August Updates!

Yet again I have taken another ridiculously long time to update my blog. Ethan and I have been enjoying the summer and taking advantage of the fantastic weather!














Here are the updates:

18 month doctors appointment: My giant boy is still in the 95% at 34" tall and 30lbs.

New friends: We have made some new friends and enjoyed lots of playdates. Thursdays we generally join the "Bump & Baby Club" in Wicker Park for fun in the sun. Also, my friend Heidi has been sweet enough to invite us over to join her on Wednesdays to play with the boy she nannies.

Good Friends: Ethan & I generally join my fabulous friend, Beverly, and her two kids, Austin & Addyson, for a weekly date in the park.
Words: It's finally happened, Ethan is starting to repeat everything I say. Luckily we have avoided bad words. We've learned cool, dude, happy, happy birthday (sounds like appakirchu), elbow, oh man, boo (or boooooo), airplane, hippo, bra, owie, and... boobs (or boo boos, not to be confused with owie). Lots and lots of words... it would take all day to list them.

Style: Yup, my boy needs a style section now! He's wearing 2T and some 3T clothing. I found little Hanes tanks (aka: wife beaters, dago tees - sorry if these offend) that are so cute on him since he's little. We found this awesome skull and crossbones hat at Psycho Baby. He also got his third, and most stylish, haircut a couple weeks ago.

Mama cut it... we went a little retro. I love it!

The Cute Things: When I say "dragonfly" he does this cute eww gross thing with his face and hands. He responds to "I love you" by blowing a kissing, or sometimes by saying whaa (kinda like muah). And just to make you fall even more in love with him, if you ask him some like "why are you so cute?!" he will shrug and lean his head to one side. You have to see it to understand how adorable it is.

Fun Stuff: Ethan is taking gymnastics with his cousin, Maggie. He loves it and never wants to leave. Ethan even mastered the somersault. Okay, well maybe not mastered but he practices every chance he gets. It's too cute!

We have also gone to several splash parks and had some city fun, especially at Millennium Park!

Last but not least... PICTURES!

Ethan Loves NYC!

With the start of 2010 being closer to a soap opera than real life, Ethan and I were ready for a vacation. I called my friend Jennifer, discussed plans, bought tickets, and flew off to New York City for a change of scenery.

Unfortunately, Ethan decided to become a toddler just days before his first vacation, and thus, his first flight. I was a little nervous when our flight was delayed, and even more nervous when he started getting bored before takeoff.

Despite my concerns and some momentary spouts of tantrums, Ethan was relatively good on the flight. I would love to claim success because of my fantastic planning, but in reality, the guy that sat next to us deserves all of the credit. Not only did he pull a random plastic motorcycle out of his computer bag, but he also let Ethan play with his calculator and the case for his reading glasses.

Our trip was filled with walking around Manhattan, people watching at Time Square and on the subway, enjoying the sites in Central Park, and soaking up the culture of NYC. Oh, we also went to a Yankees game! It was my attempt at making up for all of the shopping in Soho... he already hates shopping.

It's Been a While, but We're Back... New Ethan Update

Has it really been two months since I last posted? Did I not do the fabulous First Birthday Celebration post that I had planned on since Ethan's DOB?? Well, I hope I haven't disappointed you all as much as I've disappointed myself...

So let's see. We had a condo-full of many friends and family for Ethan's first b-day! The theme was "Winter ONEderland." Snowflakes and white lights were hung on the ceiling, and the menu was all comfort food.

We had a hot chocolate bar, grilled cheese bar, eggnog, and other appetizers. And the best part, Central Continental Bakery created a truly unique cake to celebrate the occasion! I came up with the design, and they really took my visualization to reality. Ethan's "smash cake" wasn't as beautiful, but he didn't seem to mind!

He also had his one year check-up. As always, he's a very, very big boy! Here are the stats:

Heights: 31 inches (99th percentile)
Weight: 26 1/2 lbs (90th percentile)

What's new? Ethan is getting really good at signing. He can do: eat, milk, more, please, and book. He said "Mama, Mama" right to me the other day when he was getting his diaper changed. Other words he says are: no, bubba (for the cat at his daycare), uh oh, cheese (sounds more like teese), up (sound like yup), and ni-night (usually he says it to get his pacifier since he gets that at bedtime).

When I say "Ready," he replies "Go!"

That's about it for now. I'll get some additional pics up soon!