Swim lessons.
Ethan loves his swimming lessons. He can hold his breath under water for 4 seconds. He goes down the slide, zooms around in his “motor boat” and is great at “monkey walking” along the edge. But his favorite is the tower. He could hang out there all day.
Fourteen months.
Baby boy, I think you’ve crossed the line this month from baby to toddler. Not that you’re technically toddling yet – not unaided anyway – but your way of interacting with the world is that of a child, no longer a baby. You are curious, a boy in motion, exploring, on the move. You are … Read more
Spray bottle.
Ethan found a spray bottle during his morning explorations. After a few minutes he mastered its mechanics (using two hands), but not before squirting himself in the face a few times. Which he thought was pretty funny.
Stair climber.
Ethan loves to scramble up the stairs by himself. If we leave the gate open and he spots it, he’ll scramble up three or four stairs and then stop and wait for us to notice him so we can chase him all the way up the stairs.
Sharing ice with Dadu and Diggy.
We’ve got three ice chompers in the house. I’m the lone holdout.
Ethan gets a new Mickey Mouse bath toy.
Ethan opens the Mickey Mouse submarine bath toy that he got from Dad’s buddy Dave Lynch when he was itty bitty. Now he’s big enough to enjoy it. And he loves it! Particularly Mickey’s ear, which has many uses. Including ice scoop.
Ethan at Llano River.
We took a little day trip out to Junction, TX. Stopped at Fredricksburg for lunch, then spent the afternoon at a pebbly beach on the river. Loki swam, Ethan collected rocks.
A year and a month.
March has been a month of outings and adventure for you baby boy. The month kicked off with the SXSW festival, and just like last year we toted you along to some of the free outdoor shows. Of course last year you were only a couple weeks old, nestled in your sling; this year you … Read more
One year.
It’s March again, baby boy. Remember March? Spring in Austin: when green buds start dotting trees, the world outside your window sounds like doves, and the city gears up for SXSW to roll into town. This is the world you were born into, one year ago. I sat outside with teeny, tiny brand-new you thinking, … Read more
Eleven months.
Eleven months you’ve been with us, baby boy. Very nearly a whole year. Nearly, but not quite. A year ago this time, you were still not born yet. You were about four and a half pounds; we were getting ready for you to arrive; and we were also getting ready to say goodbye to our … Read more
Ten months.
Month 10 has been your biggest adventure month yet, baby boy. You flew on an airplane, you celebrated your first Christmas, you tasted a whole bunch of new foods, you experienced snow, you visited two new cities, and met all sorts of people from your parents’ former life in Boston. We were a little nervous … Read more
A foodie baby’s first taste of lobster.
While in Maine, you got your first taste of lobster, baby boy, and you loved it. Like the native new england baby you are in your genes. You tasted your dad’s claw meat, but especially loved sucking on the legs. Just like your Grammy J.
A Snow baby’s first sighting of snow.
After gift opening, you went outside with your dad in your new Christmas parka and had your first experience with snow. You even got to meet some ducks that were hanging out on the edge of the frozen pond.
First Christmas
You slept through the opening of gifts, curled up, out like a light, on your mama’s lap. So we had to have a second gift opening later after you woke up. You (or rather your dad) got a bunch of puppets to play with. You (and your dad) particularly love the bear in the stump … Read more
Twas the night before Christmas…
After a long day of traveling, you made it all the way through Christmas Eve dinner. And then you climbed up on the table to make sure you really were at the center of it all.
Oh, teeth.
Oh my sweet baby boy. You’ve got two new teeth coming in at once. They must be your one-year molars. Because you are miserable. Last night you cried for hours without stopping. And there’s nothing we can do to make it better. You don’t want to eat. You don’t want to nurse. I held you … Read more
Sunday morning shower.
This morning you took a shower with me, baby boy. Because you woke up with your face still covered in carrots, left over from last night’s late night dinner out. I held you in my arms and warm water rained down on us. A strange sensation for you, so different from sitting in your tub. … Read more
Mother love.
Long before you were born, baby boy, I used to reflect on what my parenting style might one day be. I had come to know myself, in my adult years, as somewhat aloof. Rational. Very much needing my own space, both physical and emotional. This isn’t who I always was, but it was who I … Read more
The diaper-changing dance.
Diaper changing isn’t as easy as it used to be. You’ve become very wily when it comes to getting your diaper changed. You immediately flip onto your tummy and start crawling around on your changing pad. You grab onto me and pull yourself up to a stand and dance around while I try to get … Read more
Nine months.
What a big milestone nine months is, baby boy. You’ve covered quite a lot of ground in these last few weeks: You are now an accomplished stander. You pull yourself up against anything you can reach, balancing on wobbly feet against tables and chairs and your parents’ legs. It won’t be long till your walking. … Read more
First dreams.
A few weeks ago I came across an essay in which the author reflected on what we sacrifice for our dreams. But what are our dreams, really? When we think of our earliest dreams, we typically remember wanting to be a princess or a firefighter. But these are only the earliest dreams we remember, the … Read more
