Getting Big so Fast!

So there are many exciting things happening in Ethan's life these past couple of weeks. Just a couple weeks ago, he started sitting up with no problems by himself, on a regular basis, at just 6 months. Then, just a week later, he started pulling himself up to standing on objects around the house (besides me). :) As you can see by the video below, he is really good at standing up, but is unsure what to do after that, haha. He usually just stands there for awhile, then falls down. Oh well, he's still young!

Also on Monday, he finally had a tooth break through!! We have been thinking for months that it was going to happen any day, and now that day has finally come, and I am wishing it hadn't! haha....He has definitely been cranky and has started waking at night because of it too, I think. Just hoping they come in quick and we get through this without too much pain (me and him both!) haha

Six Months Old!

Ethan turned six months old two weeks ago. I am getting behind here! I am going to try to keep up better and also post more often! Since last month, the skinny little guy is still keeping his slim figure (haha), and has gained only a half-pound to weigh in at 16 lbs, 6 ozs, which is down to the 25th-5oth percentile again. He grew 3/4 of an inch to measure up at 27.75 inches this month, which is still in the 90th percentile. He is still only in the 3rd-10th percentile for height to weight ratio. Head growth is again staying right on target at 44 cm, dead on the 50th percentile again. He had another round of vaccines at his 6-month checkup along with his flu shot for the season. He did SOOO great for getting 4 shots! He is mommy's brave little boy already! :) Next checkup due in December, at 9 months.

New foods tried this month:

• Squash
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Applesauce

The introduction of all of these foods went well, however, we have discovered that he probably has an allergy to carrots and possibly squash as well. He likes to puke them back up. :) So….we are just going to go ahead and leave those out from now on! He eats the green ones, so we’re doing ok, haha.

New accomplishments this month:

• Sitting up on the floor (usually leaning to one side though, supporting himself with one hand)
• Pulling himself up from his belly to a standing position using only my hands (he does all the work, I just help him balance)
• Responding to “no” and “Ethan” (he acknowledges that he shouldn’t be getting into something by stopping what he’s doing and looking at me, grinning a little ornery grin, then going right back to it! hahaha – he’s a booger!)

Below is a pic of Ethan at six months, once again wearing a 12-month onesie. So this is getting much harder, as every time I set the boy down, he immediately flips over and starts crawling away from me! :) So, I take what I can get! This month he is cracking himself up! Probably because he is proud of getting away from his mama! haha….Is it possible that he is getting cuter by the day? ;)

Pic of the Week Contest

So I enter these contests on thebump.com/facebook with pics of little Ethan, and this week we made runners-up!! Yay! Check it out here!! The contest was for pics of babies with their pets, so I sent in a pic of Ethan at 2 wks old with his big sis, Daisy, laying on our bed cuddling! :) Too cute!

Five Months Old!

Ethan turned five months old last week. Where does the time go?!? Since last month, the skinny little guy is finally packing on some pounds, and has gained a pound and a half to weigh in right at 16 lbs, which is right on the 50th percentile, making him normal (if you can call someone in our family that, haha). His height growth has slowed, just growing a 1/2 inch to measure up at 27 inches this month, which is still in the 90th percentile. He is still only in the 3rd-10th percentile for height to weight ratio, but that number is increasing! Head growth is staying right on target at 43 cm, dead on the 50th percentile again.

New foods tried this month:

• Green beans
• Oatmeal cereal
• Sweet peas

The green beans was pretty much a disaster. He behaved as though we were torturing him in some way, which isn't completely surprising considering his mommy's hatred of all things green when she was little. The oatmeal cereal went very well (just like the rice), which we figured it would based on his love of rice cereal. The sweet peas went surprisingly well after the teary fits that the beans caused! Next up, another try at the beans, then on to carrots!

New accomplishments this month:

• Sitting up forward in the high chair to eat (he is very eager and gets his little mouth open wide like a baby bird in anticipation - he knows what is coming as soon as he gets put in the chair!)
• "Scootching" all over the floor and crib (and starting to get into mommy and daddy's things! I think it may be time to get that baby gate installed at the top of the stairs!)
• Getting up on hands and knees (but no forward movement with this, yet)
• Putting the pacifier back in himself (and he always puts it in upside down, so hopefully that means he won't be OCD like his mommy! :) haha)
• Sleeping on his tummy most of the time now
• Laughing - and not just little giggles, actual hardy laughing (he's ticklish!)

Below is a pic of Ethan at five months, once again wearing a 12-month onesie. I still don't see a big change from the last month (which being around him 24/7, I guess I probably won't notice any!), but at least I caught a great smile this month! :)

Tall and Skinny Four Month Old!

Ethan turned four months old last week. Another month gone by so quickly! Since last month, he has gained 1 lb, 2.5 ozs, to weigh in at 14 lbs, 8.5 ozs, which is in the 25th-50th percentile, so he is getting skinnier. He grew an additional inch and a half from his previous length of 25 inches, to a length of 26.5 inches now, which is in the 90th-97th percentile, so he is getting even taller! On a height to weight ratio chart, he is actually in only the 3rd percentile for his age, so he really is super tall and skinny! His head circumference has also increased to 42 cm, which is in the 50th percentile.

Since last month, he has mastered rolling over! He now rolls both ways with ease and mommy has to be careful where she sits him down!! He usually rolls within seconds of being placed on his back!
:) We recently purchased him a bumbo and he loves sitting in it and watching the world! It won't be long before he can sit-up by himself! He also discovered his squealing voice this month, haha. It is super cute except for when he gets angry, then it is super loud!! :( He has gotten very good at playing with his toys now and has figured out how to pull his paci out by himself. He can almost get it back in by himself too, luckily. :) We got out the jumperoo for him to try out since he has had good head control for awhile now. He loves it and jumps around with squeals of delight! Be sure to check out the video we posted of him playing in his jumperoo! :) He is usually happiest when he is standing (with our help holding his hands, of course). At his doctor's appointment this month, Dr. Kemi was amazed by his attentiveness, and said he is exceeding the developmental milestones of his age! We knew he was advanced, haha. :)

We also began our adventures in feeding with the introduction of rice cereal on the 4th of July. He did great with it and it didn't take long for him to figure out how to swallow it, instead of pushing it back out with his tongue. :) He has been quite the good little eater this past week! Check out the video of his very first experience with rice cereal! We will probably be starting stage 1 foods soon, as Dr. Kemi gave the go ahead! So many changes happening so quickly now. We need to remember to savor these moments because it won't be long before he is all grown up!

Below is a pic of Ethan at four months, once again wearing a 12-month onesie. Once again, he hasn't changed quite as much this past month, but is still getting cuter by the day! ;)

Updated Pics and Videos!

Be sure to check out our youtube channel for a couple newly added videos! :)

Kristy has also updated her facebook picture albums...click here for the latest Ethan album.

Lots of exciting things happening in the coming weeks:

• Ethan will be 4 months old already on Friday!
• We will be starting him on rice cereal this weekend!! :)
• 4th of July fireworks on the lake (hopefully)
• Kristy's 28th birthday on the 8th
• Ethan's 4-month check-up on the 9th

Trip to Ohio and Kentucky

So I realized that we have been back from our 3-week long trip for a couple weeks now and we had not yet blogged about it. So, here we go.....

Josh had to go to Germany for 3 weeks for work, so Kristy decided to stay with family while he was away, since it was such a long trip. So, on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, we began our trek north. Our first stop was Georgetown, KY, where we most recently lived. We wanted to catch up with some friends there. So, we stayed with Greg and Lisa Brown, co-workers of Josh's at Toyota, on Saturday night. It was a fun time and we even took the boat out on their lake on Sunday, which was a first for both Ethan and Daisy! :) 

Early Sunday evening, we headed about an hour up the road to Cincinnati. This time we stopped to visit Josh's brother, Aaron, and his daughter, Braelynn, at their house on the east side. We spent the evening catching up with them. On Monday, we got up and made our way to another friend's house in Cincy - Jeff and Amanda Balster. Jeff is Josh's fraternity brother and roommate from freshman year at UC. We caught up with them and then decided to make a trip downtown to Taste of Cincinnati! It was delicious as usual and we had a great time, until it started pouring down rain on us. :( We were able to fill our bellies first with some super tasty food, and also catch up with a couple of Kristy's classmates from UC - Liz Ebbeler and Cindy (Klinefelter) Busse.

After that we began the trek north again, to Kristy's parents' house, in Fredericktown. Josh's flight left Tuesday at 12:30 pm, so, then it was Kristy, Ethan and Daisy for the duration. We spent the first week in Fredericktown and Ethan had the opportunity to meet many relatives - Deb & Steve, Ed, Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma Irene, Lori & Vanessa, Great-Grandma Hannan-Zehner, and Steve & Becky.

The following week, Kristy's sister, Katie, was scheduled to go to the hospital to be induced on the 2nd. So, that Tuesday we made the trip southwest, to her house in Huber Heights. There we stayed with Jacob, Ethan's cousin, while Katie and her husband, Mike, went to the hospital. Little Rachel Aimee was born on the 3rd! We then spent the rest of that week and the following week at Katie's house, helping out and letting the cousins "play." Ethan and Jacob did love watching Shrek together as Jacob sat with his arm around Ethan - too cute! He loved spending time with "his babies," as he put it. :)

On that Friday, Josh's flight was scheduled to arrive around 4:30 pm, so we packed up and headed to the Columbus airport to pick him up. It was great to have him back in the states again!! He had a nice trip and was able to meet up with his brother, Jared, the two weekends that he was there and do lots of sightseeing in Europe, including Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium! They had a great time together. For pics from his trip, check out his facebook page. From the airport, we headed south to Josh's parents' house in Wheelersburg. We spent the rest of the weekend there, where Ethan had the chance to meet his Memaw Sparks and Great Aunt Sharon. He also spent more time with cousin Braelynn and Uncle Aaron.

On Monday morning we woke up and packed the 4-runner up one final time! It was time to head home! :) It was a nice trip and we had the chance to see a lot of friends and family, but we had been away for quite a while, and it was great to get back home that evening!!

For pics from the trip, be sure to check out Kristy's album on facebook!

Three Months Old!

Ethan turned three months old last week. It is hard to believe - they really do grow up too fast! It seems like ages ago that I gave birth, yet I still don't know how three months have past already either. Since last month, he has gained about 11 ozs, to weigh in at around 13 lbs, 6 ozs, which is in the 50th-75th percentile. He grew an additional two inches from his previous length of 23 inches, to a length of 25 inches now, which is in the 75th-90th percentile. Such a tall boy now! :) And I am pretty sure he is currently in a growth spurt, as all he wants to do is eat and sleep, even more than usual, haha. :) As I type, he just passed out during tummy time, which NEVER happens and he took a 1.5+ hour nap today, which also never happens anymore! His head circumference has also increased to 41 cm, which is also in the 50th percentile. This month he received a special surprise on his 3-month birthday - a new cousin! Rachel Aimee was born June 3rd at 9:46 am to my sister, Katie, and her husband, Mike. She was 8 lbs, 1.6 ozs and 20.75" long.


It's amazing what a month can bring for an infant. He now flashes hundreds of smiles a day and just last week had his first true laugh while I was changing him to get ready for bed. He has been able to roll from his stomach to his back for over a month now, but is still working on going from his back to his stomach. He did it once last week (which unfortunately everyone missed - we only know he did it because he was on his back, and then next time we looked he was on his tummy!), but has yet to make it happen again. He easily gets on to his side both ways, but then stops there. :( He is soooo close! I think he is just waiting for his daddy to get home from Germany. :) He loves looking into the mirror, staring at the cute boy he sees. :) He is constantly drooling and he has also discovered his hands and fingers, and LOVES chewing on them. It will definitely not be long before those teeth pop in!


Below is a pic of Ethan at three months, once again wearing a 12-month onesie. He hasn't changed quite as much this past month, but is still getting cuter by the day! ;)

Mother's Day 2009

So Kristy celebrated her first Mother's Day as a mom this year and she must admit that until now, she could not truly appreciate the job of a mother. Because of this, she wants to say a BIG thank you to her mom and let her know how much she loves her and thanks her for being such a great mom! She can only hope that her son will someday appreciate her as much as she now appreciates her mom.

Josh surprised Kristy for Mother's Day this year with a beautiful pot of flowers and some yummy donuts from a local donut shop. They later spent some time at the lake and hung out with Josh's parents and brother, Jared, who were there visiting for the weekend.

Kristy is currently a stay-at-home mommy, which is not an easy job somedays. She can't imagine how hard it would be having a job outside the home on top of her job as a mommy. Thankfully, for now, she can enjoy being a mommy and return to the working world when she and Ethan are ready!

Ethan's Two Month Check-Up

I took Ethan for his two month check-up today in Newnan. He is still doing great! Since last month, he has gained 1 lb, 15 ozs, to weigh in at an impressive 12 lbs, 11 ozs, which is still in the 75th percentile. He grew an additional inch from his previous length of 22 inches, to a length of 23 inches now, which is in the 50th percentile. His head circumference has also increased to 40 cm, which is also in the 50th percentile. 

He received his first round of vaccinations, 3 shots and 1 that was taken orally. The first shot was a combination of the DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis), Polio, and Influenzae Type b (Hib), the second was for Hepatitis B, and the third was a Pneumococcal conjugate. The oral vaccine was for rotavirus. He did fantastic! He only cried for a minute and then mommy was able to get him calmed back down. After eating his lunch he was fast asleep again for the trip home! :) Everything else looked and sounded good, so we will be back in two months for his 4-month check-up!

Below is a pic of Ethan at two months, once again wearing a 12-month onesie. Amazing how much he has changed in just a month! Getting cuter by the day! ;)