~119~ Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Walker in the House!

It's official. 

My little boy is an independent walker.

He's been showing signs of being close for about 3 weeks now, but just wasn't quite daring enough to take those steps on his own. Previously, he easily cruised the furniture or with a walker, just not completely on his own.  Last Friday, he took 1 or 2 steps, but as of last Monday, he's full.on.walking!

We had Ethan's 15 month appointment on Wednesday. As usual, he's small, but growing normally.

Weight: 19.1 LBs (10%ile)

Height: 28.5 Inches (1%)

Eating Habits: 

Ethan is quite the eater! He loves any and (almost) all food! His favorites are avocado, chicken, bananas, raspberries, and grapes. Honestly though, he loves all fruit and eats it like candy. I'll take it. He's even pretty good about eating vegetables. For the most part, Jake and I try to eat pretty clean and healthy because Ethan eats what we eat (I'm not a short-order cook!). As a result, I think this has helped make Ethan a well-rounded eater; for now at least.  He has also taken to share his food and will often offer us (or the dogs) bites. It's pretty dark cute!

He completely dropped all nursings except first thing in morning, even when he eats a real breakfast. I'm okay with that. I savor our cuddle time in the morning.

Words: 
Mama

Dada or Da.

Yes or Yeah.

I was a bit concerned that his language skills haven't quite taken off yet. Although he "talks" quite frequently, he doesn't have a very large vocabulary-yet.  I talked with our speech-language pathologist at school because yes, I'm that mom, and she reassured me that it's not a concern until he's 2, at which the standard marker is 50 words.  

Favorite Activities: 

Putting pegs into the side of his tool box. He's gotten quite good at this and will line them all up across the side. Occasionally he'll have a hard time getting one in, gets frustrated, and will throw a mini-tantrum, but watching him keep trying and get it makes me a proud mom!

Going for rides in his wagon. He loves it and is all smiles!

Climbing on his big-boy chair and looking out the window. He especially loves to do this when daddy is out mowing and he can watch him. 

Playing with and ripping paper. I don't know why, but he loves to do this. He also occasionally likes to "eat" it and I have to go fishing pieces out of his mouth. 

Splashing in his water table. I got Ethan a water table on sale at Target last month and we've already used it a couple of times. Although he can't really use the toys on it quite yet, he loves splashing in the water and throwing the balls around. 

Drinking out of Glasses. We always have to watch our glasses because Ethan loves to steal them and take drinks of his own. This has resulted in him dousing himself with water a couple of times!

Least Favorite Activities:
Diaper changes.  Mostly it's that he doesn't like having to lay still for that long.

Being told, "no". And boy does he have an attitude when you do. He sure does have a temper when he doesn't get his way. We are working on ignoring and praising good listening and positive behavior.

In other news,
School is officially out and I'm home for the summer. 11 weeks or 77 days to be exact! I'm so excited for spending some extra quality time with my little guy.  I have us signed up for a few different story-times at local libraries, and I'm sure we'll spend some time at the pool.  I was hoping to get him in a Mommy&Me Music Class, but I missed the boat on our local one and anything else was just too expensive. Oh well, there's always next summer!

We also took Ethan to the zoo for the first time last weekend with my parents and best friend, Lauren. He wasn't all that excited about the animals, but he did spend some time watching them. I think he liked the polar bear the best!

~115~ Last month...

....as a less than 1 year old! *tear*

That’s right, Ethan turned 11 months old this week. This past year has been an incredible and wonderful whirlwind. It still blows my mind that this time last year I was a little over 30 weeks pregnant, and while I thought I was almost 10 weeks away from meeting little man, little did I know then that It was only 23 DAYS away.  

Ethan has really taken off in the last month, and it’s become quite evident that we transitioning from  little baby to little boy. 

Weight: According to the bathroom scale he’s about 17.6 LBs . We’ll have an updated official weight in a little over a month when Ethan goes in for his 1 year(!) appointment.

Teeth: 4! His top 2 teeth popped overnight a couple of weeks ago. We’ve been so lucky (knock on wood) that teething has noticeably bothered him.

What Ethan’s Eating: It would actually be easier to write, “What Isn’t Ethan Eating”, because in reality he is eating everything! In addition to nursing morning/night and getting 2 bottles of pumped milk at daycare, Ethan is also eating 2 full meals a day.  I pack him a solid food lunch using consisting of some sort of protein (ground turkey, chicken, PBJ, Greek Yogurt), a fruit, and a veggie.  Occasionally he’ll also get some goldfish crackers, whole wheat ritz, or Cherrios. A couple of weeks ago, Ethan dropped his 5:00 nursing session on his own in favor for real food at dinner.  At dinner he eats whatever we’re eating (sometimes modified).  I love that he is so self-sufficient with feeding himself and is able to enjoy his meals WITH us. Honestly, baby-led weaning was one of the best decisions that we could have ever made.

Milestones: 

1. Transitioning from Standing to Sitting and vice-versa For a while, Ethan has been able to pull himself up. However, he would start whining after a little bit because he got “stuck” and had a hard time getting back down. Now it’s no problem and he can even lean down to grab something without falling.  

2. Climbing stairs.  Ever since Ethan started crawling and pulling up on things he’s started to take an interest in stairs. The day before he turned 11 months he decided to take the plunge and tackle the stairs. He conquered them in 1 go!

3. Giving Kisses Typically at night, Ethan loves to give his mama and dada big, slobbery, open-mouthed kisses, and we love them!

4. Asking for Food He’s not exactly saying words, but Ethan does have a sequence of sounds that he uses when he wants food (typically when he sees us getting it ready).  I’m pretty sure he thinks that all food is called bananas (because he just about eats one a day), but he leaves off he ba- and just says, “nana” over and over.  It sounds like he’s saying “no-no-no-no-no” though. LOL.

5. Calling for Mama and Dada. I’m still not completely convinced that it’s purposeful vs. random, but I’m starting to feel like it’s very directed when he says it. The other day, he said “mama” and then leaned over, grabbed my face with both hands and planted a big wet one on my cheek. Talk about melt your heart!

6. Pushing his Sit To Stand Walker. He got this for Christmas from us and has loved it since the moment he unwrapped it. He can’t quite push it from a full stand-but he will do it while up on his knees. I have a feeling we’ll have a walker in no time!

Activities: 
1. Cheering on the Vikings in the Playoffs - Sadly he also got to experience a defeating loss. There’s always next season though, right?

2. 1st Snow Day at home with mom.  We spent the day snuggling, playing, napping, and playing some more. Pretty much my idea of a perfect day!

3. Puzzles - Ethan has taken a particular interest in puzzles. So far it only consists of taking the pieces out, but he’s gotten really good at grabbing them by their little handles.  The fact that he enjoys doing puzzles makes my nerd heart happy :)

I am now into full-on party-planning mode.  My mom has joked that it’s almost as if I’m planning another wedding. Ha. It’s definitely going to be big, but I don’t know about that big ;)

More on that next month. 

Until then,

~114~ 10 months and Crawling!

Happy New Year!

Our family had a wonderful Christmas and I hope all of you did too!

Celebrating Ethan’s 1st Christmas was so magically and I’m so glad that I have my new camera to hold onto some of those special moments forever. 

We spent Christmas Eve at our house and Christmas Day at Jake’s parents’ house before we left for Minneapolis. We then spent a long weekend in MN with my family and friends.  Ethan even got to meet his new friend Ryan who was born just a little over a month after Ethan. (Their original due dates were only 6 days apart!)

When we got back, we had Ethan’s 9 month appointment - which was a bit delayed since he was almost 10months old by the time we got it scheduled. His doctor confirmed that he’s perfect, just like we know he is. 

Weight: 16.2lbs (6%)

Length: 26.5in (5%)

Teeth: 
2! His first tooth sprouted the week before Christmas. We almost didn’t even notice it at first because it didn’t seem to bother him at all! The second one popped up shortly after.

What Ethan’s Eating:
There really isn’t much he isn’t eating. Of course no honey until after 1, and I’ve also been leery of introducing strawberries and grapes, and will probably wait another month or so. He is eating solids at daycare everyday - typically a mixture of fruits and veggies. At home he typically eats dinner with us 5 out of 7 nights. 

Milestones: 

Ethan started crawling on Thursday, December 10. We initially called it the “Airplane” crawl since he paused between each scoot and kicked his feet while spreading his arms out to his sides and flapping them up and down. It may look silly, but let me tell you-he gets where he wants to go pretty quickly!  By Christmas, he was full-on crawling and get where and what he wants a lot faster than you’d think!

Today, he also started pulling himself up for the first time. We had a feeling it would be soon since he had started hanging on to our ottoman from his knees and trying to pull up, but not quite having the guts to go for it. Well, while I was taking his 10 month pictures in his crib he went for it! Needless to say as soon as we were done, we lowered the mattress.

Activities: 

1. Christmas!

Like I said, we celebrated Christmas eve and day here in IA with Jake’s family. It was lovely and a great way to celebrate Ethan’s 1st Christmas! After spending Christmas morning at Jake’s parents’ house, we drove up to MN and spent the extended weekend there with my family. Lots of quality time together, good food, and relaxation!

Ethan of course was beyond spoiled and our house is now bursting with new toys.  His new favorites are the Sit and Stand Walker, an elephant he can ride, and a Little People Zoo.

2. New Year’s Eve.  
It’s crazy to me that it’s now a different year than when Ethan was born. We had a great New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house with all of the kids. Ethan didn’t quite make it until midnight, but had a blast staying up later than usual.  He also gave us quite the gift by sleeping in until 11:30am the next day! (He certainly takes after mom in that department).

~113~ First Thanksgiving and 9 month Update

It’s hard to believe that we celebrated Ethan’s first Thanksgiving almost a month ago (as usual, I am behind in posting my monthly updates)! Of course we had a great time! It was particularly fun since he’s eating solids and was able to partake in our Thanksgiving meal. He certainly loved all it - especially the pumpkin pie!

We had my parents and grandma over for dinner. Jake’s family was supposed to come too, but weather and illness prevented them from making it :(  It was still a lovely time though and Ethan enjoyed being the center of attention!

Weight: We won’t get an official weight until the end of the month when Ethan goes in for his 9 month appointment, but according to the bathroom scale he’s 16.2 LBs. 

Clothing Size: Ethan’s solidly in 6 month clothing both for onesies and pants. For sleepers though he’s in 6-9 month. He’s still a little peanut, but that’s a-okay with me ;)

What Ethan’s Eating:

 There’s really nothing that Ethan isn’t eating aside from honey (which can cause Botulism in infants).  He loves eating food and will get jealous if we’re eating something from him and not sharing. He’s even eating solids at daycare now after his daycare lady asked if it was okay. Apparently he was having meltdowns when the other kids were having snacks and he wasn’t getting any.  His favorite foods are bananas, tomatoes, whole-wheat crackers.  We try to be very mindful of the foods he’s eating and making sure that they are healthy. Occasionally we’ll give him a little taste of a treat, but that’s it. He’s still getting the bulk of his food from my milk nursing 3 times a day and getting 2 bottles at daycare. 

Activities:

1. We had our first snowfall the Friday before Thanksgiving and we got Ethan all bundled up in new snowsuit so he could check it out for himself. We didn’t last out there for very long, but he was very curious about this white stuff and of course wanted to give it a taste!

2. The Friday after Thanksgiving we went with my family to the annual Festival of Tree and Lights downtown where we oohed and ahhed over a bunch of decorated Christmas trees. Ethan also got to meet Santa for the first time. I don’t think he knew quite what to think but he didn’t cry! I’d say it was a success!

3. We’re about half-way through swim lessons now and Ethan’s doing great. The instructor has frequently marveled at how well he does kicking his feet in the water and being able to put his head under without freaking out.  Our lesson before thanksgiving he was the only swimmer there and got to use the waterslide for the first time. So much fun!

4. First Christmas Tree.  Two weekends ago we got our Christmas tree.  Ethan had a lot of fun checking it out - and trying to eat it! I’ve always loved this season, but now that we have Ethan, I love it even more!

At this point, there’s only 5 more days until Christmas! Ethan’s 9 month appointment will be next week when he’s actually only a week away from 10 months, I’ll be back to update soon!

Until then, 

~112~ 8 Months Old

I feel like I can never keep up with my monthly updates. As soon as I finish posting last months, it’s already time to do a new one! And so here I am posting only a week before Ethan will be turning 9 months old.

As usual, Ethan is learning all sorts of things each day and it’s so much fun seeing his personality develop. He’s constantly on the move, smiling, and exploring things around him. 

Weight: Not sure. My guess is somewhere between 15 and 16 pounds

What Ethan’s Eating: 

We’re continuing to use the baby-led-weaning method of feeding Ethan solids.  So far he’s only eating once a day at dinner with us. It’s not very consistent and I’m having a hard time figuring out how we’re going to work in this method of feeding with daycare (because it can be scary for people who are not familiar with BLW) so that we can add in more meals/snacks per day. 

Activities: 

1. Peek-A-Boo!  Shortly after turning 7 months old, Ethan realized that he can play peek-a-boo with us.  He loves to pull a blanket up over his eyes and slowly peek over the top. The squeals are so fun!

2. Swimming! We started Waterbabies class at the YMCA at the end of October and it’s been so much fun! We go every Wednesday evening for a half hour until mid-December. This boy is definitely a fish and loves the water.

3. Fall Pictures.  We meant to get his pictures taken around 6 months old, but he wasn’t quite a stable sitter yet so our photographer recommended waiting until he was able to sit independently. So instead of 6 month pictures, we got 8 month ones. These will remain a secret for a little while longer though until we can get our Christmas card out ;)

4. Halloween.  I made Ethan’s costume this year after seeing the perfect costume online. I couldn’t find one that I liked enough to buy so I took to the sewing machine one weekend after finding a tutorial online. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.  We went to Jake’s parents to help hand out candy and trick or treat around there before heading to a friend’s house.

Milestones:
We’re *almost* crawling! He has the positioning and the desire to crawl, but he’s just not quite there yet. I have a feeling it won’t be much longer though.

Still no teeth, but I’m still okay with that.  It doesn’t stop him from eating though.  He’s able to mash and “chew” quite a bit with those strong gums of his!

With the holidays coming up, we’ll have lots to report in the next couple of updates.

Until then, 

~111~ Ethan's 7 months old!!

 
It's incredible to me just how much can change in a month! I am really starting to feel like I have a little boy now and not a little baby! Here's what Ethan's been up to: 

Weight: I weighed him on my bathroom scale a couple of days ago and based on that he's approximately 15Lbs, 9oz.  Considering at his 6 month appointment he was 13lbs 12oz, that's quite the big jump! I'd say we've hit a growth spurt. 

Activities: We haven't done a whole lot out of the ordinary this past month. With school in full swing, we've mostly been just hanging out at home and relaxing on the weekends. At the end of the month.  The biggest thing I'd say is EATING!!  We started solids using the baby-led weaning method, meaning that we complete skipped the puree stage and went right to whole, real food. So far he's had carrots, cauliflower, snap peas, avocado, bananas, watermelon, pear, oranges, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat waffles.

 It started out with uncertainty at first, but he's loving it now! It's been awesome to watch his skills develop.  He went from having a hard time picking up things and getting them into his mouth to easily grabbing what he wants and being able to turn his hand to get it in his mouth.  He still doesn't have any teeth, but he has some strong gums! I'm not sure how much he is actually ingesting, but at this point in time I'm not concerned about that since his main source of food is still breast-milk. 

Favorite things: Waffles! He can't seem to get enough.  Ethan also loves "flying" and standing up. I'm pretty sure he's going to start walking before he crawls. 

Not so favorite things: Honestly, there's really not much he doesn't like! The only time he really cries or fusses is when he's overly tired, hungry, or sick of being in one position for too long. 

Milestones

1) Ethan is a professional roller now! He can easily roll from stomach to back and back again over and over again. He's quick about it too.  He fell off the couch for the first time a week ago while Jake and I were switching spots :( Luckily it wasn't a far fall and he landed safely on the carpet. 

2) Sitting by-himself.  He's still not sitting completely upright (again, those darn cheeks), but he is able to sit independently for quite a while without toppling over. I'd call that a success!

~109~ 5 months

Last Thursday, Ethan turned 5 months old! It was about this time last year that I found out I was pregnant, and now my baby is almost 1/2 a year old!  Crazy how much can happen in a year! I’ll definitely be soaking in the next week since I go back to work on the 18th (insert sad face). I am very grateful though and so lucky that I got as much time at home with him as I did. Had I not had Ethan at the end of the school year, I would have only gotten 8 weeks at home with him. I know that many, many other moms only get between 6-12 weeks, which is simply put, not nearly enough time. 

My little man has continued to grow and change every day.  I love seeing him discover and learn new things.

Weight: Even though we didn’t have an appointment, I took Ethan in to the doctor’s to do a weight check. He was exactly 13lbs.  I’ve read that the average weight gain at this age is 4-5oz/week.  At his 4 month appointment, he weighed 12lbs2oz, so a 14oz gain is pretty on-par. 

Activities: We all went to MN again over the weekend of July 17 just to visit family.  As always, Ethan enjoyed seeing everyone, and Jake and I were able to spend some time with friends.
We really enjoy the fact that we can take Ethan pretty much anywhere without any issues. He’s even been to my classroom a couple of times so I could do some work. He has no idea now, but this will be the first of many summers that he’ll be helping out mom at school ;)

Favorite things: Sucking his thumb. He cannot get enough of his thumb and it’s driving me crazy! We try to pull his thumb and fingers out of his mouth when we can, but it just can’t be avoided 100% of the time. I’m hoping this doesn’t last too long, but oh well.

His blue “crinkly blanket” that we got from my sister-in-law’s mom.  He just loves it and we take it everywhere with us.

We are also starting to like tummy time more, and have even gotten a few smiles and giggles when we do it.

Not So favorite things: 
Naps. For whatever reason, this kid does not like to take naps. I’m hoping that when he starts having to wake up earlier and gets into more of a routine that he starts to nap a bit better. Typically he’ll get 20-30minutes here or there, but never takes a long nap throughout the day. So of course he becomes an overly tired and cranky baby at night.

Milestones : Ethan has successfully rolled from stomach to back a few times, but not consistently yet.  He does very well with purposely grabbing things.  He also loves “talking” to us. I swear he says mama and mom all the time; whether or not he means to is another story... When he gets really excited, he’ll let out a very loud high-pitched scream that gets Jake and I laughing.  Ethan also likes to join in with the laughing and will get into giggling fits over the weirdest things. He particularly likes it when mom dances (which let’s face it, IS pretty funny), repeats funny sounding words, or teases him. We couldn’t think of a better sound.

Next month, I’ll have been back at work for a little bit, Ethan will have started daycare, and he’ll have had his 6 month appointment!

Until then, 

~108~ Monthly Updates & 100 Day Celebration

I’ve honestly been meaning to post about Ethan turning 3 months old for - well, a month now. But, as a new mom, life.happens. and I just never got around to it.  The little guy finally decided to take a real afternoon nap for once though, so here I am with his 3 and 4 month update.

3 Months

Weight: We didn’t have an appointment this month. When I took him to Mommy and Me class, he weighed about 11LBS. 

Eating Habits: Ethan is still eating about every 3 hours (sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more). At the end of May, he was bottle-fed pumped milk when my dad and Jake’s mom watched so I could go back to work at the end of the school year and he was eating about 3-4oz at each feeding . I have to give a lot of props to moms who exclusively pump. I did it twice a day for 2 weeks and that was more than enough for me!

Sleeping Habits: Ethan is now 100% transitioned to sleeping in his crib at night. Miraculously, Ethan started sleeping through the night the night before I went back to work. He slept from 10pm-5am!! It’s like he knew that mama needed her sleep. This has continued ever since, with only a few nights waking up once around 3 or so. Fingers crossed he’ll keep it up!

Activities: Ethan enjoys playing on his playmat and has gotten good at batting at the stuffed animals hanging down. He isn’t really grabbing things yet, but I have a feeling he’ll get there soon! Twice a week, Ethan goes with me to tutoring; and running errands has gotten a lot easier now that he can easily be carried in the Ergo. 

Favorite Things: Bath time! He loves it now. We give Ethan a bath on Sunday and Wednesday nights before bed. It is always a fun and relaxing time for him. After we’re doing washing everything, we take him out of his bath chair and let him float around and “swim” in the tub on his back.  I hold the back of his head to keep it above the water line, but everything else is free in the water. 

He also really likes when people look down at him when he’s laying in his crib or on the changing table and will often smile back at us. 

Least Favorite Things: Tummy Time. I’ve been bad at getting this in because he dislikes it so much. I need to be a tougher mom and make him do it everyday. Sometimes he won’t even try to lift his head (even though he can definitely do it) and will just put his face into the mat and cry.

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Shortly after Ethan turned 3 months old, we celebrated him turning 100 days old on June 14.

 This milestone (Baek-il, 백일) is celebrated in the Korean culture as a sacred time of nurturing for both baby and mom to ensure good health and longevity, as historically the survival rates would drastically increase after a baby's first 100 days of life. To protect mom and baby, they would stay in the house until the baby was 100 days old. On this day, family and friends gather together to give thanks and to share in traditional food and rice cakes. The rice cake represent purity and perfection, and it is believed that the more people it is shared with, the longer life the baby will have.

To celebrate Ethan’s Baek-il, I made a traditional steamed rice cake and other traditional Korean foods for Jake’s parents, brother and his girlfriend, and uncle.  

We had bulgogi, mandu, and rice cake soup (which I had never made before).  It all turned out great and there were no left overs to be found!  Since I hadn’t made the rice cake before and had read that it was an acquired taste, I decided to pick up some gourmet cupcakes as well from a local bakery, Cache Bake Shoppe. Normally, it would kill me a little bit inside to buy cupcakes vs. making them, but with everything else I was making, it was a relief not to have one more thing to have to worry about and prepare.  And I really can’t complain - they were delicious! Even though I didn’t make the cupcakes themselves, I did make some cupcake toppers with Ethan’s name in hangul and his picture. 

Happy 100 days Ethan!!

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4 Months

Weight: 12lbs, 2oz (up 2LBs, 2oz from his 2 month appointment).

Length: 23.5 inches long

Eating Habits: Now that we’re fully back home for the summer, Ethan is back to being 100% breastfed, which is still going great! At his 4 month appointment, his pediatrician said that he could start trying rice cereal and purees if we want to. I picked up a box of rice cereal that night and got his high chair all set up. He loved his new chair, but wasn’t so sure about the cereal. 

We’ll try again in a week or so. At this point in time, we’re just experimenting with things. Once he’s about 6 months old, we’re going to try baby-led weaning to actually introduce solids. 

Sleeping Habits: Ethan is still a great sleeper (knock on wood).  We’ve got a great bedtime routine going and he is consistently sleeping about 10-11 hours overnight. He’s not much of a day-time napper though. After about 12:00, he doesn’t really sleep much until he goes to bed around 9. 

Activities: Being mom’s muse for her new DSLR camera! I’ve gone a little picture crazy, but how can you not when you have the most adorable photo subject?!

Ethan also went on his first “camping” trip at Mikey’s Acres over 4th of July weekend. This special place is dedicated to Ethan’s namesake and Jake’s best friend who we lost 6 years ago April. 

Favorite Things: Kicking his new piano under his playmat. He’s quite the musician! Bath time, and watching mom and dad. 

Least Favorite Things: Still tummy time and shots :(

~106~ First Mother's Day

I had the honor of celebrating my first Mother's Day this month, and what a special one it has been. I am still in awe of lucky I am to have the most special little boy in life and his daddy by my side. 

I started out the day with baby snuggles and breakfast in bed, which was gift enough for me, but Jake and Ethan went above and beyond and really spoiled me! I got a stainless steal mug that says "world's best Mom in Korean" and a beautiful and personalized snow globe from Ethan, which I can't wait to display proudly in my new classroom.  The rest of the day followed with more snuggles, lots of movies, and more treats than a person should consume in one day-but shh, it's Mother's Day and those calories never count ;) 

The night before, I whipped up a batch of sunflower cupcakes to bring to our Mother's Day celebration at my in-laws house, but Mother Nature had other plans in mind, so they had to wait until the next weekend.