So Exciting!

My little guy started army crawling a little over a week ago.  After just a few days of practicing, Ethan has advanced to a REAL CRAWL!!!  Now comes the fun of baby proofing...

We've also noticed that Ethan's been trying really hard to pull himself up to a standing position.  So far he's managed to pull up onto his knees from a sitting position using the coffee table.  I'm not looking forward to the bumps and bruises that come with this new skill but I know it's bound to happen.

Grandma Connie's Visit

Grandma Connie came to Cincinnati to visit for a few days this past week.  She was so excited to see just how much Ethan has grown...in person!  Ethan had such a good time snuggling with Grandma and showing off his latest tricks.

Since it has been so hot and muggy, we found entertainment by playing indoors.  I bought an annual pass to the Newport Aquarium and took Ethan and my mom there for the first time.  Ethan enjoyed listening to Grandma explain everything she knows about fish.  Unfortunately he didn't enjoy sitting in the stroller and wanted to be carried by MOM the.entire.time.  Needless to say my neck and back were feeling that the next day.

We spent another day browsing the shelves at Target since they are having a Christmas in July sale.  Santa Claus is probably getting a good head start this year!

We plan to grill out tonight so Mom can eat grilled food.  Apparently she's not able to grill out at her condo in Florida so we'll cook up some yummy burgers and corn here.  My mouth is watering already.

Eefers has Teefers v2.0

Ethan has been incredibly cranky ever since spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house this past weekend.  After spending the better part of a week dealing with short 30 minute naps, incessant screaming, and just plain old irritability I managed to sneak a peak into little guy's mouth.  Imagine my surprise when I noticed a teeny tiny little white speck right up front!  Now I realize I've said before that Ethan has a tooth and I was wrong so I could, very well, be wrong again.  However, at this point I'm going with it since it explains why my little guy has been the beast!

In addition to the white speck, Ethan "crawled" today!  On two separate occasions a toy lay a few inches out of reach.  Ethan hiked himself up into a bridge position, dropped one knee down, and lunged forward to grasp the toys.  I don't know if this technically qualifies as crawling but it is close enough in my book!

My oh My...8 Months!

Ethan, little buddy, this is probably the hardest entry for me to write because I feel like my little baby is growing up so darn fast.  I know we tell you all the time how big you're getting but it really seems to have come true this past month.  Seemingly overnight you've become this wiggly, rolling, twisting, chatting, sitting up, finger food eating, big sloppy kiss giving little boy! 

This month you do not have a well-baby visit with the doctor so we won't know your stats.  You go back to the doctor August 20th.

Mommy has the summer off school so you do not have to wake up early.  Most of the time you wake up between 6:30-7:00 although you've been sleeping in the past few days until around 8:00.  With the later starts to the day, you've been going to bed a tad later at night, around 8:00.  Bedtime is usually pretty easy at this point.  After being fed, I lay you in your crib where you promptly roll to your belly and fall asleep.  We really don't even attempt the paci anymore because you don't care for it.  I do leave a little blankie in there for you to cuddle with along with Mr. Seahorse just for fun.  So far I'd say the later bedtimes have been positive because it gives you more time to hang out with Daddy when he gets home from work and you get more chances to eat dinner with us at night.

You've tried even more foods this past month and seem to enjoy them all.  Your favorite at the moment is yogurt.  You love when we mix fresh fruit in with it and can't seem to get enough.  Just yesterday you tried a big chunk of cantaloupe for the first time and really seemed to like it.  However, you did end up wearing most of the juice by the time you were finished.  You've also been experimenting by eating finger foods a little bit.  You love to smear bananas and avocado all over the high chair and your face before the meal is complete.

Naps have actually been very easy this month.  Mommy has learned that we should stay home and play until you get a good morning nap and then we get to go out and play.  You usually take two naps a day for a total of about 3 hours.  All Mommy has to do is feed you and you fall right to sleep.  This has made you a much happier baby during the day and Mommy gets a chance to get things done around the house or take a nap myself.

You are still wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.  You are wearing more and more big boy outfits now rather than sleepers and onesies because you have absolutely no patience for having your clothing fastened shut.  Diaper changes have also become more of an adventure.  Not only do you attempt to roll right off the changing pad but you've also recently discovered your... um...additional body parts and you can't keep your hands off it!

It is absolutely amazing to me how many skills you've accomplished this month.  You've perfected sitting up all by yourself for long periods of time.  When you get sick of sitting up, you brace yourself for the fall and lay back.  Laying on your back entertains you for a brief period of time until you are ready to roll about the room.  You've recently used this new skill to dig into daddy's book collection, to cuddle with your fur sisters, and to play with new toys.

Lately you've started pulling yourself up on chairs, bathtub sides, Mommy's shoulders, and while holding onto other people's fingers.  While holding onto our hands you've been able to take a few little baby steps as well!  Everyone was so excited when you started clapping to show excitement and waving bye bye to people regardless of if they are leaving the room or not.

You had so much fun visiting the beach for the very first time:  watching the waves, splashing in the swimming pool, and hanging out with all your family members.  When we returned from our trip you practiced swimming even more when we visited our swim club for the first time.  You had so much fun honoring your daddy in his very first Father's Day this month.  You made daddy feel so special and so loved.  You also got to visit Great Grandpa Ciolino that day.

Just last night you spent the night with Grandpa Craig and Grandma Linda for the first time.  They say you were such a good boy at their house but Mommy and Daddy sure had a rough day with you afterward.  You visited the park for the first time and spent a little time on the swings and slide.

We also tried cloth diapers once this month but didn't have much luck.  We may try again now that we know to add more absorbent layers.

We love you Baby Boy!

A Day in the Life of Ethan

7:45     Ethan starts babbling in his room.  Mommy hears him over the monitor and decides it is time to start the morning coffee.

8:10     Ethan's babbling turns into little cries so Mommy goes in.  We are usually greeted by this little face each day.  Ethan gets out of his crib, gets a few snuggles, then gets his diaper changed.

8:15     Mommy feeds Ethan

8:30     Playtime downstairs where Ethan plays with his toys and practices rolling around the room.

9:30     Breakfast time!  On today's menu is pureed pears mixed into baby oatmeal.

10:00     Playtime in Ethan's room.  We read books, play with the dogs, play with even more toys, and attempt to eat Mommy's camera.

10:20     Diaper change

10:35     Ethan's rubbing his eyes and nose and is starting to get whiny.  It must be close to nap time.  Mommy feeds Ethan and into the crib he goes for a nap.

12:30     Ethan babbles to himself in the crib.  Those babbles turn into whiny cries so Mommy goes in to rescue him :)

(LOL, do you see that look?!)

12:30     Diaper change followed by a Mommy climbing session on the floor.

12:45     Lunch.  Today we're serving mashed avocado and banana in the mesh feeder.

1:30     More play time in the living room.  It's raining today so we're a bit limited on what we can do.

2:00     Diaper change and time to eat again.  Afterward we play some more in Ethan's room and in Mommy and Daddy's room for a change of scenery.  He rolls around on the bed, plays with Maggie, helps Mommy with laundry, and rolls around the room checking things out.  Ethan even plays on the computer for a bit before returning downstairs to hang out.

3:45     Time for a diaper change, a feeding, and a LONG awaited nap for both Ethan and myself.

5:15     Ethan wakes up from his nap and gets a diaper change.

5:30     We leave the house to meet Daddy at work.  While waiting for Daddy, Ethan decides it would be an excellent time for another diaper change.

6:00     Daddy  is off work and we eat dinner at Ruby Tuesdays.  Ethan eats a jar of sweet potatoes and a few shredded carrots from the salad bar.  We quickly learned that Ethan was saving the carrots along the pockets of his cheeks for a rainy day.

(Hmmm, I think I'll order the fillet Mignon, please.)

7:30     Ethan cries the entire way home from dinner so we skip taking a bath tonight and get changed into pajamas.

(I'm not sure why the picture keeps turning this way but you get the point by looking at the pitiful little face he's making!)

7:50     Ethan falls asleep while nursing.

8:15     Ethan decides he's not tired enough to go to sleep just yet so Daddy gives him a bath.  Ethan is all smiles now :)

9:00     We all play on Ethan's bedroom floor and read books until Ethan shows he's tired and ready for bed.

Cabin Fever

What is there to do when the Walgreens' sign reads 117 degrees?  Stay inside while enjoying the endless hum of the air conditioning unit that refuses to turn off!  However, one can only spend so many hours of the day playing with plastic toys, reading plastic covered picture books, and receiving endless supplies of slobbery baby kisses.  Ok, so the slobbery kisses aren't so bad but you know what I mean!

Ethan and I went on a shopping spree at Target.  I was so excited to learn they have stocks of Dr. Seuss odds and ends in the $1 bins right at the front of the store.  And I,  being the planner that I am, decided to start early.  I found this adorable notepad and picture frames that I can use for Ethan's birthday...if they make it that long.

I then continued to meander through the women 's clothing section never intending to actually purchase something for myself.  I really just wanted to see what kind of deals they had...which were plenty!  I was able to find a pair of khaki capri pants and a cute blue top that will be great for the rest of the summer and the beginning of the school year.  Needless to say I didn't have any shoes to go with my new outfit so I purchased 3 new pairs.  Hey, I need new shoes...really...I don't have many cute ones...they were on sale!

This is really the first time I've attempted to try on clothing while Ethan is with me and it worked out WONDERFULLY!  Target has these HUGE family fitting rooms complete with mirrors on every single wall.  Ethan loved staring at the adorable little guy in the mirror and couldn't help but giggle at him when he smiled back.

And, because I am such a sucker for cute Ethan clothes, I also stocked up on inexpensive summer clothes for next year.  My little man will surely be a snazzy dresser!

Hopefully the weather cools down soon or my bank account is really going to suffer.