Months 8, 9 and 10…is it spring time again??

I’m going to skip all the excuses and get right to the update

Spring has sprung and with it lot’s of fun activities to keep us busy. Our first ever swim class was big success, with all of our YMCA friends (former pre-natal water aerobics mommies) along side, Ethan learned to splash, kick and float…all with Dad’s help of course. We even made out with a shiny gold metal for all of our hard work! Ethan is up to 8 teeth and counting…yes, that’s right I said 8. With all of these new teeth Ethan has really mastered eating (as if he didn’t eat well enough before) and for the most part eats what we do at dinnertime…which often includes but is not limited to pork chops, corn on the cob, asparagus, turkey burgers and the occasional tastes of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream! Spring has also brought us some delightful weather for splashing around in our new pool (the blow up kind) as well as visitors from afar. Lee’s Grandparents made a trip in from Florida last week and met Ethan for the first time…he has now met all 7 of his great-grandparents! Our most recent outing came this Friday when Lee and I both took off work to take Ethan to the Zoo. We had wonderful weather and a very manageable crowd which made for a perfect first trip. Although we attempted to introduce Ethan to every creature there, the giraffe’s, flamingo’s, pigeons, school children and a cow at the petting zoo had the biggest impression on him. Speaking of animals, Ferris too has had quite an impression on Ethan and it is fair to say that Ethan’s first word…although not found in the dictionary, is “Bo-Bo” also known as “dog”. Ethan calls for “bo-bo” all the time….if only the feeling was mutual!

Has it been 8 months already!

Okay, we have definitely been slacking on the blog posts, many apologies to the grandparents. Ethan's third tooth finally popped through this morning after a few restless nights; we can't believe how fast he is growing up! We haven't heard any "Mommy's or Daddy's yet, but I could have sworn he said "Canada" at the dinner table tonight:)It's amazing how mobile Ethan has become, as you can see in the picture once Ethan has fixated on getting something, the tongue comes out and off he goes.

The new nanny started last week and even though we were sad to see Vanessa leave, we were equally excited for the opportunity to have such an experienced nanny watching Ethan. She swears she has already taught him Spanish, which does us no good since we will only know how ask Ethan for another beer. I guess we need to brush up.

Ethan starts swim lessons this weekend, which begins training for his future Olympic career. Hopefully Dad can stay afloat...

As anticipated, it’s been quite a while since either of us has had enough free time to update the blog….we have a lot of catching up to do! Ethan turned 6 months old this month and has hit many milestones in the process. His first little tooth appeared the second week in December and its partner popped in exactly one week later. We’ve tried to get pictures of the duo, but have been unsuccessful thus far. Ethan has also mastered sitting up without any support from Mom or Dad, this gives us so much flexibility when playing now that all of our hands are free….which of course leads to clapping. Not your typical clapping yet…but he mimics us when we clap and will even grab our hands and pull them together when he wants us to clap for him. The most recent accomplishment is Ethan’s amazing ability to travel! I wouldn’t call it “crawling” just yet…although he has found a way to pop up onto his hands and knees….but a fun combination of wiggles, scoots and rolls usually puts Ethan where he wants to be.

Christmas was as fun as it could be! We took an early visit to the mall to attempt a picture with Santa, fully anticipating the typical screaming baby, but Ethan couldn’t have been happier to sit on Santa’s knee. Christmas day was spent traveling between 3 houses and Ethan was quite the trooper…catching his naps when he could and entertaining the family at all other times.

This season has been wonderful for our family and given us time to reflect on the amazing blessings that we have been given. We are so grateful for all of our friends and family and hope that the New Year continues to bring health and happiness to all of those we hold dear.

My Future's So Bright!

Ethan is such a happy little boy...even when his Mom forces him to wear sunglasses he still manages a smile! As we prepare for the fast approaching holidays I thought I should sneak a quick blog in, just in case the next one doesn't pop up until the new year :) Ethan has found his voice and makes sure everyone knows it, even if it is during quiet prayer time at Church. He has also discovered Ferris and dies laughing everytime they come in eye contact with each other. Something tells me that the feeling isn't mutual with Ferris quite yet, but I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later. Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone!

Happy Halloween From Ethan!!!

Ethan has conquered many milestones since his three month birthday. Not only is he moments from crawling on his own, but we are also now supplementing his dinner with an oatmeal cereal snack. The final, but most important milestone, is that Ethan is now sleeping through the night (knock on wood). And by sleeping through the night, I mean he only wakes up once at 2:30 am and then gets up for good at 5:30 am. This is tons better than a few weeks ago when we were up every 45 minutes. As you can see in the photo, Ethan has decided to be an Astronaut (career foreshadowing perhaps) and bypass Mom's idea to be a frog prince. Contrary to his Mom's beliefs, this decision was only Ethan's and his Dad had absoloutely nothing to do with it.

Our little boy is growing up!

Our little bundle of joy, who is the number one source of this nations supply of drool, is growing up before our eyes. According to his most recent check-up on Friday, he is in the 95th percentile for height and the 100th percentile for weight (where he gets it from is beyond us). Ethan also has begun spending four days a week with Miss Vanessa (the new nanny) and one day with GiGi Grumbles, which has been tough on his Mommy but is getting easier each day. We are extremely excited about the upcoming holidays and starting new traditions with Ethan. Lauren is excited about Halloween and has been toiling over cute costume ideas that will undoubtedly haunt Ethan for years to come. I am more excited about the change in weather and the start of football season where my little quarterback and I can watch the Texans lose each and every Sunday:)

Ethan's Baptism

So the posts are a little out of order...Ethan was Baptized the week before Hurricane Ike hit, it's just taken me a little longer to get the pictures uploaded. Ethan's Baptism was such a wonderful event; We welcomed him into a relationship with God in the midst of our family, friends and beloved new church...it couldn't have been a more perfect day! Ethan was the only baby (not just the only boy) wearing a gown(possibly the most obvious symbol of our Catholic roots)and boy was he beautiful! The gown is a special family heirloom that has been worn for many, many years and most importantly was worn by me, Blake (Ethan's Godfather) and MiMi (Ethan's Grandmother). Lee was a little concerned about preserving Ethan's integrity, so we decided to call it a "Christening Poncho" instead :). After the Baptism we celebrated with a fabulous luncheon hosted by the Grumbles, where Ethan continued to work his "cute baby" magic. Lee and I can't help but reflect on what a blessed year we have had...from conception to Baptism, this September marks one year since Ethan became the light of our lives...long before he had a name or that precious little smile! We thank God each and every day for the abundant blessings!