brother!

I just wanted to say that Ethan is going to be a big brother this summer! Yay!

I just have to write this down before I forget about it!

This morning when Ethan and I returned from Millenium, I was bringing him in the house when he suddenly started say "oh my! oh my!" I have NO idea what he was "oh my"-ing about, but it cracked me up! And of course, when he saw that I was laughing at him, he redoubled his efforts and went wandering around the house saying "oh my! oh my!" What a turkey!

Which reminds me, I often call him a turkey when he's being silly, and he's started to call himself one too! The other day in the car, he kicked his boot off. I looked at him and he said, clear as a bell, "turkey?" and gave me a questioning smile. When I laughed, he said "turkey! turkey!" to himself, like he was congratulating himself for a joke well received. :)

haircut!

I took Ethan for his first real haircut today (aside from the complete shave he got several months ago :). I have to admit, I thought he'd do a little better but he really didn't like the tickling shaver! I'll have to get a picture of his big boy haircut when he gets up from his nap - he looks very handsome!

here I go again...

And tomorrow I leave for Nicaragua again, one more week of hot hot hot but missing my dear family!

trip!

So Jon had his school convention in Calgary last week, and we hitched a ride! Ethan fell asleep in the car on the way topick him up after NOT NAPPING all afternoon (grr)and all he wanted when we got out the car was a hug. So that wiped out all my bad feelings about the lack of nap :)

Then we went to the zoo and saw some pretty amazing animals!

Ethan's favorite? The giant fish!

Um, yes, this is what I've been hearing and seeing a lot of recently.

The W word. Whining. AARRRGGGHHH!!

For the last week and a half I feel like Ethan has turned into a whining machine. Is this normal toddler behavior?? Sometimes I feel like I need a time out just to keep from spazzing at him because I really cannot handle it. Whiny children have always been the only ones I dislike being around, and Ethan's turned into one of them! It's not all the time, but it has been pretty regular around here. Now, instead of saying "please" like he used to, he just looks at something and whines. Or he'll stand at my feet and whine. Or sit in the car and whine. Or stand by his toy shelf and whine. I think he might be getting frustrated because he's getting a better handle on his words, but still can't really express his wishes well. Any ideas on how to nip this whining habit, or do I just have to wait it out?

cookies and milk

How to eat a cookie with milk:

Get cookie in position.

Dip cookie.

Eat cookie.

Take a break.

Drink milk. Tada!

bye bye

After dropping Jon off at a conference this morning, I decided Ethan and I would head to Second Cup for a breakfast date. While we were there, Ethan made friends with the people at the next table (as always). When we were leaving, he was holding a sippy cup in each hand (we must have both milk and water, don't you know?) but he was trying to wave to them. I guess he figured that wasn't a very effective wave, because suddenly he had placed his cup on the floor and was waving furiously with his now free hand! He then picked up his cup again, and walked to the door. Of course, all the ladies at the table thought this was quite a hoot.

Mema

My mom comes over to watch Ethan once a week while I'm at work, and I don't know what she does with him but when she comes to the door, but he sure does love it! The minute he hears her voice at the door, he goes running! He squeals "mema, mema!" (Oma) and can barely contain himself. I'm serious - he gets so excited it looks like he's going to burst - fists clenched with arms kind of up, smile huge, and sometimes he even does a little jig. Honestly, it's the most excited reaction ANYONE gets. He doesn't even get this excited about Mommy. :)

New table!

My Grandpa and Dad made Ethan a little wooden table and two chairs. Of course, right now he likes to color the table, instead of just what's ON the table, but he'll figure that out. :)

Boys!

I love puffy vests and plaid shirts on little boys. I'm so glad I have a little one of my own to dress...at least for now!

Nose!

We've been teaching Ethan his different body parts, and "nose" was the first one he learned. When he first picked it up a couple months ago, he would walk around the house, holding his nose and saying "nose! nose! nose!"

However, we have now progressed to the point where he has discovered nostrils. He made this discovery in Costco one day, and thought it was pretty hilarious every time I tried to remove his finger from his nostril. In the car on the way home, he tried it with both hands, both nostrils. I took this picture at lunchtime that day, after I asked him to show me his nose. Obviously you can't tell from the picture, but he was saying "good boy, good boy" to himself...as he was shoving his finger up the orifice. Yes, good boy. Hmmm.

He's also discovered a newfound love for sticking his fingers up everyone else's nostrils, including mine, Jon's, and the goat at the zoo. Yes, we washed his hands after that one.

night night!

Ethan's been playing a game for the last month or so. It's called "night night". He pretends to go to sleep on beds, the floor, cushions, pillows...and apparently, in his high chair! He says "night night" then lays down and closes his eyes for a couple seconds, then pops back up with a big grin. :)

beds

So I need some advice:

We picked up a free frame for a toddler bed, but are now wondering if it's necessary. It requires a crib-sized mattress, so we'd have to get a second mattress (assuming we have a second child in the time when Ethan's in the toddler bed). How long can a toddler stay in a toddler bed? 1 year? 5? Is it worth buying another mattress, or should we move him straight to a twin size and put it on the ground?

Big boy!

I think Ethan's growing again! He slept until 9 today, then ate a big breakfast, snacked a couple times in the morning, nearly ate a whole salmon burger patty at lunch (plus a ton of corn and a piece of granola bar), and went down for a nap again at 1! The last time he did this he grew an inch I think :)