Ethan has been growing so much! He's already 4 and a half months old and getting so big. So here are some highlights since his birth.
This is Ethan when he came home...his first photo shoot. His eyes were closed alot of the time and his arms and legs were so skinny. He was also a little bit jaundiced, but he didn't need treatment and it went away in a week.
I think I fell in love with his feet first. He has inherited the wrinkled looking skin on his feet and his hands from my side of the family. But his toes are like little round pink peas, I love em.
We turned the heat up in the apartment and gave Ethan his first bath.
He was so little!
Him and I did a lot of sleeping.
Grammie Joyce and Samuel were the first ones to come visit. My mom was such a big help!! She cooked and cleaned and took Ethan in the middle of the night so I could get some rest. I love her. Thanks Mom!
I felt kinda bad taking the picture, but he's just so cute. For the longest time Ethan had trouble with gas and we tried to give him drops and prop him up when he slept, I tried eliminating things out of my diet to see if it was something I was eating, but nothing worked and he ended up growing out of it around 3 and a half months. So all you mothers of gassy babies, don't give up. Ethan has a really strong core now from doing all of those crunches.
Ethan's features went through a transformation the first month. His face seems so different in this picture than it does now.
This is back when I had to pad the swing to prop him up, now he's almost too big for it.
This is my dad, "papa" Frank. I don't get to talk to him as much lately and I miss him, but he made a special trip to see his grandson and we all loved having him. Ethan fell in love with his Papa. They spent alot of time together in the weee hours of the morning while mama slept - Thanks Dad!
Ethan was swaddled alot and loved falling asleep while Papa held him. I dunno what it is, but Daniel, Grandpa Ed and Papa Frank all have a calming effect on Ethan and are pros at calming him and putting him to sleep. Must be a guy thing. :)
About a month after Ethan was born Daniel came home from work and told me that Ethan and I were invited to come to work for a birthday party. On the last Friday of every month Daniel's company has cake and goodies for all of the birthdays in that month and we were invited to show Ethan off and celebrate his birth with all of Daniel's co-workers. When we got to the office we had to wait in the lobby because the rest of the office is a high security area and had to be secured before we could walk through the halls to the conference room. While we were waiting a nice woman from HR came out to greet us and let us know that they were also going to give Daniel an award but that it was a surprise! So we got back to the conference room and everyone was there to greet us, there was cake and a little diaper cake for Ethan.
Jerry, Daniel's boss, got up and announced a very special award to a person who has gone above and beyond the average employee, who after only a year is doing work that it takes most people years to get to, and then he congratulated Daniel for all of his hard work. It was great to watch my husband's face and see his eyes get big. It took a second for it to sink in but he walked up front and received a framed award and a bonus check! I was blown away and so proud of my hubby. He has been working hard to utilize his skills as an engineer and his diligence and consistency has paid off. We are grateful that his company recognizes his efforts. And we are so grateful for the extra money, we were able to pay off a school loan with it!!
Yay for getting out of debt!
Later that day Grandpa Ed and Grandma Marcia came into town to visit and see their first grandchild for the first time. Grandpa and Ethan are definitely buds and took to each other right away!! The look on Ed's face whenever he holds or plays with Ethan is priceless, you can see how much he loves being a grandpa, he's absolutely in love with his little grandson.
Grandma Marcia was always asking, "Where is my baby!" She loves rocking him and snuggling with him, especially at church where she can bask in all of her Grandma glory. It was fun to see the excitement on her face and observe how possessive she got of Ethan. Grandpa Ed would offer to take him so that she could eat or do something and she just wouldn't give him up.
As a mother it makes me so happy when other people love my son. I dunno what it is, but when a person shares in the love I have for my baby I can't help but love that person too, it's almost like when they give him attention they are giving me attention and I love it!
Here are the proud grandparents now!
Grandma Marcia and Ethan had a great time playing together! Ethan got some much needed tummy-time and visual stimulation.
Ethan was blessed on February 3rd. My father was still with us and was able to take part in the blessing. Ethan actually wore the same blessing outfit that Daniel wore when he was blessed. He didn't wear it very long though because I soaked it in white vinegar the day before in order to whiten it and it smelled. Needless to say, he didn't wear it long enough to take pictures. But Daniel gave a beautiful blessing. He was a little bit nervous about it, his first son and all, but I was impressed with how calm he was and how unique and original it was.
With Grandma Marcia! He didn't do much but snuggle and sleep for the first few months.
This is one of Ethan's first smiles. He has such a big personality, and his smile takes over his whole face, I wonder who he gets that from :)....
Ethan still needs to be propped up in the swing at two months.
I don't think this would work with my button-nose, but Ethan got a good grip on Daniel's.
One of the rare pictures of me during the first three months, I was pretty tired most of the time.
Another photo shoot of Ethan, he has started to smile and express himself more. Such a cutie!
His cheeks are also filling out and he's gaining weight well. He was 8lbs 1oz when he was born and grew to 14 lbs 11 oz. and 26 inches by his two month appointment.
Ethan got his thumb in his mouth and loved it. His hands are still closed most of the time but he's slowly getting his fists open.
Ethan didn't used to love his car seat like he does now, but this is a cute photo of his smile.
He's starting to pull his head up in this picture, but his little fists still don't open that much.
He's starting to turn and interact. Rolling is right around the corner!!
This is the bassinett we got for him. It came with all the extras but he never slept in it. Grandma Marcia tried and we tried for a while, but he just cried and cried whenever we put him in there. He would watch the mobile for a good half hour to give me a break or let me take a shower, so I was grateful for that.
Ethan loves the carrier!
He is big enough to sit in his Johnny Jumper at 3 months old. He doesn't do much but sit just yet.
But he IS big enough to sit in the swing without padding!! And blow lots of bubbles!
He loves the cross-stitch that Auntie Laura made for him! He sees it every time he gets his diaper changed.
At three months he's holding his head up really well!
He is starting to twist and turn and will soon be rolling over!
This is Ethan and his new friend David Phillip Ereti, Sarah's baby boy, on the day he came home from the hospital. Ethan is around 18 lbs in this picture and David is around 7 lbs. Talk about David and Goliath! :)
Daddy is really good at getting Ethan to smile.
Daddy is really good at putting him to sleep too.
Daddy is really good at reading to him.
and playing with him!
Ethan loves his Daddy!
At four months (18lbs. 10 oz. and 29 inches long) Ethan is almost too big for his swing...in fact he probably is, let me check the weight limit on that thing...
Just getting up from a nap! By 4 months he was sleeping in his crib...
Which is in the back of our closet! hehe. The clothes are a great noise barrier, and it's completely dark which is a great sleeping cue for him.
This is my little corner in our room. Notice the huge pile of doodie diapers. Luckily he's still nursing and they don't smell that bad!
Ethan's arms are getting stronger and stronger!
And he's just so cute!
Ethan loves bath time!
And going on walks with Mommy.
These are my Mother's Day gifts...the build-a-bear from Daniel with a personalized message inside and a dozen white roses from Sarah, she also got some crab for her and I to share one of these days. She's the greatest!
This is a blanket I've been working on since last fall. I cross-stitched the design and put the border and back on, all by hand. I'm actually getting a sewing machine that a sister from the ward didn't need anymore! I'm so excited!
It's still pretty big for Ethan, but that means he'll have it for a while, so that's good.
Well, that brings us up to date! This is a massive post but babies are too cute for short posts, so enjoy!
So Ethan basically eats, doodies and knaws on something like his fingers or our fingers or his toys. When awake, this is what he is doing most of the time. It is painful yet full of new surprises and learning new things as he tries to put evertying in his mouth. Well, it all paid off!!!...
