A little catching up to do

So it's been about 9 months since I last blogged... No big deal!

Ethan is growing like a weed and has become quick the motor mouth. He's still a total ham and a charmer... Some things never change.

Obsessed with firefighters, Ethan tells never-ending stories about his adventures as a firefighter and shows me the resulting cuts and bruises. A hero takes a lot of physical abuse!

Ethan's real injuries seem to stem from being a crazy little kid. Riding his bike, jumping off couches, and spending all day on the trampoline with Edmund at Franny's (daycare), all just a typical day in the life of Ethan.

I couldn't ask for a better little boy. He's smart, athletic, and best of all, so loving and kind. And... So stinking cute.

Here are the stats:
Height: 41"
Weight: 37lbs
Etc: can identify all of his letters and 1-9 of his numbers. Can write many of his letters and some numbers.

New York City 2011

Last year, Ethan and Mommy took an amazing trip to NYC, so... why not try it again?! We aren't going through a major whirlwind of life changes like we were last year and our time would only be limited to five days, but hey, we know how to make the best of life.

Day 1:
We got in early, left our bags at the hotel and headed straight to my favorite place - Central Park! The lush surroundings, the Pond, the street performers, and THE CAROUSEL, what's not to love!!!



















When we took a break to have lunch, we noticed groups of business people on the street. I overheard one man say they were evacuated because of an earthquake. Huh, an EARTHQUAKE... we didn't feel a thing!

Later we went off to Time Square and then to the gorgeous, Chelsea Pier for sites and Chelsea Market for a bite to eat.

Day 2:
We headed to grab a bagel and then went to hang out by Rockefeller Center to eat our breakfast. Next we decided to take the train to Battery Park where we took the NYC Water Taxi to see the one and only, Statue of Liberty.


From there we got off at South Street Seaport and headed to the G.E. solar powered carousel "Carousolar." That was probably one of the coolest things I've experienced... a carousel, powered solely by the sun!

Later that evening, we went back to Central Park to play and then to Toys R Us Time Square to ride the ferris wheel. If you've never been to NYC, this is a great place to take kids... the store is so big that the ferris wheel is right inside.

Day 3:
Mommy had to squeeze in a business lunch, so our amazing friend, Jen, took Ethan for a couple hours. Later that day, we headed to Serendipity for ice cream, well, Frozen Hot Chocolate to be exact. For any of you romantics out there, yes, from the movie:)

Loosen those buttons... Before ice cream, we checked out Dylan's Candy Bar, where the stairs are really made of candy. Just amazing. For dinner, we headed to S'Mac to indulge in gourmet mac'n'cheese...mmm.

Day 4:
The Hamptons!!! Or maybe not. Since Hurricane Irene (yes, two natural disasters in a four day trip) was on her way, we had to cancel our plans to visit my friends beach house. We spent most of the morning changing plans in attempt to get back home early. That stunk, but we still had time for a little fun.

We made our way to Union Square where we played at the playground, grabbed some food, and watched a bunch of people dance to old school music to raise money for children. After that, we walked to SoHo for a bit of last minute shopping.

Max Brenner's chocolate restaurant was up the street by Union Station, so we walked there for dinner. Ethan was sound asleep when we got there. And after my server decided not to put my order in until his replacement came 15 minutes later, I figured it was better to say goodbye to the idea of another gluttonous meal. So back to the hotel we went.

Our final moments in NYC were a bit crazy. When we got to the airport, they told us that my reservation had not be changed and we could "try" to fly standby. If we didn't get on this plane, we probably wouldn't have another change to fly out until after the hurricane had made it's mark.

At 8:45pm (the flight was set for 9pm and we were at the airport at 6pm), they finally told us that we would be able to make the flight. Then the crew told us that there would be a 20 minute delay for a maintenance check.

Finally we were on the plane to go home! We sat by three lovely girls who entertained us the entire way home. Though the Flight Attendants and a few grumps next to us didn't enjoy our happy disposition, we didn't let that stop us from giggling and taking photos for the next two hours. hehe;)



Love,

E & T

p.s. Spirit Airline SUCKS!!!

Two Year Check-up

Yeah, I know... it's been very long since I've posted. I'm sorry.

December marked the official 2nd birthday and the required (yes, required) festivities. However, since I've yet to put up the 1st year party pics, you're only getting the stats from the doctors visit on this post.

Height: 36"
Weight: 32lbs
Head Circumference: I can't remember... oops

He's in the 75th% for height. The 75th-90th% for weight. And the 90th% for body mass, which his doctor said generally indicates a child at borderline obesity. Anyone who knows Ethan, know that he's is just muscular, there isn't much fat to that little man.

So there you have it. He's not quite the monster he was before. But he's definitely still a little monster.

Oh! Before I forget... some new stuff. Ethan is quite the talker. He's gone from finally saying phrases to using some sentences and imitating almost every word that comes out of my mouth (careful Tonia!).

Counting from one to eleven is something he can do, though he prefers this counting method: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 8, 9, 10. What can I say, he's gifted;)

He also knows his main colors and is working on the Spanish equivalent. You may be interested to know that I'm fluent in my Spanish colors now. Haha. Ethan also knows every, yes EVERY, body part. And thanks to my sis, Rikki, he's still killing sign language.

Sports and dancing are his absolute favorites. He knows just about every sport that comes on TV and can imitate them very well. But when there is music playing, it doesn't matter what else is going on, it is time for a dance party.

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!

Ethan Update!

Sad to say, it has been some time since I have last blogged. I definitely could blog everyday about something new and wonderful that Ethan is doing, but I just get so busy and wrapped up with the day-to-day.

Here are the updates on E:

Weight: almost 26 lbs (I just looked in my baby book, and I did not weight that until age three!)

Words: "no, no" he even scrunches up his nose when he says it... hilarious! (there have been others "words" but I think this is the most clear, and he actually knows what it means!)

Eats: new foods are white potato, butternut squash, mac-n-cheese (sad, but it was the healthiest option at a restaurant we went to), and strawberries. His normal day of food includes 3-4 bottles, two veggies, two fruits, yogurt/ cheese, cereal (a homemade combo of oatmeal/rice and lentils), and some snacks.

Size: Ethan is wearing 18-24 months clothes!

Teeth: Finally! Five teeth!

Funny Stuff: I was cleaning the other day and set (2) three pound hand weights on the floor. He reaches down, grabs one with each hand, and then continues to lift them both off the floor. That's more than 23% of his body weight that he lifted! Oh, my little BamBam!

Not So Funny: He is so busy, that it is impossible to get him to take more than a five minute bath. After about two minutes, he is standing up and trying to climb out. (yeah, yeah, I'm sure this is funny to everyone but me!)

And of course...

Pics: