Pointer

I love that Ethan has started pointing. He is constantly pointing. His favorite things to point at are the garage door button, light switches, and the front door lock, because he likes to push/turn them, as well as the ceiling fans and lights.

Funny story: today at kickboxing a little boy wore a Darth Vader mask and was standing statue like near the babies and their toys-kinda scary. Sam noticed first and started crying. He came over by me, and then my friend's daughter noticed and had to leave the area. I kept watching Ethan. A few minutes later Darth Vader was on his hands and knees facing Ethan who was sitting about 3 feet away, staring him in the face. It made me laugh to see him being so fearless-he is going to give me a run for my money when he gets big!
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It's official...

Exam Information:

Phoenix - Civil Principles & Practice of Engineering
October 23, 2009
Exam Location: Phoenix
First Time: Yes

(excerpt from Mike's PE registration)

There is no backing out now!
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Patriotic

This morning we had a ward patriotic breakfast/talent show. Our activities committee is awesome and the activities are a lot of fun. We got there late, of course, and walked into a whole cultural hall full of red, white and blue! The decorations, food, and everyone's patriotic outfits were awesome! I was really impressed by everyone's performances--the kids were so cute and brave to do solos and small ensembles.

We got to relax and enjoy the show while our friend Mary played with Ethan (thanks!). He was really tired, but she kept him happy. When his eyes were nice and red and droopy I took him, and he fell right to sleep.





At the last minute someone's child got sick and I filled in on a performance with some members of the Relief Society. I'm sure you can't tell from the video, because most of the audience couldn't tell, but when we stand up at the end, we somehow split the stage so that there was a one foot gap running the length of the stage. Fortunately, only one person fell all the way in, no one got hurt, and it added a little humor to the experience. :)

After three days of trying to get this loaded, I finally had to split it in two, which makes the sound funny-lame. :(






Reminds me of Girls' Camp silliness. :)

Wicked!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Wicked? On Tuesday I got to go with my mom, Gary, Grammy, and Art. We left right after Ethan's swim lessons and were kind of rushed, so I didn't get many pictures. :(

Before the musical we went to Chili's for a very yummy dinner, and very very yummy dessert!


I told Mike I didn't want to leave without a picture of us with a Wicked poster, but of course I forgot! So on our way to the car we took a (not very good) picture of ourselves with the play bill.


Thanks to Mom and Gary for the tickets, Grammy and Art for dinner, and Becky, Tony, Karen, and Sam for taking good care of Ethan while we were gone!

Books!

Grandma Abegg sent Ethan this cool new book today (among other things, including a book Mike is currently reading)! It lights up, plays songs, and has a hole in each page which makes it very easy for him to turn the pages ( he has been doing this repeatedly for at least 10 minutes now). Lately Ethan really likes to sit with a book, flip the pages around, and "talk.". It's pretty darn cute! When I start the music on this one he will stop and clap every once in awhile. Thanks for the fun package Grandma!
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Create

After Elder Uchtdorf's message on creating, our Relief Society initiated a group that gets together to create. Last night I went and made this cool bag. Over 20 women were there, which made it a fun social event as well. I took longer than I should have finishing the project, but Beth was very generous in hosting and letting us stay as long as we needed-thanks! A big thanks to Cindy for teaching us how to make these, Grammy for the sewing machine (a while ago), and everyone who came for the good company!

Lots of Personality

Here are a few glimpses of the fun Ethan brings to our home everyday. I love that he likes to play by himself and with/near other kids. He doesn't suffer from separation anxiety. He is getting very creative in his crawling and climbing. He loves to chase balls around the house and has recently really taken a liking to trucks! He has also discovered his ability to make a high-pitched screaming noise when he is happily playing. I don't really mind because I know it is a happy, fun noise for him. Others might not find it so endearing. I think his early exposure to the computer while I worked has made him a big fan of keyboards. Anytime I am on the computer he stands up, grabs the keyboard tray, and reaches for the keys (if he isn't standing on the printer tray pushing buttons on the printer). Mike brought home this extra keyboard from work so Ethan can work right along with us.

One of Ethan's favorite games right now is to reach up and put a toy on a "high" surface, stand up, knock the toy back down, sit down, repeat, repeat, repeat...
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New Favorite

I left the broom out last night, and it has been Ethan's favorite toy today. As you can see in the picture, he holds onto the handle and pushes it around the house. At the moment he is trying really hard to hold onto it with one hand while pulling himself up to stand with the other.
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Car Seat Comparison

Notice how now his head, even when falling to the side, goes all the way to the top of the patterned material. His feet can touch the back of the seat too! I guess putting away a whole bunch of clothes that Ethan has outgrown made me a little nostalgic today.

9 Months +

Ethan is 9 months! Where has my little baby gone? He is learning so much every day! He turns pages in books and knows which ones have touchy-feely pages and which ones play music. He loves putting things on shelves, in boxes, in planters, etc. Last night we showed him the "how big is Ethan? So big!" game and he figured it out after only a few times of us doing it.

Last Thursday was his doctor's appointment. Here is Ethan waiting for the doctor. He is watching the train that drives around the track up by the ceiling.

The tongue depressor is fun when the doctor doesn't have it. Actually, Ethan's doctor can get Ethan to open his mouth by playing with him, so he doesn't use a tongue depressor. Unfortunately, a physician's assistant did a lot of Ethan's appointment, and she did use the tongue depressor. :(
I am going to list his 6 month and 9 month stats because they didn't give me his stats after his 6 month appointment.

6 months: 9 months:
Height 25 1/4 in -- 10 % 28 in -- 50%
Weight 16 lbs 6oz -- 25% 19 lbs 10.5 oz -- 25-50%
Head Circ. 45.5 cm -- 90% 47 cm -- 90%

Notice the big boy Snoopy band-aid from where they tested his iron levels. Brings back memories of those heel-pricking jaundice days.
On Friday we went to a ward play date at a nearby aquatic center. Ethan LOVED playing in the playground that squirted water all over. You can see the playground behind Ethan here. The grass is much less exciting than the water.
After an hour or so at the aquatic center.
Today I had been hearing Ethan "talking" for awhile in his room, so I went in to get him. When I walked in, I found him like this, and said "Hi Ethan!" He gave me a big smile and waved! He is starting to figure out that waving isn't just really fun, it means something.

Sleeping Sweetly

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Focus

One thing I love about Ethan is his focus. As I have been getting everything ready for us to go swimming this afternoon, he has been sitting, by himself, playing with just this toy. Everytime I check on him, there he is. Similarly, when he plays his little piano, he doesn't always just bang away. Often times he will softly play one key at a time. My ears are grateful! I sure love this little guy!
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5 O'clock Shadow

Blueberries-yum!
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9 months

Ethan turned nine months old yesterday! He is getting so big! We celebrated by getting expensive eye drops to treat his pink eye-sad! When Ethan was little we thought it was really annoying to dress him in regular shirts because they would never stay down. Now he is starting to get too big for onesies and isn't being held all the time, so he gets to wear big boy shirts! Ethan is very talkative, likes walking along furniture, understands rules like putting a basketball in a hoop, stacking bowls, etc. He still doesn't have any teeth, so we get to enjoy his gummy little smile a while longer! I will have stats tomorrow after his appointment with Dr. Nagorka.
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Phoenix Zoo

Last week I was actually able to get a Culture (free) Pass to the Phoenix Zoo (probably because of the heat)! My goal was to get to the zoo right when it opened at 7am so that it would be cooler--we got there at 7:20, so not too bad. I had to wake Ethan up to get there that early, but traffic wasn't bad, it was still under 100 degrees when we got there, and the biggest advantage to going early, Mike was able to come with us and then go into work a little late!

We saw a bear pretty close up.
Plenty of peacocks, a few with little babies following (right in front of the mom here).
Ethan's favorite part was the splash pad of course. I didn't know the zoo had splash pads, but it was a great way to cool off, even at 8am!
My favorite part was the monkey house. These squirrel monkeys were climbing all over and there were no barriers between us and them--they're so cute! I am not sure why this picture flipped...
And of course we had to stop by the giraffes and elephants.

After two hours, Ethan had reached his excitement limit.
So, our family pictures were with the stroller.
Mike was very warm in his work clothes. He didn't get to go in the water with us, and I don't think he was wearing sunscreen like we were.
What a fun, free, weekday morning!

Excessive Heat

In Arizona excessive heat is defined as highs over 110 and lows above 80. We are expecting excessive heat over the next few days-115degrees! The state's healthcare providers have been asked to help reach out to those who may not have water and shelter as these temperatures can be deadly. I jogged to an aerobics class tonight at 8pm and it was 107 degrees (don't worry, it was only 15 min)!

It is crazy heat, but at least it didn't come until July this year, I have air conditioning in my home and car, I got to be cold at night during my KC vacation, I still prefer it over months of snow and ice, and I still love living here!
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Dear Grandpa Joe,

My mom got me a basketball hoop today, and it is so much fun! It only took me a few minutes to figure out how to get a basket all by myself! Mom says you're really good at basketball-maybe you can teach me how to play on a big boy hoop someday!



Love,

Ethan

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Cheese

He knows to smile on 3-so funny. I was trying to take a picture of him attempting to climb into the tub, but I missed it! This is just too cute not to post though.
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Oh yeah,

And while we were in KC, Ethan finally got a cabinet all the way open! On Thursday he realized the concept, but it has taken him awhile to figure out how to open the cabinet door and then not accidentally close it again while he tries to get stuff out.

He also learned to climb stairs! I don't know when babies usually learn to do this, but we don't have stairs, so Ethan never sees them. When we got to Joe and Lauren's I showed Ethan how to bring one knee up at a time, stand up, move his hands up, repeat. The next time he crawled over to the stairs, I put my hands behind him and he climbed up 5 stairs by himself (before getting frustrated)! It probably helps that this is so similar to how he is learning to crawl out of the pool at swim lessons.

Kansas City

As you know, we just spent the weekend in Kansas City (I'm from the MO side there). We arrived Friday afternoon and hung out with my brother, Joe, and sister-in-law, Lauren. They were nice enough to host us the whole time we were there. Lisa and her family got in late that night. If you follow Lisa's blog, you'll have already seen a few of these photos.

Saturday
On Saturday morning Joe, Lisa, and I biked over to his office downtown so that he could show us how to help with his new law firm from home. Then we went to a train restaurant for lunch.

I was trying to get a picture of the two of us...
You are looking at the train track that went around the restaurant. That train on the left just delivered the food you see in the middle. Way cool!

Twin cousins.
After lunch we drove out to my Aunt Julie's to celebrate the 4th. We played a lot of ping pong, including round robin--fun fun. There was lots of good food, of course, and great company. Ethan crawled all over the driveway and garage. Then I gave him a little plastic end table and he started walking all over. I wish I had gotten a picture of it! And of course Ethan enjoyed playing with the dogs.
We celebrated JJ's birthday with this awesome cake Joe and Lauren got at an amazing bakery in KC.
In MO, pretty much any fireworks are legal, so we got to do bottle rockets, mortars, etc. This gathering included Grammy and Art (my mom's mom and step-dad), Aunt Julie and Uncle John, their two kids Daniel and Cayleigh, my mom and Gary, and both of my siblings with their families.
Ethan liked the sparklers of course. He was a little antsy during the big fireworks, but I don't blame him; they had woken him up from his nap way too early.

Sunday
Sunday morning we drove down to Harrisonville and attended church in my old ward. It was really fun to see so many people who were such a big part of my teenage years. I had an amazing ward and amazing youth leaders! (no pictures, sad)

After church we drove to my Grandma Gillespie's house (Gary's mom). Here is Grandma with her 3 great-grandchildren.
The boys getting adventurous with left over bottle rockets and M-somethings. I don't remember the number. (Joe, Mike, Dan)
Twin cousins--I don't think they look a whole lot alike usually, but other people do; plus, they are only two and a half weeks apart and their moms are twins.
Excuse Ethan's messiness. He was crawling all over the yard, including on the gravel driveway. He is always trying to eat dirt, leaves, and rocks. That + being fed without a bib = one messy baby!
All of us kids, with our kids and Grandma Gillespie.
Lisa suggested we do something besides stand in a line for the picture--even though we teased you, good idea Lisa!
I love it when the 6 of us kids get together--it is always a fun time!
Nana with the kiddos.
That night we got out the Wii. We played tennis (Mike was awesome), bowling, and several highly entertaining bunny games.

In this one you have to spin a cow over your head and see how far you can throw it.
In this one you had to shake your hands back and forth to tip toe towards a big guard bunny. When he turned around you had to hold up a shield thing so he couldn't see you. The sound effects cracked me up.
Monday
On Monday Joe and Lauren took us out kayaking. Lauren has a boat shop in Kansas City, so we got to try out some of her kayaks. Usually I'm not a big fan of kayaking because I have no upper body strength, but these ones have the option of using foot paddles. It was so much easier to move around using my legs and a rudder! It was a really fun day of kayaking, playing in the water, and relaxing in the shade. On Tuesday, however, I found a tick on Ethan's ear, and I'm guessing this is where he got it! Gross!!! I've never even had a tick before! My mom was able to pull it out easily and it was still alive, so I don't think it was there for very long. YUCK! That is one thing I don't miss about MO!

James and Joe
Back at Joe and Lauren's house James played with this really cool bubble rocket. When you step (or jump) on the pump, it shoots the rocket up in the air. Bubbles follow behind like smoke from a real rocket. I love toys that don't require batteries!

Tuesday
Tuesday morning the guys helped Joe with the screened-in porch he has been rebuilding.

(Mike, Gary, Joe, Dan-not pictured)
And then we went swimming at Joe and Lauren's local pool.

Ethan was standing up in his car seat as we were loading up to go to the pool. By the time I got this, he was squatting--still cute.
Daddy and Ethan in the baby pool.
Ethan's favorite part was the fountains. He kept crawling over to them and standing up holding on to them.
And then daddy showed him the sandbox right next to the pool.




Can you tell he enjoyed it? And almost got to eat some?
Then, sadly, we had to come home. Ethan was great on the plane. "The best baby I've ever flown with," the guy behind us said. Ethan loves being read to, especially from Hello Bee, Hello Me and Baby's Peekaboo Book. I love it when he leans back on me like this, just listening as I read. Such a sweet little guy!
Thanks Joe and Lauren for hosting a really fun weekend!