17 1/2 months

Ethan has done a couple of cute things that I wanted to write down before I forgot. We went to the mall yesterday and Oz ran into someone he knew. Oz shook his hand and that of his wife and then so did I and so Ethan stuck out his hand to shake their hands as well. So cute! He did it again today when we had company.
Also, tonight when I was saying Ethan's prayer, he clasped his hands together and said "Amen" when I was all done, before I could say it.
So flippin' cute!
He is now obsessed with "Eh mo". He wants to watch Elmo dvd's every chance he can get. Also, he peed and pooped on his little potty yesterday!!! We were so excited. We have been trying to show him how we potty and yesterday, he just did it. Then, he stood up and a few minutes later he peed and pooped on the bathroom floor. I don't think he has any clue about when he has to go. We will keep trying of course, but aren't worried about it this soon. I did get him the "Elmo potty time" dvd. Now if they only had one about brushing teeth...
I am starting to feel the new baby move a little bit more, but still just a couple of times a day. I go for my big ultrasound on Tuesday which I am excited about. I got Ethan a book about being a big brother. Hopefully that will help a little bit. We'll see.

Ethan and Santa Claus

We have been super busy today! And Happy Birthday Don! Today we got up and went to church and then we went to see Santa at Aidan and Ashton's birthday party. Ethan did great. He tried to cry when I first set him in Santa's lap but got over it really quickly. After we left the birthday party, Ethan took a nap and then we went to our neighborhood cookie swap. Craig fed Ethan a lot of marshmallows and whipped cream from the hot chocolate and Ethan loved it. Then we went to see Don to wish him a Happy Birthday. It has been a great day, but I wish Oz was home. He will be out of town for the majority of this month.
Ethan is going through a "hold me" phase. He will not walk anywhere and pitches a fit if I ask him. He wants to be held all of the time. It is hard to do with me being pregnant, but I will hold him all I can. I am going to try to enjoy every bit of having him all to myself and vice versa before the baby comes. Lately he loves being kissed, kissing me, hugs, singing, listening to Christmas music and getting "toe sugar". That is when I kiss his toes. He also loves getting stickers while I change his diapers. He will put them on his hands and shirt and then rip them off and put them on Mommy or the floor, LOL. His absolutely favorite thing to do right now is read books. He wants to sit on my lap or in his chair and look at all of his books. He will look at one for a minute and then put it down and then look at another. His favorite book right now is Hop on Pop. I gave it to him in the car today and was laughing while listening to him say "No Pat No!!". As soon as he turns to the page with Pat sitting on a Cat, he remembers what to say. Too funny. His new word today was "airplane" because he got an airplane sticker during a diaper change. He said both syllables and the only other word he can say with 2 syllables (besides Mama and Dada) is "apple" pronounced "ap poo".

Happy Thanksgiving!

I certainly hope my posts become more frequent than all of the major holidays. Ethan and I have been so sick for the past few months - one or the other or both of us. I have never felt as bad as I have and have missed out on so many things I enjoy and catching up with so many of my friends that I care about. Also, I have been working so much lately and of course the holidays are upon us and so finding free time will be even harder - (nonstop complaining for the past few months and it has to stop, huh?). Ethan is feeling much better since he is on his 4th round of antibiotics for what the pediatrician called a "rip-roaring" ear infection in both ears. Poor baby. He will finish the medication this week and I will go in for a follow-up to see if they worked. I hope so because I don't want him to have to get tubes. We had a nice Thanksgiving. We had turkey here at home and Mom, Buck, Jean and Little Vickie came over to eat with us. The day after, we left for Hiawassee where it was cold and rainy and we had to stay inside. Oswald did take Ethan down to see the cows and chickens and he got a big kick out of that.
I am feeling much better. Aside from my lingering cold that is. I still have a horrible cough and stuffed up nose, but my morning sickness is all gone. I am officially getting huge again. I am now 4 months pregnant and go in for my big ultrasound in the next week or two. We have decided on a name for the baby, but we are waiting until after Christmas to tell.
Ethan is doing great other than his ear. He turned 17 months over the weekend. He is now signing to me "I love you" every time that I say it to him. It melts my heart. He is still addicted to the pacifier and I hate to admit, his morning and night bottle. I am going to get serious about working on that after the first of the year. He has been so sick the past few months that I have not wanted to take away his bottle. The pacifier, eh, I am not so worried about. Ethan's favorite things lately are ringing the doorbell, barking any time we pass a dog, books, books and more books. He loves to mimic all of the animals and the fish face is the cutest one of all.

Happy Halloween!

We had two separate Halloween parties in our neighborhood last night. We went to both of them and Ethan had a blast. On the cul-de-sac, there was a train to ride for the little kids. On our street, we had a big dinner that was lots of fun. Ethan dressed up as a UPS guy and Oz dressed as a chic magnet. Here are loads of pictures:

Sick

Ethan has been sick ever since he has started school. It is really starting to make me upset. He used to be so healthy - I don't think he had a cold the first year of his life. Saturday night he had a fever. Yesterday at church he would not move. He sat completely still on my lap and his body felt like an oven. I ran home and grabbed the thermometer and tylenol. His temperature had soared to 103.7! I was so scared. After speaking with the nurse a couple of times, she advised us to take him to the immediate care center last night and they diagnosed him with his first ear infection and pink eye. He is now on his second round of antibiotics in the past 2 months and antibiotic eye drops. Mommy's poor baby. :(

Picture Update

Here is an update through photos of the past couple of months. The first two are from the Spooky carnival that his school held last night. Ethan was a little lion and he was having so much fun, it was hard to capture him in a picture. He also had so much fun that he came home and threw up all over his bedroom floor.
Next is a picture of Ethan with Grandpa and Nin at the Peachtree Dekalb airport. We took Ethan there to watch the planes take off and land, but he was more interested in the playground which is where I saw him go down a slide for the very first time.
The third picture is proof of why you don't let small children play with golf balls!
Next is a picture of Ethan surrounded by his neighborhood girlfriends, LOL. He is loving the attention!
Then comes a picture of Ethan eating breakfast at school on his very first day. The following picture is of him chasing one of his very favorite toys, the Roomba the morning of his first day - 9/2/08.
Lastly is a picture of what happens when you leave a curious little boy alone in a driveway for a minute. He gets in the car and wants to take off driving!

Almost One Month Since Last Post!!

I have been in a sick induced blur for the past month or so and have not posted at all. Duh. Well, anyways the reason why is because of what the picture above says! Ethan is going to be a big brother! I have been so, so sick this time around and have not felt like computing. But I am excited and I think that Ethan is going to love having another little one around, and at the same time, I know he is going to be jealous. I don't know how I am going to love another child as much as I love him, but I know it happens.

Gas

Atlanta is out of it. There have been loooong lines around the few stations that have it and it has just been nuts. The news reporters state that the gas tankers have cars following them when they pull off of the expressway. This past weekend, Oz and I each waited for over an hour to get gas for our cars and we were lucky! I was only allowed to put $20 worth of gas in my car. But because I ran out of gas after driving to 7 or 8 stations the day before, I was so thankful for that $20 worth of gas. Crazy.

Oh, I forgot to add the word "Hot" to Ethan's list of words. He pronounces it "Ha" and he always whispers it. Very cute.

Ethan's Vocabulary

The amount of words Ethan can say has tremendously increased if you count what only I can understand. Here they are:

Juice : Vush

Hot: Ha (whispered)

Balloon: Bool

Vaccuum (in particular the Roomba which he loves): vrrrmm

Shoes: Vush (sounds like his juice)

Bye-bye: ba-ba

Pi-pi (his pacifier): pa pa

Dog: woof

Cat: mmmm (meow)

Cow: mmmmm (moo)

Ball: ba

Night Night: nigh nigh

Water: wah

More: mo

No: NO!

Ethan's Prayer

Lord I pray for Ethan’s brain that it would be healthy so you can fill it with your boundless wisdom

I Pray for Ethan’s eyes that they would be able to see you and the mighty works of your creation

I Pray for Ethan’s ears that they would hear your word and hear your praises

I Pray for Ethan’s tongue that it would be full of grace and ready to be used as your instrument

I Pray for Ethan’s lungs that they would be healthy and strong ready to shout your praises from the mountains

I Pray for Ethan’s heart that it would be strong but have more space for you to dwell

I Pray for Ethan’s shoulders that they would be big enough and strong enough to carry the burdens of his brothers and sisters in Christ as they have carried us

I Pray for Ethan’s arms and hands that they would be willing and able to do your work

I Pray for Ethan’s body and all of that is in it that it would be a temple sancitified by you

I Pray for Ethan’s legs that they would be strong enough to run the race

I Pray for Ethan’s feet that they would look to your word for direction and that they would follow in your footsteps FOREVER.

Thanks SuperNanny!

So today Ethan had to sit in the corner. It wasn't exactly the "naughty chair", but kind of the same thing. We were at Don and Gwen's house and Ethan was hitting me. Finally, I had enough and I told him "No, we do not hit people!", and I picked him up and plopped him in the corner of the room. He started bawling. After a very long moment, I told him that it was okay to get up and so he did and he ran to me and hugged me. WOW! I can't believe he sat there. But then, he hit me again and then he ran himself over to the corner and sat back down. LOL! We were all trying hard not to laugh!
Yesterday was his third day of school and I got my second call that Ethan has hurt himself. He fell and started bleeding from the mouth. And he still hasn't slept at school. The teachers told me that he is the only kid that won't sleep at naptime and that he was walking around like a zombie all day because he was so tired. I feel so bad. I switched him back to one nap a day today hoping that will help get him on their schedule.
New things: Today, Ethan touched my nose and said "no". Also, we were looking at one of his favorite books and after much coaching, I told him to touch the duck, and he did, and then the horse and bird and he touched them as well. Good job, Ethan! However, when we turned the page, he did not touch the same animals. Maybe next time! He now has the tip of his LR canine in. So far, he has all of his incisors, one molar (T) and the tip of that canine. And he still has his bad cold from school. :(
What Ethan loves today: the Roomba, oh my gosh it is driving me crazy, eating (after days of not eating with his cold, he has really chowed down today), grapes and sweet potato puffs, trying to pet Mani, and pointing at the air when he hears an airplane.

Ethan's First Day of School!

I dropped Ethan off at school for the first time today. It was heartbreaking. Meredith dropped Logan off at the same time. Logan lives next door and he and Ethan are the same age. Ethan cried his little heart out when I first dropped him off. (Logan was crying too.) Then Meredith and I stood outside the classroom and looked through the 2-way mirror for almost 2 hours!! I don't think anyone could have peeled us away from that mirror. Eventually, the boys stopped crying and they sat at their little table eating their breakfast snack - waffles. Then they just played and played. Ethan kept climbing up on this step thingy (and everything else for that matter). He and Logan were also intrigued with the same little baby doll. One of the teachers sang "the Wheels on the Bus" and Ethan was dancing in the middle of the room. It was so cute. After a while, the teachers took Ethan and some of the others out to the playground and he was throwing around a beach ball. Meredith and I finally felt it was safe to leave. She and I had lunch together and then went back to pick the boys up at 3:00. When we got to the classroom, Ethan was standing in the middle the room crying so hard! When I went in to get him, he started crying even harder. We went out to the playground to get Logan and he was also crying. Our hearts were breaking. It was so sad. The teachers told me that Ethan did not nap at all. They said that he did fall asleep, but Logan woke him right up and he never went back to sleep. They also told me that Ethan is a bruiser and that he was climbing on all of the playground equipment fearlessly and even fell and hurt his head.
Man, I dread taking him there on Thursday.

8/25/08

I miss my baby! Ethan is staying with his Grandaddy and Grandma Sarah right now. I took him yesterday and they are going to bring him back to me on Wednesday. When I left him, he wanted nothing to do with me. He was on Grandaddy's mule and was too busy trying to honk the horn and "steer". He didn't even acknowledge my goodbye! I admit, it is nice having a break. Both boys are gone from the house and I have it all to myself.

This past Friday, we went to Mom's so she could keep Ethan while I shopped a little. She said Ethan kneeled down and peeked for me out the "doggie door". So cute! Thanks HotMama for Ethan's new clothes!

The funniest thing just happened. The doorbell rang and four neighborhood girls (ranging in age from 4 to 8) were asking if Ethan could come out and play. I had to tell them that he wasn't home but to come back Wednesday. Haha! I think it is hilarious that the girls wanted to play with my little man! He would have loved that. He was outside chasing 2 of them yesterday before we left.

So here is another poll that was on BBC. I am copying it for my keepsake.

Is your Juner:
eating with a fork? Yes, but most things fall off before they reach his mouth.
eating with a spoon? Yes, he does better with a spoon than a fork, but we still have the problem of food falling off.
fingers only? Still eats with these too.
Favorite foods: Cheese, yogurt, waffles, willy's, nilla wafers, oh, just about anything.
Foods LO dislikes: Won't eat avocado anymore. Tomato sauce made him throw up, so I haven't given him that since then.
Favorite toy: Not one in particular. Loves his car stroller/buggy, balls, mama's keys, stuffed panda "Mei Lan".
Favorite person: Mama and Daddy
words that only you understand: Buh (bird). I understand this only because he says it when there is a bird around.
words that others can understand: Ball, bye-bye, Mama (rarely says), up. This isn't a word, but whenever he sees a truck or car in real life or in a book, he says "brrrm brrrm".
is your LO a climber? Oh yeah. Loves to climb on furniture.
does your LO have a lot of hair? Nope, still sporting a mullett. Oz and I aren't ready to cut it yet.
Stats: height/weight: Not sure. Was 25 lbs 13 oz at 12 month appt. and 33 inches
How many teeth? 9. His LR molar just came through and I see the tip of his LR canine.
Do they like tv? Doesn't really watch it. He was watching Olympic diving and said "whoa!" every time someone took a dive
What show(s)?
Do they like music? Yes
Favorite songs? If you're happy and you know it clap your hands, the "counting" song on his laugh & learn playhouse "counting, counting, counting is such fun, count with me, let's start with number one".
Are they a dancer? Yes. He has just started doing this dance where he is actually just running in place
Do they have a temper? Yes, the world revolves around Ethan, or so he thinks, and he is unhappy when things aren't going his way, like when I bring him in from outside.
Do they throw things? Yes
Do they hit? Yes. And spits too. He thinks this is funny. Especially when we tell him "no".
Do they have tantrums? Yes, but they don't last long.
What do you do to stop the tantrum? Divert his attention.
What do they do on a daily basis to make you laugh? His laughter, him copying us, dancing/running in place, spitting (even though I don't let him see me laugh).
Do they like to wear shoes or barefeet? Both. I just bought his first real pair of shoes and he was so proud of them.
Do they like to be outside? LOVES being outside. He tries to open the front door to get out.
Anything else you want to tell about or brag about? He can't communicate very well, but he can do just about anything we ask him to. Like "get the ball under the chair" or "give Mama a kiss", "blow your nose" (this is very funny), "bring Mama your shoes", "sit down", "lay down", etc. Also, it is a rare day when someone doesn't comment on what a happy baby he is.

Super Picture Post

I have lots of pictures to show off. I am going to write what they are, but I don't know if they will appear in the order I am writing them. Here is what I am showing: Ethan making his first sign, "all done". Ethan hanging out on his ATV in one of my shirts. Yes, the shirt is pink! He loves running around in it. Ethan's new school. He starts in 2 weeks and they have expanded into a 2nd campus and it is still under construction. When we went to open house yesterday, he went crazy running around. He had a ball. He pulled out a little chair and sat in it on his own, he laid down on one of the naptime cots, and he let loose on the playground. Yesterday afternoon, we went to a neighbors house and there is a cute picture of Ethan and Jack staring out the window at the big thunderstorm that we had. I also have a picture of how I found Ethan when I went to wake him from a nap. It was so cute. I am so bummed that all of his diapers were in the wash when he was napping because this would have been much cuter if he was in cloth. I also posted a picture of my furbaby, Sissy. After all, she is one of my babies too!
By the way, we looked at a house yesterday and we are thinking of trying to sell ours (in this horrible market) so please pray for us that this all works out. I did not take pictures of the house that we are looking at. I don't want to get my hopes up too much because I am guessing that it will sell before we can even get ours listed.
Back to the pictures. I also posted a picture of my first Bentos. I learned of this from Malisa on my Crunchy Mom's group. I spent the better half of last night on www.lunchinabox.net while Oz and I watched the Olympics. Bentos are small-portioned meals, that are supposed to be very colorful and even artistic. You are supposed to fill a small container with all of the food and fill in all of the gaps with "fillers". Fillers can be nuts, cherry tomatoes, cheeses, small berries, etc. I just used what I had on hand to prepare for dinner. The idea is Japanese, but you can prepare any type of food for a Bentos. I bought some vegetables today from an old man who has a veggie stand nearby. I prepared sweet potatoes, butter beans, whole-grain pasta with parmesan cheese and tomatoes and cucumber cream cheese salad. This is mine and Oz's dinner and there was enough left over for Ethan and Oz's lunch tomorrow.

What's New to Ethan

Just a few things: Ethan made his first sign today on his own. It is the sign for "all done". He has made the sign before after a lot of coaxing, but he did it all by himself today during dinner. I was so proud! All of this repetition has paid off. He is also really trying to feed himself with the spoon/fork and if the food is soft, like applesauce or yogurt, he is succeeding. It is a mess, but he has to learn somehow. Another big triumph is that he is now climbing on furniture. It is driving me nuts because I keep worrying about him falling off. This past week he has been saying "Bye bye" and blowing & giving kisses. When he kisses, he says "mmmm whah". The naps are completely jacked up. One day he won't sleep and the next he will. Today we slept in until 8 and then he had a nap at 9 and again at 2. Just like his old schedule. I am trying to not worry about it so much. Ethan cut in his first molar this past week. Tooth "T". Also, his UR canine is peeking through. Just barely.
Tomorrow we have an open house at his new school. He starts in 2 weeks and I am really excited. I hope he likes it there.

Happy Birthday HotMama!

Today is my Mom's birthday. Ethan and I went to have lunch with her and Papa and Jean. Ethan said "Papa" for the first time. He made a huge mess with the chinese food and the waitress would not leave us alone. She basically stood by Ethan during the whole lunch and it was really annoying. I know my son is cute and fun, but she knew we were having a birthday celebration. I am pretty tolerant about things, but it was getting on my nerves. As I was putting the lid on the jar of banana pudding HotMama brought for Ethan, she even took it out of my hands and fed him the rest of it! I know she was just having fun with Ethan and so I couldn't say anything. We also went to see Vickie after lunch, but I don't think she was feeling so great, so we left after a couple of minutes. I wish that there were fireworks and lots of excitement for Mom, but there just wasn't. And my phone battery went dead and that is what I was intending to use as a camera. Geez. Mom, if you read this, Happy Birthday again! We love you so much and I am so proud you are my mother. You are a wonderful role model. You have taught me so much about compassion for all living things and I thank you for that with all of my heart and soul. That is the best lesson you have taught me.
On another note, Gwen's son Michael died today. He has been suffering tremendously with cancer. We knew he wouldn't make it much longer. I woke up at 6:04 a.m. and thought immediately that Michael died. I called Gwen this morning around 8:30 and sure enough, she told me Michael died. Thankfully she was with him at 4:30 a.m. when he went home. The hospice nurse came and pronounced him dead at 6:03. I believe a spirit of some kind just let me know this morning. Just like when my cat Brother went missing. Oz and I adopted 2 cats a couple of weeks after we got married. We named them Sister and Brother and then the nicknames Sissy and Bubba just happened. It took us 3 years to get pregnant with Ethan and these cats were my babies, filling a void for me for the family I wanted so badly. They act just like dogs and fetch and follow us down the street, etc. Bubba went missing one day and I was hysterical. I cried for MONTHS over him and searched miles for him. Psycho searched for him. I totally went crazy. I still have no idea what happened to him (thankfully I still have Sissy and she is still another baby to me), but having no closure is the worst feeling. My Uncle Bob has a grandson named Sean that had a stuffed animal named after Bubba, my cat. He told me the day that Bubba went missing, Sean stopped calling his stuffed animal Bubba. He said "no more Bubba" or something to that effect. Again, I think something was trying to tell me that Bubba was dead. I don't know. Whoever reads this may think I am weird, but I am weird, so you're right! :)
That's all for today.

08/09/08

I can summarize today in one sentence:

Ethan is going back to 2 naps tomorrow.

08/08/08

Today is the opening celebration of the Olympics in China. I am watching the opening ceremonies now and the show is incredible.
We had the most beautiful day here in Atlanta. The weather was gorgeous and and there was no humidity! But to summarize today, Ethan's new nap schedule stinks! The morning just dragged on and 11:00 seems way to early for lunch. He only slept 2 hours and he was grumpy this afternoon.
After he woke from his nap, we went to Grandpa Don and Nin's house. There were men cutting down trees next door at Ann's house. So Don, Ethan, Ann, Kayden and I sat outside watching them cut the trees down. Boring you say? Not to a 1 year old! The reason I am on here posting this is because the cutest thing happened. Don fed Ethan his usual banana. Well, Kayden got a little jealous, so Don went inside to get her some applesauce (Kayden is 7 months old). She didn't really want the applesauce, but of course Ethan did, so Don started feeding it to him. After a few minutes, Ethan took the cup and spoon and started trying to feed Kayden. I went and grabbed my phone out of the car (the iphone rocks!) and snapped some pictures. I almost cried it was so cute. Notice Ethan striking the John Travolta pose. The stud was trying to point at something, but looks like he is "Stayin' Alive"!

8/7/08

This has been a hectic week. We transitioned Ethan to one long nap a day instead of two naps. He was just starting to struggle going to sleep. He would lay there and talk to himself for an hour before he would fall asleep. Although he wasn't crying, I just thought it was pointless for him to lay there so long without actually being asleep. I know the rest was good for him, but when he starts school in September, they will have him on one nap a day, so Oz and I thought it was a good time to start at home. He still isn't getting enough sleep. He is rubbing his little eyes late in the morning and before bed, but what else could we do?
I can't wait for him to start school. He is going 2 days a week and the facility is awesome. They even start teaching the children a foreign language. He has a long way to go there considering he can't even speak English yet, (haha!!), but the idea of it is really neat.
It has been so long since I have written, I am having a hard time thinking of what's been going on. I want to write as much as I can so that Ethan will have some neat things to read later on, but the past few days have been a blur. Oz has been taking Ethan to the daycare at the gym every day that he has been keeping Ethan. Some days are better than others. When Ethan misses him and starts crying, the daycare attendees will go get Oz so that he can pick Ethan up. Last Saturday Oz said he was watching Ethan through the glass and he was having a big time, running around and going up to all of the "big" kids. But as soon as he saw his Daddy, he started crying. It sounded really cute. A couple of days this month we have gone to Don & Gwen's and let Ethan play in the yard with the water hose. He has such good old-fashioned fun over there.
In one of the pictures I have posted, Ethan is holding his favorite stuffed animal. Her name is Mei Lan. She is a panda that the Atlanta Zoo sent to Mom because of the bamboo that she donates to the zoo for the panda's food. Ethan loves Mei Lan.
What Ethan likes today: Walking around with his blanket over his head, books, he still loves his bottle and pacifier (!), harassing Mani, our cat, walking up the steps - except I guess you would call it "crawling up the steps".

I am posting the following schedules in case I ever need to reference for future children I may have. I am not sure where else I will write it and be able to find it. Who knows, I may wonder when Ethan went down to one nap a day, etc and Lord knows I won't be able to remember. Up until this week, Ethan's schedule was:
7:00 am wake-up, bottle
8:00 breakfast
9:00 nap
11:00 wake-up, sippy cup
1:00 lunch
2:00 nap
4:00 wake-up, bottle
5:30 dinner
6:30 bath, bottle, reading time
7:00 bed

For this new schedule, I am still playing around with meal times:
7:00 wake-up, bottle
7:30 breakfast
11:00 lunch
11:30 nap
2:30 wake-up (hopefully he will continue to sleep this long), snack, milk
5:30 dinner
6:30 bath, bottle, reading time (My favorite time of the day - Snuggle time!!!)
7:00 bed.

7/31/08

Ethan has not wanted to sleep lately. His molars are coming in and he is constantly rubbing his gums and chewing on his fingers. When he doesn't have a pacifier in his mouth. Last weekend we went to Hiawassee and had a great time. We took Ethan to the North Georgia Mtn. Fair and also to the lake. He had a great time at both places. He rode the carousel with his Daddy and he rode a little train with me. He kept trying to steer the train. He really had a good time on it. When we were on Aunt Becky's pontoon boat, he would just walk from one end of it to the other, so excited. He also kept playing with a water bottle, unscrewing the cap. He has become really proficient at taking caps off of things, so I have to be super careful from now on. Here is a picture of he and I on the train. Notice him steering. Also, I have posted a picture of him on the swing holding one of Granddaddy's fresh grape tomatoes.
Last week, Ethan got bitten by our neighbors dog. He got a huge bite mark on his back where 2 teeth went in. It has been over a week and the bite marks are still there. He screamed for the longest time. Thankfully, he was fine around Holly at Dad's house. We had such a great trip and I even got a massage while I was there. And I came home with a ton of fresh vegetables out of the garden. Oz brought Ethan to me at work today and when Dr. Carter saw him, he said that Ethan is all business in the front and a party in the back. Referring to Ethan's mullet. His hair really is growing long in the back, but for some reason, neither Oz or I want to cut it. I swear we are not rednecks!!
That's all for today!

7/20/08

It has been a crazy and hectic weekend. First of all, I have to mention that Scott came home from Iraq today! Thank the Good Lord for keeping him safe. He is an Army Ranger and has been in a very dangerous position. Congratulations Kim on your hubby for returning home to you and Eli. He is a Rock Star!!
Oz kept Ethan yesterday while I ran around like a mad woman. I hosted a baby shower for Stephanie in the a.m. Then, I went to see little Mary Belle that arrived on the 17th. She is adorable. 7 lbs 15 oz. Then, I went to buy a wedding gift for Alexis, finally bought (well, ordered) my new iphone, and then went to Alexis's wedding shower at night. I was so tired when I got home that I went to bed at 9 o'clock. Today, Oz and I went to church and then spent some time cleaning our bedroom and that's about all.
I have a major sweet tooth. Major. I am the type of person that wants desert after breakfast, lunch and dinner and for my snacks in-between. Well, I decided today that I am cutting out the sugar. It lasted until 8:00 tonight. I am going to reboot and try again tomorrow. I know that I can cut out the chocolate. I did it while I was breastfeeding. I bet if I cut out the sweets I will drop some major weight. I am so addicted to Chick-fil-A milkshakes. Yum. Note to self: buy chewing gum first thing in the a.m. Maybe I can buy a sugar patch. Is there such a thing?
I made scrambled eggs today for breakfast and Ethan had a huge blowout this evening. When I type "blowout", I mean BLOWOUT. Now that I think of it, last week when I gave him eggs, he had diarrhea. Maybe he is allergic. Ethan did a few new things today. When I was feeding him dinner, he was trying to give me bites and I told him "no, you eat it" and he shook his head no and said "Mama". He was actually telling me to do something. I didn't even know that he knew how to shake his head "no". Also, I said Ethan, sit down so I can take your shoes off. Well, he sat down and started pulling at his shoes. This may not seem like a major revelation to most of you, but I was pretty shocked. Lastly, Oz was taking his arms out of his shirt, and Ethan finished by completely pulling his shirt off of his own head. Way to go Ethan!
What Ethan likes today: Umm, I guess Daddy is still at the top of the list. Thanks buddy! Being held - he wants to see what is going on up in the world. He can't see much a little over 2 feet off of the ground.
What Ethan doesn't like today: Eggs!

7/14/08

Yesterday it was raining cats and dogs. Ethan and I were so bored. Well, I was, I am not sure about Ethan. I guess I didn't realize how much time I do spend with him outside. We spent a lot of time in his playroom where he was busy making baskets and trying to hit his golf ball. He picked up his plastic club and was trying this all on his own. I was very impressed. (See picture and video.) Since I was so bored yesterday, I was determined to get him out today. This morning we went on a short walk. When we walked by Don & Nin's house, he stuck his arm out and grunted, like he thought that is where we were going. After he woke up from his morning nap, I took him to a place called Monkey Joe's. It was a big warehouse-type building filled with inflatable toys. There was only one toddler section, but there were bigger kids in it so I was a little nervous about Ethan being in there. He was a little nervous at first too. He just wanted to watch everything for about 30 minutes. He then crawled out of my lap and ran around the place. I think he enjoyed that. He finally got in the toddler zone for a while and played around. I think he had a pretty good time and he is now worn out. Afterwards we went to Willy's for lunch with Daddy. Ethan learned to blow bubbles in his drink and was having a big time. Oh, I also have added a picture of Ethan trying to feed himself. He now wants to hold the fork and spoon all by himself. Trouble is, he can't pick the food up or get it to his mouth. That nasty looking food on his plate is chicken pot pie.
Okay, stupid blogger won't let me upload the videos that I wanted to show. Aargh.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

So, I am a little late with this post considering today is the 6th of July. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I can't believe this was Ethan's 2nd Fourth of July! He spent the night with my mom without me for the first time on Thursday night. I went over there and got him put to bed and then came home. I had her keep him so that I could do the Peachtree Road Race Friday morning. It is a 10K race and I just walked it with my neighbors. My husband runs in it and this is the first time that I have ever done it. It was so much fun! I think 60,000 people or more did it and the excitement of everyone was awesome. Some people dress so crazy and really make it hysterical. There are bands and dj's playing all along the way and the crowd was handing out baked goods, popsicles and watermelon to the racers. I am definitely doing it again next year, but next time I am going to run in it. I kept wanting to run this past Friday, but my friends were only up for walking. It was a good thing too, because by the time it was over, I probably would have passed out if I had been running. Peachtree Road is the main road through downtown Atlanta and they had the fire hydrants spraying on everyone to cool us off. It is an annual tradition here in Atlanta. So, anyways, my mom had so much fun with Ethan. Oz went to pick him up after the race and Ethan wasn't very excited to see his Daddy. He was having too good of a time at HotMama's. Usually when Daddy is around Ethan is so thrilled!

Yesterday Krysti and I went to the funeral of one of my favorite patients. Sally was so sweet and only wanted to see me for teeth cleanings. I haven't been affected by someone dying in a long time, but I am really sad about her passing. I have known her for 6 years now. In the afternoon, Ethan and I washed my car and Grandpa and Nin's house. We had a lot of fun until Ethan fell and cut his upper lip. He started bleeding and it scared the heck out of me. I would love to buy him a helmet. Last night we had appetizers and drinks with the neighbors. It was fun chilling out with everyone.

This afternoon Ethan and I went to Daddy's work to hang out. Ethan got two little golf clubs for his birthday and we thought we should let him try them out. He totally wasn't interested. What he was interested in was the huge basket of golf balls Oswald had at work and Ethan literally climbed in the basket while saying "Ba" over and over. (That is ball in case you didn't get it.) I worked on my golf swing and after 6 years of Oswald telling me to get my hands down lower, I finally figured out what he was saying. DUH!! Oz signed me up to play in a member-pro tournament in August with him and two of his female students who are awesome players, so I guess I better get to practicing. I have only played golf ONCE in the past 2 years. Yikes.

Oh my gosh, I just realized that I never wrote about Ethan's 12 month check-up. Everything was great. He weighed in at 25 lbs. 13 oz. His height was 32 inches, but the doctor thinks the nurse measured him wrong because that would have made him off the chart in height and so much taller than 3 months ago. The little place in his closet where Oz and I mark off his height every month is a lot higher than it was at 10 months (we forgot to measure him at 11 months). So maybe he did have a huge growth spurt. But he is not fat. He is just so solid. We have tried to give him whole milk, but he keeps spitting it up. What else? He got 3 shots and did fine with them. I am delaying the next round (MMR and Varicella) and dread hearing the doctor say anything bad about that. He is still taking 2 2-hour naps a day and is sleeping a full 12 hours at night, 7 to 7. The boy can sleep, just like his Mommy. When he starts school in September, they will be moving him to one nap a day, but that is only 2 days a week, so I am going to try to keep him on the same nap schedule here until he wants to change it.

What Ethan likes today: Books. He walks around his room with them and loves his nighttime book. Saying "up". Saying "ba". Putting a golf ball in a toilet paper roll.

I will be back to posting again later this week. I want to say thanks to all of my friends who comment. I love reading your comments and realize I have good friends in you all. I haven't had much time lately to read everyone else's blog with the planning of Ethan's party, working and the holiday weekend, but hope to catch up on all of you soon.

My Best Birthday Ever!?

I had a wonderful 34th birthday. I am torn as to whether this one was better than last year. Last year I had a one day old son. What a gift! But, I was also in the hospital and had just had a c-section. This year, I had a great birthday and have a sweet and lively one year old.
My husband told me to sleep in while he got Ethan up for the day, but after lounging around in bed, I decided to get up with them both. The three of us played on the floor and had breakfast until Ethan's morning nap. Oz told me that he and Ethan were taking me out to lunch, so I got in the shower while my in-laws packed the car and got ready to leave. I told them goodbye and the three of us got in the car to go to lunch. Oz asked me where I wanted to go to dinner for my birthday and I told him that I wanted to go to a certain mexican restaurant that I like, because we already had a nice dinner out over the weekend. He told me that we would be going to the mexican restaurant for lunch instead. When we arrived, my whole family was there! And when I say whole family, I mean whole family - including Kim, Eli and Miss Betty, Don and Gwen, and Chris, because they are considered my family also. What is so surprising about this is that there is a reason that it was difficult for every person to be there, and they were all there. My Dad and Sarah and Mom and Buck had just been down to our house the day before for Ethan's party and they had a 2 1/2 hour and 1 hour drive (respectively) each way. Oz's parents really needed to get back to SC for his mom's work. Kim was supposed to be moving to NC and it was well over an hour drive for her and her mom each way (and had been done the day before for Ethan's party as well). Don does not eat out at restaurants and Gwen's son is terminally ill. And Chris could have been working. Everyone wanted to let me know that just because Ethan's birthday was the day before mine, that mine was no-less special. I am still in shock over it all.
After lunch, I had to go to the doctor and Oz kept Ethan. Oz then went to work for awhile and Ethan and I just goofed off with all of his new presents. Wanda came over to babysit and then Oz and I went to our favorite sushi restaurant for dinner. The weather was beautiful and we sat outside. I also got some pretty cool presents, while not important, they are appreciated.
I love my family!

Happy 1st Birthday Ethan!

Yesterday was Ethan's first birthday. It was perfect. He didn't want to take his morning nap - for the first time in a long time. We were late for church because by the time he fell asleep, it was late, so I let him sleep a little longer. Our church had a birthday celebration for Ethan. We are so lucky. How many churches celebrate their members birthdays? We had a sandwich lunch and they bought Ethan a big birthday cake. He loved the cake. There were balloon decorations on the cake and he enjoyed sucking the icing off of them. He got several cards and gifts.
We set up the party area in our yard while he was taking his afternoon nap and my parents came over. Oz's parents arrived Friday and had been here all weekend. We had a 60% chance of rain and the rain held off until late in the evening after everyone left. It was a beautiful day. We set up the kiddie pool and sandbox and grilled out hamburgers and hotdogs. The party was from 4 to 6. The theme was construction. Nin painted a little construction site for Ethan and I set that up on the cake table. Ethan was having so much fun running around and getting so much attention. He finally jumped in the pool and got soaking wet. It never crossed my mind that he would do that, otherwise I may have put him in his swim trunks. After we cut the cake and let Ethan dig into his, everyone came in to watch the video that I made for Ethan. Then we opened gifts. Oz gave Ethan 2 real toddler golf clubs. They are so cute. Now he is going to have to get some lessons to catch up with Cameron. Kim, Chuck and Eli stayed after everyone left to spend time with us. It was a great day.
All in all, it was a really nice weekend. Friday night we went to Bacchanalia and Saturday we got ready for the party. Today is my 34th birthday and Oz, Ethan and I are headed out to lunch soon and we have a sitter so we can go out for dinner tonight.

What a Stud!

Okay, here are the pics of my little stud muffin out at the pool. So, I bought 2 of these pools- one for sand and one for water. Now Oz wants me to go back for one more to fill with ice and drinks.

Thursday 6/26/08

Yesterday I wrote this really long post and went to publish it and *poof* it disappeared. Blogger was currently down and it deleted everything I wrote. I don't have the energy to retype everything that I typed. Plus I don't remember it.

Today I bought Ethan one of those really cheap kiddie pools. I put it in our driveway and he loved it. He was splashing all around it and I finally put him in it and he had a blast. I wound up taking off all of his clothes so that he could get in because I was too eager to get him in it and didn't want to waste the time going in for his swimsuit. He was SO excited to be naked and outside. The freedom really got to him. He was having trouble walking and kept falling down because he kept grabbing at himself, LOL. I will post some of the great pictures I took that will be sure to embarrass him when he is older. I have to post them some other time, because I am on my very new cool computer that Niles gave me right now and my pictures are not on this computer.

Niles gave me a mac daddy of a laptop for my birthday along with more music files than my local radio station has. He also gave me a lot of my wedding pictures that he took that I have never seen. They are so cool. He got pictures of things my photographer didn't get pictures of. Things I have never even seen because my wedding day was such an exciting blur. I will post some of those as well if I can figure out how to do it. Niles, if you are reading this, you are the best!! Love ya!!

I bought 2 of those cheap pools. One for water and one for sand for the party. I hope that the weather will be nice like you girls had for your LO's birthdays. I thought that those 2 things would be some good entertainment for 1-2 year-olds. I guess I need to go get some rest now. When I start typing "gould" instead of "good" then that is a signal that I am TIRED.

6/22/08

Ethan is walking all over the place. I bought him some look-alike crocs and he loves them. They are the first pair of shoes he has worn with no problem. Yesterday we had a playdate with Josh from church. He came over with Jennifer and Donna and they had a really good time. We went to the playground and just played around the house. Today we went to church and just hung out at home after lunch. Ethan and I went to Willie's for lunch together. We split the nachos. Willie's is a burrito bar in Georgia and is my #1 favorite place to go. After his nap, I let him walk around outside and just explore. He got really dirty and sweaty and it was so much fun to watch. He saw his first fly today. As in the bug. One got in the house and it was buzzing around while I was feeding him dinner and he was cracking up. He also cracked himself up pulling one kleenex after another out of the box.

I feel like I don't have much to write. Oz has been in LA and is on a plane home at this very minute. Yay! He is keeping Ethan for the next two days while I work, so they will have some bonding/catching up to do.

Ethan's birthday party is in one week. I just looked at weather.com and it is more than likely going to rain. That may put a dent in my plans.

What Ethan likes today: flies, kleenex, walking, Mama's cell phone.

What Ethan doesn't like: Eating. What a struggle! Mama taking away her cell phone.

Here is a new addition: What I like today: The author Jodi Picoult. I have read three of her books in the last month and they are so, so good. May I recommend "The Pact" or "Nineteen Minutes" if you like to read?
Design Star is back on HGTV. I got hooked on this show when Ethan was first born and they were showing the repeats at 2 am.
Peach frozen yogurt. (Sorry to mention it Pauline. It's not cheesecake, but it is ice cream.)

Ethan's First Year

The following is my present to Ethan for his first Birthday. Of course, he won't appreciate it for many years to come. I have been working on it for about 2 months and just tonight ordered a hard copy of this video on a dvd. This is a surprise, no one has seen it unless you are looking at it here. I am going to surprise my family with it on his birthday. This is a warning: If you are going to watch this, it is very long. You can stop it at any point, however, or you can fast-forward it. And I have no idea how to move the video over so that it is not laying on top of my other blog pictures. Oh well. Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2nd Post Today

Ethan has started peeking through his legs today and I wanted to remember this and that is why I am typing it. He will stand up and look underneath his legs and it is so cute. His favorite thing today has been for us to chase each other around our kitchen island. I have never heard him laugh as hard as he did when we were doing this.

Oh, I found my camera. I will have to take some pictures when he wakes up.

HotMama

We spent the night with HotMama and Papa the night before last. It was so much fun being back home. And having a change of scenery is always nice. For those of you that don't know, HotMama is my mom. My husband started calling her that years ago. Whenever he saw her or talked to her on the phone, he would say "Hey Hot Mama!!" and it has just stuck. Ethan had a blast. He and my Mom played ball and she bought him a new set of wheels which of course, he loved. Yesterday, we woke up and went to have Ethan's one-year portrait made. That was mine and Ethan's birthday gifts from HotMama. I really hope they turned out okay. I can't wait to see them. Oswald was in Chicago, so we didn't get to have a family portrait made. But I did have one picture taken with Ethan and then we took one with HotMama and Papa.

Ethan is walking now so much - and falling even more. He has also started bobbing his head up and down when he crawls. It looks kind of funny and has worried me. I am going to keep my eye on it and ask the doctor about it at his 12 month check-up. He is still doing his parrot act mimicking everything. Mom cleaned something up off of the floor and Ethan crawled over there and started wiping the floor. He is trying to say a lot of words, but none of them come out right. He still can only really say "Dada" and "up". I know he knows how to say "Mama", but he won't say it!!

I can't find my digital camera! So no pictures for this post. I have got to find it before his birthday party.

What's your name boy?!?

Is it Clem Cadiddle-Hopper? That is what Grandpa Don always says to Ethan.

I have moved Ethan's room today. The bummer is that I didn't take any pictures of his nursery before I moved it to another room. But I will take pictures and post them soon of his new nursery. Is it still called a nursery when they are a year old? Probably not. I decided to make his old nursery into his playroom. That room has a lot of light, it's small and it gets too hot for sleeping in there. So, that is why I did the old switcheroo. The problem is that I did it all by myself while Oz was gone to work. It is very hard to take apart a crib with a crying baby holding onto your leg and then putting a crib back together while the baby is crawling all over it. I cut my hand twice, have a sore ear from the crib falling on my head and bonked my nose. The second bummer is that I am still not done! I have to move his chest-of-drawers and switch both closets out. Well, Daddy has to move his chest-of-drawers!

I think that Ethan may have an ear infection. He had an awful night last night. Neither Oz nor I could comfort him. We gave him Tylenol and he finally cried his little self to sleep. I just don't know for sure. I am going to call his doctor in the morning because today he kept grabbing at his ear and the more that I am thinking about it, the more I am starting to worry.

What Ethan loves today 5/9/08: His Daddy!! He is getting so attached to him. Being a parrot. He mimics everything that we do! If you blow air out of your mouth, Ethan will do it too. If you sigh, he will sigh as well. Yesterday Nin was fake "grunting" while pulling the fan string and then there went Ethan, grunting away. He loves his pi-pi (pacifier), which I could care less about because I feel like he isn't going to be my baby for much longer. He still loves trucks, cars and crawling around with a sock hanging from his mouth.

Oh, one last thing. I am working on his birthday party. It is a construction theme (because he loves wheels so much). I found a really cute outfit for him with embroidered construction trucks on it. I will take a pic and post it. I just have to find my camera...

But wait... there's more... This really is the last thing. No one commented on my look-alike meter. If anyone out there is reading this, then scroll down to it and tell me what you think!

The following video is of Ethan bustin' a move. Shake it don't break it!

Wow - what a week!

First of all, I should have written this last week. On Thursday, May 29th, Ethan took his first steps! We were at Nin and Grandpa's and Ann and Kaden were there. Kaden is a baby girl in my neighborhood that is 5 or 6 months younger than Ethan. Ethan was showing off in front of Kaden like you wouldn't believe. Nin and I were in awe at the way he would crawl super-fast around her and keep going over to her. He even went to give her an open-mouthed kiss. So while he was on a roll, he decided to start walking in front of her. I ran home to get my camera and got his first steps on video.

Later that night, Ethan and I drove to Bluffton to go to Oswald's cousin's wedding. Erin came and kept Ethan at the cottage that we rented and Ethan and Erin love each other, so everyone had a good weekend. Sunday morning, Ethan and I drove back, went to church and then went to Logan's first birthday party. It was so much fun. Logan did a really good job with his smash cake and loved the icing. Until he got it in his eyes. But it was a great party and we had a lot of fun.

I am sending out Ethan's birthday invitations tomorrow. We are going to have a very small party with family and the babies that we know that are Ethan's age. We are inviting Eli, Logan, Avery, Cameron and Aidan. I am going to do a construction truck theme and I bought Ethan a very cute smocked outfit yesterday with construction trucks embroidered on it. Next week, we are getting our portrait made. Hotmama has scheduled a session with the photographer that we used for our engagement photos.

Tuesday 5/27/08

2 days until Ethan is 11 months old! Oswald kept Ethan all day today and took him to work with him. He said Ethan had a good time at the golf course, but he is off his schedule and still sick. He is having one heck of a time falling asleep.

I am so excited because we finally got Ethan accepted into a "school". He will start in September and go 2 days a week. It is really hard to get in anywhere around here because the waiting lists are so long. I hope that he enjoys it. He is still having trouble being around loud noises that other children make. Logan still makes Ethan cry when he squeals, so hopefully that will be worked out by September. Logan will be in school with Ethan too!

I have been so sad the past 2 weeks about weaning Ethan. For some reason, I can't shake the feeling of how much I miss nursing him. I wasn't sad about it at first, but I have been thinking of it a lot lately. I miss that time with him.

Sick Baby

Ethan has a bad cold. He was up all night long last night and has been super-congested all day long. I can tell he is just miserable. I wish I could take this cold for him. I tried to get him outside so that he can have some fresh air. While we were outside playing today, I took the final picture for his birthday invitation. I am posting it above. He is such a cutie. The only good thing about his cold is that I got to rock him to sleep. He is always way too active for me to rock and I have never been able to do it. But tonight, he just lay in my arms and played with my hair and my shirt until he drifted off to sleep. Rest well, my baby.

Drawdy Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

5/22/08

Wow, I haven't posted in a while. I need to catch up with my blog and with everyone else's. Ethan is doing great. He will be 11 months old next week. Wow!! We have had a busy couple of weeks. Ethan has been dancing a lot - every time music comes on. It is the cutest thing to watch. He will just bounce. His little bum and legs look so cute from behind.

Last week, on about 5/13/08, Ethan stood up on his own. He didn't use anything to pull up on. He did it once and then a few more times the next day.

Kim and Eli came over on Tuesday. We had the best time watching a bulldozer and dump truck work in the neighborhood. The boys were entranced with them. They both love trucks so much. We also went to the park and Kim and I took Eli down the slide. The last time I took Ethan down the big slide, he got scared, so I will wait awhile on that one again.

I have decided for Ethan's first birthday party that I am going to have a car or truck theme. Ethan loves wheels. He will scoot anything across the floor and make vroom sounds. I have no idea how he got this fascination with cars. He is his own person!

I have had to work a lot this week. I sure have missed Ethan. Wanda was here with him today and she tickled him so much that he was laughing with no sound coming out. I was cracking up watching it.

What Ethan loves today: Dancing, throwing his food on the floor, ignoring me when I say "no" and laughing at me, being held - A LOT, his pi-pi, giving me sugar (he just giggles when he does this), hanging out at Don & Gwen's and scooting their chairs all over the driveway, the box house Don made, scooting any furniture across the floor, playing outside, clapping his hands, handing me food that is on his tray and then taking it back. Um, that's about all for now.

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments on my Mother's Day. I was so sad. Love ya'll!

My First Mother's Day

Well, I am kind of disappointed with my first Mother's Day. I had been looking forward to this day for a long time. I know Ethan can't show me appreciation yet, but I thought it would be more special. Not that everyday isn't special with Ethan. I just thought I would be appreciated as the mother of Oz's son. I didn't get a gift and I didn't even get to sleep in. That was the one thing I asked for out loud - a chance to sleep in. Oswald slept in and then we went to church and my mom took us out to lunch. I did buy myself a pedicure and enjoyed spending time with my mom. I love her so much. I hope Ethan loves me that much. My mom made me my favorite cake and I am enjoying that while I am typing. Other than that I just want to cry. Oswald told me last week that he was going to play golf today and maybe he is upset with me for asking him not to play golf on Mother's Day. I am trying to hold back the tears. I think I will go to bed early because I am exhausted from holding my head high and keeping a cheerful face when I am hurting. I did enjoy myself with my mother and my son though! Thank goodness tomorrow is a new day.

5/10/08

Ethan is cutting his 8th tooth today. I can see the edge of it peeping through his gums. It is tooth Q. I think that Ethan danced today for the first time. Not entirely sure. He was leaning up against his Fisher Price Learning Home and turned the clock hands. When the music came on, he was shakin' it. I tried to get him on video, but of course as soon as I picked up the camera, that is what caught his interest.

We went to Don & Gwen's today. Don and Gwen got Ethan a big box and Don cut out some windows (what Gwen calls "peep holes") and Ethan has had a ball in it. Don fed him his usual banana. Today it was with cherry yogurt. Yesterday he mixed it with a donut hole. He sure does spoil Ethan. They both do. I could sit on their porch and visit with them for hours.

Well, tomorrow is Mother's Day. My very first one. I assume Ethan will be telling me Happy Mother's Day in years to come and thanking me for being a great mom. I certainly hope so anyway, because I intend to be a great mom. But tomorrow and everyday I am thanking him and The One who gave him to me because his presence makes me happier than I have ever been.

Thank you God!!!

Mothers

I got this from a friend on BBC. It is a great read when you are felling overwhelmed. Happy Mother's Day to all of my Mommy friends!

To the best job in the world~

I'm invisible

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.
She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of- style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, " I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

My First Weekend Away From Ethan

I just spent my first night without Ethan. And I have to do it again tonight. Oz and I are in the Highlands for a wedding and he is staying at my Dad's house. I don't know how people do this. I don't think I want to be away from him again. I was looking forward to sleeping in today and I slept until 9:00. Woo Hoo! But, I still miss him like crazy and I want to see his little smiling face. The worst part is that Thursday night (night before last), he spent the majority of the night vomiting. I fed him baby food spaghetti and I think the tomato sauce aggravated his reflux. The poor little fellow just couldn't stop throwing up. It was awful. So, last night and this morning I kept dreaming of him throwing up. I even had a dream that he was about 6 years old throwing up. As soon as we wake up in the morning, we are heading back to my Dad's to get him. I can't wait. I don't know how Oswald travels so much and leaves him. My heart would break.

So Busy!! 4/28/08

Ethan turns 10 months-old tomorrow! Wow, time has gone by so fast. I am working on a special birthday present for him. I am so excited about it. I have been so busy and haven't had time to catch up on any of my bbc friend's blogs. So if you are reading this, I haven't forgotten you all. I have been working a lot lately. I have been helping out a pregnant co-worker at my office.

Yesterday, we took Ethan to Cameron's first birthday party. Ethan had a lot of fun playing with all of the cool toys that Cameron received. He was standing on his own for just a second and I reached out my arms to him and he took one step towards me and fell into my arms. I have witnesses!!! It wasn't walking, but it was a step!

Today must have been exciting for him because he played with Aiden while Wanda kept him and then Meredith watched him while I ran an errand and so he got to play with Logan. I thought he would be worn out, but I keep hearing him rustling around on his monitor.

Ethan is completely weaned. I believe I haven't breastfed him since Friday. And even then, it was only for a minute or so. I don't feel one way or another about it. I wish that he was more interested in cuddling and nursing, but I am also relieved to be able to hand him a bottle. It is so easy! And he loves it as well.

So, I removed the post about TTC, because I have changed my mind for now. That has to be something that I am 100% sure about.

What Ethan likes today: He still likes blowing raspberries while I am feeding him. He thinks it is hilarious to have food going everywhere and then I start cracking up, which only makes him want to do it more. Oswald gets mad when he does it and keeps telling him "no". But I just can't help laughing at him laughing. I try so hard not to, but he is just so darn cute.