Ethan has been a very busy little guy this past month.  He is amazing us every day with how much he is changing!  This is what our days are looking like lately:

6-7am – wake up, nurse, snuggle in bed with mommy and daddy.  8am – breakfast, usually oatmeal and fruit.  9:30am – nurse, then nap.  His morning nap has been anywhere from 1-2 hours lately.  12pm – Lunch.  Fruit or yogurt.  We usually run around after lunch.  1pm – Nurse  2:30pm – Afternoon nap.  If he had a good morning nap he will sleep about an hour.  If he had a short morning nap he will sleep longer.  4pm – Nurse.  5:30pm – Dinner.  7:30pm – Nurse then bed

Eating – Ethan has really taken off on solid food over the past few weeks.  He is eating 2-4oz three times a day.  He loves yogurt and peaches.  He is starting to learn to feed himself as well.  This is going very slowly, as he does not like the feeling of food on the back of his throat.  He frequently gags on things like puffs and crackers, but he is getting much better.  It is pretty cute to watch him pick up a cracker, crunch into it, then get a look on his face like “why did this toy turn into a million pieces in my mouth?”  He is learning to move the food in his mouth, moosh it up and swallow it.  He still does not have any teeth but he is learning to mash with his gums.  He is getting more proficient with the sippy cup but still thinks it is mainly a toy.  He actually does pretty well drinking out of a regular cup when I help him.

Sleeping – Ethan is sleeping great!  Most nights he is sleeping from 8pm until 6 or 7am.  He is taking great naps.  Of course he occasionally still has a bad night, wakes up really early or takes bad naps.  But overall I am amazed at how well he is doing now.  It is great to put him in bed at night and not have to worry him waking up.  One negative (which I anticipated) is that he only really sleeps well in his crib now.  He does not sleep well in the car.  Sometimes I can transfer him from the car to his bed, but he usually doesn’t sleep for much longer.  I feel like we have to be home for all of his naps, but it is ok with me!

Activity – Ethan is on the move!  He has been “mobile” for a few weeks now – going from sitting, to belly, back to sitting.  Over the past few days he has been moving forward on his hands and knees.  His crawling is still very course, but I have a feeling he is going to be quite graceful soon!  He is also loving to stand.  Though it is very exciting, it makes me nervous now that I have to constantly keep my eye on him so he doesn’t get into something dangerous.  I have also found him sitting up in his crib playing when he should be napping.  I dread the day when I go to get him in the morning and he is standing in his crib!  He is not able to pull up on his own yet, but he sure is trying.  He is loving all of his toys, especially his vtech sit to stand, his jumperoo and anything he can chew on.  He is also recently interested in books.  He will actually sit and let me read to him.  We have signed him up for the summer reading program at our library, but I’m not sure how far we will get.  It is difficult to keep him entertained for too long with books!  He is still mbabbling and making funny noises, but contains to prefer saying “dadadadada” or making a deep “heeeeeeeeaaahh” sound.

Ethan is such a happy, funny little guy.  He is such a joy and makes Jason and I so happy.  He is developing quite the personality.  I love the way his face lights up when I pick him up from daycare or get him after a nap.  I love how he “talks” to his pacifier.  He loves getting kisses and loves to give them back (more like slobbering/licking, but close enough).  As much as I would love for him to stay this age forever, I can’t wait to see what he will do next!

I have been waiting for his hair to get long enough for me to faux-hawk it!  His necklace is an amber teething necklace.

He loves spinning the wheels on his toys!

Watch out cats – the baby is mobile!

Giving daddy lovins on Father’s Day!

Hanging out with Grampy.