1/2 Birthday Party

I know at this age the party was more for us than Ethan but we sure had fun. 

When Andy got home from work we played for a little bit and Ethan showed daddy how well he had learned to sit up earlier that day. Ethan got so excited when Andy got home!

this is Ethan's 'um hi mom could you stop taking pictures, daddy and I are playing' look

Ethan had birthday sweet potatoes (the first time he tried solid food other than cereal) and we sang 'happy half birthday' while we all wore our 1/2 birthday hats.

Ethan really liked the sweet potatoes and was a bit bummed when they were all gone 

We went to the toy store to let Ethan pick out a little toy. We got the one he seemed most  excited about when we showed it to him. He picked out a set of 3 pots and pans that stack together.

And then to finish the night off Ethan played in his ducky bathtub that Andy got him. It's so great how much joy a few dollars for a plastic toy will bring him.

6 Month Check Up

We went in for Ethan's 6 month well baby check up on Tuesday and he's doing great. Ethan really likes going to the doctor and smiles loads (right up until he gets his shots). He gives his pediatrician and all the nurses tons of smiles, chats to them, loves being held by them and all of the attention! He also really enjoyed getting to play with the colorful butcher paper on the exam table while we waited. Sarah. His pediatrician, Sarah, was impressed with his development, how well he's sitting up, strong he is, and how happy he is. He weighs in at 13 lbs 2.5oz, 25 7/8" long, and his head it 16 1/2". He's now it the 1st percentile for weight, 28th for length, and 8th for head circumference. Yup still skinny despite all of his eating. Sarah said she is not worried at all because he's still growing really well, he is gaining weight, he's really happy, sleeping through the night most of the time and developing great! Our son has one fast metabolism!

We talked some about Ethan starting to eat solids and she said we can give him any fruit of vegetable right now. We can start giving him whole milk yogurt in another month and then even add butter or olive oil to his vegetables around 9months. In all it went great and we'll go back at 9months for another check up and round of shots.

1/2 Year Old!

Ethan is 6 months old today! He has grown so much in the last month and is learning a lot. He's rolling in all directions; right and left, and both onto and off of him tummy to get to toys or whatever else interests him. He moves all over his crib as he's falling asleep, rolling and scooting around. He is really eager to figure out how to really move around, crawl and explore but for now rolling and a little scooting on his side will do. He can sit up on his own now as well. Not always but he's getting much better at it and this morning was sitting up really well and leaning grabbing toys!

Ethan has definitely found his voice in the last month. He is using it loads, in the mornings when he wakes up he loves to talk for a while before he's ready to get up. While he's playing he lets out really high pitched squeals and sings and does lots of aahhh and ohhhh and some ahmm's. It's pretty adorable and exciting, it's cute to hear him singing from the back seat while we're driving.

Ethan has done really well with his rice cereal, (except for the last few days he's decided he doesn't like it any more). We've tried bananas which he does not like, he makes the funniest face as if we've just given him the most repulsive food ever. He loves apple juice and even got to enjoy sharing a popsicle with daddy. He likes drinking water and apple juice from his sippy cup and has decided that he really likes bottles now. He reaches out for cups or his bottle and even holds his bottle.

Ethan is sleeping through the night again he goes down around 8 / 8:30 and then wakes up around 6:30 /7 ready to eat and start the day. He's doing great sleeping and he's even been taking naps pretty well recently, he usually has two, a morning and afternoon one. He moves all over his crib; I lay him down on his back in the middle and he ends up on his tummy in one corner and then at the other end of the crib later.

He makes me smile everyday and I love cuddling with Ethan especially in the morning when he gets up and at night before bed. I'm so glad that I get to be home to watch him grow up, it would be sad to miss of of this. Ethan has taught us so much in the last 6 months, brought us so much joy, he keeps us on our toes and definitely has changed our lives. We love him and don't know what we'd do without our little Mr.E!

Ethan Goes Camping!

Andy and I have always loved to get to go camping & backpacking together. It's a great way for us to escape everyday life, relax, enjoy time together and the beauty that God has created. We got to share it with Ethan this last weekend on our first family camping trip! Ethan had his first camping trip at 5 1/2 months old and he did amazingly well, he was such a trooper and really enjoyed himself, we are so proud of him!

We camped at a place called Rifle Falls just north of Rifle CO for two nights. Our campsite was great, it was a walk-in site, about a 5 min walk from the car and a nice distance from any other campsite so it felt nice and secluded. It was beautiful with loads of wildlife all around. There were mule deer that wondered around near our site and Andy even got to see a mom with her two fauns only about 10ft away. We saw a beaver swimming and many birds etc. 

We got there sunday afternoon and got camp all set up, fed Ethan and went for a hike to the the water falls. They were incredible! There were three large waterfalls that all cascaded down into many smaller waterfalls. Ethan was pretty tired so he slept through pretty much all of the hike except for a bit when he decided he had to be carried by his daddy. We got back to our campsite and had dinner. I put Ethan to bed while Andy started a fire for us and we sat up around the fire for a while making s'mores and drinking hot chocolate.

Our second day started out a bit rainy but it held off long enough for Andy and I to get up and have a bite to eat and a hot cup of coffee by the fire before Ethan woke up. We spent some great time relaxing reading and playing in the tent in the morning while it rained. Once the rain cleared we decided to head out for an afternoon hike to Rifle Arch. The guide book was insistent that it was a way better arch then the ones in Utah because there is only one arch instead of 3000. It sounded more like they were a little more envious of Utah than anything. It was a cool arch and a fun hike and probably the hottest part of our trip.

Both nights Ethan slept great. We had him all bundled up, he slept next to me and in the middle of the night when it got colder we cuddled under my sleeping bag. I loved getting to cuddle with Ethan and he was really relaxed even though he woke up in a weird place knowing his mom and dad were with him. 

Ethan LOVED hanging out it the tent. While we were cooking etc Ethan would hang out in the tent and talking up a storm and singing out for all to hear! It was so much fun to hear him babbling on and on and singing while we were cooking etc. I kept peeking in to watch him, it was just too cute. It was awesome, he was so relaxed and loved looking around at the trees, hearing the birds sing etc and just being in the mountains! He was so happy to just play and talk. He was more verbal than he usually is which was exciting and fun to hear. I think we may have a happy little mountain kid on our hands!

It was the first of many great family camping trip! We had a fabulous time relaxing, spending time together, eating and cooking outside, hiking and building camp fires. 

Just after getting to our campsite and setting up

Ethan taking a nap on our hike to the falls, all the excitement of getting the tent set up etc was too much. 

Rifle Falls

Andy cooking up dinner for us, steak, veggies and mash potatoes. We had pecan pancakes and sausage  for breakfast the next morning. Food cooked outside always tastes better.

Hanging out before bed time.  

              Playing in the tent while it rained outside

Morning nap time

Rifle Arch

On the hike to the arch

Singing and talking it up in the tent

Loving playing outside while we packed up