Ethan's first word

If you don't already know this about me, I like nature.  A lot.  I also like deer.  When I was in high school, there was some group formed to try to get rid of a bunch of deer in my hometown because they were eating people's plants.  I decided that in defense of the deer, I ought to start the "Anti-kill-the-deer committee."  That's how much I like deer. 

Fast-forward a bunch of years.  We live on 15 acres.  Most of it is wooded.  In the spring/summer especially, those deer have over 14 acres of foliage that I am thrilled for them to eat.  Because I love to see them, especially their adorable fawns.  But apparently when we landscaped, we planted a gourmet candy shop for the deer because no matter what we do, they consistently come back and eat our plants.  They're in our yard numerous times a day.  And they're not particularly afraid of us either.  

So, what does this have to do with Ethan's first word, you may ask?

Mason's attempt at discouraging the deer from coming too close to our house (and plants!) is to go outside and scare them away whenever we notice them in the yard.  The older boys have become quite fond of this ritual and consider it a responsibility of theirs now to chase the deer away as well. They run out onto the front porch yelling, "Go away, deer!"

One day, Ethan crawled over to the window and started saying "Gah gah gah" over and over.  I'd never really heard him babble that way before and he seemed really intent and serious, so I wandered over and noticed that there were deer in the yard.  I thought it must just be a coincidence until it happened again... and again.... and again.  Apparently we have trained our 10 1/2 month old to chase away the deer as well, and his first word is "GO" :)

10 months

The months are flying by.  Ethan, how could you be 10 months old already?

 You are a cruiser now.  You almost never sit still, and you rarely play with toys unless I am sitting on the floor with you.  You follow me around the house or else explore on your own, pulling up and cruising on everything that you can.  

You had a painful month as you cut your first top tooth, which was quite the ordeal since it is huge! You definitely got your mama's teeth, just like Ryan.  That has led to quite a bit of biting, even breaking my skin a couple of times... not so fun.  You are also in a phase of wanting to grab faces all the time, so teaching you to understand "gentle" is a high priority for me right now.

Hanging out in some bamboo at Duke Gardens

You're still my constant companion and little love, but you've started bonding with Daddy a lot more this month too.  Now as soon as he gets home from work each day, you lean out of my arms to try to get to him.  It's very sweet.

My very favorite photo of us!

 

 You've also been bonding with Kaeden a bit more.  As you get bigger, I guess you're feeling a little less vulnerable around him.  Anyway, part of his bedtime routine now is to lay down on his back and then I put you on top of him and you give him this huge kiss and snuggle.  It's really quite adorable.  He's also started trying to make you laugh in the car, which usually works.  It can be a big help to Mommy when you're feeling grumpy about the car ride!

 

We just cut out your mid-morning nursing, so now you nurse three times a day (around 7, 3, and 7) and have a morning snack in addition to your 3 other meals.  You like to finger feed, so you're eating a lot of cut up fruits (grapes are your favorite, but bananas are a close second), grilled cheese sandwiches, mac & cheese, etc.  Pureeing is still the easiest way to get meat and veggies in you, and you tolerate it okay as long as there are other things on your tray.

You've gotten more agreeable about going to sleep.  Most of the time when I start to sing to you before naps or bedtime, you just lay your head on my shoulder and snuggle.  It's one of my favorite parts of the day.  You seem to like it when I lay you down on the silky side of the blankie that Ms. Kristi made for you.  You don't usually stay there to sleep, but you must like the way it feels. 

Things that you like: your family, eating, balls, toys that make noise, swinging, reading books (especially ones with texture)

Things that you don't like: car rides, especially when the car stops and then starts again and you don't get out in between (like when we pick Ryan up from school.... screaming!!!), when Kaeden is rough with you or screams at you, loud noises, laying still long enough to get your diaper changed or get dressed.

 And, just for fun, here are Ryan & Kaeden (and you) at 10 months for comparison purposes.  You all look pretty similar!

 Happy 10 months, my darling son.  I love you.

Atticus' 3rd birthday at the park

This adorable nephew of mine turned 3 last week. 


He warms my heart like his mama and makes me laugh like his dada.  He is a best friend to both Ryan & Kaeden, and I am so grateful for 3 years (and hopefully many more!) of having him nearby.

We had an awesome day at an awesome park to celebrate him, and we all had a blast. 

First stop, swings!
 

Then carousel:


And boats:


And train!

Best buds

The playground wasn't too shabby either!

Boys racing

Sweet Savannah (A's cousin on the other side) posing for some photos!

Ethan looking on

What's a party without food!?!

We had train cupcakes all planned out until Atticus informed us that he did not want train cupcakes.  He wanted flower cupcakes.  So, flower cupcakes are what he got! :)

Kaeden, diving in!

Proof that Courtney was there too :)

All of the kids were pretty excited about opening presents.

I got to take some 3 yr portraits at Duke Gardens on Saturday.  I just love this smile!




And let's not forget this adorable little one either :)

 

Happy Birthday, Atticus!

9 months

Dear Ethan,

Happy 9 months!

 

You continue to change daily, and I'm reaching that point where I just want to stop time and make you stay put for a little while!!

You are officially on the move.  Yes, I know you've been on the move for a while now, but it has become constant and also a little bit troublesome.  That staircase that used to seem safely far away from your play space?  Now you're there in 30 seconds, no problem.  The floor beneath the kitchen table is your very own buffet.  You've switched almost entirely to a traditional crawl, and a fast one at that!  And you are pulling up on everything.  It's that phase of babyhood where you don't play with toys all that much, but just explore, explore, explore.

Your personality is developing too.  You have some definite opinions, and you're expressing them more and more.  But you're also still just as sweet as could be, giving bashful smiles to most people you meet, as long as you're safe in Mommy's arms.  And you give the best kisses and snuggles any Mommy could hope for!

Apparently you thought Mommy's birthday present was a good support.

You still babble a lot more than either of your brothers did at this age.  You might be our only early talker. 

You LOVE to eat.  It doesn't even have to be food.  You are constantly on the lookout for any and every tiny bit of leaf/lint/fuzz/crumb/whatever that you can find on the floor, and it immediately goes in your mouth.  It's a fight to get it out too - you'd think I didn't feed you 7 times a day, but I do!

Kaeden and Ryan are in a phase of eating whole raw carrots, and you do not like to be left out!  Apparently, it makes a good teether :)

You got another tooth this month, almost exactly one month after the first one showed up.  And your hair is picking up pace.  You're still not catching up to Ryan at this age, but you're far ahead of Kaeden :)

You hate loud noises that catch you off guard, especially when accompanied by other startling stimuli - for example, a large inflated balloon released to fly around the room - NOT a fan.  Or the time that we went to visit the horses in the neighborhood and one of them sneezed.  Tragic.  You cry almost every time we walk into your bedroom because you know it means I'm getting ready to put you down for a nap and every time we walk into the garage because I'm about to put you in the car.  But once you get settled in either place, you're generally fine.  You can't stand to be teased.  If I say I'm going to nurse you and walk anywhere close to the couch and then realize I forgot to do/grab something and turn around, you lose it.  Same goes for the bath.  You LOVE the bath.  If I say the word bath, walk into the bathroom with you, and then walk out, once again, you lose it.

You continue to adore Ryan and tolerate Kaeden for the most part.  It's definitely getting trickier to manage your interactions with them now that you are constantly getting in their way, knocking over their blocks, etc. but it's also fun to see your relationships develop.

A little reading time with Kaeden

This month, we traveled to CT/RI for Miss Abby's wedding, and you got lots of bonding time with Nana & Papa (and Uncle Kyle & Aunt Debbie!) while I ran around to various wedding events.  We also got to visit Mimi's amazing house on the shore of Rhode Island.  You would have liked to put every little rock and shell in your mouth, but we tried to avoid that!

Photographing this age is always challenging, because you so badly do not want to be still.   I had to resort to sticking you in a toy bin :)  But sometimes those turn out to be the best shots!