listen - ha!

Ethan has been walking more and more lately, although he still prefers to crawl when he is trying to get somewhere quickly. He will walk holding my hand a lot of the time, but he will only take a few steps on his own. I'm in no rush, and I know that the day where he no longer crawls is coming sooner and sooner and this mommy is just not ready. I miss all his little baby things so much already! He is a pretty funny little toddler though :)

The past two weeks have pretty much brought an end to the twice a day nap. On a typical day, Ethan wakes up around 7 and he'll hang out playing in his crib for 20-30 minutes before he's ready to come out. We'll eat breakfast (his favorite now is scrambled eggs, well, egg beaters) but I vary his main course as much as I can. He also likes toast, oatmeal, bananas, cheerios, yogurt...he's not too picky. After breakfast we'll typically take a walk and feed the ducks, and then we come home and play for a couple hours (or run errands if we need to go to Target, the bank, the post office, etc.) Ethan typically eats lunch around 11:30 and then he is ready for his one and only nap. He'll go to sleep around 12:15, and he's been sleeping for between 2 and 3 hours. The other day he slept for 3 1/2 hours, and I started worrying that he wasn't okay...but if had only slept for 20 minutes I think I would be complaining about that too. He wakes up in the best mood and so then we play until it's time for dinner, bath and bedtime.

Ethan has started giving real hugs lately, and he will pat my back while giving a squeeze...it is so sweet! When you ask him to give you a kiss, he kind of licks your cheek. I'm not sure that it quite counts as a kiss, but it is really sweet in any event.

Okay, I know I said this would be a long post and I have a ton more to catch up on, but I've got to run for now. I will hopefully be able to finish catching up on life here soon. Until then...

The first steps...

Yesterday afternoon, Ethan reached another milestone...he took his very first independent steps. Patrick and I were both upstairs with Ethan when he decided to take his first tentative steps! It was such a joyful moment and I'm so happy that we were able to share in the excitement together. Ethan was standing up with Patrick in front of him, arms outstretched, and I was sitting behind Ethan when all of a sudden he put one foot in front of the other for a few baby steps before he sat down. We stood him back up again (this time with camcorder in hand!) and he took another couple of steps before he sat down again. He is definitely not "walking" yet, but I know that is now just around the corner. My baby really is growing up. This is extremely bittersweet...I love celebrating each new achievement with my growing boy, but part of me just wants to freeze time and keep him just like this forever.

When Patrick's Aunt Elizabeth came for a visit for Ethan's first birthday, she brought with her a poem that I have been hanging onto to share when Ethan decided that it was time to take his first steps. I thought it was so sweet! I'm not sure of the author, but here's the poem:

Last night I held my arms to you
And you held yours to mine
And started out to march to me
As any soldier fine.
You lifted up your little feet
And laughingly advanced;
And I stood there and gazed upon
Your first wee steps, entranced.

You gooed and gurgled as you came
Without a sign of fear;
As though you knew, your journey o'er,
I'd greet you with a cheer.
And, what is more, you seemed to know,
Although you are so small,
That I was there, with eager arms,
To save you from a fall.

Three tiny steps you took, and then,
Disaster and dismay!
Your over-confidence had led
Your little feet astray.
You did not see what we could see
Nor fear what us alarms;
You stumbled, but ere you could fall
I caught you in my arms.

You little tyke, in days to come
You'll bravely walk alone,
And you may have to wander paths
Where dangers lurk unknown.
And, Oh, I pray that then, as now,
When accidents befall
You'll still remember that I'm near
To save you from a fall.

Healthy Food?!?!

So I have been killing myself the past several months to ensure that Ethan is eating a healthy, balanced diet. Each day I make sure that he gets the right amount of fruits, vegetables, protein, etc. I also work really hard to make sure that he gets a wide variety of each of the food groups, rather than sticking to just a few basics. (I am sometimes envious of the meals I am putting together for him, because in an effort to save money Patrick and I aren't eating this well most of the time!) This child has gotten to eat so many different, wonderful foods, so imagine my disappointment yesterday, when in a mom of the year moment, I decided that I was too tired to make a proper lunch and decided to give my child his very first hot dog. (Now it was all beef if that makes any difference, but I'm not so sure.) He LOVED it! Devoured it, if you will. So why, oh why, have I been working so hard to feed him so well? Evidently, I have been depriving him of the food that he thinks is heaven on earth! I think he was trying to tell me that it is okay to eat junk (in moderation) and that sometimes it is okay to be a lazy mom. Perhaps I can relax just a bit on the food regime?! (I read somewhere that the nutrition a child receives in the first year or two of life has a huge impact on their metabolism, food tolerance, etc. for the rest of their lives, but I'm not actually sure if that's true or not.) In any event, I think that maybe I've been way too strict with Ethan's diet and eating foods like hot dogs sometimes really isn't that big of a deal. Boy would this make life easier on me! Thoughts?

Today's Funny Moment

So here is a funny Ethan story for the day...when he woke up and was standing in his crib waiting for us, guess what he was doing? Holding his pajamas bottoms up above his head in victory! Yes, he was still wearing his pajama top, but he was waving his bottoms high above his head. What a nut :)

Ethan - 13 Months

Wow, my boy is now officially a toddler! It seems so surreal to me watching Ethan play and interact these days, because he seems so very grown up. Here's a quick recap of what's been going on around here the past couple of weeks:

Ethan has learned how to climb stairs (with us right behind him, that is!) and insists on doing this multiple times a day (when we have the door to the upstairs open.) He is proud of himself when he reaches the playroom, but then wants to do it all over again. He has no idea or interest in trying to go down the stairs, but going up the stairs is absolutely fascinating to him.

Ethan has finally mastered the art of true clapping. He has been "clapping" for months now, but that always consisted of slapping his hands to his legs or wrists and never quite hands together. He figured out how to clap his hands together last week, and he has been a clapping fool ever since. (Perhaps I should be worried that it took this long....oh well!) His favorite game with this trick is to clap along with his Bingo dog from his Aunt Jen. His Bingo dog is a stuffed animal that sings the B-I-N-G-O song and claps its paws. Ethan will clap in time to the music, and the cutest part is that the end the dog barks and Ethan has started making a barking sound at the end along with the dog. So cute!

Ethan is still not walking, but he has started standing independently. It's so strange to look over and see him standing there, not holding onto anything. He doesn't go straight to standing on his own, but once he has pulled up to standing he will let go for awhile. Does this mean that walking is coming soon?! Part of me is looking forward to him reaching this milestone, but another part of me wants to hang onto his crawling and last little bit of babydom for as long as possible. I am in no rush for him to grow up!

Ethan had a playdate with Faith last week, and it was so cute watching the kids play together. They had the most fun in Ethan's new Mickey Mouse clubhouse (which resembles a small bounce house, but my 4 year old neighbor informed me that it was not a bounce house since it was too small and even though it was inflatable it wasn't bouncy.) Faith would run through it, and Ethan would crawl after her in quick pursuit. They played with all the balls in the clubhouse for awhile too, and it was the first time I've seen Ethan really playing with a friend. (Usually he'll play beside his little friends and they might trade toys, but there's generally not a ton of interaction and playing going on.)

The biggest news around here right now might be that we bought a new car! I am so excited about this...both Patrick and I have been driving cars that are over 10 years old with over 160,000 miles (we literally drive our cars until they are ready to die, but a big positive of this is that we have not had one single car payment since we've been married.) We kind of figured that we were taking a serious chance having two cars that were that old (and we didn't want to start sinking money into either car, knowing that they would need replaced in the not too distant future) so awhile back we began the process of researching, test driving, negotiating with different dealerships once we finally decided what we wanted, and I have to say that it was all worth it because it has now been over a week since our new car came home and I LOVE it!! We bought a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe and I will have pictures to share soon, I'm sure. I've always wanted an SUV, and now feel as though I have officially joined the mommy ranks since I now drive around in my mommy-mobile. We traded in Patrick's Honda, so he now has my Nissan (until we replace that car in the next year and a half to two years, and then hopefully we won't have to worry about cars again for a long time!)

Since work is pretty slow right now, I'm going to try to do a much better job of updating this site at least once a week but we'll see how that goes. Wish me luck!