Tough times

Raising a family is definitely one of the hardest things I've ever done! As a little girl I always imagined it would be easy (like eating ice cream!). Not so I'm finding out. Ethan is at that akward stage of tantrum throwing. Even when he asks for something and I give it to him he still off and throws a temper. It's crazy and I'm finding I need a lot more patience with him. Eli is just cute. He is very crabby lately since he is cutting teeth, but all he has to do is smile at me and I melt away.

Where's your....

These words are very popular in our home these days. We are trying to teach Ethan his body parts, his brother, and his favorite toys. So far he has mastered finding his ear and foot, finding brother Eli, Curious George, ball, balloon, shoe and kitty. He also finds things he's not supposed to find as well. These discoveries either lead to mom and dad laughing, scolding, or comforting or the worst... cleaning up unexpected messes at inopprotune times. For example, the day Ethan discovered that pepsi cans stack great and look just like his stacking cups. Yes... Ethan proceeded with this discovery by knocking down the cans as he does his cups with a ton of force. In less then 2 seconds, he went from laughter to crying as the tower can down and pepsi went everywhere!! What a mess we had (right before work one morning!!). We have since put the pepsi cans out of his reach. Regardless of the curiousity that flows through our house right now, the boys are doing great and we continue to be blessed by a house filled with laughter, crying, tantrums and love. Love that we see everyday when Ethan smiles at us and gives hugs to us and Eli (way cute).

Back to work

Back to work is an understatement. These last six weeks have been a lot of work. I'm thinking that returning back to my job at the university will be a walk in the park!! :)Needless to say, the time here at home with the boys (I had both at times) was a fun challenge. I enjoyed seeing how much Ethan has grown and it is always a joy to cuddle and love a new baby. But I must return to the career world in order to provide for the growing family. We are proud to say Eli is now a child of God as well, as we had his baptism a week ago. Raising our boys will no doubt be an interesting endeavor. Can't wait to see what the future holds!

Eli Andrew Novotny

We would like to announce the birth of our son, Eli Andrew Novotny, born January 21 at 4:57 PM, weighs 6lbs 12oz., and 19 inches long. Melissa and Eli are doing well. Enjoy the few photos - http://picasaweb.google.com/mnovotny/EliAndrew

Creative fun

Ethan has continued to amaze us as he develops. His ability to create games out of nothing and mimic our actions is truly remarkable. With these fun activities however, comes the not so fun stuff. Ethan has developed quite a temper when he doesn't get his way. All Michael and I can do is ignore his display of frustration and anger and hope he learns that such outbursts will get him nowhere. He sure has one big personality!! In addition, we are still trying to get him to talk more, but he is not showing much interest. We are trying to sign and talk to him instead, but it is hard for us to remember all the signs and it takes a lot of patience!! Each day bring more amazment and challenges for sure. Walking is improving for Ethan, but he thinks he can run and often finds himself face-planted on the floor. He doesn't like when that happens, but he is still plugging away.

Turning One

Ethan had a simple birthday. He opened a few gifts, ate cake and then the next day took his first steps. What a week for his birthday! We were more excited than he was!! Sweet, simple, messy, and priceless. Ethan was covered in cake, but he sure loved the frosting. Enjoy the pics! We simply can't believe a year has come and gone. Ethan has grown and changed so much.

Busy Boy

Ethan is growing up more each day. He is really starting to look like a young boy instead of our baby. It is great fun to watch him make toys out of nothing, crawl all over the place and babble, squeal, and raise a ruckus. Never a dull moment for us! Ethan now has five teeth - 4 on the top and one on the bottom. He looks kind of silly, but oh well. He favorite thing to eat is cheese. I think he could live on the stuff. Other than that, he is just doing normal baby stuff right now. I cut his bangs a few weeks ago - what an experience. Hopefully we will have pictures up of that soon. Life is busy for us and to think it is only going to get busier!!