Ethan 10 months old

Wow, where to begin. I went back to read the 9 month update and he has changed so much from just a month ago.

Movement
In one month, Ethan went from "Swiffer baby" (aka commando crawling) to crawling easily on all fours. He also pulls himself up to standing easily and is getting better and better at sitting back down. Today was the first day that I went to pick him up from a nap and he was standing there waiting for me.

Sleep
We've managed to transition to just two naps a day and what a relief it is to not have to get that 3rd nap in. He seems to get by on way less sleep than Maddy needed, but his mood is good and he sleeps through the night. Generally if he does wake, he'll settle himself back in a few minutes. We still love the binkies around here and it's pretty funny to see Ethan grabbing for Maddy's binkie when his is not around.

Food
Shortly after I posted the 9 month update, Ethan seemed like he was turning down food. We went through a few meals where he'd turn his face away and refuse to eat. It was quite a shock for me and I had no idea what was going on. I thought our good eating days were numbered. Then we realized that he wasn't turning the food away, he just wanted to have control and pick it up himself. It was really crazy how he went from purees and tiny bits to eat full baby carrots and chunks of fish. At first he was messy and there was a lot of playing, but he's a lot better now. I guess it was his way of telling us "I want to eat like a big kid!" Once we figured this out, his appetite is a big as ever and he back to eating tons and eating often. I still have a little bit of purees left so we're finishing it off and then we're done with baby food. Yippee!!

"Yum, cheesey bread!"

Drink

Over the last month, Ethan has figured out how to use the sippy cup. I'm really glad to be done with the transition sippy because it leaked a lot. He now has water with his meal and sometimes in between. Soon I'll have to wean off some of the daytime nursing sessions and replace them with milk from a sippy because I return to work in September. I'm so happy that he's using the sippy cup so that we won't have to go through the "drinking from a shot glass" phase. Ethan still nurses about 4-5 times a day but for very short sessions. Once he's done, he's off and running again.

Teeth
In the last month he's gotten 3 new teeth! His top front teeth came through early in the month and then recently his a top right tooth has broken through. He definitely has a hard time with the teeth coming in. Before we left for Whidbey, he had a fever for a few days and then after we got back, he had diarrhea for two weeks. Not fun!

Look at those teeth, but "Mind the gap!" Ha ha

Play
Ethan's favourite thing to do is to get into things that he shouldn't be getting into! He loves to pull things out of bins like the recycling bin, the garbage, the tissue box and the laundry basket. His next favourite thing to do is to be chased. He just squeals and giggles, takes off and then turns around to make sure that you're still chasing him. It's so fun. He really loves to see Maddy, especially after a bit of time apart (like a nap). He'll shake his head back and forth looking for her as he giggles. I hope it'll always be this way.

As long as it's not the garbage can, he's allowed to pull things out.

This month we took Ethan for his first haircut. It was getting long in the front so we took him to the kids barbershop in Lonsdale Quay. He looked so cute sitting in the Thomas seat. He sat there the whole time and was mesmerized as he watched the lady get the tools ready. When she used the buzzer, he was annoyed and whined but held off on the full blown crying. It's a good thing they are fast.

Finally now that it's warmer and school is out, the wading pool right beside our house has opened up. I love going there to escape from the heat. Ethan just loves it too. At first I put just his feet in and he didn't seem bothered by the cold water. Then he sat down and was fine. Next thing I know, he's crawling around in there and having a great time.

Happy 10 months my big boy! We love you so, so much. XOXO

Happy Anniversary Babe!

Even though July 7th has long since passed, I wanted to mark our 4th anniversary. I'd say that it was probably the best one yet! Our first, I was pregnant with Maddy and quite nauseous (doesn't really put one in any kind of a romantic mood). Our second anniversary I remember there being some kind of a blackout blinds fiasco in Maddy's room, so we had to postpone. Last year I was pregnant again and well...to be honest I'm not the best pregnant lady mood-wise :)

This year was really nice. I had a great day with the kids downtown. Later we met Josh at Milestones and enjoyed a very nice family meal. We made a point to not make it a rush-get-the-food-down-and-go meal and had appies, mains and dessert. It was fun to talk about how much has changed in just four years. Looking forward to many more to come. I love you babe, I'm the luckiest girl in the world.