Heading Out of Town

Oz, Ethan & I are headed out to Laurel Spring. We will be gone for a whole week and I am amazed at all of the stuff I have to pack for such a tiny baby. Well, he is not so tiny, but you know what I mean. I am packing a lot of stuff to do for myself. I am hoping for some relaxation time since Ethan will have his Grandmama Lil around.
We will be celebrating New Years Eve there and I am wondering what 2008 will bring. 2007 sure was fantastic - the best year of my life. I LOOOOOOVE ETHAN!!!!! Thank you God for my sweet, sweet son. Ethan, please stay sweet for your Mommy.
When I was little my mom used to sing this song to me and for some reason I am thinking of it now:
"I see the moon and the moon sees me, down through the leaves of the old oak tree. Please let the light that shines on me, shine on the ones I love."
I hope the moon is shining on everyone tonight. :)

Christmas Videos

Here are two videos. The first one is from Christmas Eve. Chris was teaching Ethan how to bark at our cat, Sissy, and Ethan thought it was so funny. We have never heard him laugh so much. The second video is of Ethan "pushing" (with Daddy's help) his new Tonka truck. You can hear Oz honk the horn at me to get Mommy out of the way!

The Best Christmas Ever!

Today was so much fun and all because of Ethan. I got the best present - He said "Mama"! Oz and I were driving Mom and Buck home and Ethan was babbling and he just came out and said it. Music to my ears! Mom and I looked at each other and I said "Did he just say Mama?" (I wanted to make sure I heard right) and she said "Yes, he sure did". Oz then said "I think he said Daddy". Hahaha. Now, I know he didn't mean to say "Mama" and it was just part of his babble, but I have had a permagrin on my face ever since. I haven't said anything else about it though, because I don't want to hurt Oz's feelings. We both can't wait for him to call us "Mama" and "Dada".
Santa brought Ethan the coolest toy. It is a Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Learning Home. It is like a front door with a mailbox and a window and a bunch of cool gadgets. It talks to you every time you do something like turn on the light or open the window. It counts and gives a pretend weather forecast. We had so much fun playing with it. Chris brought Ethan several presents including his first Tonka truck and Mom and Buck got him some really cool toys and a beautiful framed picture of his birth announcement and first photographs.
We went and saw Ethan's Aunt Vickie today after we dropped Mom and Buck off. He was asleep while we visited her because I think he was just worn out.
I could write so much more about Ethan's first Christmas, but I am coming down with a cold and I am exhausted. So I am signing off for the night.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

It's Ethan's first Christmas Eve! He has been a very good boy so I think Santa will be visiting him tonight. Last time I checked the Norad website, Santa was delivering gifts in Denmark, so it will still be several hours before he gets to Atlanta.
We have been running around like banshees today buying last-minute Christmas gifts. What a pain. Every year I swear that I am not waiting until the last minute to shop, but this year I forgot. Next year will be different! Ha.
His "Uncle" Chris is coming over for dinner tonight. I think I will have Oz and Chris give Ethan his bath while I cook dinner. Tomorrow, HotMama and Papa are coming over for Christmas lunch and to see what Santa has brought Ethan. It should be fun and I am looking forward to it.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Trying to Crawl, Take Two

But first, here is a picture where I was trying to capture Ethan's first tooth (It is hard to see).

This video is from Saturday, before Oz and I went on our date to the Christmas party. Oz is trying to show Ethan how to crawl and I just thought it was cute. We are going to regret trying to teach him to crawl when he finally learns how to do it. We will be chasing him all over! The videos are silly because Oz and I both are using "baby talk".

Here is Ethan trying to crawl to Mama

Ethan & Eli's First Christmas Together

Kim, Miss Betty and I took the boys to Stone Mountain Park for the Holiday in the Park celebration they were having. It was so much fun! We decided that we are going to do it every year from now on. Kim and I used to have breakfast with Santa when we were little girls so this will be our tradition for the boys. (Kim and I grew up together. We are 3 months apart in age and have known each other all of our lives. We expect our boys to be just as close.) Ethan got his picture made with Santa Claus and he didn't cry. He was mesmerized by Santa's elf. It was so cold outside which was nice. It made it feel like Christmas. (Last week it was 80 degrees in Atlanta!) I had a nice peppermint hot chocolate and Kim & Eli had some caramel apple cider. I brought Ethan a bottle and it was great being able to just feed him with it when he was hungry. I am beginning to rethink this weaning thing! Miss Betty bought the boys a choo-choo Christmas ornament as a memento of their first Christmas together.
I kept Ethan out past his bedtime. When we got home and ready for bed it was already two hours past his bedtime and he cried and cried. It was hard to put him to sleep and it reaffirmed the importance of a scheduled bedtime. But sometimes you have to make sacrifices and tonight was definitely worth it.
The day started out great too. Even though it is a no-no (ahem, Kim skip the next sentence), Ethan and I took our morning nap together and it was so nice to cuddle up with him. We were lazy all morning. I let the house go to rot and just relaxed with him. I put a pot roast in the crock pot and the house smelled so good when I got home this evening.
Yay! What a good day!

The Babysitter

Wanda and Ethan did great. He didn't even know that she was here. Oz and I had a good time at the party and afterwards we went to the OK Cafe for some yummy desert.
I am struggling with my decision to stay home/ go to work. Dr. Carter needs a hygienist two days a week. If I have to work, I couldn't imagine working for anyone else. I have come to know my patients over the past 6 years and really love a lot of them. So, I am thinking 2 days wouldn't be so bad, but at the same time I want to stay-at-home full time. There is also the issue of my hands and wrists. I have so much pain in both of them that I am seeing a specialist two days after Christmas. They have always ached in the past after a day of work, but now the pain is getting really bad. My regular doctor thinks it may be carpal tunnel syndrome. I don't know what to do!!!! Dr. Carter needs to know something as of yesterday and it is all that is on my mind right now. And it is so hard to find someone to keep Ethan part-time. Someone good enough for him that is!
Tomorrow Ethan is getting his picture made with Santa. In the afternoon, we are going to meet Kim and Eli at Stone Mountain Park. They have some kind of Christmas thing going on and we thought it would be fun to get the boys together.

Saturday

It is raining today. A lot. Georgia has had such a severe drought and we need this rain so badly. It is making me sleepy, but Oz and I are going to a Christmas party tonight, so no time for snoozing. We are getting our first nighttime babysitter for Ethan. Her name is Wanda and she babysits for our neighbors Michelle and Maura. She shouldn't have to do anything because she is coming right when I put him to bed. I hope it goes well! It will be nice to have a babysitter available so that we can get out every now and then.
Today Oswald and I went and got Ethan's convertible carseat. I had picked one out a few weeks ago, but today we exchanged it for a different one. We also got Ethan one of those shopping cart covers so he won't put the germy shopping cart handle in his mouth. He is getting so big. There was another couple in the store with a 5 week-old son. He was so small and I kind of missed Ethan being that small even though he is so much fun now. When he was 5 weeks-old, I was still trying to figure everything out and it was so much harder being a Mommy.
Oz fed him some of the sweet potatoes I made for the first time tonight. I asked him if he would do it and have just kind of stepped away until Oz asks me for help. I should be trying to get that rainy day nap in, but here I am.
Yesterday Don called me and asked me if I wanted him to come get Ethan for awhile. Don took Ethan on a walk in his stroller and then took him to his house and fed him. It was so nice. I ran around to see how fast I could clean.
Okay, Oz fed him and he has now brought him to me.... gotta go take care of my buddy!

A Side Note to My Breastfeeding Post..

I had to have a colonoscopy today (yuck!) and wasn't able to nurse. So, Ethan has had 3 bottles and he did great with them! He was even trying to hold the bottle with his little hands and it was so cute.
Grandma Sarah came to babysit him while I was gone and I know they had a good visit. Yesterday Great-Grandpa Don babysat Ethan while I was so sick preparing for my procedure. He babysat all by himself and took him on a long walk. How cute!
That's all for now. My sweet angel is sleeping away. I can hear him snoring on my baby monitor.
One more thing. Ethan now gives kisses. Not to me though! I have seen him kiss Nin (Gwen) several times. These are big, wet open-mouthed kisses right on her cheek. Mama's waiting for a smooch!

Breastfeeding

I feel compelled to write a little about breastfeeding since it is such a major part of my life. Some of the people in my life do not support my breastfeeding Ethan and want me to quit. I think it is because they believe that it ties him to me too much (and they can't be with him for extended periods of time or give him a bottle, etc). Well, I definitely don't mind being tied to Ethan. I have waited years for him and he is my son. I posted a thread about this with my June mommie's group on Babycenter and I am so surprised that so many other women do not have the support from family about breastfeeding. I do want to add that Oswald fully supports breastfeeding. In fact, he would like for me to continue breastfeeding Ethan until he weans himself. Of course, he doesn't mind if I wanted to stop at anytime. I also would like to add that I support formula feeding. I had to supplement Ethan with formula for the first few weeks of his life and several of my friends formula-feed. Also, I was fed with formula and nothing is wrong with me (that formula caused, anyway!).
I love breastfeeding. At first I thought I couldn't do it. Every day I thought may be my last and I would try to hold out for just "one more week". I don't know exactly when I got the full hang of it. Probably around 6 or 8 weeks. But Ethan and I are really rockin' and rollin' now. There are several reasons that I love it. 1. It is cheap and formula is kind of pricey. 2. It is easy. When Ethan was waking at night to be fed, I didn't have to trek down to the kitchen to make him a bottle. The first few weeks that I had to feed Ethan a bottle with formula was a pain in the arse. 3. It has helped me lose weight. 4. I love watching Ethan while he nurses. 5. I love breastfeeding in the side-lying position. Ethan and I cuddle up together and it is so comforting and relaxing. 6. It is the best nourishment for baby! Formula makers have tried to duplicate breastmilk and they cannot do it 100%. 7. It reduces the risk of breast cancer. I could probably go on, but those are my main reasons.
Now, there are things I don't like about it as well. I do feel like it is somewhat of a sacrifice that I am making to feed him this way. However, I believe that he is 110% worth it. Some things I hate about breastfeeding: 1. Engorgement. 2. It stinks to be out in public or with friends or family and have to "excuse myself" to feed him. It would also be nice if family could help feed him. 3. I hate pumping and that is why Ethan doesn't get a bottle more often. Pumping hurts and takes a lot of time. 4. The size of my boobs. 5. And leaky boobs. I guess that about sums it up.
The reasons I love it far outweigh the reasons I don't like it. Now that Ethan and I have the hang of it, I don't want to stop. In fact much to certain people's dismay, I would like to breastfeed him as long as possible. Within reason of course - I don't really want a toddler pulling up my shirt because he is thirsty.
So, on the Babycenter thread I posted about getting support for breastfeeding, here is what one June Mommy suggested I tell everyone who wants me to wean Ethan:
AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends breastfeeding AT LEAST one year.
WHO (World Health Organization) recommends breastfeeding AT LEAST two years.
The bible mentions nurslings and seems to show that "a nursling" was up to 5 yrs old. (Moses)
Children need milk. Just because they are better able to TOLERATE cow milk at 1 yr doesn't require them to be switched off human milk made for HUMANS, not calves.
"Sorry, I don't wish to compromise my child's health just to satisfy your desire to feed him. If you must, you may come over and hold my boob while he eats."
Hahaha!! I know he will be weaned sometime soon and giving him bottles or the sippy cup will be so much easier, but I just thought that was kind of funny.

Playing catch-up

Oh, I haven't written in so long. I am going to have to write the condensed version because otherwise it will be too long for anyone to read.

Friday the 7th was Great-Grandpa Don's birthday. He turned 78! Ethan and I went over to his house because Gwen threw him his first birthday party ever (yes, his first, poor thing!). They are so good for each other! That night, Oz and I went to a dinner party at J & Louise's house and took Ethan with us (Kristina & Wade were there also). I was so nervous because we have a set bedtime routine for Ethan and follow it pretty strictly. I had no idea what would happen. I nursed him a little bit and then I put him to sleep in their pack-n-play. Around 11 o'clock I went in to wake him and put him in his carseat. He talked to himself the whole way home and was wide awake. I put him to bed immediately and he went right to sleep for the whole night. I was so scared that our night out would throw a loop in his "sleeping through the night" schedule. But woohoo!! It worked and Oz and I had a blast. We had a nice dinner, great wine and the 6 of us played a really fun game called Apples to Apples.

Saturday was pretty routine. Oz left to go out of town on his boys trip for golfing and hunting. I hate hunting!! But I won't start my animal rights speech here.

Sunday we had our Christmas dinner at church and Mom & Buck came to join us. There was some really good food there. Sunday night, Ethan & I went to the Christmas program at Gwen's church. I put Ethan in the nursery for the first time. (Our church is so small there is no nursery.) I worried about him a little bit, but knew he was in good hands. When we went down to pick him up, he was crying. But that is probably becuase it was 8:00 (past his bedtime) and because HIS FIRST TOOTH POPPED THROUGH! I don't know if I should be excited or not. I am glad it came through so maybe it won't hurt him as much, but I just love his toothless grin and am going to miss it! Time is going by too fast!

A visit with the Grandparents

Ethan and I have been out of town. We went to see Dad & Sarah in the mountains. It was so relaxing for me and Ethan got a lot of attention! Sarah and I took him to the nursing home to see his Great-Granny Burch and Great-Grandma Edwina. Everyone there just ate him up.
One of the nurses at the nursing home is deaf and seemed very impressed that I am teaching Ethan sign language. She has four children and told me that her children did great with learning it. She also told me that she was always good with crying babies because she couldn't hear them. I was going to ask her more about being deaf and raising children but I didn't see her again.
Dad kept Ethan while I ran some errands. He is really good with Ethan! He bought him a bunch of baby food at the store and fed him some sweet potatoes. We put Ethan down on a blanket on the floor and it really looked like he was about to crawl. He would just hop on his little knees and it was so cute. I bet he will be moving in no time. We came home earlier than I would have liked because they said there was a chance of snow yesterday morning and I didn't want to drive Ethan home in bad weather. Of course not even one snowflake fell and so we came home early for nothing.
Last night we went to visit Don and Gwen. Don also bought Ethan baby food the other day and last night fed Ethan some strawberries and bananas. I think Don likes to feed him as well. I am so glad Ethan has as many loving men in his life as he does women!
Ethan has thrown his first temper tantrum today. I put him down for a nap and he has screamed and stomped his little feet nonstop. At first I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But as time went on, I started to get so upset for him. Poor baby, I don't know what had him so worked up. I tried to soothe him as best as I could, but then I had to leave the room and let him work it out on his own. He finally fell asleep. Gosh, I hope he doesn't make that a habit!

Ethan's first time in a pool!

I took Ethan swimming today!  Last night he was having so much fun in the bath tub that I thought he might like the pool.  We went to the YMCA this afternoon where the pool is heated.  We stayed in the water for about an hour.  He was a little skeptical at first, but it wasn't long before he was having fun and started kicking around.  It wasn't the same as when he is in the bathtub, but I imagine after I take him a few more times he will like it more and more.  A 2 year-old girl was in the pool and she was having fun talking to Ethan.  At one point she started crying and then Ethan joined in so that is when I decided it was time to go.  But he was all giggles and smiles when we were leaving so I knew he had a good time.  If you want to know a good way to wear your baby out, take him or her swimming.  He was exhausted afterwards.  I am so glad to have another activity to do with him because sometimes I feel like I am running out of ideas.  

Teething

I think it is officially here. I have already thought that he was teething, but today the real deal may have started. Ethan has been such a cry baby all day. I feel so sorry for him. I have held him, rocked him, played with him and sung to him and he still cries. I love baby orajel!
So, Ethan is in a bad mood, but I am excited because we just got our first Christmas party invitation. Rob & Leigh McKelvey are hosting it and they are so much fun. They host an annual Chicks & Dicks golf tournament (which Oz & I won when we played last year!) and it is a blast. They are big partiers and their Christmas party should be great. I am now scrambling to get a babysitter for Ethan. The holidays are so much fun!

Thanksgiving & Ethan's Dedication

We have had such a busy time this past week. Oswald's parents came into town on Wednesday night to stay with us over the weekend. This was the first time Thanksgiving was at my house and it was so nice! My mom and Buck came to join us as well as Jean Young. I can't remember a Thanksgiving at home without Jean and so I am glad she came over. I didn't cook a turkey. I bought one from Publix as well as the dressing and sweet potatoes, but I made everything else. We had so much food. Mom brought her famous lemon cake, fruit mold and a beautiful flower arrangement. After we ate, Oz and I took Ethan down the street to see Gwen & Don and Gwen's family. We had a nice visit. I posted a picture here of Ethan with Great Grandpa Don and Great Grand Nin. I gave Ethan some sweet potato for Thanksgiving, but no turkey this year! :)
On Saturday, Oz and his family went to Columbia for the Clemson game. Ethan and I drove to spend the day with Mom and Buck. We had a nice visit. I spent half of the morning in Mom's bed napping. That was nice!
Sunday we had Ethan's dedication service at church. I was so excited that the day had finally come. I have been trying to get it planned for months now. It was the best service. Ethan was dressed in his little Christening tuxedo and looked adorable. Our church is very small. And when I say small, I mean small. We usually have about 20 in the congregation each Sunday. Oswald and I have tried several churches around Atlanta that each had thousands of attendants. After I met Don, he invited me to come to DeFoor Ave. Baptist Church where he taught Sunday school. I went once and the rest is history. Oswald and I loved it and joined last year when I was pregnant. Pastor Moody likes to joke that Ethan heard him preach for the 9 months before he was born.
Our church did so much to make Ethan's dedication special. The whole service was directed towards Ethan and us raising him in a Christian home. Ethan was so good during the service. Don gave the opening prayer and he begun it with this: "Bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me. Bless His holy name" Well, as soon as I heard that I burst into tears. That is the song that he always sings to Ethan and it touched me so much to hear him say it in his prayer. We sung 'Jesus Loves the Little Children" and it was great to hear and sing a children's song. During one point of his dedication, we had all of his Grandparents up at the front of the church with us. The church presented us with a personalized picture frame that has a place for a picture of Ethan for each month of his first year. They also gave him a Bible with his name on the front. Eva, the pastor's wife, made a program for the service that was really nice. Pastor Moody told us that the back of the program was blank, just like the clean slate of Ethan's life. What we teach Ethan will in large part help to fill the slate of his life. We learned a lot during the service about teaching Ethan about Christ and setting examples for him. I hope Oswald and I both remember all that we learned. It was such a great service that I wish we had it recorded for Ethan to hear one day.
Afterwards, we had a nice lunch in the fellowship hall. Sarah brought most of the food and Mom brought a beautiful cake. Mom presented the church with an adorable picture to put in the church nursery in honor of Ethan's dedication day. Kim, Eli & Mr. Herington came over to spend some time with us after we left church. Kim gave Ethan a savings bond and the nicest card. Gwen & Don gave Ethan a beautiful Christian ornament and Gwen wrote the sweetest letter to Ethan. Gwen is a writer among many other artistic and crafty things and everything she writes is eloquent and profound. I am keeping the letter in Ethan's baby book. At the end of it she wrote "Don't forget us". I will make sure that never happens - how could Ethan forget family?
Sunday night Oswald and I decorated for Christmas. It is kind of early to decorate, but every year I have done it by myself and he said he would help me if we did it before he went out of town. The house looks great. We put on Christmas music and had fun doing it. I will post pictures of our decorations soon. I thought Ethan would be really interested in the tree and the lights, but he really didn't give it much attention. Maybe he would have if it had blinking lights. Oh well. I guess I better enjoy it because I know next year he will be paying attention. It will probably be hard to keep him away from the tree - he will be pulling everything off of it. I can't wait to send out our Christmas cards. They have the cutest picture of Ethan on them. We also bought him a santa outfit that he can wear on Christmas day. Time sure has gone by fast. He will be 5 months in two days!

More eating adventures

Yesterday Ethan had pears for the first time. He seemed to like them okay, but not as much as the sweet potato. I didn't make the pears because they didn't have any at the grocery store. I will be looking for them again.
Sunday night we went over to Gwen's and Ethan was drinking from a glass. Gwen dipped her finger in her ice tea to give to him and we think he really liked the coldness of it. So Don went and fixed my little buddy a glass of ice water and what do you know, he was drinking straight from the glass. Ethan will not drink from a bottle anymore, so I have just decided to go straight to the sippy cup. I have been trying to give him a little bit of water in it often so that he will learn how to use it.
I bought Ethan's dedication outfit yesterday. It is a little white suit and it is precious. I was going to buy him a Christening gown, but I decided at the last minute that he looks so boyish that he would look much better in a suit. I also bought him some tiny white shoes. They are size 0-3 months. The only thing small on this boy's body are his feet! I can't wait for his dedication. Everyone at church seems smitten with him, of course. We won't have a big crowd for the ceremony because so many of our friends are out of town for Thanksgiving.
Oh, I started playing "horsie" with Ethan yesterday. I put him on my knee and bounced him up and down while singing. He laughed so hard. Sometimes he will laugh and then stop abruptly. It is almost like he stops to think and absorb his surroundings. I would love to know what he is thinking!
I put the mattress down in the pack-n-play so that it is no longer a bassinett, but more like a playpen. I put a bunch of toys in the bottom of it so he can lay in there and play. I read somewhere that it is important to let your children play on their own and not try to entertain them all of the time. He could only stand to be in there for a few minutes. I will try to keep stretching the time out slowly. Right now he is more interested in being held by Mommy!

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POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

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The rest of your life.
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Yummy Sweet Potatoes

I didn't give Ethan his sweet potato on Wednesday night. I didn't want to try a new food out on him before bedtime in case it hurt his little tummy. So, Oz and I ate one of Ethan's sweet potatoes and I gave Ethan the other one on Thursday afternoon. He seemed to love it! I stopped feeding it to him because I was worried I was giving him too much, but I believe he could have eaten the whole thing. I am going to give him some more over the weekend and I think next I will give him pears or avocado.
Ethan and I went to Gwen's yesterday and she was showing me the formula recipe that the pediatrician gave to her when Kathi was a baby. It included evaporated milk, water and some sort of sugar, dextrose I believe. That was it! And then it was recommended that she give her orange juice at a few months old. Things certainly have changed. On wholesomebabyfood.com I found this recipe for baby formula from 1852:

From Cookery for Children, Sarah Josepha Hale, 1852

"Food for a young infant -- Take of fresh cow's milk one table-spoons full, and mix with 2 table-spoonsfull of hot water; sweeten with loaf-sugar as much as may be agreeable. This quantity if sufficient for once feeding a new-born infant; and the same quantity may be given every 2 or 3 hours -- not oftener -- till the mother's breast affords the natural nourishment."

I thought that was interesting and funny to read. On the subject of food & nourishment, Gwen has found a little bit of trivia for us all:

I was founded in 1866, when a pharmacist tried to develop an economical alternative to breast milk for mothers who couldn't nurse. Today, I'm Switzerland's largest industrial company, and the world's largest food and beverage company. I employ more than 25m people. Some of my other brands are: Taster's Choice, Deer Park, Carnation, Coffee Mate, Kit-Kat, Friskies, Fancy Feast and there are more. Sales of my Instant Coffee more than doubled during World War II.
"Who Am I?...........Answer later.

Lazy Days

Ethan is napping in his crib. I am so excited because today I am going to try feeding him REAL food. I am baking a sweet potato right now and I am going to mash it up for him. I hope he likes it and it agrees with him. I have decided that while I am at home I will try to make his baby food. It seems like it may be healthier. We'll see how it goes. Last Saturday and Sunday I gave him oatmeal, but it made him constipated. Then I started giving him rice cereal with apple juice and he seemed to think it was yummy. So, now I just think he is ready to move on.
Two days ago he started grabbing his feet. It is hard to change his diaper while he is doing it, but it is so darn cute.
Last night, Meredith came over. She is having the same oatmeal problems with Logan and so she borrowed some apple juice. Ethan was really cracking up laughing while she was here. I think he was showing off or maybe he was flirting! I have never heard him laugh like that or have seen him so giggly. Maybe he is learning his voice. He is such a happy baby. Except when his gums hurt...
Today, Aunt Becky and Sarah came to visit us. Becky had a follow-up doctors appointment and they made time to come beforehand. Ethan cried a little more than usual, but that was due to a very short morning nap and his teething. I can just tell his little gums are bothering him. Thank goodness for baby orajel!
I am off to wake the pumpkin up!

My Buddha Baby

This morning Oswald was playing with Ethan while I was in the shower. He yelled at me to come look and there was Ethan, sitting up on his own. Granted, he was leaning waaay over and not really sitting "up" but he looked so cute. He looked like a little Buddha all fat and hunched over. I took a pic and will post it here.
On Monday, Ethan and I had lunch at Gwen & Don's house. Michael was there and we had a good time. Don was holding Ethan and was singing to him. Boy does Ethan like to be sung to. He was singing "When the Saints Come Marching In" and a couple of hymns. Ethan just lay there staring at Don and cooing at him. So, I thought I would write about the songs I sing to Ethan. I want to always remember them because he seems to like them so much. Maybe when he is 3 years-old and throwing a tantrum, I will be able to calm him down with them. I guess I am cheesy because both songs I sing to him come from commercials. I always saw these commercials when I was pregnant and just started singing these songs out of the blue to him as soon as he was born.
The first song is from a diamond commercial. It goes like this "How can I tell you, that I love you, I love you. I want to tell you... that I am always thinking of you. Always thinking of you, but I can't, find the right words to say it."
The second song is from a bread commercial and is a song that was originally sung by EmmyLou Harris. Here are the words to it, although I am always changing up this song and adding my own words: "I don't love you much do I, just more than the stars in the sky. I don't love you much do I. I think you hang the moon and that's alright. See how you sparkle in my eyes and I don't mind, I don't love you much do I. Just more than anything else in this whole world."
I think I have sung these songs to Ethan so much that he knows them and as soon as I start he seems to calm down if he is fussy. I don't really know why though because my singing voice stinks!
I have started to use cloth diapers on Ethan half of the time. Oz and I read up on them and the benefits were as follows: They are more comfortable for baby, better for the environment, more cost efficient and will help to instigate potty training earlier. They help with earlier potty training because the disposables out there keep baby so "dry" they never feel the need to "go". When I decided to order some, I had no idea what to get. But oh my gosh, they are so cute on him and so, so soft. The extra pain of washing a poopy diaper is not so bad when I think of his comfort because I looove his tush.

Ethan is sleeping!

Well, in my last post, he was waking up a bunch at night to eat. I am probably jinxing myself by writing this, but he has been sleeping great for the past few nights. Instead of rushing right to him when he stirs in the middle of the night and cries out, I have waited it out and he has just gone back to sleep. It's been great and I have been sleeping so much more, but I am still so tired. Go figure.
I wish something exciting has happened in the last few days, but they have all been pretty routine. There is not much to write about. We haven't been able to go on our walks like we usually do everyday because Atlanta is getting cold! So we have just been hanging out inside the house, but we will have to get outside tomorrow and get some fresh air. I love to get Ethan naked and put him on a towel on the floor and let him roll around. I heard that that was the best way to get them to roll and the day I tried it, he just plopped right over. He just squeals with delight and lays on his round tummy "swimming in the air". He has a little mirror attached to the bottom of his crib that he just stares at himself in. He will smile and talk to himself and I just sit there wondering what he is thinking.
I am still trying to teach Ethan how to eat and he keeps spitting the rice cereal out of his mouth. I am going to try a new food soon. He will probably have a sweet tooth like Mommy. I did give him a carrot stick to suck on tonight for his aching gums and he seemed to enjoy that. For about 2 minutes. :)
I am off to go peek at him in his crib...

I love Ethan and Ethan loves me!

I wish he would remember how much he loves me right now. Oz has told me in the past that Ethan is going to tell me he hates me one day. I am sure he is right, but I can really tell he loves his mama right now and I want it to stay that way. Ethan had his 4 month check-up this morning along with 5 vaccinations. He has been screaming his little head off all day. Poor little guy. He isn't feeling well at all. I finally got him to sleep for his nap. It took a lot of yelling (his) and a lot of patience (mine). I finally rocked him to sleep in my arms and he kept sighing that "I'm all cried out" sigh and he was just holding on tight. When Dad & Sarah kept him for an hour the other day, they said he just kept looking all around the room for me. When he sees me, he gets all smiley and waves his little arms at me as if he is saying "hold me". I just want him to love me this much always, just like I will always love him. I know he will be annoyed by me one day, be mad at me and just not want to have much to do with me. I wish I could tell him, "remember when you were a baby and all you wanted was mama?". But of course I can't say that because he won't remember this at all. Only I will.
As for his appointment stats, he is 17.4 lbs and 25 1/2 inches long (95th percentile for everything) and as healthy as can be.
Ethan didn't enjoy Halloween as much as we did. It was his bedtime and he was sleepy. But we did show him off in his turtle outfit. He had his picture made with Logan (Logan was a butterfly Larvae - Meredith was the butterfly) and he also went on a hayride around the neighborhood. We must have 100 kids in the neighborhood. It will be a great place for him to grow up.
I am off to take a nap. I haven't slept more than 3 hours at a time this week because Ethan keeps waking up. Oz is not much help since I am nursing. Oh well, I would never sleep again if I had to do it for him. I love that little booger!

Happy Halloween!

Ethan is going to be a turtle for Halloween. It is a really cute costume that we borrowed from J. & Louise. The problem with him being a turtle is that Oz and I can't dress up to match him. What goes with a turtle? A hare? So, I guess we will dress as nothing. But next year I am going all out!
Ethan has been a fussy napper the past 2 days. I can't get him to sleep well because of the swaddling thing. He won't go to sleep without being swaddled during the day, but as soon as I swaddle him he breaks out of it. I swear I have spent an hour each time he needs to nap just trying to get him to sleep. He will look up at me with his sweet face and start cooing at me as I am rubbing his bald head and then as soon as I leave the room he starts screaming. He is playing mama already!
Last night I went in to feed him in the middle of the night and then I just climbed into the twin bed into his room. He kept rolling over and crying and I got up to check on him and he was laying in a huge pile of spit up. So, I just grabbed him up and put him in the bed with me and snuggled up with him. I haven't done that in so long. As much as I love laying with him, it was hard to sleep at first because he just kept moving around. I think he was ready to get up for the day. I don't know how people co-sleep full time, because when I woke up this morning with him I just kept thinking the "what-ifs?". What if I rolled over on him last night? What if my pillow moved onto his face? (etc.) I would drive myself crazy thinking all of this.
Ethan turned 4 months-old on Monday and his doctors appt. is Friday. I am interested in seeing how much he weighs and what the pediatrician will say about feeding him solids. I have already been giving him rice cereal for the past couple of weeks (not everyday) and I can't tell what Ethan thinks about it. Sometimes he cries and I can't tell if it is because he hates it or if it is because the spoon is out of his mouth and he wants more. I do not want to give him the vaccinations, but everybody thinks I am just a nervous nelly for thinking that. I just keep hearing too many scary things about vaccines and autism. When I mentioned it to the pediatrician before, he looked at me like I was an idiot. Maybe I am. I know I am a worrier...

Sunday

Well, I don't have anything special to write about today. I know there will be days when I don't write at all, but I am enjoying going over my day and that is why I am here. We went to sunday school today and then had lunch with Megan, Shauna & Krysti. Of course, Ethan was a doll baby and had a great time. When we got home we went to hang out with Gwen (Great GranNin) & Great Grandpa Don. Ethan just rolled around on a pallet on the floor having a big time.
After I nursed Ethan, before I put him to bed, I just held him in my arms adoring his little face. I have decided that I really enjoy breastfeeding. It was such a pain in the beginning and every day I wanted to be my last. But he and I totally have the hang of it and it is now a wonderful experience. Another reason I am glad I am not working now! There is no way I could pump 3x a day while at work! I would have definitely had to wean him.
Another weaning topic: I think I may finally have him weaned from the swaddle for night time. Now I just have to figure it out how to wean him during the day when I put him down for naps wide awake. He sort of freaks out with his little arms flailing about.
Oh, I bought a book about baby sign language at babiesrus. It is a very simple picture book with not many words to sign. I am going to try it with him and we will see how it goes. I have already started it even though he is too young. I have been doing the signs for Mommy, milk and I love you. Kim signed with Eli and encouraged me to try it. It will be useful and cute to watch if he can pick it up.
I am going to go wind down for the night. I wish I could crawl in his crib and curl up next to him.

Afternoon Nap

This afternoon Ethan was so hungry that he actually laughed out loud when I was about to feed him, he was so happy. Afterwards, I couldn't get the little man to sleep for his nap so I lay on the twin bed in his room and just snuggled with him, breathing in the scent of his head. I wonder how long I will be able to do this before he will begin to push Mommy away.

Why I am blogging

Well, this is my first blog. I decided to do this after reading another mommy's blog about her daughter. She is struggling with the decision of whether or not to be a stay-at-home mom. She really misses her baby girl and it made me think of when I decided to take a little more time off to be with Ethan. I thought this would be a great idea to journal my days with my best bud! Gwen is always writing in her journal and I have been wanting to start one myself, so here I am.
I am so excited that I am spending every day with him. Going back to work was so stressful even though I loved my job. I missed him so much and couldn't take it. I had a patient come in, Rev. Alfred Sawyer of Christ Church in Atl. and he asked me how it was going being away from Ethan. I told him that I couldn't talk about it or I would start crying. He said he just thought God didn't give us Mom's our babies for other women to take care of and raise. He then said that he wanted to pray with me before I cleaned his teeth. He prayed that it would all work out for me to stay home with my son. And that was that. I decided I couldn't go back just yet. Oz is upset about the financials, but raising Ethan is the most important job to me. Not living above our means. And I plan on being with him as long as I can. Being a mom is what I have dreamt of. A stay-at-home mama. I want to be there for all of his firsts. I want to be the one to teach him how to count and teach him his ABC's. I waited too long to have him to go off and leave him when he was 3 mos. old.
Yesterday (Friday the 26th) the little man and I had a great day. I had an appt. with Dr. Daus and I swear, wherever I take him people comment on how happy and pretty he is. (And how big!) A lady in the elevator said "He is such a happy baby. That is a good reflection on you!" and it made me feel so nice. We then went and had lunch with (Great-Grandpa) Don. Ethan was a little fussy because I took him out and about so much, so he slept well last night. From 7:30 until 3:30 am. On Wednesday, he started rolling over from his back to his tummy and seems to love it. He has slept so much better on his tummy - which worries me because "they" want babies asleep on their backs. But I think he is fine. He is getting so big. Oh, I how I love him!