Monday, July 28, 2008

Pregnancy Update

Well I am now in my 6 month!! This pregnancy has gone by so fast! I went to my dr. appointment today and everything is looking great! He is quite the kicker, although, he prefers to curl up in a little ball whereas Ethan was all stretched out all the time. He is head down, and hopefully will stay head down....I don't know why some babies decide to be difficult from the very beginning and get in the breech position...but if this baby knows what's good for him he'll stay in the head down position and give me an easy delivery just like his big brother.

I'm measuring right where I should be, and have only gained a whopping 8 pounds!!! I was nervous to step on the scale this week though, because I feel like I've been eating like a deranged pregnant lady for the last couple of weeks! I only gained 17 pounds total with Ethan, and it looks like I'm headed in that same direction with this one. Made losing the weight pretty easy--so hopefully it will be the same this time around because Steve, my brother, is getting married oh about 2 weeks after I'm due to give birth!!!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Outdoor Fun and Ethan's New Best Friend....

Well, it's really really starting to heat up here in Vegas. I'm talking 115 degrees. And by 115 degrees I really mean 130 degrees when you get into a car that has been sitting out in the hot sun. Ethan has learned to say, "Phew! It's hot!" when I put him in his car seat. It's so cute when he says it, but I just feel so bad for him! And because it's so incredibly hot, we can't really do anything during the day, aside from me going to the gym and the grocery store. No more park play dates or walks around the neighborhood....even swimming is almost out of the question just because I have to reapply his sunscreen every 45 minutes or so.

So I try to entertain him in other fun ways. We've taken him and his good friend, Emme, to Chuck E. Cheese (his first time and he LOVED it), the Fun Zone (a place that has lots of blow up castles and slides for him to bounce around on), he saw his first movie, Kung Fu Panda at the movie theatre and sat through the entire movie like a big boy! We even go and look at model homes together!

It cools down at night a bit (about 95-100 degrees) so that's when we try to let Ethan run around outside. One night Skyler had to pull some weeds (to get HOA off our backs!) so Ethan and I went out to join him. Ethan rode his little dump truck up and down the street and then asked to go for a walk, so we walked around the block together. He really enjoyed walking all by himself and looking at flowers and rocks.



I guess he really enjoyed his walk that first night because every night since he has asked to go for another walk. So I took him for another walk the next night and he was picking up rocks and trying to carry 3 or 4 rocks at a time, but he kept dropping them....so I decided that he needed a little wagon! We went to Target the next day and I bought him the cutest little wagon! It was a big hit on his walk that night. When cars would drive by, they would slow down and smile and point at Ethan....what can I say? He's adorable!!!


Picking up rocks....

....And putting them in his wagon

As for his new best friend--Emme's little brother, Lane, was born on May 11 and Ethan absolutely loves that little guy! He is always very concerned for Lane and very protective of him (he's going to be an awesome big brother). He loves to help feed Lane his bottle, cover him with his blanket, and shower him with kisses. Lane and Ethan are going to be very good friends!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

NUDISTS!


Yesterday, it rained for a bit here in Las Vegas. The only nice thing about Las Vegas is that when it does rain it usually stays pretty nice outside--it was still probably 90-95 degrees. Anyway, Ethan and I were hanging out with our friends Emme and her mom Melanie. They asked if they could go outside to play in the rain and we figured there was no harm in that. Well, as it turns out, they really wanted to "shower" in the rain--so both of them stripped down to their birthday suits and rain around and danced in the rain. I practically had to pry Ethan through the sliding doors to get him back in the house. I swear, if that kid had it his way, he would NEVER wear clothes. Taking off his clothes and diaper is one of his many talents. I guess I can't blame him though!

Oh, and check out Ethan's cute tan lines! I am in love with that little boy!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Guess who's almost 18 months.....

Ethan!!! And with this glorious half birthday comes.....NURSERY!! Although, I do feel it is somewhat bittersweet. Some parents can't wait for the day to drop their children off at nursery, and to be honest--I don't really feel that way at all. Maybe it's because Ethan is such a good, easy baby that we've never really had a problem taking him to classes with us.

The primary president told us that it would be a good idea to start taking Ethan to nursery a few weeks early and sit through it with him just to get him used to the idea of going to nursery by himself. So today I took Ethan to nursery while Skyler taught his primary class. He played with play dough, read books, did awesome during singing time, played nicely with the other children, flirted with this adorable little girl named Ella, ate his snacks quietly--just all around had a good time. And I don't think he even really noticed that I was there or not. Unlike these 2 little girls who cried and cried and cried for their parents (those poor, poor nursery leaders!).

So at the end of the month Ethan gets to start going all by himself. And it will most likely be me crying on the other side of the door wanting to hold my baby. *SIGH* And really, I suppose I will be right back where I started 18 months ago in just a few short months when I have another baby to pack along with me everywhere I go.

If this is how I'm feeling about just taking him to nursery--I don't want to know how I will handle (*GASP*) kindergarten, elementary school graduation, his first day in high school, graduation, first day of college, sending him off on his mission, getting married.....! I know I'm getting ahead of myself quite a bit--but I can't help but think about it!

Look how big he is!!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Random Fun

Ethan is officially a big boy now. He sleeps in a big boy bed and we are still "trying" to potty train him. He loves his new room--actually it's the freedom of no bars that he is loving. The first few nights were a nightmare trying to get him to stay in bed! We would tuck him in and leave the room and Ethan would follow 2 seconds later. I think the first night we had to stand outside his bedroom and put him back in bed about 7 or 8 times. We don't say anything to him, just pick him up and throw him back in bed. He's gotten rather smart about it though, because each time he tried to get out of bed he would wait a little bit longer...probably assuming that he had tricked us into thinking that he was actually going to stay in bed. And one night when Skyler was out of town, I put him to bed and took my usual post outside of his bedroom...sure enough I saw the doorknob begin to turn and as soon as Ethan opened it and saw me standing there, he shrieked and slammed the door in my face and began his mad dash back to bed. He thinks he is so clever. So I decided on the next round to hide around the corner to see what he would do. I saw him open the door (he couldn't see me, although he looked like he knew this may be a trap) and he was very hesitant to step outside of his room...but he poked his head out first to make sure the coast was clear and started running as fast as he could down the hall into my bedroom. He was pretty shocked when I ran up behind him! He is sooo funny!!



As far as potty training goes, he has gone on his big boy potty a few times now. He still just doesn't understand the "feeling" of needing to go yet. Although, Skyler has taught him that if he goes on the potty he gets a cookie. Sky has been out of town this last week so it's just been me and Ethan. The other night I changed Ethan's diaper, put his pajamas on, and brushed his teeth. I brought him downstairs to read a book before bed and Ethan walked straight into the bathroom where his potty is. He sat down (fully clothed) and looked as though he was really concentrating. A few seconds later he stood up and said, "I get cookie!!" Well, as it turned out he had peed in his diaper!! If he could just figure out that he's supposed to take his clothes off.....

A few weeks ago we went up to St. George to visit Skyler's grandparents...Ethan had his first experience on a tractor and had a blast!



Ethan loves to read books. He can always be found with a book in his hand. He sits through a whole sacrament meeting with no disturbance because he is so busy looking at all his books. We are so lucky that he behaves so well at church--because there are always a handful of kids running around during the meeting. Not our little guy!!!



Ethan is really starting to talk a lot--which has been wonderful! Life gets SOOO much easier when your child can actually tell you what he wants or doesn't want. He tells me when he's hungry and what he wants to eat....cheese, cracker, cookie, hot dog, milk, and water are among his new vocabulary. He also understands very clearly, what yes and no means. If I say, "Ethan do you want some cheese?" He will either say yes or no. I seriously can't believe how much nicer this 2 way communication is! What else does Ethan say?

"I need help." That's a huge frustration reliever for all of us.

"Brush teeeeeth" He really emphasizes teeth! And he LOVES to brush them. Morning and night, he always reminds me to brush his teeth.

"Read a book." I hear this about a million times a day.

"Talk to daddy." He says this when he wants me to call Skyler so he can "talk" to him (when really I think he just likes to hear Skyler's voice).

"Elmo, Elmo, Elmo!" He either wants to hold his Elmo, watch his Elmo DVD, or read his Elmo book.

"Want Emme's house." He loves to play at his friend, Emme's house. We go there almost every day.

"Blah, Blah, Blah!" He overheard me say this to my mom over the phone one day, and now he says it constantly! We have to be very careful what we say in front of him!

The other day before Skyler left for work, he bent over to give me a kiss (I was sitting on the couch and Ethan was standing at my feet) and said goodbye to Ethan without giving him a kiss. This didn't sit well with Ethan because as Skyler began to walk to the door Ethan yelled, "I want a kiss too!!!" It was sooo cute! And Skyler and I sort of had a moment where we just looked at each other like "did he just say that?!" We are both so very grateful for Ethan's sweet little spirit!

Those are just a few of the sweet conversations I have with my son on a daily basis. I love him oh so much!! He also talks a lot about his new baby on the way. I really believe he knows far more about this baby than anybody else and he is soo excited!

Oh, and another milestone--Ethan can swim all by himself! Well, with the help of his water wings. He slips one on each arm and just dives right into the pool. I don't even have to get in with him, although, I'm never far away. He and Emme will swim around like little puppy dogs until they literally can't swim anymore. I will have to upload a video of this new feat! I'm one proud mama!

Rock Band Superstars!!!

Well, our little obsession began with guitar hero--and while that was a lot of fun, we (us and another couple) had to use XBOX controllers because we didn't have 4 guitars...and the controllers just didn't do our talent justice. So after about an 8 hour streak of guitar hero one night, Kevin and Kenna decided to go and buy Rock Band, a game that allowed one person to go to town on the drums, another person strum like a maniac on a guitar, and yet another was the lead singer of the band (everybody's dream, right?). You could also buy an additional base guitar as well, but we didn't cross that bridge until a few nights later.

So let me just say that I have been completely exhausted from completing a "world tour" with my band mates. We have played in all the major cities in the U.S. and actually received enough fans AND a private jet to allow us to continue to amaze the world in Paris, Japan, Switzerland, etc. with our amazing talent. Who knew? I suppose obsession is probably an understatement when it comes to how much we love this game. Kevin and Kenna will come over around 6 for pizza or wings, and we will rock out till about 2,3, or 4 in the morning. Yes, I said 4 in the morning. We take our work and our fans very seriously.




Even Ethan is a ROCKSTAR!!!!