More Pillow Diving/Tackling

One of Ethan's most favorite activities is pulling the small cushions and accent pillows off of our furniture and repeatedly diving/burying his face in/tackling them on the floor. Sometimes he'll lay there and pretend that he is asleep only to jump up and laugh and laugh (he's definitely wide awake). Here are some pics of him burying his face in the pillows and pretending that he is asleep.

Flying with Grandma and Practicing with Sippy Cups

Ethan had a great time "flying" with Grandma today. I remember when mom used to "fly" me when I was little, and I absolutely loved it. Ethan was smiling so big and really enjoyed his ride in the air. Grandma was a wonderful help today, playing with and reading to Ethan while I cleaned the house and got some other things done.
We have been trying to show Ethan how to use a sippy cup over the last few weeks. Since he is still teething (I think some of his top teeth will emerge through the gumline very soon), he is typically more interested in chewing on the lid of the sippy cup than drinking from it. He has been getting the hang of tipping it back and drinking water from it the last few days. Here he is trying out the sippy cup:

My Busy Day (Play, Play, Play!)

This morning Ethan and I visited our friends Jackie, Logan, and Lauren for a play date. Ethan just loved watching Logan and Lauren, and they did such a great job demonstrating and sharing new toys with him. Below is a picture of Logan showing Ethan how to use the mallet for the xylophone.

Ethan was in high gear this evening (a very busy boy!):

Chewing on his sippy cup

Pulling his books out from under the pack and play

Reading them right-side-up

and upside-down

Tipping over his toybox and checking out his interactive soft Elmo book
Playing with his fascination stationMaking motorboat noises while walking behind his car
Hanging out with Daddy
Getting tickled by Daddy
And, of course, playing "tackle the pillow"

Phew! What a busy day- Time to rest!

Ever Seen a Mustache Made of Prunes? and Swing, Swing, Swing

Tonight while I was feeding Ethan dinner (part of which consisted of a prune/apple mixture), he squished some of it out of his mouth leaving the appearance of a mustache on his face. It was so funny! Dan ran and got the camera so we could capture our little boy "growing into a man before our eyes" ;)

We took Ethan for a walk in the neighborhood after dinner, and we made a stop at the baby swings at our neighborhood playground. This was just the second time that he had been in the swing, and he loved, loved, loved it! He was clapping and smiling a lot as he swung up and down.

Playing Around, Bathtime Fun, and Baby Mohawk

I took a few pictures of Ethan playing with his toys this evening. He enjoys tipping over the container where we store his toys and then spreading the toys out all over the great room floor. Makes for quite the obstacle course...
Ethan has just his two bottom front teeth at this point, but he's been giving us signs that he will be getting more teeth soon. Lots of drooling and chewing on everything in sight. Ethan's poor prayer buddy is just about to get chomped in the picture below!

Ethan really enjoys bathtime- splashing everywhere (even the digital camera got a bit wet), chewing on his toy turtle and froggy, and more recently trying to stand up in the tub. Tonight Dan and I gave Ethan a new hairdo; below are some pics of his baby mohawk :)

Happy Father's Day!

We celebrated Father's Day this year with my parents in Kokomo. Ethan enjoyed playing with Grandma and Grandpa Gilbert, Uncle Mike, and especially his wonderful, fun, loving Daddy.


Ethan waved for the first time on Father's Day too. Now he enjoys alternating clapping his hands and waving at people :)

A Visit with Friends, and Yay! for Gummi Rails

Today Ethan and I got to visit with our dear friends (Chris, Kim, Luke, and Hannah) who we got to know years ago through our church. They have been in Oklahoma for several years while Chris was in training to be a pilot in the AirForce. They are currently in the process of moving to Georgia for Chris' next assignment and are visiting on their way through. We had a great time catching up with them, and Ethan really enjoyed meeting and playing with Luke and Hannah. We wish you could stay in town longer and look forward to seeing you on your next visit!!


A big THANKS to Andrew and Staci for letting us know about the wonderful product- Gummi Rail. Ethan had been gnawing away at his crib creating lots of teeth marks on the pieces that we need to convert his crib to a toddler bed and then a full bed, and Andrew and Staci recommended using a Gummi Rail to protect the crib rails and Ethan's gums. I wish I would have purchased the Gummi Rail the day they let us know about it. I bought it about 4 days later, and in that time Ethan had easily tripled the damage to the crib! Since we installed the rail (it's basically a flexible thick plastic strip with adhesive), his crib has been saved from future damage, and I'm sure it is much easier on his gums.