A Few Months of Updates....

Looks like we have some updating to do.....

Ethan had his 18-month doctor's appointment October 12; it's hard to believe that was already over a month ago. Anyway, the doctor said that developmentally he was right on track. We discussed his fussy eating habits, sleeping habits, playtime habits, and everything was just as she would expect; that was good news to us! He weighed in at 26 pounds and 10 ounces (50-75th percentile) and was 34 inches tall (90th percentile); we are still not sure where that height is coming from but are happy to know we have a healthy little boy!

His vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds (we will try to get another video of this so you can see how far he has come). He has says all sorts of words and it is nice that he is beginning to really be able to communicate with us what he wants. Something new since the last post is Ethan's love for babies. There is a little girl at Ethan's daycare and he just loves her, so he spends lots of time during the day telling us about babies and asking me to see a picture of her.....its very cute! He even has a baby doll that he likes to feed and put in the swing; then the boy in him comes out and he throws her on the floor and moves on to another toy, but its cute while it lasts! We has some great news this month, Ethan became a big cousin so he was able to meet Evelyn Jablonski in person, he calls her baby Evie. Congrats to Mike and Angela and big sister Lorraine!

Catching up....

In September we took one last trip to Green Lake for Labor Day; it was a great way to end the summer. We were fortunate to have some friends come along with us, they have a new little girl and I think it may be a love connection! Sophia also happens to be the baby I mention above, she started at Ethan's daycare recently.

October was another busy month for Ethan. We took him to the Shedd Aquarium for the first time and we decided to become members for the year, I hope we will take advantage of this over the winter months! Mommy and Daddy had a wedding in Iowa this month, so we took a trip and Ethan got to visit with Grandma Pam and Grandpa Gary. This was a special trip for Ethan because he took his first ride on Grandpa Gary's Combine and got to go with daddy on the riding lawn mower. I tell you this kid takes after daddy.....

It was also, of course, Halloween! For Ethan's second Halloween he decided to dress as a pirate, the costume was adorable but he wasn't super fond of the hat. This year went much better for him than last....he was not sick so he was able to go to Uncle Ted and Aunt Michelle's and play with his cousins and even do some trick or treating. He didn't quite get the point, but he liked walking around the neighborhood and looking at the other kids, we were blessed with nice weather. Unfortunaely, mommy had the flu so I didn't get to enjoy all of their little costumes this year...hopefully daddy isn't sick next year?

Before Halloween this year Ethan went to his first pumpkin patch with Carly and Aunt Michelle. It was fun, we went through a maze of hay and went on hayrack ride through some corn fields and of course picked out some pumpkins.....
Searching for the best pumpkin...great team work!


Check out the videos in the next post..........

A Couple More Videos of Ethan

Sorry we have been doing a bad job of keeping this blog updated. It seems whenever we are home we are busy chasing Ethan around and trying to keep him from climbing onto tables and chairs or jumping off the couch and haven't been able to update this blog as much as we would like. I wish I had a camcorder sitting next to me 24 hours a day because it seems like minute to minute Ethan learns something new or does something different or sweet or funny and I wish my memory was much better at keeping all those things available for me to remember whenever I want.

The first video is of Ethan eating by himself like a big boy. It seems like he just woke up one day and decided he didn't need his parents for eating anymore and gets mad whenever we try to help / keep him from covering the entire kitchen with his breakfast, lunch, and / or dinner.

The second video is just a random time Cheryl and I were sitting in the living room watching Ethan play and LUCKILY remembered the camcorder and thought maybe we should record him for a couple minutes while he was being cute. I don't know what else to say about this one?

The last video is just a fun one about bedtime with Ethan. After he takes his bath and we brush our teeth and get our pajamas on, Ethan is allowed to pick out whatever book he wants us to read to him before he goes to bed. Well, Grandma Pam got Ethan one of those recordable books where she could record herself reading the book and gave it to Ethan as a present so she could read him a book at night even though she is in Iowa and Ethan is in Chicago. Anyways, it turns out this Ethan's favorite book and he picks it every night. Here is a video of him picking it out and then how excited he is once he hears Grandma Pam start reading to him...

New Videos of Ethan

Ethan talks to mommy - This video is super cute! Ethan chats a bit and then tries to show us his ears, but that darn hat got in the way.


This summer with Ethan.....

Summer's Ending......

We had a wonderful summer and unfortunately it is coming to an end. I ended up having some of July and all of August off of work and was able to spend lots of quality time with Ethan and we went on some amazing outings. At the end of July we went to a petting zoo here in Park Ridge; we found out quickly that Ethan loves the outdoors just like his daddy and was immediately comfortable letting the animals eat right out of his hand!

August was crazy for Ethan. In the beginning of August mommy went to California with some friends so Ethan got to hang with his daddy and Grandma Pam. It was hard to be away for Ethan even for a short trip, but when I got home I got a HUGE hug and smile. I also came home to a little boy who had learned the word NO - I couldn't believe how cute he sounded saying it.....I got over that pretty quickly and he hasn't stop saying it since. How we are working on him understanding what it means. This month we also went to our first water park with Auntie Michelle and Carly; Ethan loved it. The park happened to be 2 minutes from our house and they had a separate area for kids Ethan's age. He ran through the sprinklers and by the end of the day was able to go up the stairs and down the water slide all by himself. Later in the month we went to Brookfield Zoo with Carly and her cousins Gavin, Michael, and Molly. It was a nice visit we got to see lots of animals but most memorable was a beautiful lion roaring on his "mountain." After the lion finally stopped roaring Ethan started, it was adorable. After mommy's trip, daddy went away with the boys to Michigan for the weekend and mommy took Ethan to Green Lake with Busia and Auntie Jan. Ethan finally got to meet Charlie Peterson and they became fast friends; I worry about what they will be like together when they get older.....trouble! We visited Lamb's Farm in August with Carly, Aunt Michelle, and Busia. We had a nice time, but unfortunately it was a little run down, although Ethan and Carly didn't mind. Our last outing in August was to Papa's old firehouse. Ethan got to check out the fire truck and the fire pole and even meet some firemen. He was a little small and still a bit intimidated by the huge truck but we will definately be going back there again when he can slide down the pole and go on for a ride. I should also mention that Lucy turned 5 this month so we celebrated her birthday and Ethan gave her a birthday gift! Told you we were busy.....

Ethan has been surprising us everyday with the things he knows and understands. His vocabulary is growing like crazy some of his new words include cookie, garage, mower, please, and boom. I should explain that Ethan has become obsessed with the garage and mowing. The kid NEVER sits still and then one day we put him in his wagon and were doing yard work for like 40 minutes; he just sat and watched Adam mow. Since then, he points to the garage and asks whoever will listen to mow. Ethan now has 7 teeth and half of a molar is in...I think a lot more are on the way because his mouth is pretty swollen. Okay I think that is everything; check out pictures from the month.

Park Ridge Petting Zoo

Ethan's first pony ride

Waterpark Fun!Brookfield ZooEthan and his new friend CharlieHanging with Carly at Lamb's Farm

Just like daddy

Causing some trouble in the equipment room....

Happy Birthday Lucy

July 2011

This has been a crazy month for Ethan and it's only half over. The month started with a week long trip to Green Lake to celebrate the 4th of July. Ethan spent the weekend in a very crowded house with mommy, daddy, Lucy, bushia, papa, aunt Michelle, uncle Teddy, Carly, Kevin, and Elaine! AND uncle Mike, aunt Angela, and Lorraine were across the street. YIKES! Mommy was worried that the chaos would make for some difficult naps and night.....but man was she wrong. Ethan slept the entire trip in his pack and play...in the closet! YES, I said it Ethan slept in a closet and it was some of the best sleep that boy has had! The trip was so much fun and all of the babies were amazing. We went on the boat and swimming in the lake, we went to the beach, swimming in a friends pool, and of course took a trip the Princeton flea market....and that was all just the first weekend. After the weekend the house emptied out and we were left to have some quiet family time and we got to spent some time with Lorraine and her mommy and daddy. It was a big week for Ethan not only because of the trip, but also because this week Ethan decided that he was going to start doing everything on his own. He wants to feed himself with the silverware and walk like a big boy down the stairs....the boys knows what he wants and gets frustrated when we don't figure it out fast enough. He is also understanding so much, its amazing on what he picks up on. Every day he is starting to make more sounds and try more words. So far some of the words we can understand (even though not all are totally clear) are mommy, dada, papa, baba for bushia, good girl, ball, water, that, Bella (the dog at daycare and Ethan calls every dog this, including Lucy), and up. Oh, I should mention the kid is super tan. I was following him around the entire trip with SPF 50 but somehow he still got a farmers tan!

Once we got home from Green Lake it was time for Ethan's 15-month doctor's appointment. He was 25 pounds and 6 ounces (50%-75%) and he was 31 and 1/2 inches (75%-95%), the doctor said that he was doing amazing and right on track with his development. We talked about his eating habits and behavior and she said that we should keep doing what he are doing because he is just perfect! She also kept telling us how cute he is and mentioned that not all 15-month check ups go as smoothly as Ethan's. The kid is super funny and a total character so he wins people over once he warms up to them.

GREEN LAKE

Warming up after swimming in the lake

Is anyone watching that baby?

Ethan and Lorraine love each other...so sweet!

Busy at the beachPlaying in the sand with daddy and papa

Our tan little man....he is so big!

Fun in the sun with all of his toys

June, 2011

This month Ethan shared another special Father's day with his daddy and grandma Pam drove to town for a visit. In June we finally had a few great days outside and Ethan played with his water table, pool, and sprinklers.....this kid really likes the water!

Mommy's little helper

Enjoying the summer

Enjoying Grandma Pam

May, 2011

Hello Again. We have been slacking a bit on our posts so its time to get you all caught up! May was a busy month for Ethan, he has his cousins Brady, Carly and Lorraine's birthday parties and boy did he have fun. He also took his first trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo with mommy and bushia and went to Green Lake with mommy and daddy for a memorial day vacation. Check out some pictures from the month.

Ethan on the on the big rig in Green Lake

Our first trip to the zoo, he was memorized by the fish...

Happy Easter

Ethan's first Easter felt more like Christmas, so many baskets filled with goodies. We spent the day at the Jablonski house had lots of food, lots of toys, and lots of babies.

Ethan and Mommy

Playing with "Pa" in the backyardEthan with all of his cousins....Carly, Morgan, Lorraine
Cool DUDE
Just like Christmas...

Ethan's 1st Birthday Party

Our little boy's first birthday party was a hit! Ethan managed to get through the food, cake, and presents in a great mood. Adam's family was in town so Ethan got to spend the day with his entire family. Thanks so much to everyone. Check out the videos of the day....



Check him out trying the cake...and make sure to watch the end, our little Polish boy picked the shot glass just like uncle Ted and uncle Mike!


Ethan and all of his cousins

Happy Birthday Ethan

Ethan's first birthday was on a Saturday so the three of us were able to spend the day together; it was so much fun. Ethan woke up to a house of Batman decor and for his special day he had cinnamon rolls for breakfast; just like his daddy, he LOVED them! That afternoon, Adam and I took Ethan to the children's museum in Glenview. It turned out that he was still a bit young to really understand all of the "exhibits" but since he was already walking he was able to keep busy exploring and watching all of the other kids, I think he really had fun. After the museum we went home for a nap and when Ethan woke up Grandma Pam, Uncle Matt, Aunt Julie, and Kalyn and Brady were there to celebrate and have some cake. The weather ended up being amazing so he got to play outside with his cousins for a while too. Check out the events from the day....

Batman Cake for a Batman Birthday
Ethan's first of many presents....and of course Batman balloons!

At the children's muesum Ethan learned how to paint

"Captain Ethan"

Here Ethan is reading about bugs and animals

Playing in a tree house

"Oh, what's that" Ethan saw his reflection in a mirror across the way

Little Mozart....

Ethan didn't really like the taste of the birthday cake, but that didn't stop him for getting a little dirty! Typical little boy.

Ethan showing off his big boy bike from mommy and daddy.

He had quite a day and I think his first birthday is well documented! On Sunday we went to Sears for some 1st birthday pictures. Ethan did a great job considering it was 1000 degrees in there, and the photographer did a great job considering Ethan kept trying to grab the camera and wouldn't stay still for 2 seconds at a time! Check out our photo shoot......

It wasn't all fun and games...