Jeff and Jenn get engaged

Jeff proposed and we annouced to the family at thanksgiving. Our friend Sam took an engagement pic of us even though we aren't making any formal announce. I have never been so happy and know that we will have a wonderful family and future. We are planning a nice garden wedding in the back yard of our house when Christopher comes back for the summer. July in NC and outdoors.....what are we thinking?

Food glorious food

After rice cereal comes oatmeal. And then veggies. So far we have cleaned up on the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, peas, and carrots. We have also done some fruit with bananas and apples. Ethan seems equally enthused with them all...and the napkin, the chair, the stuffed animals etc. Seems everything goes into his mouth these days. The funniest part is when we eat. He sits with us at the table during dinner. he is in his highchair and screams bloody murder unless he is getting something too. And the way he follows your movements as you eat, you just know he is wishing to do a face plant into your mashed potatoes.

Off to bed

Just a quick post with some pics as we got Ethan ready for bed tonight. He is really standing well on his own and his expressions slay me. We are really struggling with keeping a schedule so we can keep his tantrums to a minimum. Remember when your Mom wished you would have one just like you? Here is my penance. :-)

Barn in progress....siding is on 

Rear of the house..... 

Garage doors... 

Exersaucer

I have found paradise. There is this toy exerciser thingie that I can just start using now and he loves...and he has to stand up so it tires him out while teaching him to reach and stand. I finally get a free hand during play time and then Ethan takes a nice nap after his 15 minutes. Talk about double duty. There are plenty of toys to play with and items to drool and chew on. Seems this a natural progression for kids at this age....everything is a chew toy. I hope to steadily increase his time in here as his legs get stronger. There is one down side....it does not fit through a doorway once put together....so therefore he is sitting in the hall as I type this looking at me from afar (which he doesn't seem to mind).

We are also working more on the tummy time (which he hates) and some rolling over. He can do it if he can grab my finger for some leverage. And he is holding his head up on his own and really controlling it now. He has always thrown it around with confidence and could control it since he was 2 weeks old but now he can sit up and tripod and really turn it to follow people.

Halloween

Grandma bought Ethan a pumpkin outfit to go over his ghostly onesie. It said Boo and was very cute with a Casper like creature floating across. We decided to go to the Crabtree Mall and walk around and watch all the kids trick or treat. Uncle Mikey came and met us for a bite and to enjoy some time with Ethan. The mall had a cool kick off for the release of the Star Wars movie on DVD and all the major characters were there to greet the kids. Ethan had to have his picture taken with his favorite personna.



I couldn't believe that he wasn't scared of anything. He had the biggest eyes as he watched all the other kids go by and kept trying to sit up in the stroller to get a better view. We ended up having to carry him most of the time. He was in awe. Of course, we couldn't do much trick or treating since we are not exactly eating candy yet but we did walk around and watch as all the stores were giving out their treats to the kids. (And Mom may have had to buy some candy corn to commemorate the evening). It was a great environment and we had a nice time with Michael before we finally passed out.

Rebecca and Joe Get Married

We drove to Blowing Rock today with Kathy and Jeff and toured around the town and then checked into the Meadowbrook (http://www.meadowbrook-inn.com/). This was my first trip with Ethan without family but my friends really helped out a lot! I felt very good about doing this alone and really enjoyed our bonding time. We had a nice time attending the wedding and visiting with Kathy and Jeff. We even managed to behave most of the time! I realized we didn't really have an outfit fit for a wedding but since it was outdoors, we had to be warm anyway. We got to wear our overalls with the weiner dogs on them and a flannel shirt. We were very snug. We had a lovely dinner and went back to our room after desert to read a story and go to sleep. Renee and Bob came over to visit us for a bit since they were up there for vacation as well. Here is Ethan dressed to impressed and all bundled up for the outdoor ceremony.

4 month doctor visit

We have mastered the scream. There is nothing like a few shots to the soft part of a baby's thigh to get their lungs working. Ethan was so mad he gave me the silent treatment all the way home. He wouldn't even look at me.

On the bright side, we were 15.4 pounds and are now able to start on fruits. I went right to the grocery store and loaded up on all natural organic bananas and squash. You wouldn't believe the amount of preservatives and sugar in the other ones. He seemed to like them although he still gets very pissy when I can't fill the spoon and get it back to his mouth in .65 miliseconds. Seems he would like to refill before the food makes it pass the esophagus. :-)

A weekend of "firsts"

I left Ethan with my parents for the weekend and went away to the mountains. This was the first time I have been without him for any length of time and it was hard saying goodbye and not calling every 4 hours. Once we arrived at the Homestead (http://www.thehomestead.com) though, I started to unwind and we had a wonderful time. We hiked, swam, and horseback rode on 15000 acres. The views were incredible and the resort was so relaxed. There are championship golf courses, an incredible spa, and formal dining in rooms dating back to the 1700s. They also have their own bowling alley and nightly movies. We mostly just relaxed and enjoyed the views and the full moon in the evenings. And maybe had a drink or two in the pub. I missed Ethan though I heard Uncle Michael came to play and that Grandma and he had some fun playing with his bear. Ethan was decked out in his Sunday football finest and she took pictures to share.




Hearing about all the fun we were missing at home, we decided to head out about 11 on Sunday. Check out time was 12 but it was already getting to be crazed in the great hall so we took our leave. We took the Blue Ridge Parkway home and routed ourselves through some great mountain back roads and towns. We even stopped for lunch and still managed to be back by 5. This left plenty of time for catching up with E.

We decided to be daring and introduced some cereal for the first time. He has been teething so badly that he just cries and bites on the nipple of the bottle and was not getting enough to eat. We have been freezing washcloths and teethers but they don't seem to help much and I am hesitant to use too much Tylenol. It was touch and go when we first offered the food as he was getting frustrated since he was hungry. We then got him to drink some formula first to fill him up a little and then with Grandma's help, he managed to eat about a tablespoon. I only wore an eight of that but his bib had seen better days. I really want him to use a spoon and am not a fan of putting the cereal in a bottle.


Once eating time was over, Ethan went to bed and the adults decided to play some poker since I wasn't feeling too well and couldn't do much else. I felt a bad cold coming on and couldn't stop sneezing. Sleep was out of the question so we made some decaf and started dealing. Ethan woke up about an hour into the game so he got to help me. He loved the bright colored cards and proved to be very good luck. I forgave him for the lack of a poker face and for throwing my cards on the floor in disgust for all to see. However, I realized the entire theory that cereal makes them sleep longer seems to be out the window since he only slept for an hour after his meal. We are still at 4 hour clips overnight and hour cat naps during the day, regardless of whether he drinks 4 or 6 ounces and if he has some cereal.

Reading a book

Today Grandma and Ethan played in the activity gym and with the boppy to get some tummy time. Ethan was enjoying reading his book while his Mom was working. He is starting to smile so much more now and loves to bury his face in his toy and act shy. He is also talking up a storm and eating 6 oz at a clip. A far cry from the little baby that wouldn't eat. We love soy!

8 weeks and counting....

We hope that is when we can move in! Went to the house last night and we have a lot going on. It looks great and the kitchen cabinets are going in, the vanities are in, the built ins are started in the living room and the doors and trim are being started today. Seems to really be moving along now.

Downstairs hall bath in cherry (no hardware on any of the cabinets yet)


Kitchen cabinets in progress


Living room bookcases and cabinets in progress

Ethan's playhouse part two

Things are moving along...we have a fireplace insert, hardwood floors installed, a front door, a barn, window trim to die for and a screened in porch. It is getting very exciting and I can hardly sleep at night waiting to move my little family into the new homestead.


My favorite part of the house to date....the entrance with the wood front door and waterfall steps. And the lovely trim work they did around my windows. I plan to stain the door to match the beadboard ceilings on the porches.


A work in progress. This is the screened in porch overlooking the pastures. I love the detail on the knee wall. I picture eating many dinners out here while watching the horses graze.

The ceiling of the screened in porch....great height and half moon window!


The trex covered deck....no maintenance! I want adirondack chairs and a hammock. The deck goes along the family room and master bedroom.


The kitchen looking into the dining room...hardwood floors are common grade oak so I could get the texture and variation in color I wanted.


Here is a pic of the barn for Easy and her friends:

3 months old and out about town

Today, my little cherub slept...and slept. And I spent WAY too much money on furniture for the new house. That'll teach him to sleep so long that I can actually shop and write checks. His toy allowance for the next few months is shot. Not likely knowing the grandparents.

You can't tell from this picture but his hair is actually starting to grow in and he no longer looks like a walking advertisement for male pattern baldness. In all fairness, he reminded me of Andy Sipowitz from NYPD blue with the hair at the nape of his neck and nowhere else. I am sure in his teenage years, he will get revenge for these comments. Actually, most likely for the entire blog thing. :-)



Today was also his Grandpa's b-day so we went out to dinner with the family. Aside from having to get all dressed up, Ethan was not phased and slept through the entire event. Usually he waits to exercise his lungs until Mommy has dinner in front of her or when she just finishes making a long awaited cup of coffee. Tonight I ordered ahi tuna just in case it had to wait a few minutes and a cosmo in case I had to wait a few minutes. :-) It was a great time had by all.

First smile caught on film.....in our undies of course. 

Our first pair of overalls....thanks Darla! 

Playing with the inch worm (when not trying to eat it)