Rolling Rolling Rolling...

Ethan finally rolled over from his back to his belly on July 31st. He now can't stop rolling all over the place. Right now it is his mode of transportation and he is already getting himself into mischief. It will be loads of fun when he puts all his coordination together and starts crawling. We are enjoying watching our son grow up (but it is all going much too quickly). I just want to bottle him up where he is right now and save all these precious moments.
Ethan is also beginning to use sign language. He first word/sign was milk on Sunday, August 9th. I am so excited that he is learning from Michael and I. Can't wait until he learns another word.

Food Rocks!

Ethan is finally starting to love food. It took a while for him to figure out what to do with it, but now he can't seem to get enough. Even though he has proven to be a messy eater (no matter what I try) he continues to chow down on the good stuff. Sometimes instead of eating the food he prefers to pull it out of his mouth in an effort to investigate what I put in his mouth. He then paints a self portrait on himself or the highchair. I'm glad I have patience, because if I didn't I wouldn't find any humor in his mess!

We are happy to say Ethan pulled through his surgery well earlier this month. He is healing wonderfully. Ethan is back to enjoying all that life has to offer him right now.

Parade and Fireworks

Ethan enjoyed his first 4th of July celebration, well mostly. The parade went well until the modern day fire trucks came roaring down the street with sirens blarring. He made it through the guns and old fashion trucks, but not the modern ones. After that he did great until he got tired and had to go take a nap in his stroller. He seemed to like watching all the activity streaming by on the street. That evening we went to see fireworks too. He only cried during the first few but then he got comfortable on my chest and watched the remainder of the 15 minute show. He cried a little at the end too when things got excessively loud again. We have a few pictures from this weekend in our July photos. We also upload a ton more to June. Enjoy our little Ethan!

Growing Tall

Ethan’s checkup went well last week. He got his 3 shots and even though he cried hard, it was pretty easy to calm him afterwards. He grew 2 inches since his 4 month appointment!! We were excited about that because it puts him back on the growth curve. His weight was 16 pounds 2 ounces (also perfect) and we have been cleared to start real food (though I have been trying the rice cereal for sometime). We are to feed him with a spoon twice a day now. This will be exhausting until he figures out what a spoon is and how to use it. He still hasn’t figured it out since we started cereal on Memorial Day evening. But I suppose in time we will all get used to it.

Road Trip

Ethan had his first long road trip this weekend. We spent Friday afternoon through Monday morning with my mom's brother and family in Indianapolis, IN. Ethan had a blast!! He played so hard with the family that he slept hard every night and took amazing naps. We all had a lot of fun! Road trip #1 was a success. Let's hope future ones turn out this well.

Laughter

Laughter is such an amazing drug. Little Ethan sure knows how to laugh it up during the day. I am so addicted to his full belly laugh and amazing smile. If I am having a bad day, I know I just need to tickle Ethan to get that laughter fix. Besides making my day with his smiles and giggles, Ethan has been a busy boy. I can't get over just how fast he has grown and changed. He rolled over from his back to his belly the week of Easter. He hasn't quite figured out how to go from his belly to his back, but in time he will figure that out too. But what he really wants to do is sit up on his own. He tries to lunge himself out of the car seat in an effort to sit up more. It is quite comical. He also is starting to sit up unsupported (though he still seems to be a bit head heavy - he often falls backwards or forwards - but he's getting there).

When it comes to feedings now, he has figured out what the bottle is. He reaches for it with gusto and grabs and pulls until he has it in his mouth. I can't believe he is already holding his bottle on his own!! Daycare is impressed too. His most recent passion is for one of his toy balls. He palms the ball and one hands it around his head. I think he is going to be a football player because he takes the ball in his one hand and can lob it pretty far. A picture of the referenced ball is below. Yes, he pulls the ball off the velcro strap and away it goes.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mnovotny/April2009#5321288267615333314 (the ball is in images 144 and following)
http://picasaweb.google.com/mnovotny/April2009#5321289705111183682 (video)
This video doesn't show the sport side of things - but close enough - we are working on getting a video that shows the pull, palm and launch - STAY TUNED!!)

We are sure having fun with our little guy. I'm so glad the weather is starting to get nice. Many walks are ahead for Ethan!! YEAH!! There are more April pictures and videos. Enjoy!!

Challenges

Michael and I are finding out that there is never a lack of challenges as a parent. Just when everything is going smooth and things are figured out, Ethan will throw a new loop in front of us. Nevertheless, there is definitely no time to hesitate, we've learned to just pick up where things left off and continue on.

We had our first true sickness. Poor Ethan had a 102.6 temp last week. The weird thing is he wasn't crying or fussing. I didn't even know he had a fever. I only checked his tempature because I had been sick. Now I know what a significant temperature in a baby feels like. Learned a big lesson there. Ethan is doing great. Just had a cold get out of hand and it turned into a sinus infection. He's already back to his normal happy and peppy self.

The best thing about this past month is the giggles. The full belly laugh is soooooo amazing. I also enjoy being greeted by a smile when we pick him up from daycare. I now know he truly regconizes us and enjoys our company.

I also can't get over how his interest in toys has changed. A few weeks ago, toys were non-existent to him. Now he can't seem to get enough toys. It's just amazing. Absolutely amazing. In addition to the toys, Ethan has finally found his feet too. He will grunt in an effort to pull his feet up to him in order to grab the toes. There are several pictures in the April album of Ethan and his feet fetish. Pretty cute. We are definitely enjoying watching Ethan grow and develop.