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Friday, December 10, 2010

Latest Stats on Ethan

We went to the doctor yesterday for Ethan's 4 month well visit. Here are the stats on our boy.

Weight - 14lbs, 4oz. (we TOTALLY thought he was over 16...he is a tank! And his chubby cheeks have really filed out lately...more to kiss!)
Height - 25.25 inches
Head Circumference - 43cm...big head, big brain, right?!?

To all of the mommies out there, when did you start your babies on cereals/fruits/veggies? Do you make your own baby food? Any tips or suggestions? I'd love any feedback!

Ethan is very active and playful these days. He is full of giggles galore! Loves to look at himself in the mirror. Starting to notice he has feet. When we call his name, he looks at us. Everything goes into the mouth! He reaches for his mobile, bats at toys...and silverware for that matter if he is on our lap during meals. And, I swear he watches me eat! He looks at me so intently, I feel like he wants my food! He has rolled all the way over only a couple of times but arches and rolls to his side all the time on his play mat. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how he "talks" to us. Listening to him in his crib babbling away in the morning makes my heart so happy.

I feel like I am in a time warp ever since we had Ethan. Our days go by so incredibly fast... hours seems like minutes. Best few "minutes" of our lives though.

A Visit to the Man in the Red Suit

This past Wednesday, Ethan and I joined our friends Sara and Mikey (Sara's adorable baby) for a trip to the Short Hills Mall to visit "the big guy". This Santa was fantastic...a very authentic Santa with rosey red cheeks, a REAL beard and a kind demeanor. He was great with the babies who were totally enthralled by his presence. We didn't have any tears (which I totally expect next year) just content babies happy to be held in Santa's big arms.

While in line, we couldn't help but laugh at the other people waiting to see good old St. Nick. Yeah...we were laughing, but it was totally a glimpse into our future...crying kids in coordinating, uncomfortable and itchy holiday outfits, kids whining about the wait (which seems like eons to little ones) and kids crawling all over the icebergs of the "winter wonderland" amidst wires and other technical hazards. Not to mention the kids who were completely rolling in the artificial snow - i'm sure their parents were less than pleased with the designers of this Santa land. Ahhh...it's all part of the memories, right?!?


Waiting in line with my little Santa

(sorry for the awful cell phone pics)

Elf in training, Mikey, and his mommy Sara

Here is the shot we got of Ethan and Santa.

.....ANNNND they're out! It was a big day for these little Santa Babies!
(Ethan looks HUGE in the picture)

See you on December 24th, Santa! Ho, Ho,Ho!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

So much to be thankful for...


-ethan 3.5 months-

Thanksgiving found us in the beach town of Manasquan at the home of my Aunt Emma and Uncle Wally. They served a beautiful dinner that was celebrated with all of the family. The day was great and Ethan was such a good boy. He got to meet his cousin Gracie for the first time!

MY 1st TURKEY DAY!
Ethan with cousin Alison

A totally out of focus pic of my love, LOGAN

my little lovey, DYLAN
Isn't he so handsome?

Grandpa and Ethan

Cousins Christine and Mark

I think someone liked David

Uncle Wally cuts the bird

Beautiful Aunt Emma and beautiful Grace!
We were blessed to use Aunt Fran and Barbara's goldware.
These have been used at many family parties throughout the years. Love you, Aunt Fran.

the EXTENSIVE menu...everything was so delicious

after dinner giggles...

Gracie and Ethan meet!
Meg, Grace, Ty and Ethan

Grace and Ethan check out Dylan playing on an iphone
...kids these days!

Auntie Meggie and Ethan's turkey bum :0)


On Sunday, November 27th, we joined the Millwards in Brooklyn for our Can-American Thanksgiving Celebration.

Lovely little Sarah and Ethan

Oliver, Sarah and Ethan
Say cheese!

We are so thankful this year for our baby boy and the love of family and friends. What more could we ask for?

Saturday, November 6, 2010

NO-vember!

I want to say NOOOOOO to November this year! Can't believe it is already here...another month closer to the end of my maternity leave. Yes, I am whining and complaining...because I can...and because i'm sad about having to leave my baby with strangers soon. I know I have been lucky to have a few extra weeks than the typical twelve you get here. How awful - only a mere twelve weeks to establish a bond with a little life you will be responsible for for a long time to come. And forget the dads...in the great and prosperous United States of America they get zilch. Thank goodness Ty has a nice boss who granted him two weeks. I advise you not to tune in to this blog in late December/early January if you don't want hear my future rants.

Anywho...

Ethan wrapped up October in costume. He was the cutest giraffe on the block!

We celebrated with a whole bunch of moms, dads and little ones at a the Turtle Club, a local bar here in Hoboken. It really was kind of humorous to walk into a bar pushing a stroller and be faced with about twenty other families. There were babies in costume, babies in carriers, babies at the bar, babies EVERYWHERE. I wish i got a picture of the baby madness but it was way too crowded. I snapped this one of Ethan with Ty. Lots of fun was had by all!

On the 1st of November, we celebrated Ty's 35th birthday. Ethan woke up early to wish his daddy a happy birthday. Later that day, we met daddy for a steak dinner. E got his old man a Jets t-shirt, football and cute Jets teddy bear. He also bought himself some Jets onesies to wear while watching games with his daddy.


The next day, Nov. 2nd, Ethan wished his Papa a happy 70th birthday!
We are sad we couldn't be there to celebrate with you Papa Marv, but we were thinking of you and can't wait to give you big birthday hugs at Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas...Ethan applied for his passport so he can go to Winnipeg in December.
Here he is at the Passport Center Post Office...
...and here's the cutest pic i snapped there too...

One more! Ethan in the Bumbo chair. He is still trying to figure out how to sit in it. So adorable. In this pic, he looks like a pro but he was a tad bit wobbly...mom just got a good shot.


That's about all for now. See you soon!
Oh by the way, thanks Blogger for improving the efficiency of the photo upload process. I didn't want to bang my head against the wall while uploading pictures for this post. Props!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Update (from Ethan)

Hi Friends,

I am growing so fast (mommy is kind of upset about it)! At my last doctor visit I weighed 12.2 lbs. and measured 24 1/4 inches. The doctor said that I was "impressive"...i'll take that as a compliment! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of me for sleeping longer during the night.

Some of the things I like to do are chew on my hands, take baths, go for walks and go to exercise class with mommy (baby yoga is my favorite). I have some new friends that I met at class - Mikey, Eva and Hunter. They are pretty cool. For Halloween we are going to get dressed up and get together. I'm going to be a giraffe! Speaking of giraffe, mom gave me a new toy today...a giraffe named Sophie...I love to chew on her too!

Here are some pictures mommy took of me...

Me chewing on my hands

Here I am at yoga!
Me and Mikey...he likes to chew on his hands too.


Guess what?!??! Mommy left me alone with Daddy for an overnight last weekend! Daddy took good care of me and we had lots of fun. We took Max for a walk, went to Dunkin Donuts and watched lots of football. Mommy said she missed me SOOOOO much...I guess that's why she didn't put me down for a long time when she got home. I got a ton of hugs and kisses.

Yesterday, we went to New Hope, Pennsylvania. Here is a picture of my family...

Well, that's about it for now. I will get mommy to post some pictures of me in my costume. I hope your Halloween is lots of fun!

Hugs and Kisses,
Ethan

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Look Who's Two Months Old!



We can't believe our little guy is already two months old. Where has the time gone?

Ethan is a true joy to wake up to each morning...yes, I said morning. For the last few nights (KNOCK ON WOOD), Ethan has been sleeping for 7, 8 and even 9 hour stretches! I know this probably won't last but I have been getting some glorious nights of real sleep. A swaddle has made all the difference. When we first brought Ethan home from the hospital, we attempted the swaddle but we thought he hated it...would scream each time we put him in. But one of the new moms I have met recently suggested I try it again and it worked! And he is such a cutie in it...looks like a pea in a pod. Anyway, getting back to waking up...E is all smiles in the a.m.! We love his big gummy smiles...they just melt us.

Click on this link to view a video i took with the iPhone (not great quality). And please pardon my baby voice : )

Hmmmm...what else?
Ethan enjoys lying on his back while kicking his chunky little legs in the air. He loves being sung to and listening to his iTunes playlist. He is also visually tracking mom and dad a lot more. The little man is a book fan - he really attends to the books when we read to him. (man I sound like a teacher). Ethan is a bit less resistant to "tummy time". The doctor encouraged us to do some so that Ethan does not get a flat noggin. Oh, and another activity that E is starting to like a lot more is bath time. He really enjoys it now...splashing, kicking and peeing (yep) in the warm water! I think grins are starting to become giggles these days. We are not getting any hearty laughs just yet, but definitely noticing some smiles paired with happy noises! Ethan loves being out and about around town and has met lots of new friends (more on that later). We are slowly but surely getting to know all of the good spots for him to eat and be changed!

Here are some recent pictures...

Tummy Time in the morning.

Say cheese!

Enjoying some fun in the sun...well, shade at Pier A in Hoboken

Katie comes to Hoboken to meet Ethan

Tubby Time in the evening.


It honestly keeps getting better and better.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been awhile since i've updated the blog because we have been super busy!

I wanted to do an entire post on the great "Mama and Papa" (Ty's parents) visit; however, to my GREAT DISMAY, we have misplaced the many, many pictures we took while they were here...lost in cyberspace...hopefully Mr. Mac Support can help us to retrieve them. Tyler and I are both sick that the pictures are missing. If we can get them back, I will certainly post them.

Mama and Papa came to visit NJ on September 8th. They met their newest grandchild at the airport and it was certainly love at first sight. They came laden with gifts for Ethan from his Canadian family members and friends. We can't express our gratitude enough for the beautiful things we received for him. People are truly so thoughtful and generous. Here are some pictures of the gorgeous toys that Papa made for Ethan. We will treasure these forever!

Pull toy

Ride-on toy


There was a lot of bonding time over the weeks Marv and Claire were here. Ethan enjoyed many walks around Hoboken with Mama and Papa. We visited Peddler's Village in Pennsylvania one weekend and the Amish country in Lancaster county PA another weekend. During Marv and Claire's stay, we also had Ethan's "hello party" for our family to meet him. It was a great time and I can't thank my parents enough for hosting such a wonderful gathering (lost these pics too - keep your fingers crossed we can get them back). As always, Marv and Claire made many home improvements to the condo...racks on the inside of the pantry doors, pull-out shelves in cabinets, shelves in closets and a few things hung here and there. Claire cooked many great dinners, scrubbed the floors, cleaned out the fridge and organized my disorganized cabinets. Thank you, thank you, thank you Marv and Claire!
Oh and how could I almost forget...Ty and I had a date night *thank you Michele, Keith, Devin and Maria for this gift*. We got dressed up and went to 340 Grill in Hoboken. What a great meal...one of the best we've had in a while! The martini menu alone could have kept me happy. Claire and Marv were surpised to see us home fairly early. We confessed to talking about Ethan and looking at his pictures and videos on our phones all night. ; )

I wish I could just freeze time for a bit. Each day that passes is a day closer to me going back to work....ugh, I can't even think about it. People keep telling me "Oh, you'll be ready to go back by then". I have been home for almost 2.5 months and I only have 2.5 months left. I am still waiting for the urge to go back to work to hit me and honestly, I don't think it will. But, I am just going to try to stop counting down my days and just enjoy each day I have with my little man.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Time Flies

It is so hard to believe that Ethan is six weeks old today! Where is the time going? We already look at pictures and video and remark on how he has changed so much. He has grown a lot! At our last doctor's appointment Ethan was tipping the scale at 9lbs, 14.5oz...and I bet he is at least 11lbs now. He is almost out of his newborn sized clothing : (

Ethan also celebrated his first month! He is dressed in the adorable onesie that my cousin, Kelly, made for him. She made one for each month of his first year. We LOVE them...thanks, Kel!

WHAT HAPPENED TO ETHAN'S HAIR?
Early September...lots of hair

Late September...not so much

I think bald is beautiful...right Ty?


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Our Visitors

Ethan has had so many visitors during his first few weeks.

Cousins Karen and Ed were the first to meet Ethan.

Kerri, Ricki and Auntie Meg

Miss Mel came to Hoboken to visit

The Millwards (Heather, Erik, Oliver and Sarah)



Fernando, Miriam and Alex

Alex and Rachel


Tricia, Gerardo, and Lesley also came to see Ethan. We are so lucky to have such thoughtful family and friends. Thanks, everyone!